Greeley Greeting

August 20, 2024

Week of November 4, 2024

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

I am so grateful that the rain cleared just in time for us to hold the Ghost Dance on Thursday. It was truly wonderful to see such a great turnout and for students to experience the community’s support for them and their school.

Today, we’re excited to hold our Greeley Mascot Election! If your child is unable to attend school today, please call the office so they can vote by phone. We want every student to have the chance to participate in this important decision. Look out for a special election results email on Wednesday, which will follow our announcement to the students.

Regardless of the election outcome, all students will be able to enjoy a pajama day on Wednesday to celebrate exceeding our New Trier Township Pantry Food Drive goal.

Thank you for your continued support,

Principal Kopinski

Upcoming Dates

November

11/4 Mascot Election Day
11/5 No School, Election Day
11/6 Mascot Election Results Announced AND All School Pajama Day
11/8 Spiritwear Day and Veteran's Assembly
11/11 November Birthday Lunch with Mrs. Kopinski (grades 1-4)
11/14 No School-Parent Teacher Conferences
11/15 No School-Parent Teacher Conferences
11/22 Bonus Spiritwear Day!
11/25-11/29 Thanksgiving Break

December

12/3-12/5 Greeley PTO Bookfair
12/18 Winter Sharing Concerts (see Greeley Public Calendar for times based on last name)
12/23-1/3 Winter Break

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New Information

Greeley Leader Rounding Feedback

Using this link, you can access all of the feedback that families provided during our first Leader Rounding meeting at Greeley, as well as through the Google Form that was included in the newsletter. I have already shared this feedback with staff, and look forward to showing you how we are addressing some of the common topics in future newsletters.

The Dimension of Belonging featured in November is “welcomed” and monthly observances include Native American Heritage Month, Diwali, Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving. Learn more by reading the Belonging Means… Newsletter which features contributions from Hubbard Woods and the Department of Human Resources/Professional Development.

Lunch Pickup Protocol

If you have ordered Marla's Lunch on a day that your child will not be at school, you may pick up that lunch at the front desk. Please notify the office (847) 446-6060 by 10:30 am, and we will hold the lunch at the front desk for you to pick up after 12 pm.

If your child is coming back from or heading to an appointment before/after lunch and you'd like them to bring the food home or your child is leaving at lunchtime for the rest of the day, notify the office by 10:30 am.

If you do not notify the office by 10:30 am, your child's lunch will be donated.

Veteran’s Day Assembly

Last year we were fortunate to have the Navy Band Great Lakes Brass Quintet, the “Brass Ambassadors” and some Veterans come to enjoy the band and be honored. This year, we are excited to share that on Friday, November 8th, the Navy Band Great Lakes Woodwind Quintet, Fairwinds, will be coming to perform for our students. We are looking for veterans to come to see the band and be honored. If you are a veteran or you know one who is free on November, 8th please reach out to Angela Borchers at angelaborchers@winnetka36.org.

Reminders from Last Week

Practice Remote Learning Activity on November 7, 2024

To ensure our students are prepared for any potential shift to remote learning due to multiple days of inclement weather, we have planned a proactive practice activity. This practice session is an important step in ensuring that our students remain connected and ready for learning should inclement weather occur.

Date for Device Take-Home: On Thursday, November 7, all students will bring their school-issued iPads home.

Objective: The goal is for each student to connect their device to their home Wi-Fi network and ensure they have access to the necessary tools and platforms.

Return of Devices: Please ensure that the devices are returned to school with your child on Friday, November 8.

Communication: Additional communication and reminders, as well as a form to record any issues your student experiences, will be sent closer to this practice event.

Parent Teacher Conferences

This year, fall conferences will be on Thursday, November 14th and Friday, November 15th across the district. Families at the elementary level will have the opportunity to schedule a 25-minute conferences with their child's homeroom teacher.

Teachers will be sending out sign-up documents via email this Wednesday, October 30th, so please be on the lookout for that.

Discovery Clubs

Discovery Clubs (formerly referred to as after-school electives), offer specialty programming for Greeley students after the school day ends. These seasonal Clubs are offered in three sessions - fall, winter and spring - with five Club programs per session, each on a different day of the week. Greeley PTO works with the Discovery Club provider, Right at School, to offer an array of programming targeting activities such as STEM, arts and movement with offerings across age groups. Look for more information about Discovery Clubs and winter Club offerings in upcoming PTO newsletters or on the Discovery Club website: https://www.rightatschool.com/discoveryclubs/.

Winnetka Parents Institute

Winnetka Parents Institute

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. View the entire 2024/2025 schedule here.

Up Next:

AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 5-8

November 13, 2024

9:30 A.M.

Location: Carleton Washburne School Cafeteria

UNESCO, in their 2021 report entitled AI and education: Guidance for policy-makers stated that:

“AI is said to be a key enabler of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)…A recent global estimate suggests that 30% of work activities could be automated by 2030. Up to 375 million workers worldwide could be affected...Meanwhile, however, AI and other frontier technologies are increasing the range of high-skill jobs that require unique creative and analytical abilities and human interactions. In short, many workers’ jobs might disappear, and they will need to develop new skill sets – upskilling or reskilling – to enable them to enter the new occupations made possible by AI. Education ministries and training providers need to anticipate these changes, equipping today’s workers and preparing new generations with the necessary technical and social job skills, to smooth the transition to a world dominated by AI, while ensuring social sustainability.”

Artificial Intelligence is “out of the toothpaste tube” and is not going back in. In response, we’ll share with parents the steps we’re taking to increase the literacy of our students of Artificial Intelligence and how we’re preparing them to be responsible users of this tool.

Interested:

RSVP here

If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:

Insights on K-8 Literacy Programming in The Winnetka Public Schools

What to Know About the Otus Parent Portal