BCIC May Newsletter

• 5/3 Chinese Character Bee

• 5/6 booth at Kid Fest and Kite Fly
• 5/11 Open BCIC Board Meeting
  

• 5/13 CI Graduation Party

• 5/17 Chinese Virtual Book Fair Starts

• 6/1 CI End of Year Celebration

• Greencastle Games
• CI Middle School Panel
• Chinese Honor Society Induction
  
• Rose Multicultural Night
• Countryside Art and Book Fair
• North Barrington Multicultural Night

We are seeking volunteer leaders to join BCIC Board of Directors!

Board members are actively involved in events, expected to attend monthly board meetings, and chair at least one committee. BCIC responsibilities are varied, so we are looking to diversify our current board.

If interested, please apply here or attend one of our information sessions at the Barrington Area Library. RSVP to bcic220@gmail.com if you plan to attend or have questions.

Session 1: Friday Morning May 5th at 9:15am

Session 2: Thursday Evening May 11th at 6pm (Immediately before our open board meeting)

**Application deadline is May 15.**

(Registration is CLOSED)

This brand new event will be so much fun! We can't wait to see our students shine!

Character Bee is Mrs. Weerts' (CI middle school social studies teacher) wonderful vision. Thanks Mrs. Weerts! We appreciate all her time and support creating this new event for CI students and families.

Quizlets for the grade level sight words and the pdf of challenge HSK characters are in this study guide. Good luck to all participants!

If you have any questions about the Character Bee, please email bcic220@gmail.com

Saturday, May 6 Barrington Park District hosts KidFest and Kite Fly from 11-3pm. We are happy to be back this year! Lots of fun outdoor activities for families! Visit the park district's website to learn more about other booths and activities. (add to calendar)

The BCIC booth plans to have:

• Kites
• Character writing
• Chinese stamps
• Chinese jump rope
• Riddles

Volunteers can sign up here: KidFest volunteers (signupgenius.com)

Join us in person May 11 from 7-9pm at the Barrington Area Library for our open board meeting. Hear about the plans for the end of the year, ways to help, and some summer plans. All CI parents (guardians, grandparents, etc.) are welcome! (add to calendar)

BCIC is hosting a luncheon for CI seniors and their families May 13 at 11:30am Royal Buffet in Hoffman Estates (add to calendar).

FINAL REMINDERS!!! BCIC graduation party tickets FOR GRADUATES ONLY must be purchased by this Monday, May 1!

https://barrington220.revtrak.net/barring.../bcic-events/...

1. Purchase your graduate's ticket to our big celebration! You won't want to miss this special celebration of our first cohort! ($21). Additional family member tickets will be purchased at the door on the day of the event.

2. Consider sponsoring a teacher's meal! It would be nice to acknoweldge them in this way as they have done so much for our graduates over the years! ($45)

3. Buy a "Shout Out" in our program to recognize your child! Includes photo and text. ($20)

4. Place a half or full page ad celebrating our students or highlighting your business. ($40/$80)

We are so proud of all of our CI graduates. Together, we can make this a party they won't forget!

Before school ends stock up on books and supplies to prevent the summer slide. There's even a kid friendly robot that reads Chinese books! More information to come as the time approaches.

On June 1 from 5-7pm at Countryside Elementary, BCIC is hosting an outdoor picnic to celebrate the end of the school year for all CI families! (If you don't wish to pack your own picnic, Jimmy Johns will deliver sandwiches.) There's a short program in the middle from 5:45-6:15pm. (add to calendar)

Dragon Boat racing club, build and race your own boat, Kona Ice Truck, booths, and more!

Come enjoy!

Lots of opportunity for volunteers to help! Please sign up if you are interested or email bcic220@gmail.com with questions.

In April, we partnered with our favorite senior residents at Greencastle of Barrington for an afternoon of Fun and Games. The games were simple, engaging, and SO much FUN! Ask anyone who attended, and they'll agree!

Thanks to our Station Middle School teachers Mrs. Weerts and Mr Yu for coming to play! Also, thank you to our wonderful middle and high school school volunteers - you were great! Lastly, a big thanks goes to Qi (Sylvia) Teng from Greencastle of Barrington for helping us coordinate this day!

Photo credit: Lisa Vraniak

On April 11, BCIC hosted a panel consisting of current 6th and 7th grade CI students who helped answer questions about the transition and experiences as a middle school CI student. Mrs. Weerts & Mr. Yu (the two middle school CI teachers), some parents of the panelists helped answer questions as well.

Thanks to BCIC Secretary Becca Patchak for coordinating this evening's event!

The purpose of the National Chinese Honor Society is to encourage its members to become life-long learners in order to gain a better understanding of Chinese language and culture, as well as to play an active role as a contributing global citizen in the twenty-first century.
For more information, please contact NCHS Committee at nchsclass@gmail.com

These students have

• studied Chinese for four semesters in high school
  
• an average of B or higher
  
• serve as a positive role model in the area of Chinese studies

CONGRATULATIONS!

Barrington 220's elementary PTO's often hold their own cultural enrichment events. BCIC was happy to represent and support China and Chinese culture at these events, along with student and parent volunteers. All three events were so enjoyable and offered exposure to our group! Thanks all!

Here are the recaps from North Barrington, Countryside and Barbara Rose Elementary Schools . . .

On this evening, teachers and the principal read books about different countries. BCIC had a table with a friendship craft as well as panda stickers. They even did a bit of Chinese jump rope - fun! Thanks for Victoria Bleibel and her daughters for hosting the table!

The BCIC Calligraphy Booth at Countryside's Art and Book Fair always tends to be a perennial favorite . . . and this year was no different! So many students came to our booth to try out their Chinese calligraphy skills! We provided them brushes, white paper and black paint. Plus we gave them guides for how to draw common characters (like "hello" is 你好, "I love you" is 我爱你).

So that's what we did, and it was a hit! Thanks to our volunteers and all who were involved in this fun, interactive activity!

For the students and families who attended the Rose Multicultural Night last Friday, BCIC brought out their calligraphy paint sets and calligraphy books for more character fun! Thanks to Mrs. Du for her wonderful and informative China poster, Jay Murphy (BCIC president) for coordinating and Betty Kong for volunteering to make this fun booth!

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.

Email: bcic220@gmail.org
Website: bcic220.org
Phone: (847) 381-6300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/646209902098154/
Twitter: @chinese_council