October 24, 2022- Eye of the Tiger Family Message

Dear Barrett Families:

We hope you enjoyed the beautiful Fall weekend! Please remember that schools and offices are closed on Monday 10/24 in observance of Diwali.  Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a “festival of lights” that celebrates the triumph of light over dark and good over evil, and the blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. This holiday is a great reminder for us to consider and celebrate new beginnings that will give us the strength and the zeal to carry on with our goodwill for the rest of the year.

Barrett in Twitter: This week in #KWBPride! Photos of staff wear orange in support of Unity Day, students practice flexible problem solving with a fidget spinner, 5th grade scientists create mixtures including solutions, 4th graders use Nearpod to review the language groups of Virginia’s native people, anticipation guide to kickoff new CKLA unit on the Middle Ages, fun with fall leaves, demolition of the playground begins, behind the scenes of Tiger TV plus Art, Music and Project Discovery https://twitter.com/search?q=%23kwbpride&f=live

Barrett Book Fair:  Mark your calendars for the KW Barrett Book Fair, with Pajama Mama & R.E.A.D.!  After school from October 31 – November 4, the book fair will be open in the library, with a special Family Shopping Night on November 3.

COVID In-School Testing: APS will continue to offer optional in-school COVID testing for all students and staff through our testing partner, Aegis Sciences Corporation. Our testing day is Thursday from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM in the lobby.  Please see this link for more information. Please remind your child to get tested on Thursday mornings if you have opted them in.

Halloween Parade and Festivities- Monday, October 31, 2022

Please reference the School talk message for our parade route, timing of the event, and meeting location.  We invite families to join us for the parade! We are looking for several parent volunteers to help students cross the street during the parade.  If you can volunteer from 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm please email Amin Littman at amin.littman@apsva.us. Your child’s room parents and/or teacher may plan fall themed crafts and/or games class “party” for students to ensure that all of our students can participate as some of our families do not celebrate Halloween. Additionally, we will not allow edible items such as food and drinks at this event to ensure we are sensitive to our student’s dietary restrictions, allergies, etc. Please do not send your child with any food or treats for this event. We will be returning them home.

Additional items to note:

• Please  ensure that your child’s costume is easy to wear independently since we will not have the space and/or staffing to help students change.
• Please leave accessories at home. If the parent wishes to participate in the parade with us, you can bring accessories and hand off to the student along the parade route and collect once we have returned to school.
• All students will re- enter the building with us after the parade and follow the same dismissal procedures. We will not dismiss students from the parade to ensure that we have accounted for all of our students after the parade.

Please use this link if you do not want your child to participate in any of the events on Halloween Day. A paper permission slip was sent home as well. You can either return the paper permission slip or complete the questions on the link.

MLK Literary and Visual Arts Contest: The annual APS MLK Literary and Visual Arts contest will take place from Tuesday, October 18 – Friday, November 18.  The dates of the contest have shifted to produce a quality video for the MLK Annual Tribute on January 15, 2023.  The video will be highlighted at the January 23 School Board meeting.  This year there will be no drop off locations at any community centers.  All literary and visual art entries can be emailed to MLKentries@apsva.us, left in the front office at any school, or dropped off on the 1st floor of the Syphax building.  APS students in all grade levels are asked to participate in the contest.

Playground Demolition Update: Our playground has been dismantled this weekend! We are awaiting final confirmation from Lubber Run Community Center on their availability to host our students for recess. While we wait, we will be remaining on Barrett grounds for recess.  Once we hear back from Lubber Run, we will provide an update on our recess plan and for volunteers to help us supervise students.

Volunteering at Barrett: We will have a variety of opportunities for families to volunteer at the school to support our students this school year. Please complete the volunteer application and other important training to complete your volunteer training if you are interested in volunteering. See this link for more information on volunteering with us.