Updates from 86
Weekly news and information from District 86
Week of Oct. 5
Today (Oct. 5) is the first day we will begin bringing approximately 25% of our students back on campus in conjunction with our phased-in approach for resuming in-person instruction. Below is information about the schedule and activities for this week (Oct. 5-9).

  • Students in Groups A, B, C and D will have a designated day on campus.
  1. Group A will come on Monday, Oct. 5
  2. Group B will come on Tuesday, Oct. 6 
  3. Group C will come on Thursday, Oct. 8
  4. Group D will come on Friday, Oct. 9

  • Students in Group R (R stands for remote) will continue to learn from home. 

  • In-person classes for Groups A, B, C and D will be 20 minutes long with 10-minute passing periods. During these classes, students will engage in lessons centered around social and emotional learning. They will also discuss the procedures and expectations there will be for in-person instruction going forward. At the end of the day, every student will receive a free grab-and-go lunch. 

  • Any students who are not on campus (i.e., it is not the designated day for their group or they are learning from home full time) will engage in asynchronous instruction on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during the time when in-person instruction will be occurring. Teachers will post their assignments on Canvas. Please note that students from Groups A, B, C and D who come to campus for in-person instruction this week will still be expected to complete the asynchronous work assigned by their teachers. 

  • The Wednesday schedule will stay the same for this week - i.e., students and teachers will engage in synchronous instruction from 8 a.m. to 11:25 a.m., with early bird taking place from 7:30 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. 

  • Parent-teacher conferences will be conducted on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 
This information, as well as details about the schedule and activities for the weeks of Oct. 12, 19, 26 and Nov. 2, have been posted on our return to school website. You can access the site by visiting https://bit.ly/3gw0rOR.
Math Pathways Community Forums
Below are links to the video recordings of the virtual community forums that the District 86 Math Pathways Team held on Sept. 24 and 28.


You can also access a frequently asked questions document about the team’s recommendation to implement an integrated math pathway beginning in the fall of 2022 by visiting https://bit.ly/3iFp8Jn.

The Math Pathways Team is scheduled to present its recommendation to the board of education on Oct. 15.
Substitute Teachers
Reminder - the district is seeking substitute teachers who can help us navigate potential issues or challenges that include, but are not limited to:

  • Staff members testing positive for COVID-19.
  • Staff members needing to quarantine after coming in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
  • Staff members going on leave for medical or childcare reasons. 
  • Staff members experiencing an illness or medical emergency not related to COVID-19.
  • Staff members experiencing a family issue or emergency not related to COVID-19. 

You can access additional information about subbing in the district (e.g., requirements, rate of pay, etc.) by visiting https://bit.ly/2S6oWr5.
COVID-19 Dashboard
On Friday, Sept. 25, we launched a COVID-19 data dashboard that features the current number of positive cases, people in isolation and people in quarantine across our buildings, as well as the total number of positive cases we have had in the district since the start of the 2020-21 school year. Below is the data for the district as of Friday, Oct. 2.

  • Current number of positive cases among students and staff - 2
  • Current number of students and staff in isolation - 30
  • Current number of students and staff in quarantine - 64
  • Total number of positive cases among students and staff since the start of the 2020-21 school year - 15

This dashboard, which will be updated every Friday afternoon, can be accessed by visiting https://d86.hinsdale86.org/domain/533.
Austin Beringer
Hinsdale Central senior Austin Beringer's short film “Insomnia,” which stars classmates Quintin Craig, Finn Van Horn and Stephen Podracky, is currently featured on the Special Programs website for NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. The school is showcasing films that were created by students who took part in the Tisch Summer Residential High School Filmmakers Workshop and the Online High School Filmmakers Workshop. You can check out Austin's film by visiting https://youtu.be/u39k9vPZTBQ.

We congratulate Austin on this exciting recognition, and cannot wait to see his future works up on the big screen.
Hinsdale South National Merit Award Winners
The following students from Hinsdale South were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program for their performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT):

  • Alex Bargher (Commended Student)
  • Christian Choi (Commended Student)
  • Carnig Hsia (Commended Student)
  • Carson Kotecki (National Semifinalist)*
  • Bryn Larson (National Semifinalist)*
  • Bennett Macenas (Commended Student)
  • Brian Ngeunjuntr (Commended Student)
  • Dhruv Vaze (National Semifinalist)*

*Those who were selected as semifinalists will have the chance to compete for the 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered in the spring.

Since South was unable to host its annual recognition breakfast, it created a video featuring remarks from each of the honorees. You can check out the video by visiting https://youtu.be/myBVujMLIv0. You can also check out a video of the parade the school organized to celebrate the honorees by visiting https://youtu.be/7lh1QPduoLk.

We congratulate these students on their accomplishments, and wish the semifinalists the best of luck in the next phase of the competition.
Women in Engineering Club
The Women in Engineering Club from Hinsdale Central held a virtual meeting on Sept. 24 that featured guest speaker Haley
Antoine, who is a crash safety engineer from Toyota. Ms. Antoine told the group about the various careers that a biomedical engineering degree offers. She also shared valuable information about the path she took to becoming an engineer.

In other news, the club recently became an official chapter of SWENext, which is an affiliate of the Society of Women Engineers.
Music and Theater in District 86
Below is the latest news and information from the music and theater programs at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central.

  • Hinsdale South hosted a Virtual Variety Show on Friday, Sept. 25 that featured improv, singing, dancing and much more. You can check out the video of the show by visiting https://youtu.be/p1sYMDClf04. Next up for the school's theater department is a special one night radio performance of "The Wizard Of Oz" that originally aired on Dec. 25, 1950. That performance will take place on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

  • Hinsdale Central's theater program will be hosting its own Virtual Variety Show on Oct. 22. It will also be performing a live radio play version of "It’s a Wonderful Life," which is scheduled to be streamed online Dec. 11 and broadcast on the school's radio station Dec. 12.

  • The marching bands from both high schools have been participating in socially distanced rehearsals during the past couple of weeks.
RULER Webinar
RULER, which is a program we use to support the social and emotional learning of our students, will be hosting an interactive webinar for families on Oct. 20. The webinar, which is titled "Supporting Families: Strategies for Resilience and Well-Being," will help parents/guardians:

  • Understand how emotions can support or hinder children’s learning
  • Manage stress and anxiety, whether school is in person or virtual
  • Encourage greater well-being for their family
  • Establish closer collaborations with their child’s teachers
  • Explore the questions that are truly important to them

You can access additional information about or register for the event by visiting https://bit.ly/3cOIeec.
Hinsdale Township High School District 86
5500 South Grant Street • Hinsdale, IL 60521
Phone: (630) 655-6100 • Fax: (630) 325-9153