The Starburst
August 31, 2023
A Message from Principal Gallegos
Greetings, Barrows Families!
We are off to an amazing start to the school year and look forward to welcoming our kindergarteners for their first FULL day of kindergarten on Tuesday! The first day of school is my absolute favorite day of the year. Despite the rain- the crisp white or fancy shoes, fresh haircuts, new backpacks, and big smiles represent our renewed hope and expectations for an exciting year filled with growth and opportunities. We also recognize that some students felt a little uneasy about starting back, and we had plenty of support staff swoop in to ensure these students feel comfortable and will be less anxious to return next week. We love to make learning fun here at Barrows and hope our enthusiasm spills over to all our students. In just two days, each class went to specials, had an indoor and outdoor recess, connected with old friends, and began to make new friends; they learned about their teachers and had the opportunity to share about themselves. Grades 1-5 met with Mrs. Ring, our new assistant principal, and reviewed our cafeteria and recess expectations, and we even snuck in some reading, writing, and math! We will continue to focus on building community in our classrooms over the next few weeks. We know our students need to feel safe and connected before they are their best for learning!
I want to highlight a few things in this week's Starburst for you to note.
- Even with a rainy start, our parents respected our arrival procedures, and we could move families through quickly.
- Remember, our "Kiss & Go" line is for a quick drop-off. If you prefer to get out of the car with your child, please park the car in another area.
- Thank you for staying out of the staff parking lot. No sidewalk is there, so we do not permit pedestrians to cut through the lot. Safety first, always!
- Check out the PTO Section for loads of information for the start of the school year. The PTO's primary function is to provide a special connection between our families and the school by fully supporting students' enrichment opportunities and creating a strong community beyond our school walls. We have an AMAZING PTO Board, but they need help. Please reach out if you are interested in a leadership/volunteer position this year. The PTO co-presidents will present at our Back to School Night in a few weeks!
- Special thanks to our PTO, especially the Barcikowski and Curtain families, for our two staff lunches this week and all of you who contributed generously to Stock the Staff Lounge. My apologies if I missed other families that were behind the scenes!
- SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) offers a series of presentations. Even if your child doesn't receive special education services, parents & guardians may benefit from the practical advice shared at these.
- If you need help with your child's organization, ability to stick to a schedule, and show appropriate age-level independence, please attend The 360 Thinking Model on September 7th.
- We are seeing a significant rise in children expressing feelings of anxiety. If your child struggles with worry and often feels anxious, the presentation on September 19th is for you! As an educator and mom, I can tell you that the practical skills shared by Lynn Lyons are used in our school and my home! Whenever I hear her speak, I feel more confident about supporting your children and my own.
- Lastly, the best way to prepare your child for the upcoming longer weeks of school is lots of rest, healthy food (including what they eat for school snack/lunch), and plenty of time outdoors. Thank you for setting them up for success!
I wish everyone a restful Labor Day weekend, and thank you for reading through the newsletter this week. Here's to a great 2023-24 school year!
Warmly,
Mrs. Gallegos
Barrows Upcoming Dates
2022-2023 School Year:
Friday, September 1st: Vacation Day; No School for students.
Monday, September 4th: Labor Day. No School, Offices closed.
Tuesday, September 5th: Full day of school Grades K-5
Friday, September 8th: Back to School Picnic (5:00-6:30)
Thursday, September 14th: Elementary Open House in evening (5:30-6:45 pm)
Wednesday, September 20th: PTO MeetingFriday in the Barrows Library (7 pm)
Wednesday, October 20th: PTO Monster Mash 3-6pm (rain date: 10/27).
School Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 8:15 AM - 2:45 PM
Friday, 8:15 AM - 12:45 PM
*Students must be in class by 8:25 to be counted as on-time and present
School Lunches
School lunches are once again free for students in the Commonwealth. We do ask families that need financial assistance to complete this form: https://www.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US/food-services-4f8d79b4/frl-bac51fe9
We look forward to providing nutritious meals for our students!
Reading Public Schools Food Service/Lunch Menus: http://reading.k12.ma.us/departments/food-services/
Barrows Safety Reminders
Arrival
- Please drive slowly up Edgemont to keep everyone safe; remember, it is a ONE-WAY during the school day.
- Do not park in the indented section by the gym. This is the "kiss & go" area for a quick drop-off.
- Doors open at 8:15 and close at 8:25. Your child needs to be in their seat by 8:25 AM. If your child arrives to school after the doors have closed, they must come to the front door and be marked tardy.
- The Staff Parking Lot is for staff only and off limits to all pedestrians from arrival-dismissal for the safety of all. Please respect this important aspect of our campus.
Dismissal:
- At dismissal time, there is no live pick-up in the driveway except for students who take the bus. Kindergarteners exit the building at 2:40 PM. The rest of the students dismiss at 2:45 PM from the same doors they enter in the morning.
As a safety reminder, the staff parking lot is staff-only. We respectfully ask that caregivers park along the streets. With our students exiting from their external doors in the parking lot, having cars drive in and out is not safe. You need to walk around the school on the blacktop to the back. Thanks for helping us out.
Ready to Play the Best Way
Please do not have your children wear flip-flops. Sneakers are best, but flip-flops are dangerous when running at recess (and Crocs aren't great).
Dogs and Puppies on School Grounds
School Committee policy prohibits dogs on school grounds as much as we all love dogs and puppies and as much fun as it is walking them. If you'd like to walk your dog as part of your pick-up routine, the dog has to stay off school property. If you'd like your child to walk to you on the sidewalk or to the driveway entrances at dismissal so you can wait with your dog, please make that plan with them.
IMPORTANT PTO UPDATES
Welcome back! We are looking forward to a memorable school year with you and your children. See below for some important upcoming PTO sponsored events and be on the lookout next week for our PTO Welcome Packet to be sent home. Good to see you all back on the blacktop!
THANKS
The school year has only just begun and we already have so many to thank. BIG thanks to all the families that provided snacks and money towards snacks to stock the teacher’s lounge. Everyone was so generous with their donations. It was such a nice way to welcome back our teachers. The PTO also provided two lunches for the teachers on Monday (Fusilli’s) and Tuesday (Jersey Mike’s) so they could focus on prepping for the school year.
Finally a special call out to the Dee Family for spending most of a day tackling the weeds that grew in our flower and veggie boxes over the summer. That was a GIANT project and so nice to return to school with cleaned up boxes rather than the jungle that grew there over the summer 😊
JOIN US
Welcome Back Picnic – Friday, September 8th from 5 – 6:30pm. Bring dinner (many keep it simple and bring a pizza) and join us on the back field for a back to school picnic. The PTO will provide Richie’s slush for the kids.
The first PTO meeting of the year will be Wednesday, September 20th at 7pm in the Barrows library. Zoom link will also be provided in advance.
FUNDRAISING
The below fundraising efforts are available throughout the entire year.
Minted Fundraiser
The Minted Fundraiser is open the ENTIRE year! You can use the promo code FUNDRAISEBARROWS any time you place an order through Minted and help support the Barrows Elementary PTO. You'll get 20% OFF your ORDER and 15% of every purchase made using our code will be donated back to Barrows.
Box Tops
Did you know you no longer need to clip Box Tops and send them into school? Box Tops now offers an app where you scan your receipts! Doing online grocery delivery these days? No problem! Box Tops also offers a way to email your online orders for credit. Find it in the app store or google play store today!
Helpsy Bin
Finally, have you been in purge mode lately? Getting rid of old, stained or ripped clothing? Drop it off in the Helpsy box in the Barrows staff parking lot (after school hours of course) and Barrows will receive a small donation for your items. Clothing, shoes and accessories are all accepted!
Many thanks,
PTO Board
Lori Barcikowski, Co-President (LoriBarcikowski@yahoo.com)
Meghan Dribin, Co-President (MegDribin@gmail.com)
Amy Koehler, Treasurer
Alicia Curtin, Secretary
Alison Ethier, Social Media Coordinator
Parent PlusPortal Access
As a parent guardian of a child in the Reading Public Schools, you have access to the Parent PlusPortal. The Portal will be used throughout your child’s academic career as it is where you update your child’s emergency contact information, view report cards, and beyond elementary school, see your child’s grades in real time. It also acts as a communication portal between you and your child’s teacher where oftentimes, different academic links, notes, or activities are shared.
If you are a returning parent, your account is still active. If you are a new parent guardian and have not received access, please reach out to our school administrative secretary, Donna Walsh at donna.walsh@reading.k12.ma.us. At that point, you will receive a separate email with your PlusPortal login information. The subject line of the email is Important! Killam School PlusPortals login. This is a confidential portal that is linked to your email account. You have 48 hours to activate your Portal account using the temporary password supplied through the email. Once you login, you can update the password and personal information.
Learn more here
Follow our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/SEPAC.Reading
Helpful Links
Barrows Homepage: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us/barrows/
Reading Public Schools: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us