Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Coding at Barrows School

During a meeting with Technology Integration Specialist Kathy Santilli we were discussing the challenges with getting in to get more coding opportunities to our students.  Especially for our younger learners first starting out, getting started requires time, exposure, coaching, and a chance to “play” with code.  We finally decided that rather than trying to find a time we’d make time!


This is how our AM Drop-In coding sessions came to exist.  We have enjoyed 3 sessions so far and (as the adults) are learning from each experience.  Our first day had a significantly larger turn out than we were expecting (see ~50 as compared to our expected 15!) causing us to think on our feet while dealing with some wifi glitches. Each time Kathy and I have met to revise, reconsider, and plan how we are going to continue to engage the community in this work.  What originated as a chance to participate in #HourofCode has turned into an ongoing offering for all our Barrows students.



I have found joy in watching the process of discovery – a written code, a mistake, trial & error, and then success!  The whoops of excitement that come from groups that figure it out are contagious, leading others to inquire about what they did.  This process has fostered communication, flexible thinking, collaboration, applying skills to an unknown context, learning from mistakes, organization, and planning strategies.  Those skills are some of the many bonuses we’re observing, in addition to the learning gained from the growing coding skills our students are developing. 


Teachers and staff do an awesome job every day ensuring they are meeting the state standards, teaching key skills and content, while fostering the well-being of every child through social emotional learning.  Students often get a chance to try coding during their library/media time or during special events (like #HourofCode day), but it hasn’t yet made its way fully into daily instruction.  I suspect that opportunities to code will continue to grow as we see more and more of our future careers and college experiences requiring this skill.



I hope more of our Shining Stars will join us!  Watch in our Starburst Newsletter and our Twitter page (@BarrowsSchool) for dates.  We plan to offer more drop-in sessions Monday mornings at 7:45am!


Want to read more?


Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Supporting your reader (child) at home

Over the last few weeks I have shared information about how families can support their students to grow their love of reading.  I have compiled all of the entries below for easier access.  Enjoy!

Value of Reading At Home


As we continue to grow in our learning over the year - an important skill that is applied across all content areas is Reading. Our staff do an amazing job of selecting a variety of genres to read with students, encouraging students to find interesting titles for independent reading time, coaching students through areas of challenge, and engaging students in literacy through individual, small group, and whole class text. As a parent/guardian you are an important part of this team effort, reading at home has a significant impact on student learning and growth. We all know how difficult it is to find time, but I would suggest to you that reading together with your child at home should be on the same level of importance to brushing their teeth.

Reading expert and author Donalyn Miller shared this thought; "Simply put, children who read the most at home surpass the educational success of their peers who do not read at home--even those who are hard-working, capable students....The children who read the most, both inside and outside of school, are the best at the school game. They are the best readers, of course, but they are also the best writers, spellers, possess the best vocabulary, and perform better in content-heavy areas like science and social studies. Clearly, reading is important, and the students who read the most possess the highest academic potential...I cannot make your children read at home in any reasonable way. The only people who can carve out reading time for your children at home are you, their parents. This is hard, but it matters more than any other academic support you could provide." (D. Miller, EdWeekly)

Wordless Picture Books
It is important to think of reading at home in many different ways, it is not exclusively a student reading independently to themselves. Fostering reading includes engaging students in many behaviors around language, stories, and art. Consider utilizing wordless picture books as a strategy to support readers, especially those that are currently non-readers. These texts provide a great way to engage family members of all ages around a common book. Wordless picture books tell a story, but also allow the reader to make their own story. They provide the components of any book; setting, characters, events, conflict, action, and more. Some favorites in my household are the "Journey" trilogy by Aaron Becker. We will take turns 'reading' the book through the pictures, take turns on each page, or will all add to each other's ideas as we explore the details of the pictures. This time of year "The Snowman" is also a great selection! This strategy can be expanded through looking at photographs, paintings, or other pieces of art to tell the "story" around the piece. Continuing this theme can be fun, challenge your child to make a picture that includes enough detail to create a story. To see more titles, check out this list on Reading Rockets website.

Looking for some good titles to check-out at the library or purchase for your child? Check out recommendations directly from children; You can find recommendations from kids a at the International Literacy Association Children's Choices site.


Listening to Books
Listening to books is a great way to practice many reading skills including comprehension, making connections, considering theme and characters, visualizing, and more. Sometimes there is a false assumption that because a child isn't reading a print text by themselves that it isn't "really" reading or that it is "cheating." The opportunity to listen to books can engage and strengthen readers of all ages 0-adult! Listening to books could happen in a few different ways;

  • ·   listening to a parent, guardian, sibling, or others read a book aloud,
  • ·   listening to audiobooks, books on CD, podcasts,
  • ·   reading an e-book with audio (text-to-speech) support.


Reading to your child provides a fantastic opportunity to bond over books, have great discussions, and create a shared experience around a common book. This doesn't have to take a lot of time, it could be a few minutes before bed, while waiting for a practice or activity to start, or in the morning before heading off to school. Reading aloud to your child can happen at any age, and can allow younger students or students that may struggle to decode text access to richer stories. Check out some great recommendations for read aloud books here.

There are various places you can access audiobooks for your child:


    Image result for playaway
  • Barrows Library has an "All Access Collection" which includes audio books
  • Reading Public Library has a collection of audio books as well as "PlayAways" which are portable media books that children may check out.
  • You can purchase/download audio books from many smart devices
  • Some websites have subscription based access to audiobook collections (including: http://learningally.org and audible.com)


Want to learn more? Check out the resources listed here:

Build reading into your routine
At the start of this discussion I shared that the behavior of reading should be as normalized as brushing your teeth.  We brush our teeth twice a day and don’t think anything of it.  I challenge you to build that reading normalcy into your home.  Check out some of these tips and tricks to bringing in the love of reading through routines and behaviors at home.
  • Make it clear you are a reading family – when you are reading the newspaper, an article or blog post online, a cookbook, or an instructional manual – you are reading!  Acknowledge and label the behavior and invite your children to join you!
  •  Have to go somewhere you may need to wait (getting an inspection sticker? Doctor’s office? Plane flight?) grab a stack of books and magazines instead of a device.
  •  Let your children see you reading for pleasure – and invite them to grab a book of their own and snuggle up for some quiet reading time
  • Pick a book that is also a movie, read the book together then watch the movie after – compare the two and pick your favorite
  • Pick a word of the day – challenge everybody in the family to use it at least once throughout their day.  The more interesting and rich the word, the better!  Share the experience with each other at dinner
  • Have a rhyming “duel” – pick a word and go back and forth trying to rhyme the word with real words! Last one standing wins
  • Go to the library together and pick out books across genres – try them out together and discover some new favorites.
  • Play with letters, words and sounds.  Magnetic letters and words can create a fun way to build sentences.
  • Leave messages on the mirror in the bathroom when it is foggy – when the next family member takes a shower your message will appear!
You may have many more ideas to add to this list – if you have a great way your family builds reading into your family routines, please email me to share [heather.leonard@reading.k12.ma.us].  I would love to continue to grow our Barrows Community as a community of readers!

Happy Reading!
Love, Mrs. Leonard


Friday, September 29, 2017

Barrows Safety Drill

Dear Barrows Families;

I am writing to inform you that we participated in a safety drill this morning.  The purposes of these drills are similar to a fire drill, it allows staff and students to practice a routine that we hope to never have to use.  It allows us to examine our protocols and facilities to ensure we are addressing any needs that arise.  Today our Barrows students and staff did an excellent job.  The Reading Police Department worked with us and found many positives about the safety in our building.  We also went around and visited each Kindergarten and 1st grade classroom following the drill to celebrate their efforts.  I am proud of our Shining Star students today!



As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. 

Thank you,

Heather Leonard

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

"Red Flag" Days

We have enjoyed such beautiful fall weather that I haven’t had the opportunity to remind our community about our “Red Flag” weather days.  With the rains projected for the next few days, it seems timely to share these reminders now.

“Red Flag” days are applicable to morning drop off only (sorry, we cannot allow parents/guardians to wait inside at pick-up times.) When the weather is determined to be inappropriate for outside drop-off, a red flag is posted outside on the front of the building (right by the Kiss & Go lane.) I also do my best to post on our Twitter Page when we put the flag out (http://www.twitter.com/barrowsschool


On these "Red Flag" days students may begin to enter the building at 8:05a.m. Prior to this time doors will remain locked. At 8:05 a.m. students may enter the building through the following doors: Door #1 (Main office), Door #19 (cafeteria front entrance), Door #12 (blacktop entrance by cafeteria), and Door #16 (front of building by the gym.)

Especially on these foul weather days please observe our traffic safety laws (one-way on Edgemont, no idling, no parking on the school-side of Edgemont Ave, active drop-off in the kiss & go lane only, etc.) to help ensure the safety of all our students.

If you would like additional information about our “Red Flag” day determinations, read a previous blog post here:  http://barrowselementary.blogspot.com/2016/12/winter-weather-revisit-additional.html

Thank you for observing our safety procedures!


Monday, September 11, 2017

Why were our teachers out?

I love this question, because it invites a sharing of important information for our school community.  Often the question is coming from a place of frustration or confusion, as it is always challenging to have the classroom teacher out – even more so at the start of the school year.  Thank you to those parents that have reached out to ask this important question.  Your question helps us to share the important work that is happening for our adults in the building on behalf of our students.


Image result for professional development images


Image result for talking drawing writingOver the course of this month many different teachers will be out for a few days. Most recently, our Kindergarten teachers were out this past Thursday and Friday.  Our teachers were participating in a training designed specifically for Kindergarten teachers around the teaching of writing.  Developing students as writers is a big focus for our elementary schools this year.  Our staff was lucky enough to work with the person who literally wrote the book on early childhood writing development; Martha Horne.  Talking, Drawing, Writing(https://www.stenhouse.com/content/talking-drawing-writing) focuses on developing our youngest learners as storytellers and the guided shift towards becoming authors of rich stories.  We are lucky to have Martha, an expert in the field, working with our staff.




Image result for teacher quotesI acknowledge that having our teachers out at this early point in the year is a challenge.  I apologize for any difficulties it has created for your child as they are newly navigating the classroom routines, expectations, and relationship building.  I will note that the benefit of this professional learning happening now is that it will allow our teachers to implement these instructional strategies throughout the year with ongoing coaching from Ms. Horne starting right away.  Additionally – we must work within the availability of the professional trainers, consider scheduling across all grades, all schools and all district, while ensuring our teachers get timely training to improve their craft on behalf of our students.

Another challenge we encountered at Barrows this past week was a lack of substitute coverage.  Our amazing staff worked hard to step up and lend a hand in the classrooms, but this is a challenge that we do face.  If you (or a neighbor or a friend) have ever considered substitute teaching, I encourage you to reach out to Reading Public Schools HR department to learn more! https://www.reading.k12.ma.us/departments/human-resources/ (if not here at Barrows, then at least at another school in district!)  We have opportunities for teacher substitutes, paraeducator substitutes, and more!

I encourage you to revisit a blog post from last year about teacher professional development here: http://barrowselementary.blogspot.com/2016/12/teacher-and-staff-professional-learning.html
Image result for parent school partnership 
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.  Of course, we always want our staff in their classrooms with students. We also want our teachers to be the best equipped professionals with the most current knowledge and pedagogy possible.  In the end, this is the best way for us to continue to meet the needs of all our children!

Thank you for your support,

Heather Leonard

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

More (more) new staff join Barrows

Dear Barrows Community;

We are excited to continue to welcome new staff to our Barrows Campus.  Today I am introducing you to our newest staff member, Joan Duffy.  She is joining our team as a 3rd teacher in our special education learning center.  Please check out her introduction video below;
Please join me in welcoming Ms. Duffy to our Barrows Shining Stars community!

Love, Mrs. Leonard

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

MORE New Staff at Barrows!

Dear Barrows Community;

We are excited to continue to welcome new staff to our Barrows Campus.  Today I will showcase 2 more of our newest staff members.  Please check out their introduction videos below;

We are excited to welcome both Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Dittman to our Barrows Shining Stars community!

Love, Mrs. Leonard

Friday, August 11, 2017

Barrows Summer Reading Challenge

Barrows’ Summer Reading Challenge

Please select a book from the Reading in Reading booklist forhttp://www.readingpl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/reading-in-reading-booklist.pdf elementary school students prepared by librarians at the Reading Public Library

 After you have read the book visit https://goo.gl/forms/2N58WlRUfFHywmuz1 to answer the questions and submit your entries into the Barrows’ Summer Reading raffle! All entries are due by September 1, 2017 and winners (one per grade) will be announced at the September assembly. Prizes will include a pizza lunch or a book.

Reading Public Library




The Summer Reading Program began on Friday, June 16, 2017.   On Friday, June 2nd Ms. Fischer and Ms. Wettergreen, children’s librarians from the Reading Public Library, visited Barrows and spoke to the children about the summer reading program.  Please stop by the library to register for the program.  More information can be found at http://www.readingpl.org/kids/summerreading/

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program

        

Step 2: Bring the completed Summer Reading Journal  to your local B&N store before September 5, 2017.
Step 3: Choose a FREE BOOK from a featured list (found on the Summer Reading Journal).
Please visit the website for more information. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/summer-reading/_/N-rs9


Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Program


              

  
Barrows’ 4th and 5th grade students are eligible to participate in the 2018 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Program (MCBA).  Students currently in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade were given a book mark listing the 2018 nominees.  We have three copies of each of the 25 titles thanks to the generosity and support of the Barrows’ PTO. Additionally, the Reading Public Library has print and electronic copies of each of the 25 titles.  For more information about the program and for a Master List please visit https://www.salemstate.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/school-education/community

Family Book Talk


Are you looking for a fun way to connect around literacy this summer? Check out this great challenge - a Family Book Talk. Make a family video about some of your favorite books, then post it to our Barrows social media (Facebook or Twitter) with the hashtags #BarrowsShiningStars #FamilyBookTalk
Check out more information about Family Book Talks (along with some hints!) here:  https://www.bradgustafson.com/single-post/2017/06/10/FamilyBookTalk






Have fun reading!

New Staff at Barrows!

Dear Barrows Community;

We are excited to be welcoming new staff to our Barrows Campus.  Today I will showcase 2 of our newest staff members.  Please check out their introduction videos below;

* Vittoria Penna, 2nd grade https://flipgrid.com/1a3ad6
* Katie Jones, 5th grade  https://flipgrid.com/4951ba

These candidates both rose to the top of rigorous interview processes that included many qualified candidates.  Please join me in giving them a warm welcome to our Barrows Shining Stars community!

Love, Mrs. Leonard

------------------------------------------------------
Heather Leonard, Principal
Barrows Elementary School
16 Edgemont Ave, Reading
781-942-9166

Follow Barrows on Twitter and Facebook


Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Seeking Barrows Shining Star Scientists...

Dear Barrows Shining Star Scientists – its that time again!
We need you!

I need your help because I have eggs that need a “butterfly-sitter” to watch over and take care of until they hatch into caterpillars, turn into a chrysalis, and finally transform into a butterfly. This is a really cool way to see this life cycle up-close and personal! Are you interested?  Here is what you would need:

A small container with a top that you can poke a hole into: 
 










A “pet pen” that can close – either a plastic style or mesh style will work!
    
 











A grown-up that is willing to help you find *Milkweed and *nectar flowers to cut as food sources as your butterfly grows!
Related imageImage result for monarch on flower

That’s it!  If you’re able and interested, come by Barrows Thursday 8/10 or Friday morning 8/11 (or send me an email: Heather.leonard@reading.k12.ma.us and I will set up a time for pick up at Barrows.)

One of our Barrows Families (The Granara family) volunteered to butterfly-sit last summer, and caught both of these AMAZING videos - the butterfly turning into a chrysalis and then emerging... both events that happen pretty quickly and are hard to capture on video - thank you for sharing!


As many of our students know from their experiences over the last 2 years, my family and I have become very invested in saving and supporting the Monarch Butterfly population. It is an awesome process to watch, but also contributes to a population in need.

Did you know that only 2-10% of eggs laid in the wild survive? Some scientists have filed a petition for endangered species act protection for the Monarch and its habitat in 2014. Monarchs are important pollinators for our gardens.  My family has found many monarch butterfly eggs/caterpillars to protect and keep safe until they become butterflies – then we release them into the wild!  This is why I need the help of our Shining Star Scientists!


Can you believe that they go from this:
(egg)














To this (caterpillar)













To this (Monarch butterfly)!




Just amazing!

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Field Day is ON!


Hello Barrows Community-
I am wondering where our JUNE weather is?  This is feeling more like April Showers lately!
I am writing to let you know that we are going forward as planned; Barrows Field Day will be TOMORROW 6/7.  This decision was made following reviews of multiple weather reports.  (most of which predict Wednesday to be partly cloudy in the 60s, but Thursday night with 90% chance of rain and Friday, our rain date, with 100% chance of rain.)  I wish we had a crystal ball to tell us what it will turn out to be, but given the current information we have, this is our effort to make the best call we can.
That being said, we know that the fields and grounds will be wet and muddy due to the current rain today and tonight.  Please consider this as you dress your child for tomorrow.  You may want to send in extra socks, consider layers, and give your child a heads-up that they will likely get wet from the grass.
With all of that, we plan to embrace the FUN and enjoy this community day with our students (because I’m sure we all remember jumping in puddles and playing outside in the rain or soon after the rain as fond memories from our childhood.)
Thank you for your ongoing support.  We look forward to a great day and a strong finish to our school year.

~Heather Leonard

Friday, May 5, 2017

Thoughts of the day....Fidget Spinners

Ah, the new craze of fidget spinners.  Just the last couple of years have included bottle flipping, thinking putty, slime, and rainbow looms.  Many of our Barrows Shining Stars have become interested in this newest fad  (They are not alone!  Google “Fidget Spinners” and you will find many postings, news articles, and blogs about these items.)  



If you consider “fidget spinners” a calming, stress-reducing, attention focusing item, then you can equate it to other learning equipment (let’s say a technology device.)  Just like that device, we have to establish our expectations for them with our students to ensure we can all find a positive learning environment.
  • If used as a tool, it helps students to focus on their work (not be distracted away from their work)
  • It is used subtly and as intended (i.e. one device in one hand)
  • It does not have noises, lights, or sounds
  • No child requires more than one at a time while in class (a stack of 3 spinners is a toy collection)
  • It is used at times when it is appropriate (i.e. while working on an independent task) and is stored in an appropriate place when it is not being used
  • As with any tool, if it is used inappropriately or in a way that creates distractions for the student or those around them, the staff will ask that the child put it away

The appropriate timing for the use of the fidget spinners and other calming/fidget tools continue to fall within the discretion of the teacher’s classroom.

If you child wants one because everybody else has one, you might recommend he/she uses it during play times/free times like snack, recess, etc.  If your child benefits from the fidget tool as a way to calm and focus, set expectations for their use at home to help establish expectations for use (i.e. not at the dinner table.) 

As with anything – we want to make sure we support our students getting what they need, but we also want to help provide a thoughtful learning environment for all our students.  Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions!

Love,
Principal Leonard


Monday, February 27, 2017

Writers Workshop

It is amazing to see the growth of writers all around Barrows Elementary.  Over the last 2 years our staff has been embracing the Writers Workshop process.  I have to say, that I see more students engaged and enjoying writing with this shift.  This new process does create changes for families, as you may not be receiving as many 'polished' final drafts as previous years.  The Writers Workshop supports the authentic writing process of sticking with a piece for a longer period of time and continually adding, editing, and improving it to completion.  This is what "real" writers do, and it encourages that thinking that you're never done and can always enrich and enhance your written pieces.  I found the information below posted by a NJ school district that thoughtfully captures an overview of the Writers Workshop model; I thought it was worth sharing with you all.  If you want to learn more I encourage you to check it out here:  Teachers College Reading and Writing Project:  http://readingandwritingproject.org/

Love, Mrs. Leonard





Teachers College Writing Workshop “Lucy Calkins” Guide for Parents


...The Teachers College Writing Workshop model allows students to have the “last” word; it allows students to take something pedestrian and make it meaningful.  We believe that our lives are worth writing about, and that our students need to care about what they write. We believe that writing is a craft; it can be empowering for students to learn how to become better writers.  We believe that writing should happen every day. Students in each grade write in different genres throughout the year. Students are not assigned to specific topics, but rather choose their own topics within the genre being taught. 

What does Writing Workshop look like in the classroom?
Writing Workshop begins with a mini-lesson that teaches a new strategy: Teachers start with, “So far we’ve been……Today I want to teach you…” or with a small moment that connects to what the teaching point of the day is. Or the teacher can let students know that she has been thinking about them as writers and that he/she is going to teach them something that they are actually ready for: “Watch me as I…”

The teacher may begin with a sample of her own writing or a sample of someone else’s  writing, a mentor text specific to the unit or genre being studied or with a shared writing  piece that the class is working on together.

Various charts will be on display in the classroom. These charts are visual reminders that reinforce writing strategies; they may help with dialogue, structure, elaboration, or conventions.

Ideas are generated and students practice telling their story to a partner. Storytelling is a rehearsal for writing; students develop ideas (time is spent on teaching students how to generate, and choose, a seed idea. Students may choose a good seed idea by asking themselves the following: Do I remember it well? Is this a moment that taught me something? Am I comfortable sharing it?

Revision and development of stories may include;
  • ·    Nurturing and growing the seed idea comes next through rehearsal: students are encouraged to re-read their entry and think about the big, important events in this moment, what they were thinking/feeling at each point, how did they change as the story unfolds.  Students then learn to make a writing plan.
  • ·    Students revise, making sure that we show our emotions and thoughts at the time.  
  • ·    Students take small moments and break them into beginning, middle and end. Develop the tension and the problem. The problem is not the event.
  • ·    Use illustrations to tell the story - Draw pictures and label them with words. Adding words helps formulate the story. 
  • ·    Students tell their story to their writing partner. They show each other their sketches, and they may be prompted to add more pictures and words. Partners ask questions like, what would they be saying? What would they be thinking? Students can draw dialogue boxes to reflect inner thinking; it is often easier to hear voice before writing –
  • ·    The teacher may say, “How can you bring that feeling out with your words?”  

Paper choices vary according to grade level, and there is paper choice within each grade level. Students may draft with just picture boxes, or older students may draft on paper with lines skipped so that there is room to go back and add new ideas and revisions. Students in upper grades are encouraged to write “long and strong,” or “fast and  furious” using thought prompts to push our thinking (all in all, what I mean is, this is important because…)

They consider how to begin…with dialogue, setting, action, or inner thought. They usually spend a day writing out the entire story. Teachers are modeling throughout this process: For example, a teacher may share, “My story is really about how when you’re a teenager, your parents become embarrassing. For example…” 

A few days of revision then occur. Teachers do not mark-up students’ papers with edits, but rather facilitate a process where the students themselves are thinking about what to revise. The teacher may encourage the use of prompts to push our thinking include: for  example, another example, in addition, in other words, on the other hand, this is important  because, all in all, what I’m saying is….The goal is to stretch out the heart of the story, or  what the writer believes the story is really about.

The editing process also includes a focus on grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. Students may use an editor’s checklist.  Students learn that good stories have dialogue, detail, inner thinking and setting. This is what we are looking for when we revise. The teacher may demonstrate, and then have the students try it: “Watch me, now you try it right now in your piece.” The teacher may demonstrate by showing the students a mentor text of a great writer. The teacher encourages students to try a similar style in their own writing.  

The publishing process (writing celebration) can take place in many different ways: a museum walk where students walk around and read others’ writing, student read‐alouds in front of the class, a publishing party with parents, leaving writing out on students’ desks and having others walk around the room, read the stories silently, and leave a comment. The students are taught that their writing is not solely for the teacher anymore; it is to be celebrated by all!