End of Year Updates

• 5/17-6/17 Chinese Virtual Book Fair

• 6/1 CI End of Year Celebration
• 6/2 High School Graduation Ceremony

• Chinese Character Bee
• Celebrating the High School Graduation of the First CI Cohort
• National Junior Chinese Honor Society Ceremony (7th & 8th Grade)
• KidFest and Kite Fly

Please take a minute to answer a 3 question survey at https://forms.gle/nNf4AW87GSabXWsr7. This information will help BCIC better support the CI community in the coming year.

Congratulations to Ms. Du (4th grade CI teacher)! She received a Projects for Innovation and Enhancement (PIE) Grant for a new portable sound system to enhance listening and learning in her CI classroom. The portable sound system is a particularly valuable teaching tool for our CI teachers who regularly move classrooms and buildings.

The Barrington 220 Educational Foundation provides PIE Grants to support projects that encourage curiosity, inspire students' passion for learning, provide enriching opportunities, and support and enhance current curriculum. The Foundation also awarded a PIE grant to CI first grade teacher Mrs. Pauwels for a portable sound system last year. Through its Helping Hands Grant Program, the Foundation provided funding to 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Zander to pilot the Weiqi program in 2019-2020.

BCIC thanks the Barrington 220 Educational Foundation for their continued support for our CI teachers and the CI program. For more information, please visit Barrington 220 Educational Foundation (220foundation.org)

Before school ends stock up on Chinese books and tech. There's even a kid friendly robot, Luka, that reads Chinese books! Luka can read all the books shown here and tons more. Check out our Chinese Virtual Book Fair display at the CI End of Year Celebration and test out a Luka robot yourself.

Use the link www.jojolearning.com/?ref=220lovesbooks and BCIC receives 10% back on your purchase.

DISCOUNTS: Get $25 off Luka with code SUMMERFUN before May 30th

Youdao (the Chinese reading and English translating pen) is on sale for 24% off!!

Let's CELEBRATE! On June 1 from 5-7pm at Countryside Elementary, the whole CI community is gathering together, and we want you there!

Greater Chicago Dragon Boat Club will be there! Learn about Dragon boat racing and the festival. BCIC provides materials to make your own boats and race them!

You won't want to miss the short program from 5:45-6:15pm. Be sure to bring your cameras/phones! All CI students will be invited up to the stage to sing some special songs that have been selected by the teachers.

Food:

BCIC will provide water and 2 small snacks. Remember to bring your own picnic, unless you already ordered from Jimmy John's group order #3234179.

The Kona Ice Truck will be there 5-7pm. Even if you can't stay the whole time, please stop by just to purchase a cold treat!

Already have 225+ RSVPs!

You don't want to miss out, RSVP at https://pp.events/aayP2Ee3

With over 100 kids coming, we need more volunteers to help make and race dragon boats. Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044BAFAA2DA5F58-bcic6

Please sign up if you are interested or email bcic220@gmail.com with questions.

Thank you to all the CI students and families for participating in our first Character Bee. Over 60 students from 1st to 5th grade participated the Bee! Congratulations to all the medalists and participants! We are so impressed with the students' mastery of their sight words, as well as the extra effort students made to learn new HSK challenge words too.

Special thanks to Mrs. Weerts for leading and sponsoring the Character Bee. Thank you to Lucia Serrano and Jessica Whetter for serving on the Character Bee Committee and serving as Bee Judge and Host (respectively). Thank you to all our elementary teachers who served as volunteer judges. Many thanks to CI parent-volunteer judges Xiaoyan Anderson, Zimin Mineo, LingOu Qi and Lei Yang, as well as volunteer judges Lucy Song, Helen Lee and MingShu Zhang. Thank you to student volunteers Pierce O, Carolyn O, Maya P and Valeria V.

There were TWO reasons to celebrate! First, CI seniors are graduating later this month - PLUS, they're the first CI cohort to graduate from our program--first grade through high school! To honor the achievement of these remarkable students, BCIC hosted a luncheon for CI seniors and their families at Royal Buffet in Hoffman Estates. It was so enjoyable!

After BCIC secretary, Becca Patchak, welcomed all the graduating students & their families, Mrs. Weerts, the cohort's first CI teacher, shared a video montage consisting of photos and videos from the past 12 years of being in the program. Alicia Miller, a graduate selected by Mrs. Yang for this special role, was then welcomed to the stage to share a student graduate address. Students, Julia Li, & Liv Elias, each then shared a student reflection--both giving thanks to our wonderful and supportive teachers and administrators. Guests were excited to hear some special words from Becky Weigel, D220's Director of Language Programs. Graduates were then individually called up to the stage; each was awarded a special certificate from Mrs. Weerts & Mrs. Yang as well as a rabbit pin & rabbit button compliments of BCIC. To wrap up the program, the students sang two songs in Chinese as a class together! The tune of one of the songs was so catchy, there are parents who claim the song is still in their heads! Attendees then feasted on the enormous variety of Asian food! They selected from stir fry bowls, sushi, salad/fruit, traditional Chinese dishes, and dessert. It was such a wide assortment of food that a couple students even found a cotton candy machine!

Special thanks to Mrs. Weerts and Mrs. Yang for helping to coordinate the wonderful event!

On Thursday, May 25, a group of 7th and 8th grade Chinese Immersion students were recognized by the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS). The students joined their families, and the middle school CI faculty prepared a wonderful ceremony for them.

During this program, several students were called out for a formal recognition of awards they received from national speech and writing contests. Below is a list. Great job, students! And thanks very much to Mrs. Weerts for organizing this special occasion!

8th Grade Award Winners

Cameron Joyce

Evan Clopton

Faith John

Lily Wills

7th Grade Award Winners

Emma Bromet

Nicole Dziura

Naya Horn

Will Lau

Ean McCaffer

Nathan Yoo

Jasmine Zhang

6th Grade Award Winner

Kamakshi Muthu

On Saturday, May 6 Barrington Park District hosted KidFest and Kite Fly. It started out a bit rainy, but Mother Nature pulled through for us and the event went on as scheduled!

We were happy to be back to represent again this year! It was a great chance for us to visit with the current CI families that stopped by, as well as get a chance to tell younger families about our wonderful program! One incoming K family specifically said they joined CI because of KidFest!

At our booth, while many kids and their families were behind us flying kites, we offered fun activities like character writing, Chinese stamps, riddles, and the ever-popular Chinese jump rope.

We had a blast!

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