📚GRACE LIN VISITS BARRINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:
October has been a busy month for Barrington Public Schools! Last Friday, award-winning author and illustrator, Grace Lin, visited Nayatt School, Sowams School, and Primrose Hill School. The opportunity for students to learn from this dynamic author was generously funded by our BPS PTO.
Grace Lin has published over 25 books written for young and middle-grade audiences. She is known for contributing to Asian-American representation and diversity in children's literature, and much of her work features young Asian and Asian-American characters in both everyday and fantastical settings. As a strong advocate for increased diversity, Grace Lin believes that children's bookshelves should contain books that are mirrors enabling children to see themselves in literature and books that are windows teaching respect and appreciation for the incredible diversity among us.
This year, BPS students in all K-3 grades are focusing on developing their writing. Grace Lin's work sets a great example of how our students can write stories they can see themselves in.
🧡BPS CELEBRATES UNITY DAY 2023:
October 18 is Unity Day, a signature event of PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center (NBPC)'s National Bullying Prevention Month. Schools across our District celebrated Unity Day thanks to the hard work and organization of the Barrington High School Chain Reaction Club, faculty advisors, and school counselors!
Today, students and staff sported orange to send a visible message that Barrington Public Schools and our learning communities are united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Morning arrival included many high fives and warm welcomes into school.
Learn more about BHS Chain Reaction Club: https://www.barringtonhigh.org/.../page/chain-reaction
Learn more about Unity Day: https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/unity-day.asp
🍂BARRINGTON DAY OF CARING 2023:
Dozens of Barrington High School athletes and coaches participated in the Town of Barrington, RI's annual Barrington Day of Caring on Monday, October 9!
Among these BPS volunteers were 22 athletes from the boys cross country team who volunteered at Barrington Farm School. They spent hours digging ditches, spreading mulch and wood chips, pulling weeds, and transplanting crops to help the Farm School get ready for the winter season.
Great work, BHS athletes and Barrington residents, for your care and community service!
👟PRIMROSE HILL JOG-A-THON:
The Jog-A-Thon has returned to Primrose Hill Elementary School for another year, sending Primrose Pandas on the move! Students and their teachers jogged laps around the field to a cheering crowd of families and friends - all to support the PHS community.
Organized by the Primrose Hill School PTO, the Jog-A-Thon helps fund additional school events and activities for the school year. Throughout the week leading up to the Jog-A-Thon, Primrose students also contributed to a community cause by collecting athletic sneaker donations.
Thank you to our PHS PTO for organizing another wonderful Jog-A-Thon and to our community of educators, families, and BPS volunteers who make this event such a success!
🧙♀️OCTOBERFEST THROWBACK THURSDAY:
Take a #ThrowbackThursday look at Sowams Octoberfest through the years and get excited for Octoberfest 2023 this weekend! There will be food trucks, carnival games, and lots of family fun.
🟠Saturday, October 14
🟣10 AM - 3 PM
⚫️Sowams School
All photos taken for East Bay Media.
📘BHS NAMED TO AP HONOR ROLL:
Barrington High School has been named to the Advanced Placement Program (AP) School Honor Roll, earning Gold distinction for students' college readiness and preparation.
Seventy percent of BHS seniors in the Class of 2023 took at least one AP exam during high school. Overall, 63% of 2023 seniors scored a three or higher on at least one AP exam and 11% of the seniors took five or more AP exams, including at least one exam in the 9th or 10th grade!
"This recognition demonstrates the incredible amount of hard work of our students and teachers," said BHS Principal, Mr. Ashley.
Read more about this distinction: https://www.barringtonschools.org/article/1276470
This photo was taken by Richard Dionne, Jr. for East Bay Media.
🚴♀️HMS WALK, BIKE, AND ROLL TO SCHOOL:
Hampden Meadows Elementary School Tough Tigers and their families recently celebrated International Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day school-wide! Walking, biking, and rolling to school promotes physical activity, teaches students safe and healthy ways to get to school, and helps to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in neighborhood communities.
Thank you, Miss Freeman and Miss O'Neil, for encouraging healthy habits, road safety, and a strong sense of community at HMS. And a special thank you to Officer Joel for making sure our students and families were able to safely cross the road on this foggy morning!
Learn more about International Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day here: https://www.walkbiketoschool.org/learn-more/why-walkbike/
🎃SOWAMS SCHOOL OCTOBERFEST:
Sowams Octoberfest is coming! This weekend, Sowams School will be hosting its annual Octoberfest, a fall community event filled with family fun!
🟠Saturday, October 14
⚫️10 AM - 3 PM
There will be food trucks, carnival games, spooky hayrides, basket raffles, and a silent auction. Admission is free!
🧑🏫CELEBRATING WORLD TEACHERS' DAY 2023:
October 5 is #WorldTeachersDay, which recognizes the significant ways teachers shape, mentor, and educate youth all over the world.
The Rhode Island Department of Education recently celebrated and honored outstanding educators across the state at WaterFire Providence - including our own District Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Oswald!
Thank you to all of our Barrington Public Schools teachers, past and present, for empowering, educating, and encouraging generations of youth!
🥎NATIONAL COACHES DAY:
Today, October 6, is #NationalCoachesDay which honors coaches across the country who dedicate their time and energy to leading teams in every sport!
Barrington Public Schools is very fortunate to have many coaches who continually motivate our students to strive for improvement and be the best they can be. Team work makes our dream work!
All photos were taken by Richard Dionne, Jr. for East Bay Media.
🏆BPS ALUM WINS NEWS EMMY:
Congratulations to ABC News senior White House correspondent and Barrington High School alum, Selina Wang, for winning Outstanding Emerging Journalist at the 44th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards!
Prior to moving to ABC News, Selina was based in CNN's Beijing bureau as the network's sole correspondent in China.
BPS alumni are doing phenomenal things all over the world!
💛BMS BEST BUDDIES PRESENTED WITH CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD:
There is no doubt, Barrington Middle School Best Buddies is a phenomenal student organization that embodies the missions of both BMS and Best Buddies International!
In July, BMS Best Buddies was named the 2023 National Middle School Chapter of the Year at the Best Buddies International Leadership Conference. At their fall kick off this week, Best Buddies student leaders were presented with the award by a representative from Best Buddies Massachusetts & Rhode Island.
Way to go, BMS Best Buddies!
🎓BHS CO-HOSTS ANNUAL COLLEGE FAIR:
Last night, September 26, the Barrington High School cafeterias were filled with conversation and post-graduation exploration!
During the annual College Fair co-hosted by BHS and Mt. Hope High School, local high school students (and their families!) met with college admissions counselors from more than 3 dozen local, regional, and national institutions to kickstart their college search.
The Barrington High School Counseling Office is also hosting in-school college visits through the end of October where BHS students can meet with admissions counselors from various colleges and universities during the school day. Find the full list of visiting representatives and college visit dates/times here: https://www.barringtonhigh.org/o/high-school/events
🍄HMS STUDENT FINDS RARE MUSHROOM:
Silas is a student at Hampden Meadows Elementary School, and a youth ambassador for the Rhode Island Mycological Society with an avid interest in mushrooms. While exploring the East Bay Bike Path with his dad this summer, Silas noticed a rare mushroom called Boletus billieae, or "Billie's Bolete," that had not previously been found in Rhode Island.
Way to go, Silas!
Read more about this cool find here: https://ecori.org/barrington-boy-finds-rare-mushroom-species-never-before-seen-in-r-i/
👋BMS START WITH HELLO WEEK:
This week, September 18-22, Barrington Middle School participated in #StartWithHello Week, an initiative by the Sandy Hook Promise that promotes kindness and inclusion across K-12 schools.
Thank you to our entire BMS community for committing to start with hello and make new connections - and a special thank you to Mrs. Poirier, Mrs. Nary, and Mrs. Leary for organizing this very important call-to-action!
Learn more about Start With Hello here: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/start-with-hello/
🍁BHS ENVIRONMENTALISTS BRING NEW COMPOST DROP-OFF TO TOWN:
Emma Pautz and Sabine Cladis, two Barrington High School students passionate about environmentalism, have been working to create a new compost drop-off site in Barrington.
They recently received approval from the Town Manager to set up the structure in the parking lot of the Barrington Senior Center. Once installed, community members will be able to drop off compost and food waste appropriate for composting at this site. Collected compost will be delivered to the Barrington Farm School for use in their gardens.
This impressive project was a true community collaboration. Emma and Sabine worked with many supporters and donors, including Mark and Mary Hanchar who funded the project and helped with design and construction.
Read more about this environmentally-conscious endeavor: https://www.eastbayri.com/barrington/stories/barrington-students-spearhead-new-compost-drop-off,116034
🍏SOWAMS SCHOOL GOES APPLE PICKING FOR A CAUSE:
Sowams School students and their families enjoyed fall fun at Rocky Brook Orchard on Sunday, September 17, and contributed to a community cause thanks to an apple picking event planned by the Sowams Family Fun committee!
The Sowams PTO funded three-half bushels of apples for donation to TAPIN and many families purchased additional pounds of apples to donate. Sowams community members donated a total of 70-80 pounds of apples to help address food insecurity in the East Bay.
🚴♀️RHODE TO BICYCLE SAFETY AT HMS:
Fifth graders at Hampden Meadows Elementary School are learning how to be safe cyclists thanks to the Rhode to Bicycle Safety program!
Rhode to Bicycle Safety (R2BS), is a 180-minute course that teaches fifth grade students across Rhode Island how to safely ride their bikes for transportation, physical activity, and fun.
At Hampden Meadows, R2BS is part of the Grade 5 health and physical education curriculum. Over the course of two weeks, students learn the rules of vehicular cycling, proper helmet safety, and bike safety checks, and practice navigating intersections and safely scanning their surroundings. Each student receives a helmet to take home at the end of the R2BS course to ensure safe bike practices!
R2BS is made possible by a partnership between Rhode Island Department of Transportation and Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council.
Learn more about Rhode to Bicycle Safety: https://wrwc.org/wp/what-we-do/red-shed-bike-programs/
🚀NAYATT STUDENTS GO TO SPACE:
In the 2022-2023 school year, the Rhode Island Science Teachers Association (RISTA) organized a state-wide NASA "Downlink" event for students to ask questions to astronauts on the International Space Station. Eight of the 16 student questions chosen by RISTA and NASA were asked by Nayatt School students in Ms. Perreira's 2022-2023 first grade class!
On September 14, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli (@astrojaws) and Frank Rubio (@astro_frankrubio) called in from the International Space Station to answer student questions - and there were a few familiar faces from our Nayatt community on the stream!
Watch the downlink here: https://youtu.be/YbSfCfWiO9Y?feature=shared
⚫️POW MIA FLAGS RAISED ACROSS THE DISTRICT:
Today, September 15, is National POW MIA Recognition Day which honors United States service members who were prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action.
This morning, the POW * MIA flag was raised at all Barrington Public Schools buildings in recognition. Here is the flagpole at Barrington Middle School today!
