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August 9, 2017
Dear SBES Families,
A very happy August to all! I sincerely hope that your summer has been off to a great start. We are once again at the crossroads to the start of another school year. This summer has been progressing quickly, and we have been quite busy. So far, this summer, we have run two very successful summer programs. The first program consisted of 30 students from Pre-K through Second grade. Our second summer program consisted of students from both our school and neighboring Catholic Schools as part of a new program run in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education.
I look forward to starting this school year with the excitement of a new beginning. A beginning where we welcome new families to our community, celebrate our continuing families, and strive for ways to continue to propel our school into the future!
Due to the growth of our Kindergarten class (from 18 students in 16 - 17 to 34 in 17 - 18) a room change was necessary to give this larger class adequate space. Our Kindergarten class will now be located on the main floor next to the office.
In order to keep our grade bands together, and to continue to foster a sense of community, more room changes were necessary. On the second floor (St. Barnabas Place side), all of our Pre-K classes will now be located. Opposite the Pre-K side (on the 241st Street side), grades 1 - 4 will now be altogether, and the Title I classroom has moved to the third floor opposite Mrs. Macias’ classroom.
I too have moved! My office is now located in the former CCD office!! I am so very excited to be “upstairs with everyone”. The CCD office is now located in the former nurse’s office, and the nurse has moved to the second floor to be closer to our students.
Lastly, and with utmost gratitude to Woodlean, we have been able to completely renovate our gym! It is simply stunning! Please be sure to take a look when school begins!
With the moves aside, now, let's talk technology!
Thanks to our extremely successful First Annual Spring Fling (run by the HSA), and in conjunction with our NYC technology money, I have been able to purchase three new 75” Interactive Smart TVs and 30 new Chromebooks!
Thanks to a grant from the Cardinal's Office St. Barnabas will once again be able to offer ITV. ITV will now run digitally to each classroom’s computer/SmartBoard. In addition, with this grant, we were able to put up two 55” Smart TVs! One is located in the main lobby and the second in the cafeteria! More details to follow.
I ask that all parents please save the date now for our Back To School Night; which will be held on Thursday, September 14th at 6:30pm in the auditorium.
For those new families that will be joining us, and as a reminder to those families that are returning, if you are interested in the lunch program you must order your lunches at lunchwithlou.com. I have worked closely with Lou to revamp our menu for this year. If you are new to the program, you will need to create an account. The school code is J3YRT4. All orders must be placed by September 5th. Please note that this does not apply to Pre - K 3 or Pre - K 4 NYC residents. Should you have any questions about the lunch program, please feel free to reach out to Lunch With Lou at info@lunchwithlou.com or by phone 914-889-3326.
We will once again be offering an Early Morning Program that will begin at 7:20am and an after school program that will run until 5:45pm. Students enrolled in the Early Morning Program should enter through the main entrance. Please see the After School Handbook, which will be sent home in September, for more details.
New this year, parents with students in our Early Childhood Programs (Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, and Kindergarten) are asked to bring the students directly to the classroom using the main entrance. The doors to the auditorium will open for regular arrival at 8:00am, and the school day will begin with prayer at 8:15am for students in 1st to 8th Grade.
Please note that the main office will open at 8:00am and will remain open until 4:00pm.
To continue to assure that we are promptly communicating with parents, I will continue to utilize the Weekly News which will be emailed home on Sundays. In addition, please be sure to check the website for the most updated information at www.stbarnabasschool.org. In addition, all teachers will be posting their homework assignments online under Class Pages which can be found on the top right of the main page.
Students in grades 1 - 8 will have their first day of school on Thursday, September 7th. This will be a full day of school. Friday, September 8th, will also be a full day of school.
All Early Childhood students will also begin school on Thursday, September 7th at 9:15am with a Meet and Greet in the auditorium. There will be a 10:30am dismissal. This Meet and Greet is for parents and students. On Friday, September 8th, there will be a noon dismissal for all Early Childhood students.
All Early Childhood students will have a full day of school on Monday, September 11th.
With this letter, I am enclosing a copy of the September Calendar and a map with our dismissal procedures. On the first day of school, students will receive an additional copy of both, in addition to, the draft Year At A Glance, which will outline the entire academic year. These papers will accompany the normal “first day forms”. Each month students will receive a monthly calendar via backpack mail. A digital copy will also follow to the parents. In an effort to continue to “go green”, the 2017 - 2018 Parent Student Handbook will posted to the school website on August 10th, under the Student Life section.
With this, I wish you all the very best as the last few weeks of summer unfold. If you should need anything, please feel free to reach out! Please know, my door is always open.
God bless you and thank you for your commitment to Catholic Education and to Saint Barnabas Elementary School!
Most Sincerely,
Jonathan Morano
PrincipalSPECIAL NOTES:
Pre-K 4/Pre-K For All/UPK
There will be a slight adjustment to your calendar. For instance, there will be no noon dismissals for Pre-K 4 students unless specifically stated. Please be sure to see both the monthly calendar and Year At A Glance. A class list for Pre-K 4 Students is also enclosed. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all Pre-K 4 students each school day.
Pre-K 3
All students in Pre-K 3 must bring their own lunch and snack each day to school. There is no lunch service for Pre-K 3.
All Early Childhood Students
Please bring a complete change of clothes with you on the first day of school.