Barrington Middle School

Important Dates:

• Friday, 9/24/2021 - Principal Luncheon (parents/guardians welcome at 12:00 pm for informal opportunity to ask Dr. Anderson questions they have). Zoom link will be sent. 

• Wednesday, 9/29/2021 - BMS Picture Day

• Thursday, 9/30/2021 - BMS Open House 5:50 pm - 8:00 pm (Virtual)

This Week’s Schedule: 

Week of 9.21.2021

BMS Spotlight on Learning:

This week, we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Dr. Tillotson. Dr. Tillotson is a tremendous advocate for students and is able to bring a sense of calm and trust to families who are concerned about their child’s social-emotional wellbeing. Keep up the great work, Dr. T.

Do you know of a BMS Faculty/Staff/Student member that is shining bright! If you do, please complete the form below and we can include the nomination in an upcoming newsletter. 

BMS Spotlight Nomination 

COVID-19 Protocols: 

Full COVID Protocols are available on the District website by clicking here. Please note that all staff, students, and visitors will be required to wear a mask in the building. All visitors will be required to show proof of vaccination, as well. 

• Student Voluntary BMS Proof of Vaccination (Student)

• Student Voluntary Consent for COVID testing (Testing is required for athletes and musicians who are unvaccinated)

Consent for COVID Testing: 

Below you will find a link for our BMS Student Voluntary Consent for COVID testing:

Student Voluntary Consent for COVID testing

Who should complete this voluntary consent for COVID testing: 

• Any student who participates in BMS Sports. (Note: all BMS athletes must be tested once a week)

• Any student who is in our BMS Band and plays a wind instrument. (Note: all BMS wind instrument players must be tested once a week)

• Any student who is in our BMS chorus (Note: all BMS chorus students must be tested once a week)

• Any student, for whatever reason, wants to have our BMS medical staff take a COVID test at any time for any reason. (Note: students who are not on the consent to test list will not be allowed to test).

BMS Proof of Vaccination (Student): 

Linked below, you will find a link to voluntarily submit your child’s proof of vaccination. 

BMS Proof of Vaccination (Student)

BMS Dismissal:

Beginning on Wednesday, September 23, 2021, we will begin our whole school dismissal beginning at 3:12 pm. 

• 3:12 pm we will call for our 6th/7th-grade bikers/walkers/passengers 

• 3:15 pm we will call for our 8th-grade bikers/walkers/passengers 

• 3:17 pm we will call for all remaining bus students

BMS Student Handbook: 

In addition to our BMS Student Handbook being found on our website, you can also find it linked below. We encourage our families to review the handbook together as it offers important information regarding BMS. BMS Student Handbook

BMS Parents as Partners Handbook: 

Last year, our BMS Special Education Task Force collaborated on the creation of the BMS Parents as Partners Handbook. This particular handbook was designed for families who may have children with Individual Educational Plans. BMS Parents as Partners Handbook

Storing Materials at School: 

This year, as you are aware, students do not have access to their lockers. With that said, we are also aware that some of the students are carrying a lot of materials back and forth to school. If your child’s backpack is too cumbersome, we encourage your child to reach out to their cluster teachers to find a convenient place to leave materials in the classroom. It is recommended that your child bring back and forth their Chromebook each day. 

Math Assessments: 

Last week, all students had an opportunity to participate in the beginning of year math assessment. This math assessment is designed to test year-end standards and gives our math team a really good understanding of what and how much our students already know. This test is also a test that can inform decisions on math placement (example: skip 6th-grade math and take 7th-grade math as a 6th grader). By the end of the week, our math team will reach out directly to those families whose students met the requirements to skip a grade in math. 

Start with HELLO:

This week we will be celebrating “Start with Hello!” Below is a list of activities that are planned. 

Drop-off and Pick-up Right Turn Only: 

If you are using the Middle Highway exit between 8:00 am and 9:00 am, and between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm, it is important to follow the traffic pattern. Between these hours is a right-hand turn only. If everyone follows the traffic pattern, it greatly reduces the backup entering/exiting our campus. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. 

BMS School Improvement Team and Special Education Taskforce Membership: 

If you are interested in serving on the BMS School Improvement Team and BMS Special Education Taskforce please complete the link below.

2021 - 2022: BMS- SIT/Special Education Task Force (Parent)

School Pictures:

School pictures are hopefully happening this year!  They will be held on Wednesday, September 29 (usually in the morning).  A quick ordering guide may be found here.  Online ordering is preferred, however, paper order forms are available in the front office.  For the Coffee Pond’s COVID protocols, please click here.

Open House (Virtual): 

This year, we are excited to announce that we will be having our virtual open house from 5:50 pm to 8:00 pm scheduled for Thursday, September 30, 2021. Please stay tuned for more information. 

BMS Cross-Country and Field Hockey:

Please click here for information about cross-country and field hockey registration and practices.

Welcome Jordan Rodrigues, our new Student Assistance Counselor:

Barrington Middle School, along with 69 other Rhode Island secondary schools, is implementing a Student Assistance Program based on a national model called Project SUCCESS.  The program is provided by Rhode Island Student Assistance Services (RISAS) and is funded by the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Health and the school department. 

The goals of Project SUCCESS are to prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drug use and to improve school performance.  To accomplish these goals, the program provides school-wide awareness programs, classroom presentations and individual and small group sessions to correct erroneous perceptions about substance use and teach skills to identify and resist social and situational pressures to use substances. Parent meetings and workshops will also be available to assist you in prevention efforts.

We would like to welcome our new Student Assistance Counselor, Jordan Rodrigues.  Please click here for the full program description and information about contacting Jordan.

Early Dismissal: 

We understand that there are occasions where you must dismiss your student early from school and in some cases, that time may be close to dismissal.  For the safety of our students, we ask that you either wait for the school day to end or dismiss your student prior to 2:40 pm.

 Please be mindful of the following:  

• Please send your student to the main office in the morning with a note indicating the dismissal time and who will be picking up.

• Please ring the buzzer at the main office, await directions and have an id ready.

• Please do not follow a student line into the building. 

• If you see your child outside, please do not get your child from the line. 

• All dismissals prior to the end of the day, have to be vetted by the main office. 

Free Flu Clinics:

Barrington Public Schools will be hosting FREE flu vaccine clinics operated by the RIDOH.

Barrington High School

DATE: Thursday, October 7, 2021

TIME: 8 AM – 12 PM

CLINIC LOCATION: Auditorium

PARTICIPANTS: Students and Staff/Faculty

Sowams Elementary School

DATE: Wednesday, October 20, 2021

TIME: 4 – 7 PM

CLINIC LOCATION: Cafeteria

PARTICIPANTS: Community Clinic (ages 3 and up)

Barrington High School

DATE: Wednesday, November 10, 2021

TIME: 4 – 7 PM

CLINIC LOCATION: Cafeteria

PARTICIPANTS: Community Clinic (ages 3 and up)

The following is important information about the FREE flu vaccine clinic:

• Register online at schoolflu.com to schedule an appointment.

• Online registration is preferred to ensure the availability of the vaccine and walk-ins will be limited. 

• Online registration closes at noon the day before the clinic.

• Staff are trained on health and safety measures.

• All COVID-19 safety precautions will be observed.

• masks required

• social distancing required

• COVID-19 symptom screening required

• hand sanitizer will be available

• Insurance information will be collected, but the vaccine is FREE whether you have insurance or not.

The flu is a serious, highly contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. Catching the flu means missing days of work and school. You might even have to spend time in the hospital. Do not take the risk — the flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu.

If you have any questions, call the RIDOH information line at 401-222-5960. You can also learn more at health.ri.gov/flu/.