Perhaps the most interesting month of the year is May as it consistently presents both beginnings and endings. We see new beginnings with trees leafing out, flowers blooming, and spring in full force. In May, we see the end of winter’s grip and welcome spring.

A great example of May “beginnings and endings” comes with the Associated Student Body (ASB) election process. Students campaign in the hopes of earning an elected office to serve as leaders of our school. While this is the beginning for the newly elected officers, the existing leaders see their experience coming to an end with the hopes that they made an impact on the school environment.

Another classic example is the forecasting process and creating a class schedule for the next school year. Students begin to see themselves as a sophomore, a junior, or a senior while dreaming of that special class they finally get to take. In this case, we are ending one year by planning for the next; beginnings and endings.

Perhaps the best example of this concept is graduation. Our seniors are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and they know their time as high school students is short, yet they fear what is coming next. While many will tell you they can’t wait to be done and move on, deep down they still wonder what that next step will be like, which ultimately creates a bit of doubt. In many cases, seniors revert to behaviors that you thought were gone after their freshman year (not turning in work, forgetting things, etc.). Please be aware of these changes and emotional times, as this is when our seniors need the most support and guidance. We want them to finish strong and leave Barlow knowing they have done their very best. For our students, they see the end of high school and the beginning of their life.

As parents, we begin to think about when our kids were in kindergarten, when they joined their first sports team, or played an instrument with the school band for the first time, or had their first heartbreak. We are also thinking about all of the opportunities that lie in front of them as they finish high school. Going to school or work, meeting that special someone, or finding a career. As parents, graduation is the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. While graduation may signify an end, it is also a grand entrance to so many amazing beginnings. Enjoy this time!

I hope the spring brings you all joy, sun, and a strong end to the school year. Go Bruins!

We are very excited for the Class of 2023! We are so happy to be able to celebrate their successes with all of those traditional end of year activities geared at both recognizing and honoring their accomplishments. While we are excited for them to celebrate, I must also remind everyone to keep their focus on finishing strong. This can be a challenging time for our seniors as they sometimes let up on the gas pedal the closer they get to finishing. I know it will be a challenge to keep that focus, but attending all classes, completing all work, and walking across the stage at graduation knowing you took full advantage of all Barlow has to offer is important.

To see a detailed list of activities, reminders, and plans for the Class of 2023, please check out the Senior Newsletter.

Sam Barlow students participated in the Mount Hood Community College High School Art Exhibition. 5 area high schools participated in the show, displayed at the MHCC for the month of April. 13 Barlow students displayed their work, and 5 were recognized with awards by the faculty at the college.

Originality #1 Savannah Patterson "Twisted Flesh"

Technical skill #1 Sofia Polyakov "Ocean Coral"

Technical skill #2 Halle Lang "Beneath the Veil"

Honorable Mentions

Megan Maroon "The Dawn"

Olivia Campos "The Beauty"

While we hope that all students find success in all they do, sometimes there are challenges and situations where they are not. With this in mind, we want to be able to support all students in need of making up credits towards graduation in the summer. This year, summer school will be held in-person at Sam Barlow High School.

The Summer School Session will run from July 10 through August 3 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Students will be able to enter the school at 7:45 and get breakfast, classes will release at 12:00 where lunch will be served, and buses will leave Barlow at 12:30. Core classes in Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Health/PE will be offered to all current ninth through 11th graders. For those in need of credit recovery, please see the links below. These will inform you as to how you can register for classes.

Summer SOAR 2023

Students with Opportunities Achieve Results

Si hay Oportunidades Alcanzamos y Realizamos

ENGLISH

ESPAÑOL

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our counseling office at 503.258.4870.

As we approach the end of this school year and graduation for Seniors, our Barlow Library will send out notices alerting students with items out of the need to return all SBHS Library materials before their last day of school. All SBHS Library items need to be returned before the end of this school year and Seniors must clear their Library accounts by Senior Clearance. Students are more than welcome to keep checking out materials, but they need to remember to bring them all back before summer vacation starts! Thanks in advance for your support.

If your student is looking to do some after-hours/Summer reading, our Barlow Library has great eBooks available all-year-round! Through a grant from the Gresham Barlow Education Foundation, our SBHS Library has over 600 eBook titles available for student use. Just use your school Google login and password to check out eBooks any time you want! For more information on how to download these eBooks you can click on this link: SBHS Library eBooks

Sam Barlow High School is home to an amazing College and Career Center. Patty Neuenschwander, our College Coordinator, is consistently finding ways to connect students with scholarship opportunities, hosting presentations from colleges and universities, and helping students with the college application process. LindaLee Frazier, our Career Coordinator, works to provide students with exposure to career opportunities by linking local businesses to classrooms, hosting presentations from business leaders, and connecting students to apprenticeship programs, the military, and local job options. These two work tirelessly to provide opportunities for your student.

Please see their newsletter for incredible details and current opportunities:

• College and Career Center May Newsletter

Need help with studying for the upcoming AP tests? Our Barlow Library has many up-to-date test preparation books available for student use. We have test guidebooks for every AP course offered at Barlow. Why buy a guidebook when you can borrow one for free? Check out these test prep books from our Library today!

If you want to look for similar announcements and events, check out the Barlow Library Events page.

In order to connect with our school community, Principal Bruce Schmidt will be hosting a monthly parent meeting on the fourth Monday of each month. During this meeting, Mr. Schmidt will present on a variety of topics to inform participants of what is taking place at Barlow. These meetings are never "one way" as Mr. Schmidt will gather input from parents and guardians to help make the Barlow experience quality for all.

The meetings begin at 7:00pm and end at 8:30pm and this year we are running a hybrid model with some meetings being conducted virtually through the use of Google Meets and some in-person in the Media Center. The last meeting dates for the 2022-23 school year will be on 5/22 (in-person).

Each month an invitation will be sent to you with an agenda via email outlining the topics for discussion along with the link to the Google Meet for virtual meetings. We look forward to seeing you at the end of each month.

What are the office hours?

7:00am - 3:30pm daily

Closed on holidays and some inservice days

What is the main office number?

503-258-4850

Can I leave a message for my student?

Yes. If necessary, we can take messages from a parent or guardian only. Messages will not be delivered to class except in an emergency, but will be held in the office. Students are paged during designated paging times, and it is the student’s responsibility to pick up the note.

Can I bring a present or send flowers/balloons to a student?

We are unable to accept gifts, flowers/balloons for students. We will refuse all attempted deliveries.

Can I deliver coffee/specialty drinks to my student?

No. We will not accept any Dutch, Black Rock, Country Coffee, etc.

Additional questions?

Please call us! 503-258-4850

If you have concerns about your child’s schedule or other issues, the following are the staff to contact. Email is a quick way to get answers to the questions you might have.

COUNSELORS (Caseload by Last Name)

A-C Shae Morris morris62@gresham.k12.or.us

D-H Erin Boelow boelow@gresham.k12.or.us

I-M Paul Quirke quirke@gresham.k12.or.us

N-Sa Oscar Rethwill rethwill@gresham.k12.or.us

Sb-Z Molly Ninneman ninneman@gresham.k12.or.us

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER

Katie Ray ray43@gresham.k12.or.us

HS SUCCESS COACH

Amanda McLeod mcleod2@gresham.k12.or.us

ELL LIAISON

Patty Rodarte rodarte4@gresham.k12.or.us

NURSE

Miriam Ward ward31@gresham.k12.or.us

ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Brinidey Gil-Salado gil9@gresham.k12.or.us

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

A-G Heidi Husbands husbands@gresham.k12.or.us

H-O Jason Bhear bhear@gresham.k12.or.us

P-Z Doyle Huelsman huelsman2@gresham.k12.or.us

If you would like to subscribe to Sam Barlow calendars on your phone or other devices, use the links below:

Activities - SBHS Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/gresham.k12.or.us_73jhabthgqh7h2910qn0c6baq8%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Athletics -SBHS calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/gresham.k12.or.us_kv7l5hldmkp5s4cgp4dmg8fnls%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Sam Barlow Main Public Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/gresham.k12.or.us_4jj9ve163iticdogb11b6ggp1s%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

• Memorial Day Holiday - No School - May 29th