District Newsletter May, 2026

Hello Barrington Families,

As we roll into the month of June we continue to be incredibly grateful for our students and their families, our staff and the greater Barrington community. With all that is challenging in the world today and even in our own backyards, Barrington continues to be a beautiful place. I feel extremely proud and fortunate to be a part of this community and am thrilled to be continuing on as your superintendent. We are certainly walking through some interesting and challenging times and now more than ever it is crucial that we keep the lines of communication open. This isn’t to say that we will always reach agreement; however, your Administrative Team will always seek to reach a shared understanding.

The month of June will be packed with continued learning, celebrations, assessments, field days and field trips. This excitement and change in routine can be wonderful for some and unnerving for others. We strive to keep schedules and routines as consistent as possible this time of year and also rely on all of you to reassure and support each other and your children while navigating these differences. A positive, calm word goes a long way!

In the upcoming months the District will be sharing information with you regarding some changes to our Wellness Policy. As a result of a food service audit we have had to make some adjustments. These adjustments are not optional given that we receive federal funding for food service. This month I would like to share one change that will be in place at the start of the 2026/27 school year. Foods and beverages will not be used as a reward or be the focus at celebrations including birthdays. The district’s school nutrition services will make available a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers, including non-food celebration ideas, and a list of foods and beverages which meet Smart Snack nutrition standards. This does not mean that we will not celebrate. This does mean that we will be supporting other avenues and creative ideas for celebrating. In the fall you will receive further guidance from your child’s teacher regarding how celebrations will be handled. We simply need to get away from holiday and birthday celebrations that have sweets as the focus. This may feel like a big shift for some of you. Please reach out with questions or concerns.

Our 8th Graders will be recognized on Tuesday, June 16th at 6pm on the Middle School soccer field (weather permitting of course). Further details for this event will come directly from the Middle School. The families of 8th graders may choose to send their children to school on June 17th however, please know that this is your choice and there will be no penalty for not returning after the Celebration Night given that we will have exceeded the state instructional hour requirement.

The last day of school will be a half day on Wednesday, June 17th.

Half day dismissal times:

BMS: 11:30am
ECLC: 12:15pm
BES: 12:25pm

The approved 2026–2027 school calendar is available on the district website. Please note adjustments at the start of the year due to the timing of Labor Day, as well as the reduction of two early release days.
Grade 4 families are reminded to submit residency documentation as soon as possible if you have not already done so.
The New Hampshire Department of Education has released a Diabetes Toolkit to support students and families. This resource is available on the district website under the Wellness tab and through the NHED website.
School Board meetings remain open to the public and are accessible live or via recording through WebEx. We encourage all community members to stay informed and engaged.

First and foremost, thank you to everyone who participated in our spring parent survey. We hear you, we value your feedback, and we take your perspectives seriously. One important trend we examined closely from the survey results was a concern raised by about 9% of parents at BES and BMS regarding iReady usage, Chromebook use for games, and a general worry that curriculum has become too screen-focused. We want to assure you that we look at these results not in isolation, but as part of an ongoing dialogue about what is best for Barrington students.

Following the survey, our teachers attended a dedicated professional development session during the early release on Thursday, May 21, to evaluate technology use in our classrooms. Together, we analyzed our current practices through The 5 Cs of Media Use, a model recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Screen Time at School

The AAP suggests shifting the spotlight away from counting screens by the minute, and onto the actual quality of the digital experience. To explore this, we spent time distinguishing between passive and active technology use. Active use of technology builds cognitive capacity through deep learning tasks like coding, research, passion projects, or publishing original writing for real audiences. We did an initial audit of active vs. passive use in the classroom. Educators used the 2025 Blaschke Report & Toolkit by CoSN (The Consortium for School Networking). Their suggested goal is no more than a 70/30 split overall of active vs. passive use. Upon initial audit, no grade level reported more than a 90/10 split, far below the recommendation. To ensure our students are engaged in active learning, teachers proactively identified immediate ways to eliminate unnecessary, passive screen time. Moving forward, we are reducing these passive moments by cutting back on certain online math games and digital videos previously used for classroom movement breaks.

We want to be entirely clear: technology is an important tool, but iReady is a supplement, not a replacement for direct instruction. The classroom teacher remains the most important element of your child's education. All students receive classroom instruction from their teachers in our Tier 1 curriculum which is designed for all learners. Programs like iReady are engineered by Curriculum Associates around a highly specific, restricted "personalized path." Backed by independent research, these tools use diagnostic data to fill discrete learning gaps or accelerate learning by tailoring lessons directly to your child's individual needs.

While the survey indicates this concern is held by a small number of parents locally, it perfectly parallels a legitimate national trend. Across the country, families and educators are rightly questioning the amount of technology that crept into classrooms and curriculum post-COVID. We are not navigating this alone. Other school districts across the Seacoast region are hearing the exact same questions from their communities. As Curriculum Coordinators, we are actively discussing these topics at regional meetings and pooling resources to examine technology use in schools. We view this not as a finished task, but as a starting point in the discussion. Our Guiding Coalition will keep this conversation moving forward over the summer months to refine our digital balance. Thank you for your partnership, your high expectations, and your shared dedication to raising thoughtful, well-rounded students.

Our students are currently completing their end-of-year assessments, and we are looking forward to seeing the growth and progress they have made this year. It has been wonderful to watch our students work hard, build new skills, and gain confidence, and these assessments help us celebrate that progress.

I also wanted to share an update regarding our Extended School Year (ESY) program this summer. Because septic work will be taking place at BES over the summer months, ESY programming will be relocated this year.

Here is what that will look like:

PK and Kindergarten students will continue attending ESY at the ECLC.
Pathways students will also be at the ECLC.
All other ESY students will attend ESY at the middle school.

We know changes in location can bring questions, and we will continue to share additional information about schedules, transportation, and other details as summer gets closer.

Thank you for all you do to support our students and schools. We appreciate the strong partnership between home and school and are excited to finish the year on a positive note!

Evolving Our Schools: A Strategic Update on Our Student Information System

Dear Barrington Families and Community Members,

As part of our ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility and operational excellence, the Barrington School District is preparing for an important evolution of our administrative infrastructure. For the upcoming school year, we will begin transitioning our District Student Information System (SIS) from PowerSchool to a platform called Alma.

This evolution is driven by a desire to optimize our budget, give our hardworking teachers more time to focus on instruction, and provide our families with a much more seamless, user-friendly connection to our schools. Here is what this positive shift means for our community, our staff, and your family:

1. Protecting Taxpayer Dollars Through Smart Spending

Our current contract with PowerSchool comes with steep, compounding annual price hikes of 6% to 7%, a trajectory that strains our long-term budget forecasts.

By evolving our approach and switching to Alma, we are taking a much more sustainable financial path:

Guaranteed Budget Stability: Alma provides a predictable, stable annual increase of just 3%.
State Subsidy Advantages: Because we are a New Hampshire school district, we qualify for a state-level subsidy program that significantly lowers our overall ownership costs.
Prioritizing the Classroom: By keeping our administrative software costs low and predictable, we can protect vital district funds and redirect those resources directly into student-facing initiatives and instructional tools.

2. A User-Friendly Connection for Barrington Families

We know how important it is for parents to stay connected to their child’s academic journey without fighting complex technology. Alma is built to evolve how families interact with our schools, offering an intuitive, streamlined experience accessible via any modern device:

All Your Students, One Login: Parents with multiple children in the district will no longer need to juggle different accounts—you will be able to see your students’ information under a single, unified view.
Real-Time Homework & Progress Tracking: A clean, centralized layout helps families stay on top of upcoming assignments, class schedules, and report cards. Parents can view daily attendance and academic progress in real time.
Streamlined Communication: Missing an email will no longer be a worry. Alma features integrated tools for messaging families directly from the system, keeping you consistently engaged without the need to switch platforms.

3. Streamlining Administrative Workflows for Staff

Right now, our school staff spends days out of every reporting cycle manually pulling data files and uploading them to the state for compliance—a tedious process with a high risk of data errors.

Alma evolves our daily workflows by eliminating this administrative friction:

Automated State Reporting: The new system features a direct, real-time data link to the New Hampshire Department of Education, completely automating background processes and reducing manual reporting effort to nearly zero.
A Unified View for Teachers: Teachers will benefit from an intuitive, spreadsheet-style gradebook that requires far fewer "clicks" to manage. It also brings attendance, academic history, and behavior into a single profile, helping teachers better support each student's unique intervention goals.
Better Connected Services: The platform breaks down communication silos by integrating special education data (NHSEIS) and providing school leaders with real-time insights into school-wide academic progress.

4. A Careful, Interruption-Free Transition

We understand that changing core software requires careful management, which is why we have designed a thorough, low-risk "Mirror Year" strategy for the 2026/2027 school year. We are taking our time to ensure there is absolutely zero downtime or disruption to active school operations.

Our rollout timeline includes:

Fall 2026: Finalizing the transition details and assembling our district implementation team.
Winter 2026 – Spring 2027: Mapping out data from the old system to the new one and conducting intensive, hands-on training workshops for teachers, secretaries, and administrators.
Summer 2027: Running final data tests to ensure system readiness and parallel run success.
August 2027: Full, official launch for the start of the 2027/2028 academic year.

Looking Ahead

Ultimately, this evolution is about efficiency, sustainability, and community connection. By upgrading our system, we are avoiding aggressive compounding software costs, protecting community tax dollars, and giving both our educators and our families the modern tools they deserve.

We look forward to sharing more updates—including parent login instructions and resources—as our implementation team begins its work this fall!

Facilities Update:

Dear Community,

Spring is officially here, and our facilities and grounds teams are firing on all cylinders! From essential infrastructure upgrades to preparing our fields for game day, here is a quick look at what’s happening across the district this week.

Septic Design Plans:

The septic design for BES has been submitted to the state for approval.

🎵 BES Band Concert Setup (This Thursday!)

The stage is being set for our talented musicians! Our team will be setting up the auditorium and stage areas for the Brighton Elementary School Band Concert happening this Thursday, March 28.

Expect some extra hustle and bustle around the performance spaces as we arrange seating, optimize acoustics, and test lighting to ensure our students shine. Don't forget to grab your seats early!

🥍 New Equipment Shed for Girls Field Hockey & Lacrosse

Fantastic news for our athletes! Installed on the upper field is a brand-new, equipment shed. This new space will provide secure, weather-proof storage for our Girls Field Hockey and Lacrosse teams, making gear management seamless for both players and coaching staff.

☀️ ECLC Heat Mat Repairs Slated for Next Week

We are proactively addressing the heating infrastructure at the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC). Starting next week, technicians will be on-site to repair and service the exterior walkway heat mats.

Note: While we expect minimal disruption to daily drop-off and pick-up routines, please keep an eye out for minor coned-off areas near the entryways while the crew is at work. Thank you for your patience as we ensure our walkways stay safe and ice-free for our littlest learners.

🌱 On the Horizon: Fields, Mowing, and Paint

With the weather warming up, our maintenance crew is shifting into to getting our outdoor spaces looking great. Over the next few days, you'll see our teams out in full force handling:

Mowing & Trimming: Keeping the grass at optimal athletic lengths across all campuses.
Field Painting: Precision lining and painting for the lacrosse fields to prep for upcoming home games.

May 29, 2026

Superintendent’s Spotlight Superintendent’s Spotlight

Reminders and Repeated Information Reminders and Repeated Information

Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum and Instruction

Student Services Student Services

Technology Technology

Evolving Our Schools: A Strategic Update on Our Student Information System

Facilities Facilities

Facilities Update:

Operations Operations

4th Grade Families: Residency Packets are Due 4th Grade Families: Residency Packets are Due

Outstanding Lunch Balance? Outstanding Lunch Balance?

Superintendent’s Spotlight

Reminders and Repeated Information

Curriculum and Instruction

Student Services

Technology

Facilities

Operations

4th Grade Families: Residency Packets are Due

Outstanding Lunch Balance?