We had a great first week in our Hybrid Learning Mode with students coming into the building for in-person learning!! It was fantastic to have students with us once again! Thank you to all of our parents who completed the COVID Symptoms Screening prior to student arrival. This is a critical component to keeping our arrival efficient and students being able to go straight to class once they get to the building!! Please be sure to continue to complete the screener this coming Monday and Tuesday for in-person learning.
Thank you to our PTO and the families who donated to provide dinner for our staff during parent/teacher conferences! We had an awesome spread of goodies to go along with the individually packaged sandwiches. The continued support and generosity of our community is greatly appreciated!!!
Adaptive Pause to Hybrid In-Person Learning Mode
At the Oct. 20 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Harris announced our district will do an adaptive pause of our Hybrid mode from Wednesday, Oct. 28 until at least Monday, Nov. 9, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in our community and the region.
The announcement comes after the Lake County Health Department recommended on Tuesday that all Lake County public and private K-12 schools transition to virtual learning. Though Barrington 220 serves students in Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry Counties, the district is considered a Lake County school district and works directly with them for guidance.
In Barrington 220 the rise in cases is reflected when looking at the district's health metrics on the Northwestern Medicine dashboard. Since earlier this week, for each of the four zip codes, the number of new cases per 100,000 persons within the last 14 days has either exceeded or has been nearly at our Step 3 (Hybrid) threshold of 200.
As a result, our schedule for next week will be as follows:
One change you can anticipate is that we will no longer be running our morning special showcase, however, our staff will be using the 8:00-8:30 a.m. time to connect with small groups and individual students. This time will resemble the afternoon time block we have been using to provide targeted direct support to students each day. Classroom teachers and other school staff will communicate directly with students and families to notify them when they want to meet with students. Whole class participation via Zoom will continue to begin at 8:30 a.m.
The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4th to discuss the next steps for Barrington 220 schools. At this point in time, all families will know whether or not the district will be continuing with the “Adaptive Pause” in Distance Learning or if students can return to the Hybrid mode on Monday, Nov. 9. The meeting will be held at 7pm at BMS-Station Campus.
Virtual Halloween Parties
Wednesday, October 28th
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
We will be holding our virtual class parties on Wednesday, October 28th from 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Classroom teachers will provide a short break prior to the start of the party in order for students to change into costumes or retrieve any materials needed for the party. Throughout the party, our room parents will be running a variety of activities they have planned for our students!! Due to the fact that this is a school sponsored event, the following guidelines must still be followed when students are participating in the party:
Consider safety and the appropriateness of a costume for an elementary school. Costumes involving fake blood or violent attributes are not allowed
Look-alike weapons are prohibited and should not appear on camera at anytime
Please keep face paint and masks to a minimum as students need to be easily recognized and often become uncomfortable when wearing paint or masks
Examples of appropriate face paint include: cat whiskers, Harry Potter’s scar, “eye black” on an athlete, etc.
Examples of appropriate masks include those that cover only part of the faces such as the noise and mouth with eyes visible or a mask that just covers the eyes
We hope to create a safe and fun event for our students, so thank you for your cooperation!
Virtual Halloween Parade
It has always been a Grove tradition for students to participate in a Halloween costume parade where students and staff walk through the Grove neighborhood for the entire Grove community to see all Grove kids and teachers in their costumes. As a result, we have determined an alternative way to carry on this tradition! We are inviting families to take a picture of their child dressed in costume for the Halloween party and then submit one picture of each student in his/her costume for a "Virtual Parade Slideshow" that we will share on the daily school announcements on Friday, October 30th. Please submit your pictures by noon on Thursday, October 29th to be included in the virtual parade!!! A link to the Google Form to submit pictures was shared in the Grizzly email blast and will be sent out to families multiple times with reminders!! We look forward to seeing your photos!
Social Emotional Support for Students
As our students continue to navigate our consistently changing landscape due to COVID 19, we are continuously considering how our children are coping and their overall mental health. Please know that our school and district are here to support our students who are struggling and may benefit from additional resources. Please see the attached letter regarding this and view the short video explaining how families can access the online META app that is also available to connect students with counselors while at home.
Board Seeks Community Input on Next Superintendent
As you may be aware, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brain Harris will be retiring at the end of June after serving more than 30 years in public education. The Board is working with search firm School Exec Connect to select the district’s next leader.
At our Oct. 6 Board of Education meeting, the Board shared an upcoming opportunity for community members to provide input on the district’s superintendent search. A Virtual Community Forum is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7pm.
During the virtual forum, community members will be able to provide input on the district’s strengths, the district’s challenges, and the characteristics the next superintendent should possess. If you would like to participate in the forum, please click here to register.
The Board is also asking community members to fill out an online questionnaire. It should only take about five minutes to complete and it will be available until Oct. 30, 2020. Click here to complete the online questionnaire.
Reminders
Upcoming Dates
Sunday, October 25th - Online Book Fair Closes
Monday, October 26th - Hybrid Group A attendance day in-person
Tuesday, October 27th - Hybrid Group B attendance day in-person
Wednesday, October 28th - Adaptive Pause Begins - all students learn remote for at least 10 days - follow remote learning schedule
Wednesday, October 28th - Virtual Halloween Parties, 11:30 a.m. -12:15 p.m.
Friday, October 30th - Deadline to complete online questionnaire for next superintendent search
Tuesday, November 3rd - NO SCHOOL, Election Day
Wednesday, November 4th - Board of Education Meeting, 7 p.m. @ BMS - Station Campus
Thursday, November 5th - Virtual Community Forum for Superintendent Search, 7 p.m. (must register)
Friday, November 6th - Early Release Day for students all student participation ends at 12:15 p.m.
Monday, November 9th - Potential return to Hybrid Learning Mode
