October 3, 2022- Eye of the Tiger Family Message

Dear Barrett Families:

I hope you stayed dry and warm this weekend!  This week, we enjoy another 4 day week to observe Yom Kippur. Regardless of whether you observe Yom Kippur or not, this holiday is a great reminder of the importance of  reflection and making the space for it to process experiences, celebrate successes, learn and grow. Please join us in practicing and modeling reflection for our students to support them in identifying their goals and supporting their growth this year.

Please see the information below to help you get ready for this week!

• Annual Online Verification Process (AOVP): The Annual Online Verification Process is underway! It is an opportunity for families to review and update vital student, parent, and emergency contact information. It also contains important policies and authorizations. Families must complete this process by Oct. 31, 2022 to ensure that schools have accurate student information as we begin the school year. Please join us on October 19th at 7:00pm to complete the AOVP Process AND get some pizza too!  Contact Sandra Espinoza at sandra.espinoza@apsva.us for help activating your ParentVUE account, completing AOVP, or for additional support.
• Barrett Runners:

This coming Friday, October 7th, is our FIRST Barrett Runners session!

• •  Before then–Please remind your students to bring in their permission forms and participation fee ASAP. I will accept them until Thursday afternoon, but would prefer sooner for planning purposes.
  • Think about signing up to help! We have over 80 students signed up already – we need it! Go to this Google doc to add your info.

The day of–

• • • Where will Barrett Runners meet on Friday afternoons?
    • All runners will sit with their backpacks along the walls of the Kindergarten hallway until we begin. Students will leave their backpacks in the hall during running. Upon returning, they will sign out, get their backpacks, and wait in lines based on their type of transportation (see below).
    • What’s the dismissal plan?
      • Runners in Extended Day need to check in with Extended Day FIRST and then they will dismiss them to the MIPA/Kinder hallway.
      • Parent Pick-up and Walk Home Runners will come immediately to the Kindergarten hallway.
      • When we return from running, ALL runners will line up on the front sidewalk and cheer on the rest of the runners.
      • At 5:00, walkers and parent pick-ups will be dismissed. Runners in Extended Day will sign out and sit on the wall to wait for Extended Day to pick up students.

• • What do we do in the case of inclement weather?

• • • Barrett Runners is back to rain or shine! We will try to go outside whenever possible (even in light misty rain) but in the case of “un-runnable” weather, we will run around the school building! It’ll be a little crazy, but we’ll make it work!
• Bus Evacuation Drill:
  • The first bus evacuation drills will be taking place this week. There are 2 bus evacuation drills each year conducted for students riding our school buses. Your child’s  school bus driver will conduct the drill this week upon arrival at school.
• 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.
• 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.