We want to remind everyone that the next early release Wednesday for Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South (Transition Center does not follow the early release schedule) will be on Feb. 1. The bell schedule for the day can be accessed by visiting https://bit.ly/3RBrPNK.

We also want to update everyone on the plans for this day. During the afternoon, all District 86 teachers will engage in professional development about ways to integrate social and emotional learning into academics. Since every teacher will be taking part in this activity, the opportunities/resources that students can access following dismissal will differ from what we shared last week and what has been available on previous early release Wednesdays. They will include:

Please contact your child's school for additional information about the opportunities/resources mentioned above or early release Wednesdays in general.

In this video, which can be viewed by visiting https://youtu.be/L76T0K6Qgb4, we see the ways in which the IICs help teachers implement technology and new strategies in their classrooms to enhance learning and provide students with feedback that is critical to their success.

Thirty-seven students from District 86 were recently recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in conjunction with its Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The entries they submitted for the competition earned a total of 71 awards, including 14 Gold Keys, 26 Silver Keys and 31 Honorable Mentions. You can access the names of the students, the awards they won and the categories in which the awards were received by visiting https://bit.ly/3HeuwRz.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards honor "the vision, ingenuity and talent of our nation’s youth, and provide opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated." You can learn more about them by visiting https://www.artandwriting.org/.

We want to congratulate all of the award winners on being recognized for their amazing work. We also want to thank our fine arts teachers for all they do to nurture the talents of our students.

District 86 students turned in outstanding performances during the recent regional competition hosted by the Business Professionals of America (BPA). More than 90 students from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South qualified for next month's state competition (Feb. 23-25) after earning a combined 101 top five finishes (35 first place, 27 second place, 17 third place, 14 fourth place and eight fifth place) in their events. Below are links you can use to the access the names of the qualifiers from both schools.

We want to congratulate the members of our BPA organizations on their accomplishments at regionals, and wish them the best of luck at state. We also want to recognize and thank faculty sponsors Ashley Yurchak from South and Ken Shum and Leah Giarritano from Central for everything they do to support the success of our students.

The Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) recently awarded the A*Team certificate to District 86 students who received an “A” for the first semester of the 2022-23 school year. This certificate recognizes outstanding achievement in the programs offered by TCD. It also reflects the hard work of the students and dedicated service of the staff.

Below are the names of the students who earned the certificate and the program in which they received it. All of the winners will be honored during a ceremony at TCD on Feb. 17.

The chess teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South are headed back to state after finishing in fourth and seventh place respectively at the sectional tournament on Jan. 28.

Below are the names of the players and coaches from each team.

We congratulate both teams on their success at sectionals, and wish them the best of luck at the state tournament.

The boys wrestling team from Hinsdale Central captured the regular season conference championship after defeating Glenbard West in a dual meet on Jan. 26. Next up for the Red Devils is the regional tournament on Feb. 4.

We want to congratulate the team on their conference title, and wish them continued success in the postseason.

The girls gymnastics program from Hinsdale Central had an outstanding day at the conference championship on Jan. 28. The varsity team took second place overall and had top 10 finishes in individual events by Hazel Hamelka (second place on the vault, sixth place in the all-around and seventh place on the uneven bars), Audrey Austin (fourth place on the floor exercise, tied for fifth place on the uneven bars and ninth place in the all-around), Elena Koulouris (fourth place on the balance beam) and Lane Inabnit (seventh place on the balance beam). Meanwhile, the JV1 team took first place and finished its season undefeated.

We want to congratulate the gymnastics program on its success at the conference tournament, and wish the varsity team the best of luck at regionals this week.

We want to congratulate the following students for being named Hinsdale Central's athletes of the month for December.

Each month, the world language teachers from Hinsdale South nominate individuals for recognition as the World Language Students of the Month. These students have a strong interest in a world or classical language, demonstrate the traits of being accountable, respectful and engaged, and perform actions and exhibit an attitude that exemplify what it means to have South Pride.

Below are the students from South who earned this honor for January.

The next Community Conversation will be held on Feb. 15 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Hinsdale South. This session will feature a presentation and discussion about the district's final exam process and the role it plays in preparing students for the future.

If you plan to come to this event, we ask that you please use the form found at https://forms.gle/QgA24EpEEqGKGQXJ6 to RSVP. This will help ensure that we are able to accommodate those who wish to attend. We will also be recording the session for people who are unable to join us. This recording will be posted on the district’s website and YouTube channel, and shared via email, social media, etc.

If you have questions or need more information about our Community Conversations, please contact Dr. Chris Covino at ccovino@hinsdale86.org.

The next event in the 2022-23 Community Speaker Series will be a virtual presentation by Dr. Lisa Damour titled "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Adolescents Who are Connected, Capable, and Compassionate."

During this webinar, which will take place on Feb. 7 from 6:30-8 p.m., Dr. Damour will:

This event is free and open to the public. However, registration is required if you want to take part in the livestream or watch the recording of it afterward.

You can register for the event by visiting https://bit.ly/3W7tVpW. You can also access additional information about the Community Speaker Series by visiting http://www.d181foundation.org/.

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the board of education meeting on Jan. 26, please visit https://conta.cc/3Hc4wpF.

Please visit https://bit.ly/3B4pHHk to access the latest COVID-19 data for our district, community and county. Below are the metrics we plan to update on a weekly basis.