| | | In this column...
From the Head of School * Cold and Flu Season is Upon Us |  |
| From the Head of School | | This past Friday, our faculty devoted their Professional In-Service day to the topic of technology. We explored cloud networking, SMART Boards, new Apple products, OneNote, and tablets in the lower school classrooms. We discovered how two of our peer schools, Sidwell Friends and Green Acres, have utilized iPads for its students. We learned from each other, from our parent guest speaker (thank you, Ruth McLenaghan!), and from our independent school peers. At the end of our day, our teachers came away very inspired to plan our own next steps for technology.
In the book Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, the authors write that student-centric technologies are the best means of differentiating instruction, but that these technologies clash with the traditional methods of teaching. If we are to find the way forward, I believe we need to provide our teachers with both the time to explore new technologies and the financial support to bring these technologies into the classroom – in ways that make sense for our students and our school. Friday’s In-Service Day provided inspiration, critical analysis, and a clear-eyed view of what lies ahead.
As I was reflecting on our day, I was reminded that we have truly wonderful teachers here at Barnesville. These are professionals who are intently attuned to their students’ needs and seek to fulfill them to the best of their ability. So, should you wish to show your support for our great teachers, I encourage you to nominate your favorite PreK-5th grade teacher for the Shirley J. Lowrie “Thank You For Teaching” Award. All it takes is for you to write a letter of recommendation for your child’s teacher, past or present, and submit it to me for nomination before April. One selected teacher at a Montgomery County independent school will receive a gift of $2,500. And regardless of whether one of our teachers receives the award, the letters themselves are wonderful recognition! Please visit the Independent Education website for more information.
John
PS – Please be sure to RSVP for Monday night’s Parent / Board Gathering right away!PPS – Summer Camp spaces are filling quickly! Register your child for Barnesville’s Summer Camp soon!PPPS – See you tomorrow night at Family Fun Night! | |
| Cold and Flu Season Is Upon Us | | Vickie Roos, Assistant Head
It appears that the cold and flu season is alive and well at The Barnesville School. With that thought in mind, if your child has been ill, I want to encourage all parents to make sure their child is healthy enough to return to school. Deciding when to keep a sick child at home from school is not always easy. It’s important for children to attend school and for some parents staying home means missing work. But when a child is truly sick, they need to stay home in the care of an adult to get well and to prevent spreading illness to others.
A child with heavy cold symptoms such as deep or uncontrollable coughing or significant lack of energy belongs at home even without a fever. A child with flu-like illness (fever and cough) must stay home from school at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever, without the use of fever reducing medicine.
If only it were so simple – even the best hygiene practices can’t avoid the spread of all winter illnesses. Sometimes staying home is the only way to benefit our kids, ourselves and our communities. | |
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FAMILY FUN NIGHT * Important Dates * Parent/Board Gathering * On-time Re-enrollment Deadline * Notes From Mrs. Nave... | |
| FAMILY FUN NIGHT | |  Family Fun Night, Barnesville at the Bayou, is tomorrow night! Raffle tickets are available at the door if you need some or more.
See you on the Bayou! | |
| Important Dates | | February
24: FAMILY FUN NIGHT, 6:30 pm
27: Parent/Board Gathering, 7 pm
March
1: 7th & 8th Grade Exams; Re-enrollment & EC/PreK Priority Application Deadline
2: 7th & 8th Grade Exams; New Student Acceptance Notification
5: 7th & 8th Grade Exams
7: Admissions Open House; End 2nd Trimester; Bake Sale, 2nd Grade
8: 1:30 Dismissal
9: Noon Dismissal | |
| Parent/Board Gathering | | The annual Parent/Board Gathering is Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 pm. Head of School John Huber and Board of Trustees Chair Chris Marett will present the Strategic Vision 2012-2017. Please RSVP online if you plan to attend. | |
| On-time Re-enrollment Deadline | | Don't delay! To take advantage of the enrollment discount voucher, contracts must be returned with the $1,000 deposit by March 1, 2012! | |
| Notes From Mrs. Nave... | | Update to the Directory
Another update to the Barnesville School Family Handbook and Directory will go out next week. If you have made any changes to your directory information, please let me know as soon as possible.
Tooth Box Report – Just for Fun! (4 boxes since the last Bits)
On February 13, a tooth box left my office around the neck of one of our PK students. Ainsley Marett got her first tooth box. On February 22, another tooth box left my office around the neck of Leo Gray (1st). Leo’s tooth was so loose he wanted it pulled. We were successful as it came out easily in my fingers with one small tug.
Land’s End - School Code is 900039249 | |
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