Calendar Reminders:
February 15: No School
February 18: No School (President's Day)
February 19: No School for Students (Johns Creek Cluster Professional Learning Day)
2019-20 Employees of the Year!
Please join me in congratulating our 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year, Jamie
Silverboard, First Grade and our Professional of the Year, Ellen Basille, PSE Paraprofessional! We are proud of them and very grateful to have them here at Barnwell!
School Governance Council Elections
Our School Governance Council (SGC) is looking for a few new members to help guide our school forward. This group meets monthly to review school progress, make recommendations to our strategic plan and approve our yearly budget. We have two open parent positions, if you are interested, please click here for the Parent/Guardian Candidate Declaration Form.
If you need more information, please click here for the SGC Candidate Guide.
2019-20 PreK Lottery
Barnwell will have two Pre-K classes next year. Our Pre-K Registration is Monday, March 11th and Tuesday, March 12th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Registration packets will be available in the front office beginning Tuesday, February 19th. The Pre-K Lottery will be held on Friday, March 15th at 3:00 PM in the Media Center.
Side Playground is Finished!
I am so excited for the transformation at the front of our school! In an area where we had portable classrooms for 28 years we now have a beautiful Sensory garden and a new Side Playground. Many thanks to our Barnwell Foundation, led by Mary Beth Kennedy, for having the vision and determination to transform this area for our students.
Welcome to Barnwell!
Do you know that we have students attending Barnwell that have families from all over the world? Our PTA has created the following "welcome" guides in multiple languages to make it a little easier to learn about our school and to get involved.
Click on the following links for each language of our PTA Important Information guide:
2018 CCRPI Scores and Climate Rating
The Georgia Department of Education released the 2018 CCRPI scores for all schools (click here, then click on "elementary" under Report Type to see Barnwell's full report). Georgia's average 2018 CCRPI score for elementary schools is 77.8, while Fulton County's is 80.6. Last year Barnwell's 2017 CCRPI score was 86.4 and our Climate Rating was 5 STAR, while this year our 2018 CCRPI score is 98.2 and our Climate Rating is 5 STAR!
I am so proud of our school family's collective effort to grow and improve while ensuring a positive learning environment is in place for all our students. Click here for an overview sheet of our scores in each of the four areas that the CCRPI measures (Content Mastery, Progress, Closing the Gap and Readiness).
Throughout the year we emphasize with all our students what it means to be a Barnwell Bear. Our students (and staff!) have learned the Barnwell Promise (click here) – we encourage all parents to have conversations about these expectations and support our efforts to foster kindness, respect and joy in our students' lives.
Each day we share our expectation that all Barnwell Bears are Kind, Respectful and Happy and have been discussing these in depth on the news and in our morning meetings. We expect our students to do their best each day, working hard to learn and grow. We've shared that learning is not supposed to be easy – it can and should be hard! Students are learning that their effort is one of the most important things that contributes to their learning – being persistent with a positive attitude will lead to success.
We have discussed with all our students that being Kind means treating yourself and each other fairly, being helpful and acting in ways that encourage the heart. Being Respectful means caring about yourself and other people, and acting in a way that shows you care. When we're respectful we think and act in a positive way about ourselves and others. Lastly, we have discussed that being Happy is all about our attitude. It's choosing to be positive and encouraging, being persistent and having a growth mindset. We know that by being persistent and having a positive attitude each of us can get better every day.
Be Better. Be the BEAR!
PTA National School of Excellenc
e!
Our PTA has been recognized as a 2017-19 National PTA School of Excellence! This is one of the highest awards any PTA can earn - only 143 schools in the country (only 16 in Georgia) were recognized as National Schools of Excellence!
We are very proud and appreciative of our amazing PTA!
2018-2019 Volunteer Requirements
Do you want to be a mystery reader? Would you like to help out in your child's classroom? We welcome all parents to come volunteer and be a part of your child's school experience at Barnwell. Per Fulton County policy, ALL parents that want to volunteer MUST complete the mandatory training or they will not be allowed to volunteer in classrooms!
Visit the FCS site directly to complete the required informational training at least 48 hours prior to volunteering: 2018-2019 Volunteer Protocol
Digital Citizenship Certification
Barnwell is a Common Sense Certified School! This certification recognizes our efforts in teaching digital literacy and citizenship to our students from Common Sense Education, part of a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.
Lunch Visits/Birthday Celebrations
Any parent wanting to celebrate their child's birthday with the class is welcome to come to the cafeteria to purchase a frozen treat or cookies from our cafeteria and hand out to the class during lunch.
Per Fulton County policy, no outside food of any kind is permitted for distribution to students in classrooms or the cafeteria (while you are welcome to provide your own child with any treat to celebrate a special occasion, no store-bought or homemade cupcakes, cookie cakes, etc. are allowed for class distribution). Parents wanting to celebrate with their child must order in advance and hand out during lunch (Birthday Celebration Flyer and Order Form).
Please note that teachers/school staff will not be handing out birthday treats in the cafeteria or classroom.
Barnwell's Own Mrs. Townsend is Georgia's 2019 Teacher of the Year!
On Saturday, May 19th, the Georgia Department of Education announced the 2019 Georgia Teacher of the Year, and for the first time ever it was awarded to a Fulton County teacher, Barnwell's very own Allison Kerley Townsend!
With 159 counties in Georgia, employing over 114,000 teachers, for Allison to be named the Georgia Teacher of the Year is an incredible accomplishment! She is without a doubt an amazing teacher and colleague, as she inspires, challenges, and loves her children and teammates, helping bring out the best in each and every one of us. However, Mrs. Townsend will also be the first to tell you that she didn't win this award alone – that her success is only possible because of the help, encouragement and inspiration of her school family.
Visit: http://bit.ly/townsendpreview for a short trailer video and visit: http://bit.ly/townsendbes to watch the entire celebration.