October 2, 2024

At our Oct. 1 Barrington 220 Board of Education meeting, we heard an update on one strategic priority area from the district's strategic plan, Framework 220. As a Board, we approved the plan in June 2023 and it will guide the district's work over the next few years.

One objective under the Health & Well-Being strategic priority that the district is focusing on this year is Social Media Awareness. The goal of this objective is to identify and implement a district-wide process to address the use of social media in a healthy, safe manner; including opportunities for students and staff to gain a deep understanding of how social media sites and apps can affect multiple aspects of student and staff life both in and out of the school environment.

The district is forming a 40 to 50-member advisory committee this school year to gather data and review current practices and procedures surrounding this topic. The committee will include representation from all stakeholders, as well as experts. Other opportunities to get involved will include book studies, surveys, focus groups, professional development, and family engagement events. Click here to listen to the presentation.

Framework 220 Spotlight: Grade Level & Program Transitions

In his Superintendent's Report at our Oct. 1 meeting, Dr. Winkelman highlighted another Framework 220 objective the district is working on this year under the Health & Well-Being priority. The purpose of the Grade Level & Program Transitions objective is to design a system for early childhood through post-high school transitions that supports students as they develop the capacity to form relationships and have a sense of belonging in all settings, with an emphasis on new environments. Later this month the district will survey kindergarten parents, 6th grade parents and students, and 9th grade parents and students. This will help to gather information about areas of strength and areas that need improvement as they pertain to our grade level and program transitions throughout the district. Click here to view the Health & Well-Being dashboard.

At our Oct. 1 meeting, we recognized the Prairie Campus Boys Golf Team and a member of the Prairie Campus Girls Golf Team for their recent IESA state championship wins!

The Boys Golf Team shot a 316, which was 10 strokes better than the second-place team at the tournament last month. This is the second straight year the team has taken first place at state! Team members include Tate Blomquist, Riley Shoemacher, Owen Trimble, and Niyam Upadhyay.

Addison Yoon, a 7th grader at Prairie, won the IESA individual Girls State Championship with a shot of 70. The teams are coached by Will Bentley and Adam Musolf. Click here to view the recognition.

In his Superintendent's Report at our Oct. 1 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that Barrington 220’s Early Learning Center has achieved a Gold Circle of Quality rating from ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s quality recognition and improvement system for early learning and development providers. This is the third time the Early Learning Center’s Preschool for All Program has received the top award, after earning it in 2017 and 2020. In addition, the Early Learning Center received the Silver Circle of Quality in 2014. For nearly 40 years, the ELC’s Preschool for All program has served at-risk children ages three to five in the Barrington area.

In his Superintendent's Report at our Oct. 1 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that Barrington 220 has positioned itself as a leader in the Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources career pathway, with nearly half of the state's endorsements in that area received by BHS students at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

Made possible by the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, Illinois high school students can earn a College and Career Pathway endorsement upon graduation. The endorsement is earned through students engaging in career-focused coursework, work-based learning, team-based challenges, and early college coursework (dual credit), which ensures they are well-prepared for their postsecondary path. Currently, the state offers endorsements in the below areas. Click here to view the state data and Barrington 220 data.

• Arts & Communication
• Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources
• Finance & Business Services
• Health Sciences & Technology
• Human & Public Services
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing, Engineering Technology & Trades

In his Superintendent's Report at our Oct. 1 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that the district completed four community-wide information meetings last month about the upcoming $64M referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. This is in addition to meeting with several community organizations. Traditional early voting at polling locations in the Barrington area will open on October 21. Click the following links to find early voting information for the county you reside in: Cook, Kane, Lake, and McHenry.

In his Superintendent's Report at our Oct. 1 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that in addition to the district's many facility and equipment measures that provide an advanced level of safety and security, the district also utilizes a safety dog. The safety dog, a Dutch Shepherd named Rezz, conducted her first visit to the BHS campus last week and will be at BHS several more times throughout the school year. 

The next consolidated school board election in Illinois is set for April 1, 2025. School board members are elected by their local communities during a non-partisan, consolidated election and serve four-year terms. Click here for more information.

This school year, students from each Barrington 220 school will make a special appearance at our Board of Education meetings to share an update about the great things happening at their school. At our Oct. 1 meeting, we welcomed Zachary Reinhart, a 5th-grade student at Hough Street Elementary. He says Hough is #ThePlaceToB because of all the wonderful staff and students. He also enjoys learning in the new STEM lab, where he and his classmates create solutions for real-world problems. He also looks forward to attending Camp Timberlee this year! Click here to listen to Zach's update.