BCIC

Barrington Chinese Immersion Council, April 2019

Lunar New Year 2019 Activities!

Lunar New Year 2019 Activities!

Read about the various activities our Chinese Immersion kids participated in this past New Year!


Choir at Fashion Outlets in Rosemont (February 2)


Our Chinese Immersion students were asked to assemble a choir and sing some songs at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago, a mall in Rosemont, IL. This Lunar New Year event is a popular, well-attended weekend with many local and regional students performing various acts like traditional dancing, singing, juggling, and more. Sylvia Shen did a wonderful job coordinating about 25 participants throughout the elementary grades. After just a couple practices, the kids were ready to perform "Mimi Panda" and "Two Tigers" to the crowd, and they did an incredible job!

Lunar New Year 2019 Activities!
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Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown, Chicago (February 10)


Several Chinese Immersion students and their families hopped on a bus that took them to Chinatown in Chicago to walk in their Lunar New Year Parade. It was a frigid, snowy morning, but it didn't stop these CI supporters from making our presence known with pride! The parade always tends to have interesting floats and people in beautiful costumes. After the families walked, several enjoyed some hot Chinese food before boarding the bus to take them back to Barrington.




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Lunar New Year Activities, cont'd.

Lunar New Year Activities, cont'd.

Dragon Dance Dinner at Pl8 (February 17)


To cap off our organized Lunar New Year events, several Chinese Immersion families met at the Chinese restaurant Pl8 in Barrington, where they enjoyed a dinner and a wonderful Lion dance! The lion dance was spectacular, the drums were amazing, and so was the fireworks display (outside in the snow!!). A fun time was had by all!

Lunar New Year Activities, cont'd.

Our Friendship with Greencastle of Barrington

Greencastle of Barrington is a senior living community on the outskirts of downtown Barrington. And amazingly, more than 70% of its residents speak Mandarin! With that said, we at the Barrington Chinese Immersion Council have been busy developing partnership/activity opportunities for the CI students and Greencastle residents. The last few events have been equally fun and rewarding!


  • During holiday time in December, there was a dual performance by the Chinese Immersion students and the Barrington Children's Choir. Residents enjoyed a hearty dinner donated by another local organization while listening to the choir and then watching the CI students' Talent Show.

  • Our BINGO nights always tend to draw a crowd of Greencastle residents and CI students alike! Michelle Chase coordinates lovely BINGO prizes that everyone seems to enjoy! Next time we have another BINGO event, come join us!

  • Earlier this month, some CI students presented their Chinese speeches to the Greencastle residents, in preparation for their upcoming speech contest. Other students sang songs, drew characters on the white board, and showed the residents photos of their siblings and pets! It felt so wonderful to watch the children interact with the Mandarin-speaking seniors!

  • Smart Farm of Barrington grows Asian vegetables and herbs for Greencastle! This local organization welcomes our BCIC families to volunteer at the farm! Volunteers are needed for spring clean-up and regular work days on Saturdays. More information is available at http://smartfarms.org.







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Some Photos from the CI Talent Show at Greencastle . . .

Other CI News from District 220

Other CI News from District 220

In late February, we had a couple visitors present at our BCIC board meeting. Becky Weigel, Director of Language Programs, and Kathryn Wolfkiel, the Department Chair of World Languages at Barrington High School, provided us an update on a variety of topics. They included:


  • Pathway to Barrington High School - it was announced that freshman year at BHS will offer a "Mandarin Immersion I Honors" class. This course is on a 4.5 scale as opposed to a 4.0. Planning for class choices beyond freshman year are being discussed. Please contact Becky Wiegel with additional questions
  • Elementary CI Summer School - will be held at Rose from June 6-27
  • The last day of school is Tuesday, June 4!!
Other CI News from District 220
Come to our End-of-Year CI Potluck!

Come to our End-of-Year CI Potluck!

We look forward to seeing you at BCIC's final event of the school year - our fun family potluck! BCIC will provide a delicious main course from PL8 Restaurant in Barrington. Please help us complete the dinner with drinks, desserts, fruits, vegetables or appetizers.


Soaring Eagle Kung Fu will perform at 6:30pm, and some students from BHS will perform thereafter.


We will also be holding a raffle with cash prizes to raise funds for BCIC programs and events in the next school year.


If you would like to make your family contribution for this year or if you would like to make an additional donation to support the CI Potluck, please make your contribution on our website, bcic220.org!


Don't miss this fabulous evening of fun, food and friendship! If you have not signed up yet, click the following link: BCIC Potluck.























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Come to our End-of-Year CI Potluck!

Mrs. Du Creates Artwork for NBS

Earlier this year, North Barrington Elementary received a wonderful gift from Mrs. Du, our 4th grade CI teacher. Not only is she amazing with how she teaches and provides guidance to our students, but did you know that she has studied art since age 5? See her artwork below (middle picture). She used silver and gold pen to decorate a gorgeous drawing that says "North Barrington" and "I love my school" in Chinese. She also includes some noteworthy Chinese landmarks, like the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven.


Mrs. Du's "masterpiece" is currently displayed in NBS's lobby. You've GOT to go see it if you get a chance!


Thanks, Mrs. Du!

About us

About us

Our mission is to advocate for and support the Chinese Immersion Program in District 220, Barrington, Illinois: its families, staff and teachers both in and outside of the classroom with advice, materials and experiences not covered by our tax dollars. We aim to build a strong relationship and sense of community between BCIC, the school district, teachers, staff, participating families and the community at large.
Box 283 Barrington, IL 60011 bcic220@gmail.com 847-381-6300 bcic220.org