| From the BPC | | Wrapping Paper Fundraiser! The BPC is bringing back, by popular demand, our wrapping paper fundraiser. Envelopes containing a catalog and ordering instructions for quality gifts and wrapping paper from Innisbrook are being sent home with students this week. We encourage you to consider supporting the BPC with your participation. This fundraiser will last until October 4th so your orders will arrive before the holidays. Timely Topics (And other not-to-missed, parent education events coming to you this fall! ) OCTOBER 5th, 7:30 - 9:30 PM If you missed her last spring, mark you calendars now for an enlightening evening with Debbie Kovalsky, a computer consultant in the field of online child safety. Debbie will come back to Barnesville on October 6th to discuss Cyber Safety (with a focus on Cyber Bullying) with our middle school students. Plan to join us on the evening of October 5th to hear first-hand what she'll be talking about with the students and learn what steps you can take to help protect your kids. Debbie works with parents, kids and schools preparing children for a safe experience online. More information attached here. OCTOBER 14th Sponsored by Parents Council of Washington: Dr. William Stixrud, a neuropsychologist, will speak about stress, motivation and achievement. The talk will be at the National Cathedral School on the evening of October 14th. I've seen him speak on this topic before -- he's brilliant and entertaining. Mark you calendars! More details to come...
NOVEMBER 18th, 7:30 - 9:30 PM Sponsored by The Parent Encouragement Program's Noted Parenting Author Series: Po Bronson, author of NutureShock: New Thinking About Children, will explain why he believes so many of society's current strategies for nurturing children are backfiring! Learn startling findings in all areas of parenting reseach. Tickets are $25 -- at the The Landon School Mondzac Performing Arts Center, Potomac, MD. More info at www.pepparent.com.
DECEMBER 3rd, 8:30 AM to 11 AM Join us at Barnesville for a just-in-time-for-the-holidays workshop on Limit- Setting During the Holiday Season! Learn strategies to help avoid over-indulgence, how to use wish lists to help kids winnow down wants, and preplanning with the family on expectations during the holiday season. Don't miss this two hour workshop with a experienced parent educator from The Parent Encouragement Program. |  |
| Communications and Marketing | | Poolesville Day Once again, Barnesville will be participating in Poolesville Day THIS Saturday, the 25th! If you and your family want to be part of our parade float, we'd love to have you!!!! Send me an email and meet at the Poolesville Elementary School on Saturday at 9:00 AM to get lined up. For more information about the event, check out www.poolesvilleday.com. Photographers Wanted Are you bringing your camera to the soccer game? play? school event? Share your pictures with us! Send copies of photos to us by disk, card, or photo site links and we'll download them and share with all on our website! They might also be used in a school publication! Contact me for more information or to send photos! ~Nicole Campbell, Director of Communications and Marketing | |
| Facilities and Transportation | | This school year, the week of October 11th has been designated as Safety Week. Students will be shown a video regarding bus evacuation, followed by a question and answer session. All students and their homeroom teachers will take part in an actual bus evacuation drill. All students will again participate in a tornado drill. In certain hall areas where objects could become missiles during an actual tornado, students will clear those items prior to assuming the proper position for this drill. October will also see our third fire drill for the new school year. Two fire drills are mandatory in September, and one drill every school month thereafter. We critique each drill, and a report is written. After the school year is over, a copy of the report must be sent to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. Also during Safety Week, we will practice a “Code Red” lockdown at Barnesville. At Barnesville there are three codes, Red, Blue and Yellow. Code Red means there is imminent danger, and that emergency requires that all areas of the buildings be secured (lockdown), and every student, visitor, and staff member be accounted for. Examples: intruder, suspicion of a bomb Code Blue is an alert status meaning that there is an emergency, and all students must be under supervision and accounted for. No lockdown is required. Example: electricity or water outage, isolated chemical explosion, weapon found, or a medical emergency that requires privacy. Code Yellow is if a Barnesville Triage Team is needed. Most of us have had training in CPR, using the school’s AED unit and first aid. We have a Health and Safety committee that meets on a monthly basis to discuss health and safety related issues. ~Bernie Weintraub, Director of Facilities and Transportation | |
| A Note From Ms. Nave | | Forms
Please remember to complete and return all health forms to my office as soon as possible. Volunteers and Visits
Please remember to sign in at the reception office and get a pass to go from one building to the other. The doors are locked after 8:30 am. When returning the pass, please sign out. Tooth box report- just for fun!
My tooth chart is starting to fill up. Carissa Parson, Grace Brown and Emily Kelliher all got tooth boxes since the last BITS! | |
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| | From Our Head of School | | This past weekend as I was purchasing apples from Kingsbury’s Orchard for the students, I started chatting with one of the family members who runs the orchard. She mentioned that she had been a teacher in Poolesville for many years, and she now volunteers at one of the Civil War museums in Frederick. She commented to me that she enjoys seeing Barnesville students come each year on their field trip. It felt good to know that our students are well received when they’re off campus! More interestingly, she lamented how few schools take field trips these days, especially the public schools in Frederick and Montgomery counties, where budgets and state requirements have made field trips less of a necessity and more of a luxury. Field trips continue to be an integral part of our educational program at Barnesville, and we are proud to provide a variety of field-based learning experiences for our students. Educational research has shown time and time again that when you take students out of their normal classroom setting on a field trip, they retain the information better, participate more fully, and increase their content comprehension. Last year Barnesville students went on over 45 separate field trips, which equates to more than four per grade. Some of these trips were small – in fact, one 1st grade “field trip” was a morning walk up to the Huber house to help sift through a compost pile and feed worms to the chickens! Others were more significant – last year our 8th graders went to Red Wiggler Community Farm and Frederick Rescue Mission as part of their community service, as well as New York City for the annual class trip. Field trips will remain an essential component of the Barnesville experience. Through your financial support, we plan to keep them in our curriculum for a long time to come. In advance of your pledge to our Annual Fund, the teachers and I thank you! Enjoy your own explorations,
John Huber | |
| Middle School | | I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about some tips for parenting middle school students. It can be a very confusing time for both students and parents. More than ever, view this time in their lives as an opportunity to connect and keep the lines of communication open and strong. When you ask how their day went, don't let them slide with a single-word answer of "Fine." Ask specific questions to get the answers you're looking for. "How did your test go in Language Arts today?" "Did you and your friends play basketball at lunch?" "Who's trying out for the Fall Play?" As children grow, they begin to experience physical, intellectual, and emotional changes. The way they learn, feel, see the world, and relate to other people becomes different from when they were younger. These changes, along with demands from present-day society and peer pressure, create conflicts and tension in the adolescent, which are reflected in their behavior in school and at home. Young people at this age show a good number of contradictions and conflicts, which is normal. There is no "model" adolescent. All young people are individuals with strong and weak points and with positive and negative qualities. There are some common characteristics that should be kept in mind in order to understand and help the middle schooler in daily activities at home and at school: • Adolescents have high levels of physical and emotional energy, which may contrast with long periods of idleness, generally disapproved of by adults.
• They take risks, are curious, and love danger and adventure, yet their feelings can be hurt easily. This is the time when they feel immortal, but they worry a lot about what their friends think about them.
• They want to be independent from their families, and at the same time, they need to be pampered and protected.
• They withdraw and want a private life, and at the same time, they worry about being accepted by their peers.
• They demand privileges but avoid responsibilities. At the same time, they are developing an awareness of social problems and the welfare of others.
What Can Parents Do To Support Education at Home? There are many ways that parents can demonstrate to their adolescent children that they are interested in academic success and that they are available to offer support and protection when there are problems. Here are some suggestions: • Talk with your child about what happens at school every day. Ask often if there are messages from the school.
• Spend some relaxed time with your children. Share a meal or a snack. Tell them often what you like about them.
• Listen to and share their worries.
• Avoid scoldings and arguments when your middle school child brings bad news home. Listen to their reasons and offer your help to improve the situation. It helps if your children know you believe they will be successful.
• Value their education by encouraging homework and reading. Help your children choose a good time and place to do their assignments and special projects. Provide the necessary materials and give them your unconditional support. Your Middle Schooler is on a wonderful adventure that will lead them from childhood into the beginnings of adulthood. But the way is unfamiliar as well as unsettling. They need a guide who cares deeply about them, has confidence in them, and can see farther then they can. Just don't forget the hugs! ~Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School | |
| Lower School | | One of the questions I get asked most frequently is: How can I help my child succeed in school? Although there is not one answer that takes everything into account, here are a few tried and true points to keep in mind: • Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast.
• Bring your child to school on time. We begin Morning Meeting at 7:55 AM.
• Send a healthy snack. Please don’t send candy or soda.
• Pick your child up on time after school and make sure they know where they are going and who they are going with after school. It is very stressful and scary for children when they think they have been forgotten.
• Provide a quiet space for them to do their homework and try to make it a priority to finish before dinner.
• Make sure they get a good night’s sleep. All research shows that a minimum of 8 hours is needed for children to be successful in school.
• Read to your child daily. Even 3rd and 4th graders. Check and discuss their homework.
• Provide your child with different experiences by going to parks, museums, plays, concerts, sporting events, etc. Broadening your child’s experiences broadens their minds.
• Talk with them, listen carefully to your child’s fears and feelings.
• Always recognize your child’s positive efforts.
• Get involved here at Barnesville. Meet the teachers and attend conference.
• Attend school events.
• Read Bits and Tidbits every week for it is how we communicate with you.
• Volunteer in the classroom, chaperone a field trip. All of these suggestions will show your child that you value his or her education and we all know that children learn by example. ~Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School | |
| Advancement | | "There’s GOLD in them there….GROCERIES!" Last year, $2,500 was earned by ANOTHER SCHOOL in our area through the Giant Food A+Bonus Bucks program. Safeway(Escrip), Harris Teeter and Target have similar programs. Don’t let Barnesville miss-out! Just by linking your grocery cards to The Barnesville School you too could support our students and help Barnesville “strike it rich”. Currently, eight (8) Barnesville families have linked their Giant cards. THANK YOU!! There are two ways to register: 1. Click the following links and register your own cards: 2. Let us register your cards for you! Email Georganna Glen, Director of Advancement, with: - Type of card (Giant/Safeway etc)
- Cardholder name
- Card number OR phone number affiliated with your card
Thank you for supporting Barnesville! ~Georganna Glen, Director of Advancement | |
| Admissions | | Please join us this Saturday, September 25th at the 20th Annual Poolesville Day Celebration! The fun starts with a parade at 10:00 am (touch base with Nicole Campbell to sign up for the parade)! The Admissions Office is hosting an informational tent from 10-4. Be sure to spread the word with your friends and neighbors to stop by our exhibit #59 to learn more about the fabulous Barnesville education and community! Hope to see you on Saturday! ~Susanne Johnson, Director of Admissions | |
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