District Newsletter October, 2025
Barrington School District
October 16, 2025
Now that the school year has settled in and IEP meetings are underway, we wanted to take a moment to explain two parts of the IEP that can often be confusing: accommodations and modifications.
When your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), you may hear these two terms used often. They sound similar, but they serve different purposes in helping your child be successful at school.
Accommodations are supports that help your child access the same learning and show what they know—without changing what’s being taught. They help level the playing field so your child can fully participate in class.
Examples include: extra time on tests, taking a test in a quiet room, using audiobooks, or having directions read aloud.
With accommodations, the learning expectations stay the same—your child is still working toward the grade-level standards, just with the right supports in place.
Modifications, on the other hand, change what your child is expected to learn or demonstrate. The content, assignments, or tests are adjusted to meet your child’s unique learning needs.
Examples include: working on a different reading passage, completing fewer math problems, or being graded using different standards.
In this case, your child’s learning goals may differ from the grade-level curriculum so that they can experience success and continued growth at their own pace.
Both are valuable and designed to ensure your child can learn, feel confident, and make meaningful progress in school.
All decisions about accommodations and modifications should be discussed and agreed upon by the full IEP team during an IEP meeting. This ensures that every support matches your child’s unique strengths and needs.
Digital Citizenship Week: Keeping Our Kids Safe Online
It's Digital Citizenship Week! This is a focused time for Barrington students to learn about using technology safely, responsibly, and ethically. As technology is central to learning and daily life, understanding proper digital citizenship is essential for your child's well-being and success.
What is Digital Citizenship?
Digital Citizenship is the set of norms and behaviors that are appropriate when using technology. It's about teaching students to be good citizens of the digital world, just as they are in the physical world. This includes Digital Literacy (understanding how to use technology and navigate online information), Digital Etiquette or Netiquette (being respectful and using appropriate language online), understanding their Digital Rights and Responsibilities, and practicing Digital Health and Wellness (maintaining a healthy balance with screen time).
Why Digital Citizenship is Essential for Online Safety
Proper digital citizenship is the first and most crucial step in keeping your children safe online. When students understand the implications of their actions, they are empowered to protect themselves and others.
Protecting Personal Information: Digital citizenship teaches students what information is private (like addresses, passwords, or phone numbers) and the dangers of sharing it with strangers or on public platforms.
Preventing Cyberbullying: It focuses on respectful communication and the importance of being an "upstander"—someone who supports victims and reports bullying—rather than a "bystander" or a perpetrator.
Critical Thinking and Media Literacy: It helps students evaluate online sources to distinguish between reliable information and misinformation/scams. This prevents them from falling for deceptive content or ‘phishing’ attempts.
Managing Their Digital Footprint: Stresses that everything posted online is permanent and contributes to their digital footprint. This encourages thoughtful posting and prevents issues that can affect future opportunities. Also understanding that everything done online is monitored and recorded on school-issued devices.
Healthy Boundaries: It educates students on appropriate online interactions and the critical importance of reporting any uncomfortable or suspicious contact from strangers.
We encourage you to use this week as an opportunity to discuss these topics with your child. By working together, we can ensure that Barrington students develop into savvy, responsible, and safe digital citizens. An excellent resource for learning more about Digital Citizenship is https://www.commonsensemedia.org/. Click on the “For Parents” tab to find information on Movies, TV, Books, Parents' Guides and more
Fall and Winter
After having great weather for the summer it is that time of year again, leaves are dropping and a chance of snow showers in the mountains. The mowers are being put away and the shovels and snowblowers are getting tuned up.
We have been working on an Asset Assessment of all of buildings in the district. This is to give us an overview of the shape and life span of our equipment. This will be rolled into our Capitol Improvement Plan.
The Facilities Team has built a bridge for the Cross Country Team to span the brook that is on the trail.
We will getting ready for Dancing with the Stars and the Chamber of Commerce Holiday Fair. The children are also getting excited as the seasons are changing. Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving as it will be here before we know it.
Best,
WHO CAN GET FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS
Who can receive free or reduced price meals?
- All children in households receiving benefits from NH SNAP or NH TANF, are eligible for free meals.
- Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.
- Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
- Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.
- Children may receive free or reduced-price meals if your household’s income is within the limits set by the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits on this chart.
A household may apply for benefits at any time during the school year. Children of parents or guardians who become unemployed or experience a financial hardship mid-year may become eligible for free and reduced-price meals or free milk at any point during the school year. Only one application is required for all children in the household attending schools in the same LEA. Only the last four digits of the Social Security Number of the household’s primary wage earner or another adult household member (or an indication of “none”) is needed when submitting the application. Information submitted on the application may be subject to verification.
The simplest way to apply for Free and Reduced meals is to complete an application in LINQConnect. https://linqconnect.com/main
To access the LINQConnect application form:
Log into your LINQConnect account
Under "Quick Links", select "Meal Applications" (bottom right of the screen)
Type "Barrington" in the search engine to find the Barrington School District (Barrington, NH) online application form
Free and Reduced meals applications are also available at your child's main school office upon request. Please be sure the application you are given has the current school year listed on it. Applications from previous years will not be accepted.
Community Action Partnership of Strafford County
Community Action Partnership of Strafford County is a private nonprofit founded in 1965 with a mission to reduce barriers to help clients improve their economic stability and well-being through education, advocacy, and partnerships.
We work with community, state, and federal partners to assist children, families, low-income, and elderly residents in becoming or remaining financially and socially independent through a variety of coordinated programs. Without the services provided by our agency, many local residents would be without a means to provide for their basic needs, including food, education, child care, utilities assistance, transportation, housing, emergency shelter, and access to other services.
211 NH
211 NH is the connection for New Hampshire residents to the most up to date resources they need from specially trained Information and Referral Specialists. 211 NH is available 24 hours, 365 days a year.
