We hope you all had a joyous holiday season! We are excited to be back with our students today. We will be reviewing expectations and practicing our routines and procedures as we ease back into the business of learning. We look forward to a strong second half of the school year. Here's to a wonderful 2026!

All school-wide communication, such as the monthly newsletter, is transitioning to this platform. In the interim, we will also provide some updates on Remind, and teachers will continue to use Remind for the remainder of the school year. Next year, all school communications will transition to ParentSquare.

To get started with ParentSquare, find the invitation email or text from your school and click the activation link, or go to parentsquare.com/signin (or download the app) and sign up using the email/phone number on file with the school, then follow prompts to verify your info and confirm your student(s) to activate your account and access all features like messaging and forms.

You can find more information on our district's website. Here is a direct link: ParentSquare Communications Platform | Communications

Prior to break, we gave our mid-year assessments. Families will be receiving reports from both DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) and MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) in the coming days. We encourage you to take some time to review the information with your child and reach out to his/her teacher with any questions you may have. We are proud of our students' growth, and we look forward to the new learning that is ahead of them.

A new year means setting some goals and taking action. This month is all about perseverance! One way to think about perseverance is "pushing yourself through challenges and obstacles." We all experience challenges in our lives. We all have moments when we feel like we can't do something, or we feel like giving up on a task. It is important to develop tools that help us work through those challenges in order to grow in those moments instead of giving up. How might your family practice perseverance this month?

This information is for those who drive their children to school. As we move into the new year, we are asking for your support with morning arrival times. Prior to break, we were noticing an increase in students arriving very close to the 7:30 tardy bell. Our car rider line was not getting busy until around 7:25, which makes it challenging to safely and effectively move all vehicles through the line and have students in their classrooms by the time instruction begins. To help your child get the best possible start to the day, we kindly ask families to plan to arrive a bit earlier. Our doors open at 7:00, and arriving earlier helps reduce congestion, supports a smooth transition into the school day, and ensures that no instructional time is missed. Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work together to make each day a strong start for all of our students.

The BCSS Pre-K Program will begin accepting applications for the 2026-2027 Pre-K Lottery from February 2 at 8 a.m. until March 2 at 4 p.m. After submitting your Pre-K lottery application, you will receive a confirmation email. The drawing for the 2026–27 Pre-K school year will be March 2, 2026. You will receive a notification the day of the drawing.

Families with more than one child eligible for Pre-K will be drawn together. The lottery consists of random drawings from all applicants within that elementary school attendance zone. The Pre-K Classes will be filled by randomly selecting 20 students per class, and the school will assign them to their respective Pre-K classes. All families submitting Pre-K Lottery applications will be notified by email whether their child is on a Pre-K class list or on a waiting list. If your student is selected in the lottery drawing, Pre-K screenings are expected. Pre-K screening dates will be March 9, 10, and 11th. Screenings will be at the schools. The school will send you more information about the screening.

Note: A child must be age-eligible (4 years old on or before September 1, 2026) and a Georgia resident.

More information about the BCSS Pre-K Program can be found on the district's website. Here is a direct link: Pre-K Program | Barrow County School System | Pre-K

6: Students Return

19: MLK Holiday (No School)

21: 100th Day of School