Board views preliminary design plans for BHS |
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At its March 2 meeting, Board members heard preliminary design plans for the referendum construction projects at Barrington High School. Of the $147 million which the community approved for the March 2020 referendum, about $62 million is dedicated to the high school. One major outcome of the work at BHS will be improved safety features and enhanced security equipment. This will be accomplished through several projects, some of which include: improved traffic circulation and additional security vestibules at entrances to the building.
Another major outcome of the work at BHS will be improved educational spaces that will positively impact learning. This will be accomplished through several projects, some of which include: a renovated student services area where students can access services such as deans, counselors and nurses in one location, a culinary arts lab, and new spaces for fitness and wellness.
BHS is currently in the design phase until approximately October 2021, with construction anticipated to begin in March 2022 and last through February 2025. The Board will continue to discuss the BHS design phase at its next meeting on March 16.
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District Equity Team to help lead strategic and systemic changes throughout Barrington 220 |
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At its March 2 meeting, the Board heard a presentation from Nate Rouse, the district's Director of Equity, Race and Cultural Diversity Initiatives. Rouse came to Barrington 220 at the start of the 2020-21 school year, making him the district's first ever Director of Equity, Race and Cultural Diversity Initiatives. Since then, Rouse has formed a District Equity Team made up of students, parents, community members, teachers, union leaders, Board members, district administrators and district support staff. The team meets monthly and will help lead strategic and systemic changes on a large scale throughout Barrington 220. In addition, Rouse has been establishing relationships with key stakeholder groups in the community such as Courageous Conversations, BStrong Together, Be the Change Barrington and the Barrington Area Library. Rouse also helped the Board draft its own equity statement, which you can read by clicking the link below.
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Dr. Harris shares 2020-21 school year updates |
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The second round of vaccination shots begins this week for Barrington 220 staff members and will continue this month. |
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The district continues to monitor the numbers for Health Metric #1, which has continued to decrease over the past few weeks. Metric #1 will need to improve to less than 50 in order to implement further changes to include a full reopen. This is because CDC guidance requires 6 feet or more of physical distancing if the number for Health Metric #1 is greater than 50. Once that number goes below 50, the CDC guidelines allow schools to relax the physical distance expectations and open for full in-person instruction. To continue monitoring our community numbers for Metric #1, visit the Northwestern Medicine Dashboard. Please remember to use the following zip codes: 60010, 60021, 60110, and 60192.
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The district is currently developing plans so that Barrington 220 is prepared to safely implement full day instruction at all grades levels in the event that Health Metric #1 falls below 50. All Barrington High School students who wish to do in-person instruction are currently able to attend five days a week for a full day, due to low in-person student attendance at the high school.
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Barrington High School is planning to hold an in-person graduation ceremony outside at Barrington Community Stadium on Saturday, May 29. There will be four different ceremonies throughout the day in order to minimize attendance at each. The middle schools will also be holding their recognition ceremonies outside at Barrington Community Stadium. Families will receive more details in a communication from their school. |
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"Cultivating Resilience During COVID-19" |
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In his superintendent report at the March 2 Board meeting, Dr. Harris shared the district will be hosting a virtual Parent University session this week titled "Cultivating Resilience During COVID-19". It will provide parents with tools to navigate these challenging times by highlighting strategies that will build resilience in our children, so they can effectively manage stress now and in the future. The session will take place on Thursday, March 4 at 7pm. Click here for more information.
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Board approves funds for BMS-Prairie parking lot renovation |
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At its March 2 meeting, the Board approved up to $254,441 for architectural and engineering expenses related to the renovation of the BMS-Prairie parking lot. The project will be part of the district's summer capital projects in 2022. It is expected to be completed before the start of the 2022-23 school year. A timeline was established to align the renovation of the parking lot with referendum construction at BMS-Prairie.
During the 2018-19 school year the district purchased a residential property that sat directly adjacent to BMS-Prairie and the Early Learning Center. In January 2020 the district completed the demolition of the property, with the intent to use the space to ease traffic congestion at the BMS-Prairie and Early Learning Center campuses.
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Board approves new One to World lease for staff laptops |
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At its March 2 meeting, the Board approved a new lease to replace the laptops of all certified staff, which are currently in year four of a four-year lease. The primary devices used by certified staff are the iPad and MacBook Air laptop. To keep equipment current, laptops are replaced every four years. The primary device used by all Barrington 220 students is the iPad, which is currently in year two of a three-year lease. |
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