Superintendent of Schools
An update from Dr. Brian Harris: April 9, 2020
Dear Barrington 220 Community:
As we wrap up another week of e-learning, I wanted to let you know how proud I am of our students and staff. In less than a month, school as we know it has drastically changed and the Barrington 220 community is adapting every day. I know e-learning is not perfect, but with experience comes knowledge and we are working every day to figure out the best ways to educate our students. Therefore, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some new information with you.
SCHEDULING NOTES
Friday, April 10: First, I’d like to remind you that tomorrow is a scheduled day off school for our students and staff, as Barrington 220 is closed.
Thursday, April 16: Under the Illinois State Board of Education guidelines for Remote Learning Days, school district staff can use up to five school days to work on Remote Learning Day Plans in partnership with their collective bargaining units. In Barrington 220 we plan to use one of these days on Thursday, April 16. This day will serve as a virtual professional development day for staff. Students will not receive any assignments on this day. Instead, they can use the time to catch up on school work and learning activities. As the closure continues, we may need to use additional days for this purpose.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
As we all navigate this uncertain time, we understand many students and their families may face difficult situations. We have encouraged our staff to use every Monday as a social emotional learning (SEL) day. This is a day when teachers will share a lesson that focuses on the health and well-being of their students, instead of only focusing on academic lesson plans. Additionally, we are finalizing other virtual options to provide SEL support to our students.
GRADING GUIDELINES
We have received many questions over the past couple of weeks about how Remote Learning Days will impact grades. As outlined by the state, grading guidelines are based on the principle of “no harm to any child”, which means no student’s academic standing should be adversely affected by Remote Learning Days. However, students do have the opportunity to improve their grades. Keeping this in mind, we have created grading guidelines:
Below you can view the recommended time students should spend on learning each day, determined by state and local the guidelines.
As always, if you have specific questions please reach out to your child’s teacher or school principal. Thank you for your continued support as we navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Stay well and I hope you can enjoy the three day weekend.
Dr. Brian Harris
Email: bharris@barrington220.org
Website: www.barrington220.org
Location: 515 West Main Street, Barrington IL 60010
Phone: 847.842.3537
Facebook: facebook.com/barrington220/
Twitter: @barrington220