Clara Barton Open School

Hopes and Dreams

Our students' "hopes and dreams" are in bloom on the south side of the school!

6th Graders Receive Award in District Math Competition

Seven 6th grade "mathletes" spent an entire Saturday morning back in March competing in the annual Minneapolis Public Schools district math competition.   The very happy smiles in the photo show the student's enthusiasm for this event and their pride at winning third place in the team competition!  Congratulations 6th graders on your success in the competition and your hard work during and after school preparing for the event!  Thanks to parent coaches Jeanne Arp and Karen Fassett-Carman.

Spring Break!

Don't forget that Spring Break begins with no school on Friday, March 28th.  Classes resume Monday, April 7th.

Have a restful and safe Spring Break!  And, if you can, sell a few GREEN PLANTS!

Maybe Sue's buckets on the maple trees will have some sap in them by then!

No Bugle Today, No School Thursday and Friday

There is no school the remainder of this week.  Teachers and staff will be working on the school improvement agenda at the Leadership Council Retreat and participating in district workshops.

Because of the short school week, the Barton Bugle is not available today.  Look for the next Bugle to be published on March 5th.   

Garth Fagan Dance

Middles and Uppers students enjoyed watching dancers in elaborate costumes leaping through the air to a diverse collection of music in a performance by  Garth Fagan Dance at the Ordway Center in early February.  Here are some excellent links for a program study guide and a short video.

Head Lice Alert (Updated 11/2/2007)

Date: November 2, 2007

To: Parent/Guardians of Barton Students

From: Karen Ward, RN, School Nurse

Re: Head Lice

Dear Parents,

I have just learned today that head lice are beginning to make an appearance at Barton. Head lice activity has been increasing across Hennepin County so we can expect to be dealing with this problem for quite some time.

I would like to avoid an infestation here at Barton, if at all possible. Although head lice carry no disease, they are just downright creepy. Plus, doing the treatments, combing with the nit comb, washing the bedding and clothing, and cleaning the house are all very disruptive and time consuming.

If you discover head lice on your child, it is imperative that you notify Jennie Smith, the health assistant. You can leave a message on the attendance line at 612-668-3588, or talk directly to Jennie by calling the main office at 612-668-3580 and asking for the health office. We need to be able to notify other families to be on lookout. Although people tend to be embarrassed and want to keep it a secret, it is to everyone’s benefit to report it. When it goes unreported it continues to spread and becomes an even bigger problem.

When we are informed that there is a case of head lice in classroom, all students in that classroom will be checked and notices will be sent home. However, the real key to controlling head lice is continuous checking of all students at home. All students should have their heads checked very carefully at home every week. If nits are found, the hair should be thoroughly combed with a metal nit comb. The combing should be done daily until all the nits are gone. If live lice are found, a lice treatment should be used followed by daily combing with the nit comb until all nits and lice are gone, or for a minimum of 2 weeks. Once all nits and lice appear to be gone, weekly checks, or even weekly combing with the nit comb would be prudent. If live lice are found, the student must stay home until he or she has been treated and the hair has been thoroughly combed. Students who have been treated will be rechecked the next day at school by the health assistant or school nurse. If live lice are still found, the student will need to go back home for more combing. All students with live lice should be retreated a 2nd time 7 to 10 days after the first treatment. This is because lice treatments do not always kill 100% of live lice and viable nits. Manual removal must also be done following the treatment. If the nits are not removed, they will hatch and there will be a new infestation.

Please talk to other parents and families about this issue. If you know of parents who have not seen this letter please direct them to the website to read it. Start checking your children every week and telling us in the health office if you find live lice.

If you’re not sure what a louse or a nit look like, join me for a 9 minute video on lice and nit identification. We will meet in the media center at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday November 6 and Friday November 9.

Head Lice Resources

Check out the links to resources recommended by Hennepin County Epidemiology.

1. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/headlice/factsheet.html
2. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/headlice/index.html (This has links to the American Academy of Pediatrics and National School Nurses Assoc.)
3. The complete Harvard School of Public Health Head Lice Guide can be found at:
   http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html
4. Specific info about head checks: http://hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html#children

Correction for Somali Parent Information Night

The Somali Parent Information Night, scheduled for Monday, September 10, will start at 5 PM in the media center (not 6:30 PM as published elsewhere).

Barton 2007-2008 Handbooks Now Available Online

The 2007-2008 Barton School Parent and Student Handbook and the Uppers Program Student Handbook are available to view or download from this site.  You will always find a link to them in the upper left hand corner of this site under ABOUT BARTON. 

The 2007-2008 District Calendar is available also.  Scroll down to the bottom of the site and look under the heading LINKS. 

In the News!

The April 18, 2007 edition of the Star Tribune, Twin Cities + Region section, features Steve Delapp in an article: 

SAVING CITY SCHOOLS THIRD IN AN OCCASIONAL SERIES

Will shift of principals help North Side students?

• Passed over initially for a job, Barton's principal has fostered stability and excellence in 15 years.  Do all schools deserve that?

link to the article here!

2007-2008 District Calendar

The Minneapolis Public School's 2007-2008 District Calendar is now available and a link is provided on this site in the LINKS Section.  Scroll down this page to find the LINKS Section in the left-hand sidebar below the CALENDAR and COUNCIL MINUTES.  Other useful LINKS available are District Advisory Council (DPAC), School Lunch Menus, and Origins-Responsive Classroom.