Principal's Corner

As a friendly reminder, the doors open at 8:15am for students. We do not recommend students being dropped off without adult supervision. The school will not provide supervision before 8:15am.

During the drop-off time (8:15am to 8:45am), we ask that families follow the direction of the staff. Please DO NOT pass other vehicles, as we want all of our learners to remain safe. If you have any questions about our procedures for drop-off in the morning, we'd be happy to have a conversation with you.

Please take note of these important reminders:

Also, please remember that it is imperative your child receive nine (9) to 11 hours of sleep each night. Your child's brain needs to be rested to ensure they can give their absolute best all day!

Remember, here at Barge, it is our continued mission to keep families informed on their child's learning and progress throughout the school year.

Please remember that at any time, you can reach out to your child's teacher(s) to get information on how your child is doing in school. Our teachers are available from 8:15-8:40am and 3:15-3:45pm during the school day.

You, as the family of our precious learners, are a team with our staff! Thank you for working with our school community to ensure we provide a learning environment that is positive, safe, and fun-loving. Our learners have a bright future and a supportive school that will ensure we are reaching and teaching every student, every day!

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your child's teacher first and if you need to continue the conversation, we can include the principal(s). Having a conversation with your child's teacher is the first and most important step, as they work with your learner for the majority of the day.

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FAMILIES---Don't forget!

Barge-Lincoln reinforces our three standards for learning and we'd love your assistance with reinforcing these at home, as well:

1. Show Respect
2. Make Good Decisions
3. Solve problems

WE ARE BARGE!

~Mrs. Brennan

Principal

~Mrs. Qualo

Assistant Principal

For any child who turns 5 years old BEFORE August 31, 2026---Kindergarten is an option for next year!

Please send friends and family members to their district or boundary school to register NOW for Kindergarten. Packets can be picked up at any building from 8:15am until 4pm.

To help with the distractions that this causes, we ask that ALL toys, trading cards, and even cellphones remain at home.

Thank you for being a partner in the learning at Barge!

Your child is measured in his/her reading ability three (3) times a year---FALL, WINTER, and SPRING.

With your child's report card, you should have received a report demonstrating your child's current levels. If you have ANY questions, please reach out to your teacher.

As a building goal, we have the following goals:

For reading, we want 60% of our learners reading at grade-level. Currently (January's data), we have 45% students reaching grade-level.

For math, we want 80% of our learners performing at grade-level. Currently, we have 70% of students reaching proficiency.

We have work to do!

Please help by working with your teacher to get skills to reinforce at home.

WE need your help ensuring our learners' brains are being exercised both at school and at home!

If you have a child in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grades, your child will be taking the Washington State Smarter Balanced Test during the month of May.

Please plan accordingly and ensure your calendar is marked!

Is your child missing any sweaters or jackets? If so, be sure to have them check the coat rack outside of the gym. We have already accumulated quite a few items this year. The principals will empty the lost and found every 4-6 weeks.

Parents, please talk to your teacher if you would like to look through the lost and found.

Did you know Barge-Lincoln has fifth grade student leaders?

5th grader student leaders are expected to follow the expectations of giving 100% effort, having minimal absences, a desire to be a role-model for peers, want to interact with the school community, and help with assemblies.

We have selected the top group of students who demonstrate leadership abilities both inside and outside of the classroom with their academics, positive nature, and work ethic. You will see our leaders every morning with monitoring the playground, hallways, and interacting with our school community.

Similarly, every morning, our student leaders complete morning announcements for the school. They get to lead the flag salute, provide friendly reminders of how to follow our three standards of showing respect, making good decisions, and solving problems, along with making sure the student body is aware of upcoming events.

BARGE IS FULL OF BRIGHTNESS---WE LOVE THIS BUILDING!

Our PTO is looking to have more families involved in the planning of upcoming events and fundraisers to help our Barge-Lincoln community of learners for the 2023-24 school year.

Call Natalie Tinajero at 573-5251 if you'd like to help!

We all want to have Barge be the BEST elementary school in the valley and, of course, there is always room for improvement.

If you have constructive feedback and come with possible solutions, please reach out to the building principal (Mrs. Brennan) or assistant principal (Mrs. Qualo) to share your comments. THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM OUR FAMILIES!

You can speak with them before or after school and/or make an appointment through the office.

573-5200

This year, we've had adults interested in having volunteers here at Barge.

Here's the process and "scoop" on how to utilize your extra hands at Barge:

• Volunteers MUST complete a volunteer application through the office and return it with photo identification for screening purposes.
• Volunteer applications take 2-3 weeks for clearance.
• Volunteers cannot begin to assist at Barge until they are cleared.
• The office can look up if the adult has been cleared to volunteer.

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Can a volunteer help in a classroom? Yes! They can schedule a weekly 45-60 minute block to come help in a room.

What can the volunteer do in a classroom? They can pull a small group of kids to a table to assist with skills, reading, basic math skills, extensions for learning, help with cutting/gluing/art projects, etc. Volunteers are not to come in and sit/observe. They should be working with our Bobcats.

Can volunteers eat lunch with their child? Yes. Again, they just need to sign in and out at the office. Martha, our head cook, should know beforehand if the adult is planning on purchasing a meal.

Can volunteers bring young siblings? No. We ask that if a volunteer is assisting, during school hours, that they find childcare for the younger siblings. The focus is on learning and we want minimal distractions.

Who can answer questions regarding volunteers? Building principals, Mrs. Brennan (principal) and Mrs. Qualo (assistant principal). Per YSD's visitor policy, it is up to the building principals to set volunteer standards. Building administrators would love to see our families and community members enrich the learning, as long as the adults have gone through the background clearance to ensure student safety. We would like a schedule, 45-60 minute chunk of time weekly or bi-monthly.

How can families/caregivers volunteer for our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)? A form is going home to families THIS WEEK! Please complete it and return it to school with your child. Ask your teacher if you didn't get one, please.

Did you know we have a FREE Little Library near our front doors?

Stop by and grab a book(s) for your learner.

READERS ARE LEADERS!

Our mascot's name is....

BLAZE!

Our mascot has Blaze Bucks that our learners can earn by following our three standards:

1. Show respect

2. Make good decisions

3. Solve problems

When our learners follow these standards, they have an opportunity to earn Blaze Bucks that can be accumulated and spent at the classroom or school store. We encourage you to ask your child how many Blaze Bucks he/she has earned and if they've spent any yet.

WE ARE BARGE!

WE ARE THE BEST AROUND.