The Big Cat Courier
Your Source for Big Cat News, Right Meow
November 10, 2022
Happy Thursday Big Cats,
What an atypical school week! Between the temperature fluctuations, days off, early release time, and conferences, this week felt a bit like a rollercoaster. The good news is that next week will feel more like a normal school week before we jump into another short week and Thanksgiving break. As noted in last week's edition of the newsletter, all of our recent scheduling ups and downs lead into four solid weeks of instruction before we head off on the holiday break in December.
Enjoy your long weekend with the kids!
Veterans Day is Tomorrow, Friday, November 11th
Below is an excerpt from Britannica Kids that describes Veterans Day in age appropriate, primary school language. Please feel free to use the excerpt with your child if they have questions about why they have the day off tomorrow and why Veterans Day is such an important holiday in our country.
From Britannica Kids:
Every year on November 11, people in the United States celebrate Veterans Day. The holiday honors veterans, or people who served in the U.S. military. The day especially honors those veterans who died while fighting in a war.
To celebrate Veterans Day, some cities and towns have parades. Veterans from the area may march in the parades. Sometimes people visit cemeteries on Veterans Day. People may put flowers or flags on the graves of veterans to honor them.
Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day. (An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting.) Armistice Day was created to remember the end of World War 1 on November 11, 1918. The first Armistice Day in the United States was in 1919.
Armistice Day became an official national holiday in 1938. In 1954 Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day to remember soldiers from all wars, not just World War I.
People in Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom also honor veterans on a day in November. Canada and the United Kingdom call the holiday Remembrance Day. On November 11, people across Europe remember the end of World War I.
A Survey from our Partners at KITE
KITE (Key Initiatives to Early Education) is working to update Enfield’s Early Childhood Community Plan. This plan will help form the strategies and initiatives that will benefit families with young children here in town. And we need your input!
This is a VERY short survey to learn what resources will best serve families as well as current challenges. If you would like to participate in a later focus group to share more of your thoughts, you can leave your contact information on the form and we will be in touch. You are your children’s first teacher and advocate, and we want to support families in these formative years.
For completing the survey, you’ll be entered into our raffle drawing to win one of multiple $25 gift cards with a choice of: Visa, Amazon, Target, or Grocery Store!
Just scan the QR Code with your device to take the survey:
Our Digital Citizenship Night is on Monday
Important Dates to Keep an Eye On -
-Family Digital Citizenship Night at HBS on Monday, 11/14
-The Barnard/Crandall PTO's Chipotle Fundraiser will be held on Tuesday, 11/15
-LifeTouch Fall Picture retakes are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, 11/16
-PTO Meeting on Thursday, 11/17. It will be held at Barnard.
-Early Release for Thanksgiving Recess on Wednesday, 11/23 and no school on Thursday and Friday, 11/24 and 11/25
Important Items from Our Last Edition
From the Desk of Chris Drezek Regarding The Superintendents Advisory Council
A school/home partnership is vital to ensure the success of all our children. To increase parental involvement and to provide a platform for parent’s voices to be heard, I am creating a Superintendents Advisory Council for parents of Enfield Public School students. This council will consist of parents of school age children from every level, and will set the agenda for further, more specific topical conversations with district leadership in the future. School principals and leaders will send out application forms for any parent that wishes to participate. Meeting times and dates will be shared in the coming weeks. This is not a Board of Education initiative; this is a district initiative to gather parents’ concerns and ideas that helps direct the districts work moving forward.
Click here: https://forms.office.com/r/FErux9PTXW
Before and After Care Through the ERfC
Breakfast and Lunch Update
Helpful i-Ready Hints
The Elementary School Handbook
iPad Insurance is Important
Other Important PTO Dates and Information:
QR Code for the PTO's Amazon Smile Drive
Did you know the Barnard/Crandall PTO earns free money for purchases you make on Amazon? If you select your school as your "charity" Amazon will donate a portion of your total directly to our bank account for qualified purchases.
You can scan the QR code below to take you directly to our AmazonSmile page & you’ll log in to select us. If this does not work, please see instructions below.
How to use AmazonSmile using the Amazon app on your mobile phone:
1. Open the Amazon Shopping app
2. Navigate to the main menu (≡)
3. Tap on Settings and then select “AmazonSmile”
4. Select your charity
Crandall: type “Parent Teacher Organization of the Prudence Crandall Elementary”
Barnard: type “Henry Barnard School Parent Teacherorganization Inc”
and then follow the on-screen instructions to turn ON AmazonSmile in the mobile app.
Once AmazonSmile has been activated in your app, future eligible app purchases will generate a donation for the charity you have selected. Questions or need help with signing up? Email us at:
Arrival and Student Drop Off
If a child is being dropped off, we will be using the doors in the back parking lot in between the library and gymnasium. Please remain in your car as you loop around the back lot to drop your child off at the doors. If you are the family of a walker, please look for the orange traffic cones at the drop off doors to guide you safely into that space.
Please note that during arrival times, the front doors to the school are being reserved to receive only bus students. All other students, will use the doors in the back parking lot between the library and gymnasium. If you need to speak with somebody from the main office in person, please plan to do so before or after student drop off to alleviate congestion at the front doors.
A Reminder About Dropping Students Off at the Start of the School Day
Thank you in advance for following this very important safety procedure.
Student Dismissal
Students being picked up at the end of the day will be dismissed directly from the back door of your child's classroom. Please remember to bring a picture ID on the first day as well as your child's dismissal card on subsequent days (they will be sent home with your child on their first in-person day of classes).
Students taking the bus will continue to be dismissed through the front doors. Because buses are dismissed one at a time, the front doors are being reserved for bus students only. If a family has business with the main office during dismissal, we appreciate your patience as we complete the dismissal process. We will assist you as soon as possible.
Daycare vans and small buses are located in the back lot and side lot, respectively. Building staff are assigned to those locations to ensure students safely board the correct vehicle.
Up to Date Contact Information is VITAL
I have to say, from experience, that there's nothing sadder than having a sick student in the nursing office all day because we weren't able to reach their family. Never mind the fright caused when the student isn't on the bus home.
Please, please check that your information is up to date. You can check it out and update it in the PowerSchool Parent Portal and through School Messenger. Both can be found halfway down the District's homepage: http://www.enfieldschools.org/
Our Community Partners -
Consider Joining the PTO
Having said that, all the good work that the PTO puts into our schools translates directly to a richer educational experience for our students. They help fund fieldtrips and educational experiences that we would otherwise not have available to our students.
The PTO meets once each month. Meetings usually run for less than an hour and are dedicated to school updates and planning for upcoming events. Please consider being a part of the PTO. Many hands make light work!
For more information, please follow the link: https://enfieldpto.com/henrybarnard
The Family Resource Center (FRC)
For more information, please follow this link: https://www.enfield-ct.gov/375/Family-Resource-Center
Enfield Resources for Children (ERfC)
Follow this link for more information: https://erfcinc.org/
The Big Cat Courier
Enfield Public Schools
Learning Through Play
Henry Barnard School
Email: jgraham@enfieldschools.org
Website: https://henry.sharpschool.com/
Location: 27 Shaker Road, Enfield, CT, USA
Phone: (860) 253-6540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnfieldPublicSschools/
Twitter: @EnfieldPS