The Big Cat Courier
Your Source for Barnard News, right Meow
10/29/2020
Dear HBS Families,
As many of you saw, at Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting, it was announced that Enfield Public Schools will continue in a hybrid learning model through Thanksgiving. The hope is that with fewer students in the building, which allows for appropriate social distancing, the likelihood of keeping our buildings consistently open gets better. See below if you're child is in Cohort D but you are interested in having them return to in-person classes two days per week.
Snow Days
1) If a snow day/inclement weather day is called by the Superintendent, students and staff will follow the synchronous Wednesday schedule that we were following just a couple of weeks ago.
2) Attendance will be taken and participation is required on snow days/inclement weather days.
Daylight Savings Time Ends this Weekend
Opting Back into the In-person Cohorts
If you intend for your child to return to in-person hybrid learning, please contact the main office at Barnard by the end of the day on Monday, November 2nd. This will allow us enough time to prepare for your child's return.
Next Week's Schedule
-Wednesday is a normal Asynchronous, Remote Wednesday schedule.
-Friday is picture day. Cohort B will participate during the school day. Cohort D and students in Cohort A who missed picture day will participate by appointment after school.
Last Call for iReady Assessments
Picture Day is Coming!
The after school session will be held by appointment only. Please call Barnard's main office by the end of the day on Monday, November 2nd for your appointment.
The Life Touch photographer will be set up in the gymnasium. Please park your vehicle in the parking lot and walk to the back of the gym where you will find two exterior doors facing the baseball diamond. We will use one back door to enter the gym and a second door to exit. All masking and social distancing guidelines will be in place during the event. Students may unmask only to take their photo.
To expedite the process and keep the event as touchless as possible, please remember to submit all of your paperwork online.
PTO
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Henry Barnard School PTO is an incredibly dedicated group that makes many of the enrichment opportunities at the school possible. If you have an hour a month to learn about what's happening at our school, help plan upcoming events, network with other Barnard families, and have a hand in making important Barnard community decisions, please consider joining us.
The next meeting is scheduled to be held on the evening of Thursday, November 6th. Meetings take place on Zoom so there is no rushing around to be done on a busy school night.
The PTO is also conducting a Henry Barnard mask fundraiser. Take a look at what they designed and remember, all profits go back into helping make our school day as rich an experience as possible for your children.
Report Cards and Conferences
If you haven't been able to connect with your child's teacher about conferences, please reach out to them via email, Remind, or TEAMS to reserve your conference time.
KITE and an Evening with Dr. Peg Oliveira
KITE Parent Webinar : Where Am I, and How Did I Get Here? | Mon Nov 2nd 6:30PM
1 hour Zoom talk for parents with Child Development Expert from Yale’s Gesell Institute, Peg Oliveira, PhD
In this time of uncertainty and chaos, our best first step is to check in with ourselves. In this experiential workshop we'll discuss how 2020 can be stressful for even the most resilient parent and what we can do to bring balance to our own and our families experience of it. Basic mindfulness practices will be shared.
ONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED: https://parentwebinarhowdidigethere.eventbrite.com
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Peg Oliveira, PhD Executive Director
Yale's GESELL Institute of Early Learning
Dr. Peg Oliveira is a child development expert and an activist. Since receiving her doctorate in developmental psychology from Brandeis University, Dr. Oliveira has advocated for fair pay for early childhood educators, child care assistance for working parents and equitable access to high quality education.
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