The Bee's Knees
Barfield Newsletter November 2021
Message from Mr.G!
While our primary focus is to build a strong curriculum in order to prepare our students for kindergarten, we hope to provide much more than stellar instruction. But just as importantly we want our students to be able to build healthy relationships with adults and peers. Getting along with peers can only happen if students understand the importance of being kind and respectful. At Barfield we are working to build an inclusive school in which each child feels accepted. One way we hope to achieve this goal is to introduce our students to the customs/holidays of all of our families.
Of course we will be discussing many holidays over the course of the current unit, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah. We hope to help our students learn about and accept whichever holidays your family celebrates or doesn't celebrate without endorsing any single holiday. A tradition we have established at Barfield is the Polar Express. We decorate the building, I set up a train display, and I typically read the book to the students. While the Polar Express celebration will be structured differently this year due to COVID precautions, what has not changed is the reason why we have the event. We do it to celebrate the magic of childhood and to bring joy to our students.
I was recently able to participate in a holiday that my family doesn't celebrate but I was grateful for the opportunity to learn about it, and that is precisely what we want for our students. Last Thursday Nov. 4th Ms. Tiffany's class celebrated Deepavali/Diwali (Festival of Lights). Mukilan's parents Sathish and Kowsalya sent in a kids Diwali board book for Ms. Tiffany to read to the class and coloring pages for his friends to color. Mukilan brought his traditional dress (dhothi) to wear/show his friends. Mukilan and his family also made goodie bags for his teachers and friends. The goodie bags had 3 small candles, playdoh, a pencil, and traditional cookies. We had a great afternoon celebrating and learning about Deepavali/Diwali (Festival of Lights). This was such a wonderful opportunity for Mukilan's classmates and I was so impressed I had to share the pictures below.
Important Dates
11/18- Board Of Education Meeting 6:30 pm
11/24-11/26- NO CLASSES
Halloween Fun at Barfield
Staff Spotlight-Brooke Kiel
The Mitten Tree
From The Nurses
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a very contagious and common disease, especially in children under 5 years old. It’s most common in summer and fall but can be around anytime of the year. We’ve seen an increase in cases this fall in the community.
It is not a serious disease but easily spreads through person-to -person contact, respiratory droplets, and contact with contaminated surfaces. People are usually most contagious during the first week they are sick but can remain contagious for days or weeks after symptoms go away.
There is no treatment for HFM but symptoms can be relieved. Over the counter medications can be given for fever or pain. Mouth sores can make swallowing painful so it’s important to make sure your child is getting enough liquids to stay hydrated.
Because the contagious period can remain for several days to weeks, it’s important for us to take steps to prevent exposure at school and at home.
- Wash hands after using the bathroom, blowing your nose, coughing/sneezing
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home if you are sick.
See your healthcare provider if your child shows the following:
- Not drinking enough water to stay hydrated.
- No improvement of symptoms after 10 days
- Your child has a weakened immune system
- Symptoms are severe.
- Your child is younger than 6 months.