Friday, March 22, 2013
Sowams Elementary School pupils -- 58 of them -- present 'The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley JR.' tonight and Saturday night at Barrington Middle School.
You might be singing that reading is “flat out fun” after students from Sowams School present "The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley JR." tonight and Saturday night at the Barrington Middle School. The musical is based on the award-winning children’s book, FLAT STANLEY, written by Jeff Brown and illustrated by Scott Nash. "The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley JR." tells the story of a normal boy, Stanley Lambchop, who dreams of doing something amazing, something the world has never seen before. One night, Stanley is flattened like a pancake when a bulletin board falls on him in his sleep. He decides to make the most of being different and puts himself in a big envelope to travel the world as a human letter, according to Arts Alive! “…
Friday, March 15, 2013
The PTO at Hampden Meadows Elementary School is selling all kinds of gear at prices that are too good to miss to raise money for the school.
Tomorrow is your chance to get used sporting goods for sale -- at dirt cheap prices! The PTO at Barrington's Hampden Meadows Elementary School is hosting its annual Used Sporting Goods Sale. It runs from 9 am to 2 pm in the school cafeteria. “It's a perfect opportunity for families to pick up some gently used items at great prices," said Liz Tomulonis, a co-chair of the event. “Best of all, Hampden Meadows School benefits by receiving the proceeds from this fundraiser. It's really a win-win for everyone involved." An extensive assortment of sporting goods is always available each year for purchase. You can find just abou everything you might need for baseball, lacrosse, soccer, football, basketball, and field and ice hockey -- the more …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The latest New England Common Assessment Program scores indicate that Barrington students seem to have dipped a bit but still at a higher level of achievement.
Barrington students seem to have hit a plateau at a much higher level of achievement than most students in Rhode Island. At least the fall 2012 (New England Common Assessment Program ) NECAP scores that were released on Feb. 8 indicates that level of achievement is the case. The scores again put Barrington at the top of the list for schools in the state. At the same time, the scores showed almost the exact same level of achievement as five years ago. “We’re satisified with the high level of achievement,” said Superintendent Michael Messore. “But we have identified areas that need attention and review. So we’re not entirely satisfied.” Messore said he and his staff plan to provide a full assessment of the latest NECAP scores to the School…
Friday, February 15, 2013
Barrington School Committee sees a proposed budget for next year that boosts local property taxes about $1 million or 2.37 percent.
The Barrington School Committee got a look at a proposed operating budget for next year that shows a 2.37 percent boost or $1.05 million hike in local property taxes. The budget is still very much a work in progress because of contract negotiations with the teachers’ union – although an estimated amount for salaries and benefits is already built into the budget. As presented by Ron Tarro, finance director, on Thursday night, the new proposed budget is $46.128 million or about $1.45 million more than the current budget. That is a 3.7 percent hike. An increase of approximately $1.138 million is estimated for additional compensation for all employees. That leaves an estimated $310,000 for other operating expenses. Tarro explained that the …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Barrington School Committee has created a Strategic Plan for the schools that can be seen on one easy-to-read page.
Rarely does a Barrington School Committee meeting go by without a reference to the new Strategic Plan for the schools. It's a product of many hours of work by a committee of volunteers, administrators, staff and School Committee members. It's a guide for the next few years at least. Well, you can take a look at the mission, vision, values and beliefs and five goals for the schools on one easy-to-read page. See the pdf above or go to the new Barrington Public Schools website.
Monday, February 11, 2013
A professional development day for teachers on Wednesday also has been cancelled; Barrington students should report to school that day as well.
Barrington's public schools will reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 12, after being closed for a couple of days by the Blizzard of '13. "We urge all parents and students to use caution," said Superintendent Michael Messore. "But we will be open again." Messore said also that a professional development day for teachers that was scheduled on Wednesday, Feb. 13, has been cancelled. Students should report to all the schools for a normal teaching day.
Friday, January 25, 2013
School enrollment projections indicate that almost one out of every five current students in Barrington will be lost over the next 10 years.
Barrington must be going through a baby bust. Enrollment in the schools is dropping, and projections for the future show that the decline will continue for years to come with the current enrollment of approximately 3,350 students dropping by about 600. The School Committee was presented with enrollment projections from the New England School Development Council last week that show that 18 percent drop in students through 2022. Finance Director Ron Tarro presented that picture of enrollment as part of the landscape for the board’s discussion of the 2013-2014 budget. "Enrollment is almost all the grades is going down," he said. Tarro did not present the numbers as set in stone, but simply as projections that are part of the outside …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Members of the Barrington School Committee get a look at what's in store for them over the next few months as they craft a new budget.
Members of the Barrington School Committee got an overview Thursday night at what’s in store for them as they craft the next spending plan. Smiles were few and far between as Finance Director Ron Tarro painted the landscape for the board as they consider making decisions for the 2013-2014 budget. The current budget is approximately $44.7 million dollars, more than 85 percent of which is salaries and benefits for teachers. Declining enrollment must be kept in mind, said Tarro. Projections from the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) indicate that enrollment will continue to drop every year for the next 10 years or more than 18 percent by 2022. “They’re not as reliable as we’d like them to be,” Tarro said of the projections. “But…
Friday, January 4, 2013
Barrington's principals make requests to the School Committee for 'common core' materials and resources, more technology, and more teachers and math specialists.
More materials and resources to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), more educational technology, and several more teachers and math specialists are the top budget priorities for Barrington’s principals. The principals made brief budget presentations to the Barrington School Committee Thursday night, Jan. 3, as the 2013-14 budget-preparation season started. Their priorities align closely with the recently adopted strategic plan for the schools, said Superintendent Michael Messore. The elementary principals -- Jim Callahan at Sowams, Tracey McGee at Hampden Meadows, and Tracey Whitehead at Nayatt -- presented their priorities in tandem. Paula Montesi at Primrose Hill did not attend. Callahan asked for another second-grade …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Barrington schools constantly review, remind and retrain, according to Superintendent Michael Messore.
None of Barrington’s schools will probably ever be safe from the type of murderous onslaught that killed 20 first-graders in Newtown, Conn., last Friday morning. But that doesn’t mean the administration and staff won’t continue working to make sure the schools are as safe as possible for all emergencies, said Superintendent Michael Messore. Reviewing, reminding and retraining are the words he used to sum up Barrington’s emergency preparedness. “I don’t ever want to fall into a false sense of security,” Messore said. “We always need to improve on procedures based on each incident.” Every emergency should remind “all of us how much more vigilant we need to be,” he said. All of Barrington’s schools lock the doors and use buzzers and video …
David Laidlaw
1:50 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The NECAP scores almost exclusively measure the percentage of students that are above a baseline threshold of achievement. Over the last 5 years the most notable changes I've seen in Barrington elementary and middle schools is that enrichment activities have been cut dramatically. Perhaps these expenses can be considered "discretionary," but my guess is that cutting these enrichment activities … more ›