Friday, February 5, 2021


Winter MAP Assessments 

Our MAP assessments will continue into this coming week with both in-person and distance learners. Classroom teachers will communicate the exact schedule for their class with parents. Please see the attached letter for more information regarding our assessments for this window. 


Valentine’s Day Celebrations

Our Valentine’s Day celebrations will be modified this year due to COVID-19. We still will be celebrating the day with our students, however, we will not be holding our traditional parties. Classroom teachers will be facilitating some festive activities and the exchange of cards on Thursday, February 11th. Students who are remote will participate in activities with their class via Zoom and classroom teachers will have a virtual way/alternative for students to participate in a card exchange. In-person students must bring their cards into the building on Monday, February 8th in order for the cards to be quarantined for three days prior to being sent home with students on Thursday, February 11th. Classroom teachers will communicate other guidelines directly with families for the card exchange. Please note, if cards are not brought in by Monday, February 8th, they will not be sent home with students on February 11th. Thank you for your cooperation and support with this mitigation strategy for our card exchange. 


Week 3: Resources for Parents to Help Support Reading and Writing at Home 

The Teachers’ College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP), creators of our reading and writing programs, have developed numerous videos for families and caregivers to bring more joy into literacy learning. They draw on numerous years of experience and research in providing ideas for supporting reading and writing at home. We will highlight a few videos each week in upcoming newsletters, and encourage parents and caregivers to listen to or watch these short videos. In addition, we will be launching our annual Grove Family Reading Program in a few weeks in hopes to also bring some excitement, joy, and motivation to reading! To access all videos created by TCRWP and additional resources, please refer to this link


PreKindergarten - Second Grade: How to Help Your Young Writer Make a Plan for their Writing:

In this video, Brittany shares ways caregivers can help their child make a plan before they begin putting pen to paper to write a story. 

 

Third - Fifth Grade (and beyond): Three Tips for Helping Your Kids Write Essays: Mary shares ways parents can help their young writers create clear and concise essays. 

 

Spanish: Buscar vídeos de lectura en voz alta en español o inglés / Searching for Video Read Alouds in Spanish or English: Stephanie invita a los familiares encontrar videos de los autores leyendo sus propios libros en voz alta, en español o en inglés, porque mirarlos puede ser una experiencia maravillosa con un cuento y enseña a los niños sobre las personas quienes escribieron las historias que les encantan.  (Stephanie invites parents to find videos of authors reading their own picture books aloud, as watching them can be a wonderful storytime experience and can teach children about the humans behind the stories they come to love.)



Update Information - Virtual Family STEM Night - Thursday, February 11th, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

We are excited that once again, a STEM Family Event is happening this year! Families can participate in one of two ways - either join us virtually on February 11th from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. while completing the STEM activities at home OR complete the activities with your family at home at any time. 

This year’s STEM activities include “Snowball Launcher”, “ Tallest Tower”, and “Make It Move.” Each Barrington 220 K-5 family will receive one baggie of materials, which will be sent home with your youngest child by the end of the week. If your youngest child is learning remotely and you would like to participate, please pick up your family’s materials baggie that is waiting for you in the lobby at Grove. Please be sure to see the flyers included in Mrs. Matthews email for more information!!!

Evento Familiar de STEM - Virtualmente el 11 de febrero de 6:00 pm a 7:30 pm

¡Nos complace anunciar que nuestro evento familiar de STEM (ciencias, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas) se llevará a cabo este año! Las familias pueden participar de dos formas. Únase a nosotros virtualmente el 11 de febrero de 6:00 pm a 7:30 pm mientras completa las actividades de STEM en casa O complete las actividades con su familia en casa en cualquier momento.  

Las actividades de STEM de este año incluyen "lanzador de bolas de nieve", "torre más alta" y "haz que se mueva". Cada familia de Barrington 220 en grados K-5 recibirá una bolsita de materiales, que se enviará a casa con su hijo/a menor al final de la semana. Si su hijo/a menor está aprendiendo a distancia y le gustaría participar, por favor recoja la bolsa de materiales de su familia en el vestíbulo o afuera de la puerta principal de su escuela. Consulte estos enlaces para obtener más información. 

Social Emotional Support for Students 

As our students continue to navigate our consistently changing landscape due to COVID 19, we are continuously considering how our children are coping and their overall mental health. Please know that our school and district are here to support our students who are struggling and may benefit from additional resources. Please see the attached letter regarding this and view the short video explaining how families can access the online META app that is also available to connect students with counselors while at home. Please also keep in mind that parents can contact our school based support directly by emailing our Social Worker, Mr. Walcott, at cwalcott@barrington220.org or our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, at ttompkins@barrington220.org.


Upcoming Dates 

Monday, February 8th - Valentine’s Day Cards brought into building for in-person learners to be quarantined for 3 days  

Tuesday, February 9th - Spanish Dual Language Kindergarten Info. Mtg. in Spanish, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom 

Thursday, February 11th - Valentine’s Day Celebrations 

Thursday, February 11th - Virtual Family STEM Night, 6:00-7:30 p.m. 

Thursday, February 11th - Parent University @ 7 p.m. - Youth Mental Health and Suicide: Know the Warning Signs and How to Help 

Friday, February 12th - Institute Day, NO SCHOOL for Students 

Monday, February 15th - Presidents’ Day, NO SCHOOL for Students

















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