BARR - Building Assets, Reducing Risks

What is BARR?

BARR — Building Assets, Reducing Risks — is an evidence-based model that provides our school with a strength-based comprehensive approach to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of all students. Through BARR, we work to harness the power of relationships and data to remove both academic and non-academic barriers to learning and ensure that no student is invisible.

All 9th and 10th-grade students at North High are grouped into block teams with a common English, math, social studies, and science teacher. This teacher team meets throughout the week to monitor student progress, identify strengths, and consider ways to support and challenge all block students. Each week, our 9th and 10th-grade counselors, social workers, BARR administrator, and BARR coordinator meet with teacher teams to offer additional support for students and help provide recognition for students' unique strengths and talents.

All 9th and 10th-grade students are assigned an adviser who is a part of the 9th and 10th-grade BARR staff. The adviser will serve as the point person to monitor student progress and communicate with the student, their family, and the rest of the BARR team.

BARR is the framework that allows us to get to know each of our student's strengths and interests during a critical transition time in their education. As educators, we leverage the knowledge we gain through relationship building and I-Time in order to better engage and challenge our students.

To learn more about BARR, visit www.barrcenter.org. 

What are these I-Time lessons my student talks about?

Once a week, one of the block teachers will facilitate an I-Time lesson. The goal of I-Time is to help strengthen student-to-student and staff-to-student relationships and to build a classroom community. They will explore important topics: building community, stress management, bullying, and substance-use awareness. 

How does BARR benefit my student(s)?

BARR educators focus on your child as more than just a learner – but work to understand them as a whole child.  They are trained to use strength-based techniques to build positive relationships and support each student toward success in the classroom and beyond. BARR staff are also provided with ongoing professional development on the BARR model and on topics that are relevant to our students, including interdisciplinary planning and teaching, equity, substance use, and mental health awareness.

The model has a 20-year track record of student success and has been proven to drive significant improvements in school climate measures, course credits earned, grade point averages, and standardized test scores; narrowed opportunity gaps; and decreases in failure rates, suspensions, and absenteeism.

What We Have Been Up To

National Gratitude Month  

Did you know that November is National Gratitude Month?  Gratitude doesn't stop at simply saying "thank you" (although it is greatly appreciated).  Please take a few minutes to help us show gratitude towards members of the North High community by filling out the attached Google Form (You can fill it out more than once!)

Fun Fact: Did you know that practicing daily gratitude can enhance your mood and decrease stress?

Our Second Annual School Wide Service Day is on Tuesday May 16!!!