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🐾 Bulldog Weekly Reminder 🐾

We have a shorter week ahead!

• Monday, October 12: 2-hour early dismissal
• Friday, October 16: Schools are closed for students

We are already more than halfway through the first quarter, so this is a great time to check HAC and review your child’s progress. If you need help with your HAC account information, please call the front office.

MENU - Link to October Breakfast and Lunch Menus - CLICK HERE -

🍎 Reminder for Meal Benefit Applications - Rollover day for last school year’s meal benefit applications was October 8. All student accounts that do not have a current years Meal Benefit Application on file will revert to full price ($3.00 for elementary lunch, $3.25 for secondary lunch, $1.85 for breakfast). The Meal Benefit Applications with your school community. CLICK HERE

We are looking forward to another great week of learning, growing, and shining with our Bulldogs! 🧡🐾

Warmest regards,
Mrs. Beckwith, Principal

Our school day is 9:25 a.m.–4:20 p.m., and we want every Bulldog in their classroom and ready to learn by 9:25 a.m.!

🚗 Morning Car Riders: The car rider line closes at 9:20 a.m. If you arrive after 9:20 a.m. or there is no adult outside, please park and walk your child into the main office.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future requires each Maryland school district to provide a plan to ensure all students have access to physical and behavioral health services. Pillar 4 of the Blueprint: More Resources for Students to Be Successful, outlines how districts should plan for and provide these resources. One requirement is the implementation of a standardized screening tool to identify students with behavioral health services needs using an evidence-based measurement approach.

During the next several weeks, students in grades 3-12 will be completing the Panorama Screener which should take approximately 20 minutes. This screener is not a diagnostic tool, meaning it is not designed to diagnose mental health disorders. Rather it is utilized to address individual, classroom-wide and school-wide social-emotional and behavioral skill development to assist students in being successful learners.

The screener will ask students to reflect on topics including Emotion Regulation, Feelings, Growth Mindset, Responsible Decision Making, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Supportive Relationships, and Student-to-Student Interactions.

These links allow parents and guardians to view the items on the screener.

Grades 3-5 Screener

We thank you and your family for being our valued partners in education. If you have any questions about the Panorama Screener, please contact the school’s administration team or your child’s counselor.

10/12- 2hr. Early Dismissal: Parent Conferences

10/15- PTO Harvest Fest

10/16- Schools closed for students: Professional learning for staff

10/29- End of the 1st marking period

10/30- 2 hr. early dismissal- teacher work time

🩺 Health Room Happenings For Parents

🤒 When to Keep Your Child Home

To help keep our school community healthy, please remember that students should remain home for 24 hours from their last symptom if they have:

• A fever of 100.0°F or higher
• An episode of vomiting
• Three or more episodes of loose stool/diarrhea

Students should be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

🍬 Cough Drops

If your child benefits from a cough drop for a sore throat or pesky cough, please send:

• A signed note giving permission for use at school
• The brand name of the cough drops listed in the note
• An unopened package to be stored in the Health Room

Students will come to the Health Room when they need a cough drop so usage can be monitored. Please note that the Health Room does not provide cough drops.

🤕 Injuries and Restrictions

If your child is injured and requires accommodations at school, please provide a doctor's note that includes:

• Any assistive devices needed (crutches, brace, sling, finger splint, orthopedic shoe, etc.)
• PE, recess, and activity restrictions or modifications
• Whether elevator access is needed
• The length of time accommodations are required

Complete documentation helps us safely support your child throughout the school day.

⏰ Early Pick-Up Reminders

If your child does not meet the criteria to be sent home for illness but you choose to pick them up, the absence or early dismissal will be considered unexcused.

When I contact a parent, I will always clarify whether:

• Your child must be picked up due to illness, or
• I am calling as a courtesy because your child has requested that an adult be contacted

💉 Community Flu Clinics

There will be no school-based flu clinics this year. Instead, Calvert County is offering several Community Flu Clinics that are open to all family members.

Please see the attached flyer for dates, locations, and additional details.

👕 Clothing Donations Needed

The Health Room is grateful for donations of gently used clothing in sizes 3T through adult. These donations help us care for students who need a change of clothes during the school day.

We also encourage families to keep a spare set of clothes in their child's backpack or classroom.

Nurse's Reminder: As temperatures fluctuate, encourage students to bring a water bottle and wear layers. Hydrated, comfortable students are more successful learners! 🌞💧

Thank you for helping us keep our students healthy, safe, and ready to learn! Please reach out anytime @ 443-550-9506 or email me @ farsterj@calvertnet.k12.md.us. Fax # 410-286-4010

Warmly,

Nurse Jessica

🐾 SO MANY EXCITING THINGS COMING OUR STUDENTS’ & SCHOOL’S WAY! 🐾

We have a LOT happening over the next few weeks, so mark those calendars! 🧡🖤

🎃 HARVEST FESTIVAL — THIS THURSDAY!

📅 Thursday, October 15

⏰ 5:30–7:30 PM

📍 Prince Frederick CSM Parking Lot

We can’t wait to see everyone there! We’ll have trunks, vendors, food trucks, activities, face painters, raffles & SO much more! Bring the whole family and come enjoy a fun night with our Barstow Bulldogs! 🐾🎃

🥤 SIP & STACK SPIRIT NIGHT

📅 Wednesday, October 21

⏰ 3:00–7:00 PM

Grab dinner, support Barstow, and enjoy a night off from cooking! Every bit of support helps our students and school. 🧡

🍿 DOUBLE GOOD POPCORN FUNDRAISER

📅 Kicks off Monday, October 19

Get ready to POP into our next fundraiser! 🍿

Double Good Popcorn is perfect for: • 🏈 Sideline snacks

• 🎁 Holiday baskets & gifts

• 🍎 Lunchbox snacks

• 🏠 Treats for home

And the BEST part? It ships directly to the shopper! That means family and friends near AND far can support Barstow!

🏆 TOP EARNER: Mystery Squishy/Dumpling/Fidget Basket

🍿 TOP-SELLING CLASS: Popcorn Party!

Be on the lookout for the flyer in your Tuesday folders with information on how to sign up through the Double Good App.

Need help getting started? Reach out to us—we’re happy to help!

🥫 BARSTOW GIVES BACK FOOD DRIVE

📅 November 1–20

We’re getting ready to kick off our Barstow Gives Back Food Drive!

Collection bins will be located in the hallway directly across from the Library. Tell students to look for the sign!

❤️ Please donate ONLY non-perishable food items.

All donations will go toward helping Barstow families right here in our school community.

⚠️ ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE…

Please take a few minutes to talk with your student(s) at home about respecting our school, playground, and the equipment they use each day.

Our staff, volunteers, and PTO are working hard to make Barstow a place where students can learn, play, and have fun. We can only keep improving these spaces when everyone does their part to take care of them.

Unfortunately, in the short time we’ve been back at school, we’ve already seen:

• Recess cart equipment go missing

• Soccer nets that were recently replaced being hung on and pulled out, causing them to fall

• Our basketball area needing 2 new basketball hoops

Recess equipment is expensive, and we want our students to have these items available to use throughout the entire school year.

We have plans to restock and replace equipment, and we would also love to get the mesh fencing around the wooded area and a proper ground for the Gaga Ball pit completed this year.

But we need everyone's help.

When equipment is broken, lost, damaged, or misused, money that could go toward new and exciting things for our students has to be spent replacing what should still be there.

Please remind your students that these items belong to their school and their fellow Bulldogs. Treat it with care. Pick it up. Use it properly. Help us keep Barstow a fun place for everyone. 🐾

We are so excited about what we can continue to do for our students, but we truly need the support of our entire school community to make it happen.

Let’s take pride in our school and take care of what we have! 🧡🖤

Thank you for always showing up, supporting our school, and helping us Show Up, Shine Bright & Unlock Our Bulldog Potential!

Throughout October, we will be helping spread awareness and understanding about learning disabilities. Please join us in celebrating differences, encouraging inclusion, and supporting our students!