Hampden Meadows School

🎃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!

🥎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.

🧑‍🏫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!

🏆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!

🍄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/

⚫️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!

🚴‍♀️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/

🎨NATIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK: This week, September 10-16, 2023, is National Arts in Education Week, a celebration recognizing the transformative power of music, theater, dance, media arts, and visual arts instruction in education. Arts education is an important contributor to overall student success, social-emotional development, and school engagement. Thank you to our BPS arts educators who encourage our students to explore the world and their place within it and provide a consistent, positive outlet for students to express themselves.

🚒HIGH-FIVES FOR HEROES: Driving through town this morning, you may have noticed a procession of first responder vehicles on the road. That is because students and staff at Nayatt School, Primrose Hill Elementary School, Sowams School, and Hampden Meadows Elementary School lined their school's hallways to participate in "High-Fives for Heroes," a showing of thanks and support for Barrington's first responders in observance of the twenty-second anniversary of September 11, 2001. Students from each elementary school prepared for "High-Fives for Heroes" by learning about the roles and responsibilities of first responders. In addition to high-fives, they made signs, drawings, and cards for members of the Barrington Police Department and Barrington Fire Department who walked through our schools. Barrington Middle School and Barrington High School also showed support of first responders by writing messages of thanks. Thank you to all of our first responders for your participation in this event and for your service!

📚BARRINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS SELECTED FOR TEACH TO LEAD SUMMIT: Barrington Public Schools is one of 20 school districts across the country selected to attend the U.S. Department of Education's Teach to Lead Summit in Denver, Colorado, on October 27. At the Summit, a district team of Barrington educators will develop and refine a project aligned to the theme, "Raising the Bar: Elevating Educator Diversity to Enhance Educational Experiences." Teach to Lead is a partnership of the Department of Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and Teach Plus. Designed and led by teachers, it is a reflection of the Department of Education's commitment to creating systemic and sustained change, investing in educators, and providing students with the learning experiences and academically rigorous education they deserve.

🏫 FIRST DAY OF THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR: School is officially back in session! Today, August 28, marks the first day of the 2023-2024 school year for Barrington Public Schools students. Hallways and classrooms across the district have been buzzing with anticipation and excitement for what is sure to be a fantastic school year. We are thrilled to welcome new learners to our community and just as delighted to see familiar faces returning to our schools. BPS is proud to serve the children and families of our Barrington community. Every day, our district's schools are filled with enthusiastic and hard-working students, educators, and staff who continually put forth their best effort.

🎉BARRINGTON TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2023: Barrington Public Schools is proud to recognize Mrs. Connie Oswald, Grade 6 math teacher at Barrington Middle School, as the our 2023 Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Oswald's dedication to the social, emotional, and academic development of her students and her commitment to inclusive instruction are inspiring. As an active member of both our BMS and BPS communities, Mrs. Oswald makes a difference in the lives of hundreds of middle schoolers, families, and faculty members every day. Congratulations, Mrs. Oswald, for being an outstanding and devoted educator! Thank you, Mrs. Roy and Mr. Moran, for capturing these pictures. #BPSsoars #BPS_RI #TOTY2023

🍎 BPS EDUCATORS START THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR: August 24 marked opening day of the 2023-2024 school year for Barrington Public Schools! Superintendent Messore and the Barrington School Committee kicked off the District's new school year this morning with a welcome address at Barrington Middle School. BPS educators also heard from speaker, Jayne Ellspermann, author of The Fundamental 5 Revisited: Exceptional Instruction in Every Setting. We are so excited for the first day of school on Monday, August 28. This is sure to be an incredible school year! #BPSsoars

🦅EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT ENHANCES HMS PLAYGROUND: Hampden Meadows Elementary School students will return to school on Monday, August 28, with a new addition to the playground! Thanks to the vision of Barrington High School graduate, Aiden Pilipski '23, and the hard work of local Eagle Scouts, there is now a giant chess board for HMS students to play life-size chess and checkers games. Last week, Aiden organized and led a group of Scouts in constructing the board out of large stone pavers. What a wonderful sight to see former HMS Tigers working and laughing together in the hot August sun as they enhanced our Hampden Meadows community. Thank you, Aiden and Barrington Troop 2!

📚NATIONAL SUMMER LEARNING WEEK: This week, July 10-14, is National Summer Learning Week! National Summer Learning Week celebrates the many ways children and youth can engage in new and continued learning over the summer break months. Our District recognizes the social, emotional, and educational benefits of summer learning. Our students and schools have been busy this July! Here are some resources to keep learning all summer long: Our Barrington Public Schools Summer Learning site has summer reading and learning activities for all students in the District, grouped by grade level, school, and subject: https://www.barringtonschools.org/o/page/summer-learning The Barrington Public Library's Summer Reading Challenge allows Barrington children and teens to earn virtual raffle tickets for reading books and completing book reviews now through August 18 to use toward prizes: https://barringtonlibrary.beanstack.org/reader365 The National Summer Learning Association's Discover Summer website has resources, activities, and access to local programs to keep children engaged all summer long: https://discoversummer.inplay.org/

☀️END OF SCHOOL YEAR SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE: Summer break is now in full swing, following the last day of school on Friday, June 23. Thanks to the hard work of our students, educators, staff, and administrators and the continued support of our parents, families, and Barrington community, Barrington Public Schools had an incredible 2022-2023 school year. This year, students, staff, and schools in our District have been recognized by organizations like Rhode Island Department of Education - RIDE, US Department of Education, National History Day, Rhode Island Interscholastic League, New England League of Middle Schools, National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, and more! Congratulations to our BPS community for a year well done. Have a safe and enjoyable summer! Read the full end-of-year message from Superintendent Messore here: https://www.barringtonschools.org/article/1162725

🎉HAMPDEN MEADOWS CELEBRATES FIFTH GRADERS: If you've been by Hampden Meadows Elementary School this week, you may have noticed some special front entry decorations. Each sign celebrates a fifth grader who is completing their elementary education today, June 23! Congratulations to Grade 5 for a year well done. The District is cheering you onto your next adventure: middle school!

🪁BPS YEAR END ACTIVITIES: As the school year winds down, students across the District are enjoying outdoor field day activities. Last week, Barrington Middle School's Lime Cluster had fun sack racing, playing Capture the Flag, and more! Barrington's four elementary schools also participated in exciting year end field day traditions, with each school hosting outdoor activities for students this week. This story was covered in the Barrington Times on June 15: https://www.eastbayri.com/barrington/stories/barrington-middle-school-students-focus-on-fun-at-field-day,113461 All photos were taken by Richard Dionne, Jr. for the Barrington Times.

🎓BHS SENIOR SCHOOL WALK: Students and staff in the District showed out to congratulate the Barrington High School Class of 2023 during the first annual senior school walk! Dressed in their graduation regalia, BHS seniors visited Primrose Hill School, Nayatt School, Sowams School, Hampden Meadows Elementary School, and Barrington Middle School and walked through each school building to excited applause and cheers from students lining the hallways. Seniors stopped often to high-five elementary and middle school students and hug their former teachers. What a fantastic send off for Barrington's next graduating class as they head into graduation weekend. The graduation ceremony for the Class of 2023 is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Victory Field. Pending inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved into the large gymnasium with additional overflow seating (livestreaming the ceremony) in the auditorium.

🥇HMS TOUGH TIGER 2023: More than 1,000 people turned out for this year's Tough Tiger adventure race at Hampden Meadows School on Sunday, May 21. The 1.5 mile Tough Tiger course featured 18 obstacles including cargo nets, a mud pit, and a bubble station for participants to race through. A fun and muddy time was had by all! Thank you to the Hampden Meadows PTO and BPS volunteers for your work planning and running this phenomenal community event.