Carleton Washburne

We wanted to kick off the newsletter this week with a big thank you to our hardworking staff as we begin teacher appreciation week. They take great pride in providing a safe, engaging environment for our students, and work tirelessly to make that happen. Ben and I continue to be amazed each week as we walk through our halls and in our classrooms and see all the amazing learning and collaboration that is happening each day at Washburne. A huge thank you in advance to our Washburne PTO that has organized a number of special ways to say thank you to our staff.

7th grade families please keep an eye out for an email later today with information about signing up for electives for 2025-26.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

This Friday, May 9th @ 3:30PM in the Washburne Gym

REGISTER

VOLUNTEER

$10 registration fee, all students must be registered to participate.

The Washburne KW Team will be helping to organize the tournament. All teams are auto generated with one optional friend request. Hot Shot Sports will be refereeing games, parent volunteers will keep score!

School supply kits can be purchased through EPI School Supplies for the 2025-26 school year now through Monday, June 16th at a discounted bulk rate. After June 16th, you can purchase kits at retail price or on your own.

NOTE: *NEW* this year - ALL kits purchased before June 16th will be sent Directly to School!

WASHBURNE School Code: CAR989

Reminder to 8th grade families that Graduation is Thursday, June 12th @ 7:00pm.

The complete 8th grade graduation packet can be found HERE.

Attention 7th Grade Parents: On Thursday, June 5th, Washburne 7th graders will be taking a field trip to Springfield. As the culmination of our Civil War unit, we will be visiting Lincoln's New Salem, the Illinois State Capitol, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, and the Lincoln Tomb. We will depart at 7:00 AM sharp that day and return by 10:00 PM.

More information to come. -- Washburne Social Studies Department

• Monday, May 5th: Incoming 6th Grade Parents "Welcome to Washburne" Informational Meeting @ 6:30pm
• Tuesday, May 20th: School Board Meeting @ 7:15pm
• Monday, May 26th: No School - Memorial Day
• Thursday, June 5th: 7th Grade Field Trip to Springfield
• Friday, June 6th: Half Day Student Attendance 11:50am Dismissal
• Monday, June 9th: Washburne Field Day
• Thursday, June 12th: 8th Grade Graduation

Benchmark assessments are valuable tools that provide a snapshot of student progress at a point in time. These assessments help teachers to identify areas where students are excelling and where they may need additional support. They can also inform instructional decisions by providing data that can be used to tailor teaching to meet each student's unique needs and strengths. Benchmark assessments are an important component of progressive education, which recognizes that students learn in different ways and at different rates. By using benchmark assessments to inform instruction, teachers can provide a more individualized approach to learning that supports each student's academic growth and personal development.

Academic benchmark assessments for literacy and math will occur three times this year for students in grades K-8. The Spring Benchmark Assessments start on May 5th and conclude on May 23rd. There are four platforms the district utilizes to gather student learning information; aimswebPlus, mCLASS, NWEA MAP, and SSIS. Benchmark data will be available in Otus beginning May 30, 2025. In order to allow for the data uploads to take place and to provide parents with consistent access to student data, please be aware that the Otus Parent Portal will be inaccessible May 5-30.

Building Data Team meetings to review the Winter Benchmarking data will occur June 9-13.

Otus Parent Resources

Please be aware that access to the Otus Parent Portal will be turned off on June 30, 2025 in order to prepare for the next school year. Communication will be sent out at the start of the year notifying parents when the portal will be accessible again.

Kindergarten-2nd Grade Literacy: Connecting our Teaching and Learning to Progressive Education

May 14, 2024

9:30 A.M.

Location: Skokie Community Room

Families are invited to a session highlighting literacy instruction in The Winnetka Public Schools. Dr. Becky Mathison, Assistant Superintendent for Innovation, Teaching & Learning, and District educators will lead a discussion on the literacy research and neuroscience that underpins the foundational skills and knowledge-building approach to acquiring basic literacy. Together, we will explore how early childhood literacy efforts in The Winnetka Public Schools align with current best practices, as well as the Tenets of Progressive Education:Whole Child Approach, Experiential and Meaningful Learning, and Collaborative Community. Parents will leave with a greater understanding of what to expect in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, as well as how to best support their budding readers at home.

Interested:

RSVP for this event here

Feedback Link

ATTENTION all rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, reptiles, birds and other small animals! Winnetka's Adventures in Learning/Animal Care Class is back and looking for animals to get some love and attention from our teachers and students. If (you or) your child's small animal is due for a brief break this summer, please email Anna at animal.care.adventures@gmail.com. We can also attempt to arrange adoptions if it is time to pass your pet on to another loving family.

Season 3, Episode #9:

“Gen Alpha Spills the Tea on Middle School”

Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent, interviews The Skokie School students Andrew, Anya, and Sawyer about the middle school experience in 2025. This candid conversation ranges from what students wish adults understood about today's tweens, strategies to manage busy schedules and homework, how personal technology impacts communication (i.e. it is apparently no longer socially acceptable to ring a friend's doorbell to see if they are available to play), what it really means to be a well-rounded student, and reflections on how the adults in their lives best support them. As Sawyer shares, “In this generation, this is not really what kids do: kicking a tire, throwing a rock or playing hopscotch in the street.” Don’t miss this special episode!

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