Safe returns from Feb. vacation

Dear Barrows Families,

As we prepare to return to school on Monday I wanted to let you know that our custodians, the Facilities Department, and the DPW have been hard at work to get our campus safe and ready for our return. Understanding that this is an unprecedented amount of snow, all of the Reading Employees have worked hard to make our grounds safe and passable. I understand that the gutters on the staff-parking lot side of the library have caught some folks attention. I wanted to let you know that these gutters had been observed earlier in the year (prior to any snow) as needing repair. The Facilities Department responded by sending a roofing company out to check on the fidelity of the roof and the area. The roof above the library is safe and secure, it is simply that the gutters have aged and will need to be replaced in the near future. Unfortunately the intensity of this winter has exaggerated the issue so we will be blocking off access to the walkway directly under these gutters as a precautionary measure. I am sure that both the Facilities Department and Reading Fire Department would intervene if they had any concerns about safety. Although the gutters were re-secured prior to this winter, we will be limiting access to this walkway as an extra safety measure.

Thank you to all of the Barrows Community for your continued communication about our campus and areas of need. Your help in identifying any potential areas of need or by sharing your questions allows us to make sure we do what we can to maintain our grounds during this extreme winter. Please feel free to reach out to me with any additional questions or concerns about our grounds with the understanding we are doing our best with what we have to keep everybody safe. Please view the Barrows Principal Blog here for extra reminders about safety around our school during the winter months: http://barrowselementary.blogspot.com/2015/02/snow-safety-practices.html

 Thank you all and welcome back!
~Heather Leonard