Barrington Middle School
BMS Connected Learning Newsletter: October 11, 2020
The BMS Learning Community is Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Excel!
Mission:
Barrington Middle School’s Mission is to empower all students to excel in character, citizenship, collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking, so that they may positively impact the future.
Common Commitments:
To empower ALL students to excel, The BMS Learning Community will provide:
A safe, caring, and supportive learning environment;
A challenging curriculum supported by current technology;
The best research-based strategies to meet the unique educational, physical, emotional, and social needs of the 10 to the 14-year-old learner; and
A deliberate and specific approach to meet the individual needs/abilities for each performance subgroup of our student body.
BMS Spotlight on Learning:
This week we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on our School Nurse Janet Johnson and CNA Catherien Martinez! Over the past several weeks they have been there to answer questions from all members of our BMS Learning Community, receive phone calls, follow-up with parents, and most importantly, been there to provide safe and supportive care for our students. Thank you Janet and Catherien for all that you do!
BMS New Information
Monday, October 19, 2020:
Although Monday will be a professional development day for all teachers, it is still considered a learning day for students. Students will not be reporting to school, but rather engaging in activities related to the curriculum planned by teachers at home. These activities will be posted in Canvas.
Change from Distance Learning to In-Person Learning:
During the past couple of weeks, families have requested to change their child’s learning from distance learning to in-person learning. As more people are moving forward with this request, please continue to email me but I also request that you complete the linked form: Student Learning Model Change Request
There are a couple things you should know about making a change moving forward. First, once a request is granted, you are being asked to commit your child to the in-person model for four weeks. Second, the school has up to two weeks to make the change happen. Teachers need time to make classroom adjustments for students entering. The same procedure would be in place if a parent is opting to change from in-person to distance learning for their child. Once you have requested a change in learning model, please wait for confirmation from either Ms. Silveira or Dr. Anderson regarding specifics on your requested change.
In-Person Participating in Distance Learning:
An in-person student should only be participating in distance learning under two conditions. The first condition is your child is sick and not able to come to school in-person but is still able to participate in class. The second condition is if your child is quarantined due to a household member having Covid-19 symptoms or has tested positive for Covid-19. Distance learning should not be used as a tool for your child not to come to school “just because”. If your child fits one of the two conditions above, please call the school to notify them of the circumstance, and it is also recommended to email the teachers before the start of the school day so they can make sure they are prepared for an additional distance learning student.
Student Daily Attestation Weekly Reminder:
This is just a weekly reminder that you must screen your child for temperature, other symptoms, and risk factors for COVID-19 each day before sending them to the bus or building. If the student has any signs of illness or risk factors, they will remain at home, and the parent/guardian will contact the school nurse.
Barrington Public Schools requires you to use the Student attestation form daily to screen your child.
Please see the linked document below for additional information.
BMS Science Fair Club!
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be bringing back the BMS science fair club! While the fair isn’t mandatory, it will give the students a chance to explore areas of science they’re interested in, reach out to professors in those fields, and learn how to professionally present their scientific research.
The club will prepare the students to present in front of judges at the statewide fair where they’ll get the opportunity to win various prizes and awards, including scholarship money. While the club is new, the club will be run by international science fair finalists from the high school and the high school’s current science fair teacher, along with a few other award-winning science fair students.
If your student is interested in learning more about the fair, please have him or her attend the introductory Zoom meeting on Wednesday, October 28th at 4 PM. The Zoom link may be found here:
https://zoom.us/j/93201950216?...
The password for the meeting is: 2D17iZ
If you have any other questions about the meeting or science fair in general, please contact Josh Guertler at guertlerj21@barringtonschools.org.
Thanks to the great science teachers and passionate faculty, Barrington Middle School has done quite well at the state fair in past years, and we know that this year will be no exception. Thank you!
Start with Hello Week:
This week (Week of October 13th) we will be having Start with Hello Week to promote unity and inclusion throughout our BMS Learning Community. Each day, we will be making announcements to encourage students to connect with new classmates. We will also be providing activities you can complete during FAST/Advisory.
BMS Cluster Ambassadors:
This week, as part of our Start with Hello Week, we will also be speaking with our students (7th and 8th grade students during Lunch) about becoming Cluster Ambassadors. The concept of being an ambassador will be for students to promote inclusion in the classroom setting.
Interested students will receive specific training on how to include others in conversation, how to work with students with varying abilities in group work, and how to be a friend to all students. If your child would be interested in being a Cluster Ambassador, please pass your child’s name along to your child’s school counselor (6th grade: Mrs. Poirier at poirierj@barringtonschools.org, 7th grade: Ms. Sleboda at slebodak@barringtonschools.org and 8th grade: Mrs. Nary at narys@barringtonschools.org ).
FastBridge:
This week we will begin our Fastbridge screening. All students at BMS will be participating in the Fall Fastbridge Screening (numeracy and literacy). As part of our programming here at BMS, screening provides the school with a snapshot on how the students are performing in numeracy and literacy. Depending on how students perform, some students may be given additional assessments to take a closer look at performance in these specific areas. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s cluster teachers or school counselor if you have any questions. Please see the link below for additional information on the FastBridge Assessment:
FastBridge Directions BMS Families
BMS School Improvement Team Family Representative:
The BMS SIT team is seeking parent membership. As a parent member of the team, we are asking for a 2 year commitment. Meetings are scheduled the last Tuesday of each month from 3:30 to 4:30. If interested, please complete the below form by Friday, October 16, 2020.
BMS SIT Family Membership Application 2020
BMS Old Information
BMS Special Education Task Force:
BMS will be forming a Special Education Task Force to support and enhance our culture, communication and school/family partnerships. The task force at each building will represent families and school staff and will be led by the building administrator. This group will meet on a regular basis throughout the year to engage in collaborative action planning around Special Education. The work of each school’s task force will align with the work of the District Special Education Task Force. If you are interested in participating on the BMS Special Education Task Force we ask you to fill out the google form below by Tuesday, October 13th. We will hold our first meeting at the end of October.
BMS Special Education Task Force Application 2020
Updated BMS Blue/Gold Calendar:
Please see our updated BMS Blue/Gold Calendar. In order to help with clarity, we alternated each day to either be Odd or Even. As you will notice, due to the number of days off in November, there will now be 3 Even Mondays in a row, followed by 2 Odd Mondays in a row.
BMS Daily Calendar 2020 - 2021
Student Attendance/early dismissal:
If your child is going to be absent from in-person learning or distance learning we ask that you contact the main office to let them know. If your child needs to be dismissed from school (in-person or distance learning) we ask you to follow the same procedure. It is important that we have accurate attendance records.
Screening Students
Barrington Public Schools abides by the guidelines set forth from the RI Department of Education (RIDE) and RI Department of Health (RIDOH) for Screening Students and Staff, related to COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidance for reopening schools.
Checking for symptoms at home each morning by families and caregivers is critical and will serve as the primary screening mechanism for COVID-19 symptoms. Communication of this protocol and a self-attestation form will be provided to parents to use as a screening tool. This tool will be used to symptom check, and families should not send their children to school if they exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms. We will update the checklist of symptoms provided on the form if any guidance from the CDC changes.
Student Attestation Procedures:
You must screen your child for temperature, other symptoms, and risk factors for COVID-19 each day before sending them to the bus or building. If the student has any signs of illness or risk factors, they will remain at home, and the parent/guardian will contact the school nurse.
Barrington Public Schools requires you to use the Student attestation form daily to screen your child. We will send out weekly reminders on Sunday evenings with reminders about screening for symptoms of and risk factors for COVID-19 and what would necessitate your child to stay home.
Please see the linked document below for additional information.
Notes about Screening Students:
Families and caregivers will screen students at home using a self-attestation form.
Fever is defined at 100° F or above related to this self-attestation form.
If a student has a low-grade fever, less than 100℉ before school, do not send your child to school and monitor at home for symptoms of illness or if increasing fever develops.
Remain in close contact with the school nurse or principal
If feeling well enough to learn, students monitored at home may engage in distance learning.
All students must stay home if they answer “Yes” to any screening questions before school.
If a student screens positive for any COVID-19 symptoms, the student’s parent/guardian should seek medical advice from the student’s healthcare provider and inform the school of the student’s absence and inform the school nurse (COVID-19 point of contact) at the school.
School staff (and bus drivers) should observe students throughout the day and refer students who may show signs of being symptomatic to the school nurse for assessment.
Nursing staff will monitor students who are symptomatic in isolation rooms until parents arrive and provide instructions for the next steps. Parents must pick up their children within one hour for the safety of all members of the community.
Canvas:
We are moving away from Google Classroom and beginning to use Canvas this year. We will be sending out specific directions to login and use Canvas. For now, we wanted to provide you with these introduction videos.
Unlike Google Classroom, you and your children will only have to log in to 1 Canvas Account to see all of your child's teachers at the elementary level and your child's courses at the secondary level.
Students’ Canvas Overview
https://community.canvaslms.co...
Parents’ Canvas Overview
https://community.canvaslms.co...
Barrington Community Information
Become a Library Card owner!
Barrington Public Library (BPL) and Barrington School Libraries have teamed up to make sure all students have a BPL card! "Get a Library Card" Flyer
Here is a link to the printable application. The application may be returned to Mrs. Roy during the month of October.
If you would prefer to apply online or need to replace a lost BPL card, please apply here.
Join the Adventure of Scouting with Troop 2 Barrington
Join us on Wednesdays at 5:00pm
Haines Memorial State Park (picnic site #20 -adjacent to boat ramp parking lot) Rte 103, East Providence, RI
Barrington Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest
Bringing Peace to the World, One Child at a Time.
Through service to others, we can give and receive so much - joy, kindness, hope and PEACE. Create a work of art that expresses your vision of "Peace Through Service" by participating in the Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest!
Please see this link for prize and contest entry information.
Flu Clinic
Please see the flier below for upcoming flu clinics that will be taking place in the district.