September 4, 2023

Barrington 220's 5th Annual Safety Week kicks off on Monday, Sept. 11! Throughout the week all schools will participate in safety drills that are mandated by the State of Illinois. These include fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown drills, and bus evacuation drills. In addition, information will be shared daily with families regarding the safety topic for each day:

• Monday, Sept. 11: Welcome to Safety Week
• Tuesday, Sept. 12: Weather Emergencies
• Wednesday, Sept. 13: Law Enforcement Drill
• Thursday, Sept. 14: Fire Evacuations
• Friday, Sept. 15: Railroad & Crosswalk Safety

As we approach Safety Week, we want to remind you that Barrington 220 utilizes an Illinois school safety helpline as a tool aimed at providing students with a place to report information that might prevent bullying, suicide, and campus violence. Safe2Help was launched statewide in 2021 and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It allows students to share school safety issues confidentially.

The 2023-24 school year is in full swing and students and staff across the district are enjoying the new spaces made possible by our community's support of the Build 220 initiative. Students and staff returned to significant improvements at Barrington High School last month including:

• The athletic/P.E. wing of the high school features a new auxiliary gym, new weight room, new dance studio, and new fitness studio. Click here to view video!

• Student Services (counseling, attendance, health services, dean's office, wellness) now has a dedicated area on the lower level of the building. This new area has improved the student experience by making it easier for students to access these services in a central location. Click here to view video!

• The BHS parking lots have been reconfigured in order to improve safety and traffic flow. Visitors no longer have to drive around the entire building to exit the campus. Instead, the Main Street Parking Lot connects to the Hart Road Parking Lot on the west side of campus. Click here to check out the Main Street Lot time-lapse!

• Crews expanded the high school's main entrance, which is located at Door 45 (just west of the new front atrium addition). The newly renovated entrance includes a new reception area and an exterior canopy that helps guide visitors to the entrance.

• Construction continues this month on the new front atrium addition, as well as a new state-of-the-art culinary arts lab. In addition, DLA architects are currently reviewing stakeholder feedback collected last spring about the fine arts spaces at BHS. They are developing design options for the Board of Education to consider this fall.

Completed STEM Lab at Arnett C. Lines Elementary

Barbara B. Rose Elementary STEM Lab under construction

North Barrington Elementary STEM Lab under construction

Beyond increased safety and security measures, as well as general repairs and maintenance, the following key projects have been completed or will be completed at each of the following schools:

• Arnett C. Lines Elementary: Students and staff returned for the start of the school year to a new STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, Math) lab, a new art room, and a new sensory room. Click here to view photos and video!

• Barbara B. Rose Elementary: A new STEM lab is being constructed using a portion of the current outdoor courtyard. It is anticipated to be completed this winter. A new sensory room for students was completed for the start of the 2023-24 school year. Click here to view photos and video!

• North Barrington Elementary: A new STEM lab will be constructed using a portion of the current outdoor courtyard. It is anticipated to be completed this winter. A new sensory room for students was completed for the start of the 2023-24 school year. Click here to view photos and video!

• Barrington Early Learning Center: Constructed in 2010, improvements at the Early Learning Center primarily included safety and security upgrades, which were completed for the start of the 2023-24 school year.

Throughout the 2023-24 school year, Barrington 220 is celebrating its 50th anniversary! In 1973 the district officially became a pre-K thru 12+ unit school district. Please join us in celebrating later this month at the annual Homecoming parade down Main Street and the Homecoming football game at BHS! In addition, many local area businesses are celebrating with us by offering 50th anniversary specials. Please visit our 50th anniversary webpage to learn more!

As part of our 50th anniversary celebration, we are sharing alumni stories. Read more about Steven Farag (BHS '10), CEO and Co-Founder of Campus Ink, and how he got his company venture-backed by billionaire investor Mark Cuban at the age of 31. Click here to read his story.

Over the summer the Board of Education approved the district's new strategic plan, Framework 220, which will guide the district's work over the next few years. The plan consists of six strategic priorities that were developed through a community engagement process during the past two school years. Within each priority, there are measurable objectives that were established through a collaborative effort between district leaders and staff members. This school year the district will focus on the following objectives: Flexible Learning, Early Childhood & Kindergarten Opportunities, Hiring Practices, External Communication, Internal Communication, Authentic Learning, Career Pathways, Social Emotional Learning, and Fine Arts Center.

Following substantial completion of train gate work at the Canadian National Railroad (CN) and Hough Street, the CN has advised the Village of Barrington that they also plan to renew the rail crossing at Lake Zurich Road. This work is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 5, following similar work in the Village of Lake Zurich. This work will require the complete closure of the crossing at Lake Zurich Road. Detour signage will be in place throughout the duration of work and the crossing is scheduled to reopen on the morning of Saturday, September 9. 

As part of our current Extended Services Program Review in collaboration with Northwestern University and the Center for Talent Development, Barrington 220 is holding parent focus groups in order to gather important community feedback on our programming. There are four date and time options to choose from, and all focus groups will be held via Zoom.

• Sept. 19 from 10:00-11:00am (Current Extended Families)
• Sept. 21 from 6:00-7:00pm (Current Extended Families)
• Sept. 26 from 6:00-7:00pm (Families of Students Not Currently in Extended)
• Sept. 28 from 10:00-11:00am (Families of Students Not Currently in Extended)

Please click here to sign up for a virtual focus group if you are interested in offering your thoughts and perspectives to the team from Northwestern. Click here to learn more about Barrington 220's Extended Services Program.

On August 18 Dr. Craig Winkelman welcomed all Barrington 220 staff to the 2023-24 school year with a special opening day presentation. A few of the presentation topics included our theme for the 2023-24 school year, a tribute to retiring D220 staff members, musical performances by BHS students, and a Ted Lasso inspired activity. Click here to watch the full video!

The Barrington High School Orchesis Dance Company is excited to announce its 2nd Annual BHS Orchesis Youth Workshop taking place on Saturday, October 7 at Barrington High School. This opportunity is open to all students and aspiring dancers in kindergarten through 8th grade. No prior dance experience is required! Click here for more information and to register.

The Barrington Council for the Gifted and Talented (BCGT) invites all students, parents, and educators to its September Monthly Wisdom Program, Just One Heart: The Stories of Mental Resilience and Wellbeing. This free virtual event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a Harvard-trained clinical cardiologist, mindfulness meditation teacher, and organizational well-being and resiliency leader at Novant Health. It will be moderated by Danielle Dombek, Wellbeing Coach at Microsoft. It will take place on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7pm. Click here for more information and to register.