From now until November 8th, Barnard students are competing school wide to participate in a PBIS Jean Day on November 13th. PBIS Star Students will be those who:

• Have fewer than 4 Think Sheets AND
• No Disciplinary Actions (detentions, suspensions) within this time period.

BONUS! The classroom with the highest percentage of Jean Day winners will win an exta Out of Uniform Day for the WHOLE CLASS!

The PTO is accepting Taffy Apple money through tomorrow, Monday, October 28th. Please turn it in to Ms. Hill in the office by the end of the day tomorrow. Thank you for your participation in this important fundraiser!

Barnard has invested in software that will help support students through enrichment activities in math and reading. Teachers have sent home access information for these programs and they should be used on a daily basis if possible. The links are provided below:

Grades K-8 math:  IXL Math

Grades K-5 reading:  Raz-Kids

Grades K-8 math/reading:  Stride Academy

If you do not have your child's access information, please contact your child's teacher as soon as possible.

As part of our participation in our new OS4 Network, we are undergoing a School Diagnostic Review (SDR) on November 5th, 6th and 7th. Representatives from the Network will conduct focus groups with teachers, students, parents and community members. If you are a parent or community member that may be available during the SDR, we'd appreciate your willingness to participate. Times and exact dates for the focus groups have not been set, but if you are interested, please email Mrs. Burns at mmburns1@cps.edu.

We are hoping that our families are well informed of our Uniform Policy. However, there does appear a need for clarification, as some students are struggling to adhere to this policy. This will affect our upper grade students because 3-8 graders will receive a detention for 3 uniform infractions. 8th graders will lose graduation activity priviledges for 3 detentions, so it's important to support your children in adhering to the policy. We certainly don't want this to occur. Please check your student prior to him/her leaving the house to ensure they are dressed appropriately. Remember that a detention will affect your student's participation in our PBIS Jean Day on November 13th. Here are some recurring infractions to look for:

Black or whites SHOES only - Students are not permitted to wear boots (Uggs or otherwise) indoors. Hightop shoes, multi-colored shoes (on ANY day - including gym days) are also not permitted. They may wear boots to school but must change into school shoes upon arrival.

Navy or white non-hooded jackets only indoors - Hoods and colored sweatshirts and seaters other than navy or white are not permitted indoors.

Small navy or white hair ornaments (girls) - Large bows or scarves, multi colored (not navy or white) bows are not permitted.

Plain navy, white or black socks or tights only - Multi colored, patterned tights are not allowed. Colored socks are not permitted as well.

Your 2-8 student has the Uniform Policy in the copy of the Handbook contained in their student agenda. K-1 families received a hard copy to keep at home. You and your student signed the contract at the beginning of the year acknowledging understanding of this policy. For a refresher, please review with your student so there is a clear understanding of the guidelines. Another copy of the handbook can be accessed on our website by clicking here.

We are republishing our Halloween guidelines to ensure that our famlies remain informed. A hard copy of this information also went home:

In order to allow for instruction to continue during this exciting season for our children, our teachers and administration have outlined our guidelines for October 31st. We know that many students will have plans during the evening, so our school acknowledgement of the occasion will be minimally disruptive to the instructional day. Please note the following guidelines to help your child prepare for school and learning on October 31st:

- Costumes will be allowed only in grades Pre K-2. Any accessories for costumes will need to be kept outside of the classroom. Toy weapons will not be allowed.
- Students 3-8 will not be allowed to wear costumes - this includes masks or other costume pieces.
- The primary grade costume parade will take place inside the school from 8:30 to 8:45. All classrooms are encouraged to line up to see our little goblins!
- Teachers will be mindful of the religious beliefs of our students and make sure they are honored in their plans. Parents may express their concerns and questions to their child's teacher.
- Some classrooms are planning an activity that will last no longer than 1/2 hour. Each teacher will send a notice home regarding their chosen activities.
- If you would like to send something to school with your child, please remember only healthy treats, no candy or cupcakes. Some classrooms are not holding celebrations. Please check first before planning to send items to your child's classroom.

SES programs will begin within the first 2 weeks of November. Please make sure your application has been turned in. You will be notified of your acceptance into the program soon.

We are working with neighbors and parents to help make our school safer for your children but we need your help. Please be careful while dropping off your students on Charles Street by adhering to the 20 MPH speed zone. Also, dropping your student off on the WEST side of Charles is safer and preferable than the East Side. We  have posted parent volunteers to help cross students and also have added student patrols to help guide traffic and monitor crossing areas. PLEASE NOTE: 104th St. between Charles and Church is CLOSED during drop off hours and accessible only to Barnard Staff for entry into the parking lot. Please do not try to enter this street while the barricades are up. We appreciate your help!

At the beginning of the year, a notice was sent home regarding CPS's Healthy School Policy. This notice was also published previously through our newsletter. We do want to make sure our families are reminded of the CPS guidelines for healthy eating.

You may have noticed that we are focusing on healthy treats for celebrations as well as emphasizing wellness and healthy living in our curriculum. We are looking forward to working with you to ensure that all food brought into the school - lunches included - adheres to the CPS Healthy Food Policy. The lunches provided for students follow these guidelines and are always available, at no cost, to our students. If you choose to send food to school with your child to eat during lunch, please follow these guidelines:

Foods to avoid: Pop, sugar drinks, candy, cakes, cookies (any sugar pastries or desserts) fried chips, Flamin' Hots (or any other type of chips that are not baked), Jello/Pudding (made with sugar) fast food, nachos, fatty cheeses and any other high-sugar, high-fat foods.

Foods that are acceptable: Crackers, pretzles, light cheeses, fruit, vegetables, sandwiches, baked chips, 100% juices, water, nuts, granola bars and other low-sugar, low-fat foods.

Please note that if your child does bring these items to school they will be asked by their lunch supervisor to store them for the day to eat after they have left school. Healthy food will always be provided through our breakfast, lunch and after-school snack program and children will not go hungry.

Tuesday, October 28th, the Ned Show is coming to Barnard at 1:30 pm for grades K-6. This show emphasizes many of the guidelines embodied in our school wide PBIS program. Information has gone home regarding the sale of NED yo-yo's that will take place after the performance, and continue for about a week. These yo-yo's come with instructions for tricks and skills that will be demonstrated in the performance. Yo-yo's will be for sale from 2:30-3:00 in Mrs. Burns' office.

The 8th Grade Parent Committee will hold another planning meeting for the 8th grade graduation events on Tuesday, November 12th at 5:30 in the Library.  Interested parents are invited to attend to help plan for the activities and events for the class of 2014.

The Parent Advisory Committee will host a Chicago High School Fair on Thursday, November 14th.  The PAC meeting will begin at 6:00, followed by the High School Fair at 6:30 pm. Several area schools will be present and information will be provided on enrollment processes and admission requirements. Please watch the newsletter and website for more information.

Picture Day will be November 15th. Students will be allowed to dress up for photos, but no jeans will be allowed. Please see the school handbook for appropriate dress for school guidelines. There will be two more sessions this school year. One will be for 8th grade graduates sometime in January and there will be another full school session in the Spring as well. Information will go home with your student a few days prior. You will have the opportunity to pre-order pictures as well as a follow-up opportunity to order after the photos have been taken.

Monday  Oct. 28th - Blue Day - PTO Taffy Apple Money DEADLINE

Tuesday  Oct. 29th - Green Day - The NED Show - 1:30

Wednesday  Oct. 30th - Red Day 

Thursday Oct. 31st - Blue Day - Primary Costume Parade  - 8:30-8:45 am

END of FIRST QUARTER

Friday Nov. 1st -  NON ATTENDANCE DAY FOR STUDENTS - Staff Professional Development Day

REMINDER: Report Card Pick Up day will be Tuesday, November 12th