2018-19 School Year
We're off to an amazing start to the school year. I want to encourage all our parents to partner with us this year – we are making great progress as a school and need everyone's help and support to keep moving forward. Please make every effort to join and support our PTA (click here) and attend our Parent-Teacher Nights next week (see below for details). Barnwell's on the move and we need your help to keep getting better!
During the beginning of school we have been emphasizing what it means to be a Barnwell Bear. Our students (and staff!) are learning 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.
Parent Teacher Nights (8/22 and 8/23)
Please make every effort to attend our Parent-Teacher Nights from 6:30 - 7:30 PM to partner with our teachers and ensure effective communication throughout the year. (A brief TAG presentation will be held in the Media Center at 6:00 on both nights for all interested parents of current TAG students).
- Wednesday, August 22nd – grades PreK-2nd
- Thursday, August 23rd – grades 3rd-5th
Following the Parent-Teacher meetings, our PTA will host a PTA meeting in the cafeteria from 7:30 PM-7:45 PM. In addition to meeting your PTA board members and hearing about plans for the 2018-19 school year, you will also be approving the PTA 2018-19 budget.
If you haven't done so already, I urge all parents to support our PTA (click here). Our PTA not only provides many of the resources our students use each day (agendas, student software, magazines, etc.) but they also make many of the activities and events our students love to happen (STEM lab, Movie Night, Artists' Day, Barnival, etc.).
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:
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 PTA for working each day, hand in hand with our staff, to enhance the quality of our student experience.
Barnwell's 2017-18 Teacher of the Year!
We are proud of Mrs. Weaver, 4th grade teacher, for being our 2017-18 Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Weaver is an amazing teacher and teacher leader, helping ensure all our 4th grade students are learning and growing each day.
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 Volunteer Registration
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.
Sensory Garden
Our Barnwell Foundation Sensory Garden is taking shape! After being "home" to several portable classrooms from 1988 through 2017 the front left side of our school is now starting to take shape. Each "wing" of the Sensory Garden will provide different plants and structures to help students experience the different senses.
If you'd like to purchase a brick to help us finish our Sensory Garden (outdoor musical instruments, container pots and perennials) download the engraved brick form here: www.barnwellfoundation.org/goals/sensory-garden/buy-an-engraved-brick/.
Phase II of our side rennovation project (October) will be to replace the adjacent playground!
SHE DID IT! Georgia's Teacher of the Year! As a proud principal I share with you some historic news. 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.
We had a school-wide celebration during the last week of school with our Superintendent, Dr. Rose, Area Superintendent, Cliff Jones, School Board Members, our students and staff.
Visit: http://bit.ly/townsendpreview for a short trailer video and visit: http://bit.ly/townsendbes to watch the entire celebration.
