Good afternoon,
I hope your child came home and told you they had a great first day of school. From my perspective, it seemed to have gone well. Sure, we had a few criers this morning (parents and children) and a few bumps at dismissal but that’s to be expected.
Thank you to the parents who sent notes today letting us know how your child was getting home. You have no idea how helpful that is for all of us at the school
Each week, I will send home an email with information about our school and from our community. These emails ensure that you stay informed about the happenings at our school. The email will typically be sent on Wednesdays but occasionally Thursdays when I forget on Wednesdays. I hope you find the information helpful.
Open House: Our annual Open House is coming up on September 17, 2025. This is an evening for parents/guardians to visit your child’s classroom and hear from their teacher about what happens each day at school. The times of the visit are as follows:
Kindergarten and Grade 1: 7:00-7:45
Grades 2 and 3: 6:00-6:45
Picture Day: Our school picture day is coming up on October 6, 2025. Information packs will be sent home when we receive them but you may also order picture packages online at coffeepond.com. All children will have their pictures taken even if you are not purchasing a package. We do this to ensure all students are in our school’s yearbook.
First Grade Arts Alive/PTO Play: Each year, our PTO partners with Arts Alive, a local theater company, to bring drama to our school. We start the year with our first grade program in October with registration happening now. You may find out much more information about this first grade program here. Our second and third grades program will take place later in the school year.
PTO Meeting: Each month, our Sowams PTO has a meeting where all parents are invited to attend. The meetings typically take place on the first Monday of the month, except in September. The September meeting will take place on Monday, September 8, 2025, at 7:00 in the evening at Sowams School.
No School Days in August and September: The following days we do not have school
Friday, August 29, 2025 - this Friday
Monday, September 1, 2025 - Labor Day
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - Rosh Hashanah
Volunteers: Please remember, to volunteer in our district, we need a background check on file with our volunteer office. You may go to the Barrington Police Department or the Attorney General’s office in Cranston to obtain your BCI. Our Volunteer Coordinator will also host drop in sessions at our schools if that’s easier for you. You may find the dates and time for these drop ins on this volunteer information sheet. Please note: The BCI costs $5 and we can only accept checks at the schools if you are doing the BCI here. Also, you must bring photo identification. Background checks are valid for two years. We do NOT have access to your background that you have had done for other organizations.
Community Notices: There are community notices for you from Barrington Education Foundation’s Rubber Ducky Race, BYBA newsletter, and Barrington composting.
One last thing, I want to make sure if there are two parents who should be receiving the email that both are. If only one parent is receiving the email but both parents should be, please let me know. I want to make sure we have email addresses correct and it’s listed correctly in our system.
Have a wonderful evening.
Best,
Jim Callahan
Principal
Sowams Mission: Everyone Learns Every Day
Sowams Vision: Sowams School will engage students to be their best selves.