Skokie Home Scoop

We have reminded all students that doors open at Skokie at 8:15 each morning. We encourage everyone to be at Skokie at this time, ready to enter, go to their locker and be ready to go for Advisory at 8:25. Advisory is a daily 10 minute period when students connect with their Advisor and teachers on their team, engage in team building and learn about the news and updates at Skokie! On Mondays, classes will engage in longer Social Emotional Learning lessons during their WIN period.

Students previewed our expectations and the consequences for not meeting them. Skokie's process includes a detention for excessive tardies (five tardies equals one 45 minute, after school detention) as well as detentions for behavior concerns.

• September 8th-11th: Skokie Safety Week

• Thursday, September 10th: Skokie Go to School Night 6:00-7:30 pm.

• Monday, September 21st: No School, Yom Kippur

• Wednesday, October 7th: Picture Day

If your child will be absent from school, please use the report an absence form. We ask that you do not communicate absences with their teachers as a way of reporting their absence.

We had a chance to share reminders about bicycle and pedestrian safety at Skokie and in the community. We reviewed the importance of walking all wheels (bikes and scooters) along the sidewalks adjacent to Skokie. We also discussed the importance of crossing at crosswalks and wearing helmets (on heads not handlebars). Students had an opportunity to ask questions

We have recently learned of a few situations in the community where students have taken significant falls from their bikes. When families have brought their children’s bikes into local bike shops, they have learned that bike levers within the wheel have been pulled out as a prank. Please talk with your bike riders about this, and consider showing them how to check that their bike wheel is secure. We do have supervision at arrival and dismissal and we will continue to message safety as it relates to biking.

Chorus

The Skokie Chorus is open to all 5th and 6th graders! Our season will run from Sept-May with after school rehearsals on Wednesdays until 4:05pm and several performances/opportunities throughout the year. Sign up through this form and reach out to Mrs. Balkin with any questions: betsybalkin@winnetka36.org. First rehearsal will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Chorus Sign Up

Mahjong Club

5th and 6th-graders are invited to learn and play the classic game of Mahjong! In Mahjong Club, students will learn the basics of the game, develop strategies, and enjoy playing with friends in a relaxed and social setting. No previous experience is necessary. The club runs for 8 weeks on Thursdays from 3:30–4:30 PM, September 17 - November 12. No meeting on October 22 due to conferences.

In our continued commitment to ensure that our campuses are safe for students and staff to learn and work we are making some adjustments to our daily operations to improve security:

• Outdoor play at all five campuses will be restricted to fenced or otherwise protected areas at the rear of our buildings.

• Decorative safety bollards will be installed in phases to increase traffic safety during arrival and dismissal. Bollards are sturdy, reinforced posts designed to help prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering pedestrian areas while allowing students, staff, and visitors to move safely throughout campus. The bollards selected for our schools have been chosen to complement each building's architecture and historic character, blending seamlessly into the landscape while providing an important security enhancement.

• Supervising staff will be easily identifiable in reflective vests while outdoors with students at any time.

• Food delivery services like DoorDash and UberEats will no longer be permitted to enter our buildings, reducing the number of unidentified visitors to our campuses as well as the time it takes away from our office staff. Parents may drop off of forgotten lunches up until 10:30 a.m. on school days.

We know these changes create periods of adjustment for everyone; however, we have an obligation to prioritize safety over convenience and ensure our campuses are as secure as they can be for our students, staff and visitors. We appreciate your partnership in adjusting to these changes.

Volunteers play an important role in supporting our students, staff, and schools. It is important that we take every reasonable step to ensure that visitors to our campuses and anyone engaging with our students (this includes field trips) are safe to do so.

The Winnetka Public Schools will be using Raptor VolunteerSafe to manage volunteer applications, approvals, and background screening requirements across the District in order to ensure safe engagement of volunteers on our campuses and with our students. All those interested in volunteering for the schools in some capacity this school year, must engage with VolunteerSafe before they are approved to volunteer.

This new system will help us streamline the volunteer process, continue to follow The District’s Volunteer and Chaperone Guidelines and maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone on our campuses.

• Receive approval notifications electronically

• Complete required background screening requirements

• Manage volunteer information in one secure location

• Be approved for the school year to volunteer to support school events, field trips, or other volunteer opportunities

All volunteers, regardless of when you plan to volunteer in the district, will need to complete the volunteer application process and pay a $6.30 processing fee (paid during the registration). If you do not complete the Volunteer Safe application prior to September 1st you will not be cleared to volunteer in our buildings during the 26/27 school year. If you have an interest in volunteering this year, please complete the VolunteerSafe form.

The Village of Winnetka regulates the use of e-bikes, e-scooters, e-dirt bikes, and other motor-driven vehicles with the goal of sidewalk and roadway safety for all residents. These regulations apply to all village-owned or village-maintained property. Violations may result in a fine of $100 for both the operator and the parent/legal guardian (if applicable).

PLEASE REMEMBER:

• Any person operating a device on a public road or public sidewalk must follow the rules of the road, including traveling below the posted speed limit. It is illegal to operate a vehicle with more passengers than the number it is designed/equipped for.

• Please walk all bikes in the downtown area

• It is illegal to modify a device from its original design to change its speed, method of propulsion or braking, or to remove pedals, chains, or add a throttle.

• All individuals riding e-bikes must wear a helmet at all times.

• The person operating the device must be able to keep both hands on the handlebars/steering device at all times.

Beginning in the Fall of 2024, The School Board approved the introduction of Yondr Pouches in grades 5-8, eliminating the use of personal technology on our middle school campuses. Personal technology includes items such as cell/smart phones, airpods/earbuds, smartwatches, etc. While our K-4 schools do not utilize Yondr Pouches, access to personal technology is not allowed on any of our school sites during school hours and will be enforced. Students are not to engage with personal technology during instructional hours and will be subject to disciplinary consequences for using personal technology, including but not limited to parents reclaiming devices in the main office, and/or loss of privileges.

Parents may call the main office of their child’s school to relay any messages during the school day.

When it comes to instructional technology, these are tech devices that are issued by the District for student use. While we have an educational obligation to ensure our students are appropriately exposed to technology to equip them with the skills and discernment to be responsible users, we are also a school district rooted in a deep history of progressive education, which places a high value on experiential and meaningful learning through hands-on, imaginative, social and highly engaging learning experiences. We are committed to ensuring that these two educational responsibilities (technology and progressive education) co-exist in our classrooms.

As a result, we will be seeking staff and family feedback on the use of instructional technology. We will use this information to help us shape clearer guidelines and communication for staff and families on the use of instructional technology in the classroom. Keep an eye out for opportunities to learn more and share your feedback.

This year, students in Grades 5–8 are using Big Ideas Math + You, our new core mathematics resource.

Using one resource across Grades 5–8 provides greater consistency in mathematical language, instructional routines, concepts, and strategies as students progress through Skokie and Washburne. Big Ideas Math + You emphasizes mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, discussion, and the development of both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency.

As students begin their first Chapter, Big Ideas Math + You provides an Info for Families resource that gives families an overview of the mathematics students will encounter and offers helpful context for supporting conversations about learning at home.

Select your child’s grade/course below to view each Info for Families resource folder:

• Grade 5: [Link]

• Grade 6: [Link]

We encourage families to review these resources throughout the year as a simple way to stay connected to what students are learning in mathematics. As the year goes on, family letters per chapter will be added at these links.

As part of The Winnetka Public Schools' ongoing commitment to equity by fostering connection and belonging, and in alignment with our progressive tenet of building a collaborative community, our schools will take time each month to recognize the contributions of people from diverse backgrounds. Observances will look different across schools and grade levels, and may include activities such as art, music, book studies, research projects, sharing cultural holidays and celebrations, and other school activities.

In September, we are celebrating Latinx Heritage Month as well as Patriot Day.

• Families can learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month here.

• You can access our library collection via Destiny here: Destiny collection

• To see what is coming up each month, you can refer to our monthly observance calendar here

Parents/guardians of students receiving special education services are invited to complete this survey.

As a part of the district's focus on strategic planning for the future, we are engaging with The Ability Challenge to complete an analysis that will help us better understand the strengths and growth opportunities related to how we serve students with disabilities in Winnetka. Your perspective is very valuable to us because we want to understand how all members of the community experience the support we provide.

We invite you to complete this anonymous survey. Your responses will be available only to our partners at The Ability Challenge. They will provide the district with updates about completion rates, and the overall trends will help inform findings of their analysis. Individual responses will not be identifiable or able to be attributed to any single respondent.

We thank you for your participation and partnership in helping us serve all students equitably and well in Winnetka.

Sincerely,

Michelle Cooney, Principal

Emily Castillo-Oh, Assistant Principal

Maria Grable, Interim Assistant Principal