Friday, December 18, 2020



District 2020 Schedule to Implement Hybrid 2.0 Model Starting January 19th 

All elementary families have been sent a questionnaire asking them to select if their student will participate in Hybrid 2.0 or Distance Learning for the spring semester. Parents will be asked to also indicate whether or not their student will be using district provided transportation. Please complete this questionnaire by 11:59 pm on Sunday, December 20th.


In the elementary Hybrid 2.0 plan students will attend school in-person five days a week, for 2.5 hours each day. Those 2.5 hours will focus on literacy, math and social emotional learning. Students will be divided into two groups, "Group A" and Group B". Group A will attend in-person instruction in the mornings and Group B will attend in-person instruction in the afternoons.


Elementary families who wish to continue with Distance Learning will be placed in full remote classrooms and students will continue following their current learning schedule, which includes synchronous and asynchronous instruction.


Be sure to view the Hybrid 2.0 plan for more details regarding a schedule for in-person learning, a timeline for implementation of this plan, and details regarding specific programs within this plan. I have also included a link in the IC email to the Grove Community Update Meeting with the Q&A session regarding the Hybrid 2.0 plan.  


Hybrid 2.0 plan in Spanish 


Resource for Adults to Help Support Kids Through Times of Change 

As our children begin the transition to Hybrid 2.0, we know the support we provide as parents, caregivers, and educators is more important than ever. I strongly encourage you to read and reflect on this blog, written by a parent and teacher, entitled, "Supporting Kids Through Times of Change". The author provides specific ideas to help children cope with transitions. While our teachers will provide support to their students as we make the shifts ahead, our children are also looking to us as parents and caregivers for our support as well. Thank you, and please reach out to us if you have specific concerns or questions regarding your child.


Winter Break Home Internet Security Check: Limit Adult Websites on a Barrington 220 iPad

The start of winter break is a good time to routinely check and maintain your home Internet security plan. With a break from school, students are likely to spend more unsupervised time using their iPad. Using the Screen Time feature built into the District iPad can help you establish web content restrictions. If you do not already have home Internet filtering set up, you can set up Screen Time on the district iPad to limit adult content as a first step.


Click here to learn more about Home Internet Security.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CFhD5eTqjCZryd_pcObF-0Han2CvgcxGGYmlXwyY0W4/edit 


Winter Spirit Days

Students and staff are invited to participate in a series of spirit days throughout the months of December and January. Most of the activities are being held on Mondays, however, there are a few weeks when  we don’t have school on a Monday, so the spirit day will be held on the first day of the week when school is in session. We also have one day, pajama day, that is added in on the Friday to follow our all school winter musical, which is a Grove tradition!! 

  • Monday, December 21st - Winter is a Window to the World!! Wear or share something that represents your heritage, culture, holidays, or is important to you and your family traditions.  

  • Thursday, January 7th - New Year, New Me - Dress to Impress in Your Best or Shiniest Clothes to celebrate the end of one year and welcoming a new one!!! 

  • Monday, January 11th - Snow Day!! Wear all white or your favorite winter gear: hats, beanies, scarves, and winter socks!! 

  • Tuesday, January 19th - Fleece or flannel? Dress in your favorite warm winter wear!

  • Monday, January 25th - Grove Gear All Year!! Wear your favorite Grove shirt or school colors!! 


Students Cheer or Chant for Grove Spirit 

All Grove students are invited to show off their school spirit by creating a cheer or chant to be submitted for the morning announcements. Student submissions will be shared once a week on Mondays in the morning announcements. Students and parents can submit their entries to this Google Form.

 

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. Please also keep in mind that parents can contact our school based support directly by emailing our Social Worker, Mr. Walcott, at cwalcott@barrington220.org or our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, at ttompkins@barrington220.org.


Upcoming Dates 

Sunday, December 20th - Selections for hybrid or remote learning due by 11:59 p.m. 

Monday, December 21st - Winter is a Window to the World!! Wear or share something that represents your heritage, culture, holidays, or is important to you and your family traditions.   

Tuesday, December 22nd - Winter Class Parties, 2:00-2:30 p.m.

December 23rd - January 6th - Winter Break, No School for Students 

Thursday, January 7th - School Resumes - all students participate in remote learning  

Thursday, January 7th - New Year, New Me - Dress to Impress in Your Best or Shiniest Clothes to celebrate the end of one year and welcoming a new one!!! 

Monday, January 11th - Snow Day!! Wear all white or your favorite winter gear: hats, beanies, scarves, and winter socks!! 

Wednesday, January 13th - Parents Notified of teacher assignment changes for Hybrid 2.0

Thursday, January 14th - Last day of current distance learning model 

Friday, January 15th - Staff Institute Day for transition, NO SCHOOL for students 

Monday, January 18th - MLK Day, No School 

Tuesday, January 19th - Hybrid 2.0 Learning Model Begins 

Tuesday, January 19th - Fleece or flannel? Dress in your favorite warm winter wear!

Monday, January 25th - Grove Gear All Year!! Wear your favorite Grove shirt or school colors!! 


Saturday, December 12, 2020

 


Grove Community Update Meeting 

During the upcoming school board meeting on Tuesday, December 15th at 7:00 PM there will be a discussion regarding the proposed changes to the elementary hybrid plan. As a follow-up to the discussion, I will be hosting a Grove Avenue Community Update meeting focused on the school year following winter break. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 16th, at 6:30 P.M. via Zoom. The Zoom meeting information was shared with parents via email on Friday and will be sent again with a reminder via an IC email next week as well!! 


Grove All School Winter Musical

It was great to see many of our students at BHS this past week for the recordings for our Virtual Musical! We can’t wait to see the Virtual Show this week!! 


I will be sending out a virtual program for the event at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 17th. The program will have an inactive link that will go active at 6:50 p.m. on Thursday evening and the program will begin at 7:00 p.m. We hope families will make this a fun and celebratory event for our students! Perhaps popping some popcorn and making some hot cocoa to enjoy as you watch the program together as a family will be fun!!  I have included a link to directions for how to connect either an iPad or computer to your TV if you wish to view the program on a larger screen!! You of course can also gather the family around a device, but it might be beneficial to comfortably watch the event on your TV screen!!


Grove Winter Cheer

The Grove Staff has been working to plan some fun and safe activities for students, as we now know that we will be in distance learning for a while and we want to provide some special things for our community to look forward to as members of our Grove family. Please see below for what is to come for our students!!! 


Winter Spirit Days

Students and staff are invited to participate in a series of spirit days throughout the months of December and January. Most of the activities are being held on Mondays, however, there are a few weeks when  we don’t have school on a Monday, so the spirit day will be held on the first day of the week when school is in session. We also have one day, pajama day, that is added in on the Friday to follow our all school winter musical, which is a Grove tradition!! 

  • Monday, December 14th - SOUP-er Sweaters!! Wear an ugly sweater or favorite warm winter sweater!!! 

  • Thursday, December 17th - All School Virtual Winter Musical, 7 p.m. 

  • Friday, December 18th - Long Winter’s Nap!! Wear your pajamas all day!! 

  • Monday, December 21st - Winter is a Window to the World!! Wear or share something that represents your heritage, culture, holidays, or is important to you and your family traditions.  

  • Thursday, January 7th - New Year, New Me - Dress to Impress in Your Best or Shiniest Clothes to celebrate the end of one year and welcoming a new one!!! 

  • Monday, January 11th - Snow Day!! Wear all white or your favorite winter gear: hats, beanies, scarves, and winter socks!! 

  • Tuesday, January 19th - Fleece or flannel? Dress in your favorite warm winter wear!

  • Monday, January 25th - Grove Gear All Year!! Wear your favorite Grove shirt or school colors!! 



Students Cheer or Chant for Grove Spirit 

All Grove students are invited to show off their school spirit by creating a cheer or chant to be submitted for the morning announcements. Student submissions will be shared once a week on Mondays in the morning announcements. Students and parents can submit their entries to this Google Form.

 

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. Please also keep in mind that parents can contact our school based support directly by emailing our Social Worker, Mr. Walcott, at cwalcott@barrington220.org or our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, at ttompkins@barrington220.org.


Upcoming Dates 

Monday, December 14th - SOUP-er Sweaters!! Wear an ugly sweater or favorite warm winter sweater!!! 

Thursday, December 17th - All School Virtual Winter Musical, 7 p.m. 

Friday, December 18th - Pajama Day 

Monday, December 21st - Winter is a Window to the World!! Wear or share something that represents your heritage, culture, holidays, or is important to you and your family traditions.   

Tuesday, December 22nd - Winter Class Parties, 2:00-2:30 p.m.

December 23rd - January 6th - Winter Break, No School for Students 

Thursday, January 7th - School Resumes 


 



Seasonal Shopping to Support Grove

When considering your holiday shopping list, please keep in mind that there is a way to shop from your couch, save time, and benefit Grove all at the same time. Through Scrip, you can choose from a selection of hundreds of gift cards - from Amazon to Target to Starbucks to Visa. Simply create your account, select the gift cards you would like to purchase, and designate Grove as the beneficiary. You will need to use the enrollment code 4386953B56688. Once your account is set up, you can use the Scrip mobile app called Raise Right to have cards shipped directly to your home or electronically! Cheers to a healthy and happy holiday for all!


 


Friday, December 4, 2020


Monday Morning Special Showcase with Mrs. Matthews 

On Monday morning, I will be hosting a quick special showcase for students in the morning! This will be an opportunity for students to show off their summer/beach wear for our spirit day and a kick off to Computer Science Week and Hour of Code, which students will be participating in during STEM next week! The schedule for the showcase is listed below. I also included links to the showcase in the IC email and classroom teachers will be including the links in their Monday agendas for students to click on directly!! I look forward to seeing students in their beach attire on Monday morning and will try to take some pictures of students for the yearbook!! 

  • K-3rd Grades - 8:00-8:15 a.m. 

  • 4th & 5th Grades - 8:15-8:30 a.m. 


Grove All School Winter Musical - Updated Details!!! 

As you know, we are currently working on putting together an all school winter musical for our families to watch virtually on the evening of Thursday, December 17th!! 


Please be sure to read the letter from our music teacher, Mrs. Boyer, with all of the details for recording students outside at BHS next week!!! The letter includes information regarding the following: 

  • Class recording schedule (same as shared previously) 

  • Link to sign-up to participate so we know who will be attending 

  • Directions for where students should go and where parents can park at BHS 


I will be sending out a virtual program for the event at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 17th. The program will have an inactive link that will go active at 6:50 p.m. on Thursday evening and the program will begin at 7:00 p.m. We hope families will make this a fun and celebratory event for our students! Perhaps popping some popcorn and making some hot cocoa to enjoy as you watch the program together as a family will be fun!!  I have included a link to directions for how to connect either an iPad or computer to your TV if you wish to view the program on a larger screen!! You of course can also gather the family around a device, but it might be beneficial to comfortably watch the event on your TV screen!!


School Pictures - Updated Information!!! 

Our pictures will be taken next Tuesday, December 8th and Thursday, December 10th in the main gym from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Parents will drop off their students at the main office door where their child will be checked in and directed to the gym. Parents' please wait in your car for your student(s), pictures will only take about 5 minutes.


Students must have a completed COVID Screener and have their badge scanned prior to entering the building for pictures. Please be sure to complete the screener the morning of your child’s scheduled pictures. Students will be required to wear masks into the building, while waiting for the picture, and immediately following the picture. Six feet distance or more will be maintained by everyone!! 


Please sign-up for a specific time using the Sign-up Genius page for pictures if you have not already done so!! This will help us keep everyone safe and maintain social distancing for the activity.  


Pictures can be ordered online by visiting https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry. Use the online ordering code: 55791J. If you place your order prior to picture day, there is no shipping fee. If you place your order after picture day, you may incur a small shipping fee and your order will ship directly to your home.


If you are uncomfortable with having your child participate in picture day, we will work with you to obtain another photo of your child that will be appropriate for the yearbook. 


Grove Winter Cheer

The Grove Staff has been working to plan some fun and safe activities for students, as we now know that we will be in distance learning for a while and we want to provide some special things for our community to look forward to as members of our Grove family. Please see below for what is to come for our students!!! 


Winter Spirit Days

Students and staff are invited to participate in a series of spirit days throughout the months of December and January. Most of the activities are being held on Mondays, however, there are a few weeks when  we don’t have school on a Monday, so the spirit day will be held on the first day of the week when school is in session. We also have one day, pajama day, that is added in on the Friday to follow our all school winter musical, which is a Grove tradition!! 

  • Monday, December 7th - West Coast Winter!! Do you wish you were somewhere warm? Dress like you are on the beach!!

  • Monday, December 7th - Staff Lip Sync in the morning announcements 

  • Monday, December 14th - SOUP-er Sweaters!! Wear an ugly sweater or favorite warm winter sweater!!! 

  • Thursday, December 17th - All School Virtual Winter Musical, 7 p.m. 

  • Friday, December 18th - Long Winter’s Nap!! Wear your pajamas all day!! 

  • Monday, December 21st - Winter is a Window to the World!! Wear or share something that represents your heritage, culture, holidays, or is important to you and your family traditions.  

  • Thursday, January 7th - New Year, New Me - Dress to Impress in Your Best or Shiniest Clothes to celebrate the end of one year and welcoming a new one!!! 

  • Monday, January 11th - Snow Day!! Wear all white or your favorite winter gear: hats, beanies, scarves, and winter socks!! 

  • Tuesday, January 19th - Fleece or flannel? Dress in your favorite warm winter wear!

  • Monday, January 25th - Grove Gear All Year!! Wear your favorite Grove shirt or school colors!! 


Students Cheer or Chant for Grove Spirit

All Grove students are invited to show off their school spirit by creating a cheer or chant to be submitted for the morning announcements. Student submissions will be shared once a week on Mondays in the morning announcements. Students and parents can submit their entries to this Google Form.

 

Barrington Giving Days 

Barrington Giving Day provides necessities to children and their families within District 220 (Barrington Illinois Schools) who either qualify as low-income or are experiencing a hardship. These families that meet the criteria are sent invitations to attend Giving Day Events throughout the year. At the main event in December, they provide warm coats, snow pants, boots, hats/gloves, blankets, books, toys, household paper products, baby products, food and more. Barrington Giving Day is partnering with District 220 to help families during times of crisis.


Over 900 families, including over 1500 children, in our community are in need of our help. The more donations received, the more children that can be helped! It is the goal of Barrington Giving Day to improve the lives of those in our community that for whatever reason have experienced hard-times, and it is more critical this year than ever! Please see the attached flyer for details of items that are needed or how to help/volunteer with the actual event. There are collection boxes for donated items throughout the community, including boxes at Grove where donations can be dropped off. 


This year, our school specifically is collecting new games for children. There is an amazon wish list to show which games are desired. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/32VNOWNAP8X44


BHS Winter Wonderfestival and Light Show

Our BHS Fine Arts students and staff were inspired to create something special for the community during this difficult year and to provide students with an opportunity to share their talents. In partnership with BHS, Student Council and parent groups, the fine arts department is designing a large-scale event which is fun, safe, and inclusive.  Wonderfest will feature an extensive light show set to music (designed by our amazing tech students!), live outdoor performances by BHS students, video projections on the side of the building, and fun winter-themed decorations celebrating various groups, clubs, sports, activities, and each of the schools in our district...all of which will be experienced from the safety of your own car!  You might even catch a glimpse of our very own BHS principal dressed in a festive and jolly holiday outfit!

The event will run on the evenings of December 11th - 13th. Tickets can be purchased through our box office link.  You will notice that tickets are spaced in 15 minute increments as we anticipate wide community interest and we want to make sure Wonderfest is enjoyable and safe.  The cost of tickets will be used to support the cost of the event itself.

Thank you for considering bringing your family to this safe, celebratory, and large-scale event celebrating our wonderful students and programs.

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. Please also keep in mind that parents can contact our school based support directly by emailing our Social Worker, Mr. Walcott, at cwalcott@barrington220.org or our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, at ttompkins@barrington220.org.


Upcoming Dates 

Monday, December 7th - West Coast Winter!! Dress like you are on the beach!!

Monday, December 7th - Grove Winter Musical Recordings @ BHS 

Tuesday, December 8th - Grove Winter Musical Recordings @ BHS 

Tuesday, December 8th - School Pictures 

Thursday, December 10th - School Pictures 

Friday, December 11th - Winter Wonderfest Light Show Drive-Thru Event @ BHS 

Saturday, December 12th - Winter Wonderfest Light Show Drive-Thru Event @ BHS 

Sunday, December 13th - Winter Wonderfest Light Show Drive-Thru Event @ BHS 

Monday, December 14th - SOUP-er Sweaters!! Wear an ugly sweater or favorite warm winter sweater!!! 

Thursday, December 17th - All School Virtual Winter Musical, 7 p.m. 

Friday, December 18th - Pajama Day 

Monday, December 21st - Winter is a Window to the World!! Wear or share something that represents your heritage, culture, holidays, or is important to you and your family traditions.   

Tuesday, December 22nd - Winter Class Parties, 2:00-2:30 p.m.

December 23rd - January 6th - Winter Break, No School for Students 

Thursday, January 7th - School Resumes 


 



Seasonal Shopping to Support Grove

When considering your holiday shopping list, please keep in mind that there is a way to shop from your couch, save time, and benefit Grove all at the same time. Through Scrip, you can choose from a selection of hundreds of gift cards - from Amazon to Target to Starbucks to Visa. Simply create your account, select the gift cards you would like to purchase, and designate Grove as the beneficiary. You will need to use the enrollment code 4386953B56688. Once your account is set up, you can use the Scrip mobile app called Raise Right to have cards shipped directly to your home or electronically! Cheers to a healthy and happy holiday for all!






Shopping online? Be sure to check out this link and this link for specifics on online orders!!