The Starburst
Home of the Shining Stars
Greetings, Barrows Families,
From celebrating the 100th Day of School (Monday for grades 1–5 and Wednesday for Kindergarten), to Spirit Week, to our All School Respect Rocks! Assembly—where students also decorated their own RESPECT rocks in art class—this month has been full of the very best in the very best way. We’ve also loved seeing the learning and creativity across the building in our Black History Month door-decorating contest (photos will be featured in our next Starburst!), and classrooms enjoyed festive Valentine’s Day party celebrations. Our 4th graders enjoyed a special field trip to Wonder: The Musical, and the PTO surprised our staff with a “Blind Date with a Book” table to enjoy over break. And of course, this doesn’t even capture the continued teaching and learning we do so well at Barrows each and every day.
We have been collaborating and persevering all month—quite worthy of a week off!
Thank you to all the families who donated books, to Kaitlyn Camadeco for creating beautiful bookmarks, and to Whitney McBride for her creative, expert wrapping of more than 30 books. We truly feel the love.
Wishing all of our families a happy Valentine’s Day and a restful, healthy February vacation. We look forward to the break and will be excited to welcome our students back on Monday, February 23rd!
Highlights Below:
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75+ photos capturing the fun at Barrows this week
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Interested in becoming a substitute for Reading Public Schools—or know someone who might be? Check out the Open House information below.
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New updates and opportunities in the Important Dates, PTO, SEPAC, METCO, and Community News & Events sections (be sure to take a look!)
Keep Shining,
Alissa
Barrows Upcoming Dates
February 16-20: February Vacation (NO SCHOOL)
Monday, February 23rd: First Day Back to School
Girls on the Run Registration Opens for 4th and 5th graders (see flyer below)!
Wednesday, February 25th:
- Elementary School Night-Climate Change Club 6:30-7:30 pm @ Killam (see flyer in Communiyt News & Events Section) and
- Virtual Sarah Ward Presentation: From Overwhlemed to On Track- Executive Function Skills that help Kids Get Things Done (see registration information in SEPAC section below) 6:30 pm
- Chick-Fil-A Barrows Restaurant Fundraiser Night (4-10 pm)
Wednesday, March 4: NO SCHOOL (Teacher in-service day)
March 9-13: Scholastic Book Fair
Tuesday, March 10th: Reading Under the Stars & Speaker Liz Faria 5:30-7 PM
Wednesday, March 18th: Barrows PTO Meeting 7pm (in-person & virtual)
School Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 8:15 AM - 2:45 PM
Friday, 8:15 AM - 12:45 PM
*Students must be in class by 8:25 to be counted as on-time and present
We continue to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students!
The Food Service Department continues to offer breakfast to all elementary schools!
All first meals, including breakfast and lunch, are free for all students!
If your child would like a second breakfast or lunch, these are available for purchase at $1.50 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch. Additionally, our cafeterias offer a variety of snacks and a la carte items that can be purchased separately. Our Department looks forward to a fantastic year filled with fresh new foods and the energy from a healthy start to the day! We are excited to serve this incredible community and ensure every student has access to nutritious meals throughout the upcoming school year.
PIN #s for Breakfast, Lunch, and purchasing snacks.
All Reading Public School students are assigned a PIN number that they must use to get breakfast, lunch, or snacks. Please help your child memorize their PIN number. Although we provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, we ask that families send in a healthy snack for their students each day. If they forget their snack, they may purchase one in the cafeteria.
It is also important for families that may need financial support including but not limted to our food services to complete the following forms on this page: https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1701802399965&page=lunchapps
🏒❄️ BARROWS HOCKEY NIGHT at TSONGAS – 3/7 at 6PM! 🥅🔥
Drop the puck with us as UMass Lowell takes on BU in a showdown on the ice! Bring your Barrows crew, cheer loud, and help us light the lamp for a great cause! 🙌
🎟️ $18 tickets HERE!
💰 $5 from every ticket goes straight back to Barrows – now that’s a power play!
Grab your seats, bring the energy, and let’s make it a hat trick of fun, school spirit, and fundraising! 🏒
🏀✨ HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS THIS SATURDAY! ✨🏀
We can’t believe it — we sold almost 200 seats for Saturday’s Harlem Globetrotters game! 🎉
For those attending, we’re so excited to kick off vacation with our Barrows besties. Let’s show our Shining Star pride at the Tsongas Center — feel free to wear your Barrows colors or gear so we can fill the stands with school spirit! ✨
✨🐔SAVE THE DATE | DINE & SHINE AT CHICK-FIL-A - February 25th ✨
We had so much success at Mandarin last month — raising almost $900 for our school! 🎉 But now… it’s time to Eat Mor Chicken 🐔😄
Join us Wednesday, February 25 from 4–10 PM for a night at Chick-fil-A that’s sure to be a hit! Whether you’re craving nuggets, waffle fries (the real MVP 🍟), or that legendary lemonade 🥤 — we’ve got dinner covered.
Just mention “Barrows Fundraiser” when you order, for dine in & or drive through, and 20% will go back to Barrows! ❤️ So skip cooking, grab your flock, and let’s turn dinner into cash for our school!
🌙✨ A SPECIAL READING UNDER THE STARS! ✨📚
The Scholastic Book Fair is back at Barrows starting Tuesday, March 10! 🎉 And we’re kicking it off with a beloved tradition — Reading Under the Stars — with an exciting new twist this year.
While our kiddos get dropped off with their grade-level teachers for magical reading time 📖🧸, parents and caregivers are invited to gather for a special speaker event happening at the same time — no shuffling from room to room! 🙌
We are thrilled to welcome Liz Faria, MSW, LICSW 🎤💛, who will speak on Tuesday 3/10 from 5:45–6:30 PM in the café. Her talk, “When Worry Takes Over,” will share practical, real-life tools to help reduce anxiety in our kids and explore the connection between technology and child development. 📱🧠
The PTO and Barrows staff are deeply passionate about this critical issue impacting our children. This evening is a meaningful opportunity for us to come together, collaborate, and better understand how we can support our kids, both at school and at home. 🤝💙One special evening. Books for the kids. Insight and connection for the grown-ups. We can’t wait to see you there! 📚✨
🎉✨ IT’S BACK! ✨🎉
We’re thrilled to bring back a fan favorite — Parents’ Night Out! 🥳💃🕺 This is your chance to gather with the amazing adults in our school community for a night of fun, laughter, and connection — off the blacktop 😉
📅 Save the Date: Friday, March 20
⏰ 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
📍 West Side Social Club, Wakefield
Get ready for a little friendly competition and a lot of laughs with 🎶 Musical Bingo, plus our highly sought after Annual Silent Auction items (Bring your Grown Up to PE, anyone??).
Do you have a talent, skill, connection, or resource you’d be willing to donate to our annual Silent Auction? Let us know here!
More details (including ticket info 🎫) coming soon — but for now, grab your calendar and call your babysitter! You won’t want to miss it! 💙
BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK 📚
Thank you so much for all the awesome donations! We’ve had a blast wrapping books and filling the teachers lounge with a Blind Date with a Book table. 💖 Thanks for helping make February break extra cozy and full of great stories ✨📚
With appreciation,
The PTO Board
Bridget Maley & Whitney McBride, Co-Presidents
bridgetkaterimaley@gmail.com | whitkmcb@gmail.com
Rachel Daly, Treasurer
Alicia Curtin, Secretary
Alison Ethier, Social Media Coordinator
Follow Us!
📘Facebook: Barrows Elementary PTO
📷 Instagram: @barrowselementarypto
🔗 Linktree
Arrival
- Please drive slowly up Edgemont to keep everyone safe; remember, it is a ONE-WAY during the school day.
- Do not park in the indented section by the gym. This is the "kiss & go" area for a quick drop-off.
- Doors open at 8:15 and close at 8:25. Your child needs to be in their seat by 8:25 AM. If your child arrives to school after the doors have closed, they must come to the front door and be marked tardy.
- The Staff Parking Lot is for staff only and off limits to all pedestrians from arrival-dismissal for the safety of all. Please respect this important aspect of our campus.
Dismissal:
- At dismissal time, there is no live pick-up in the driveway except for students who take the bus. Kindergarteners exit the building at 2:40 PM. The rest of the students dismiss at 2:45 PM from the same doors they enter in the morning.
As a safety reminder, the staff parking lot is staff-only. We respectfully ask that caregivers park along the streets. With our students exiting from their external doors in the parking lot, having cars drive in and out is not safe. You need to walk around the school on the blacktop to the back. Thanks for helping us out.
Ready to Play the Best Way
Please do not have your children wear flip-flops. Sneakers are best, but flip-flops are dangerous when running at recess (and Crocs aren't great).
Dogs and Puppies on School Grounds
School Committee policy prohibits dogs on school grounds as much as we all love dogs and puppies and as much fun as it is walking them. If you'd like to walk your dog as part of your pick-up routine, the dog has to stay off school property. If you'd like your child to walk to you on the sidewalk or to the driveway entrances at dismissal so you can wait with your dog, please make that plan with them.
An Important Reminder from Mrs. Atwood
Dear Barrows Families,
This is a friendly reminder that kids should wear sneakers on the days that they have Physical Education. I love Crocs too, but they don’t count as sneakers…even when they’re worn in sport mode! Thanks so much for your support with this safety matter.
Sarah Atwood
Happy Birthday! In honor of your child’s birthday, we invite you to donate books to our school library in their name. Each book donated will have a bookplate with a dedication. Students will be the first patron to check the books out of the library.
To streamline the process and have a birthday book program year round we have developed an Amazon wishlist. Follow this link for the wish list to choose your donations. Amazon Barrows Book Wish List.
Or scan this QR code to get the list.
Please be sure to include your child’s name and grade on the order. Orders can be shipped directly to the school, or brought in person.
Families are welcome to select titles from the list that they would like to see in our library. Birthday donations can range from a single book to 100 books! If there is a specific title you would like to donate please reach out to Mrs. Becker with your request.
Birthday donations are welcome anytime. If you have any questions at all please contact Mrs. Becker.
Please follow Art and Physical Education on Instagram!
You must request to follow these private accounts. We post images, reels and stories that give you a quick glimpse into your child’s day during these Special class times. Mrs. Hurley for Art can be found here @mrs.hurley_art and Mrs. Atwood for Physical Education can be found here @barrowspe
*If your Instagram name does not easily identify you, please send us a separate email so we know it’s you! For safety, we are careful about who we accept.*
Check-Out Artsonia!
Dear Barrows Families,
Another way you can support your child’s art is to join Artsonia. Artsonia is the world's largest collection of student art, published by teachers and students from around the world. Through Artsonia families can view student art online and leave comments. If you would like to join Artsonia keep your eye on your inbox; email invitations will be going out shortly! Thank you! Beth Hurley
