Greeley Greeting

Dear Winnetka Families,

This school year, our District will be focusing on best practices regarding student attendance. The National Center for Education Statistics released an overview of the importance of students regularly attending school, as well as the negative impacts of missing school. Incorporated in School Board Policy 7:20 are requirements (per Section 105 ILCS/5/22-92 of the Illinois School Code) that all Illinois school districts must establish and submit its Absence/Truancy Program to the Illinois State Board of Education. This requirement went into effect January 2023 and is to be submitted every two years thereafter.

Our wish is to partner with our families in understanding the importance of regular and prompt attendance. To that end, our schools will be sending home a letter to families of students that have passed a threshold of absences at this point in the school year. This letter is meant to draw attention to the number of absences a student has had and offer support should families need it.

We understand that there are times when absences are unavoidable, particularly in the event of sickness or family emergencies. Please do notify our schools if we can help in any way with these matters. Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Beth Carmody, Hubbard Woods

Michelle Cooney, Skokie

Andrew Fenton, Washburne

Luke Livingston, Crow Island

Joshua Swanner, Greeley

We were thrilled that we had a sunny morning to host our Pumpkin Showcase today! Thank you to all who participated.

Similar to today's showcase event, we will send out a communication to families tomorrow morning if we have to cancel the Ghost Dance due to snow. We will monitor the forecast and weather carefully in the next 24 hours.

Picture Retake Day is Friday, November 3. If you would like to have your child's picture retaken, please email Ms. Park (meredithpark@winnetka36.org) and Mr. Schreiber (gordonschreiber@winnetka36.org) so we can see they get to the photographers for a retake. We also have a list of children who didn't get their picture taken so if your child was absent on Picture Day we will also see that they have their portrait done that day.

Pick-up Time is 4:20 pm Daily (Mondays - Taekwondo at 3:50 pm)

Pick-up Location: Our pickup location is Door 2 next to the staff parking lot. The Right At School program manager will be there to help with the pick-up process. Please refrain from going to the main entrance to pick up your child as the office staff leaves by a certain time and will not be able to let you in. You will sign your child out via our Elective/Club sign-out sheet on our parent table by Door 2. Children must be signed out by an authorized pick-up.

Please be prompt for pickup from Electives, as the main Right At School program is also running during this time. Late fees will be added on if late pick-up is persistent.

As October comes to an end, our behavior health team (BHT) will be speaking with individual grades about bullying prevention as a part of our annual district practices. These developmentally appropriate talks will occur on the following dates:

• 1st grade: 11/8 11-11:30

• 2nd grade: 11/2 9-9:30

• 3rd grade: 11/2 2-2:30

• 4th grade: 11/3 12:30

Please contact our social worker, Katie Kalogriopoulos, if you have any questions about these brief presentations.

Students are invited to bring their costumes to school on Halloween Day. In order to maintain a positive learning environment throughout the day, all costumes will be put on following lunch (exceptions with kindergarten may apply). The following expectations are in place for costumes:

• Masks and head covering are prohibited (aside from medical masks)
• Any weapons, including facsimiles, must be left at home. In the event that these are brought to school, the teacher will hold onto them for the duration of the school day
• All costumes should be age-appropriate for elementary school (per school board policy)
• Please consider your child's mobility when selecting a costume; we encourage students to wear articles of clothing that are not overly cumbersome

Our annual Ghost Dance will also occur on Halloween (weather permitting)! Our Ghost Dance will be performed by first- through fourth-grade students. Families are invited to attend and watch our students' performances, which will begin at 1:00pm.

Please note the following:

• We recommend arriving at 12:45pm to get situated
  
• Families line up on the sidewalks surrounding the playground
• The playground area itself is for students and staff only
• Students will promptly return to their classrooms following the performance
• An email will be sent to families should the Ghost Dance be canceled due to inclement weather

Dear Fourth Grade Parents,

Next week, all fourth graders will be attending an author visit with local author, Keir Graff. Graff is out promoting his new collaboration with James Patterson, Minerva Keen's Detective Club. Especially interesting to students is Graff's account of how he became a writer in 5th grade (a funny and encouraging story for our budding writers). After his presentation, Graff will be signing books.

If you'd like to pre-purchase any of his books for personalization (they make great gifts and can be personalized to whomever you wish), follow this link https://bit.ly/3SbZpgg and follow The Book Stall's instructions. There is zero obligation to buy books. All Graff's books are available for checkout from the Greeley Library.

All families are able to use the Greeley playgrounds during after-school hours. Please note, however, that our after-school care program, Right at School, does require the use of our playground throughout the week. When Right at School staff are using a particular section of the playground, we are unable to have other students/families present in that specific area due to safety, supervision, and staffing considerations for Right at School. Thank you for partnering with Greeley and Right at School on this matter.

If you have ordered a hot 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 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 a.m. When a hot lunch is ordered on the same day a home lunch is brought, your student will still receive their hot lunch.

If you do not notify the office, your child's hot lunch will be donated.

Please note: For allergy purposes, any donated lunch given to a child who does not have lunch that day will need approval from the parent to receive this.

Please contact Jen Felderman (jennifer.felderman@gmail.com; 773-513-9444), the PTO Lunch Volunteer Coordinator, with any questions.

The Board approved a temporary pause in Adventures in Learning programming for the Summer of 2024 to accommodate construction and renovation at all five campuses. Extended School Year will continue as planned, but will be hosted at New Trier’s Northfield Campus. The District will be excited to reopen Adventures in Learning in Summer 2025. More details are below.

Please take approximately five minutes to provide your feedback by Friday, November 18. Last year’s survey findings led to numerous improvements in the areas of curriculum & instruction, communications and human resources. It is my hope that our responsiveness will continue to be witnessed in our efforts to provide the very best educational experience for the students of The Winnetka Public Schools and excellence for the community at large.

Click here to view a message from Carleton Washburne students.

Bullying affects everyone: those exhibiting bullying behaviors, the bullied, and the bystanders. The District's Bullying Response and Prevention Plan creates awareness of what bullying is with “child-friendly” language that illustrates the difference between mean, rude or bullying behavior; establishes and communicates to students, parents and staff methods for reporting incidents related to bullying behavior; develops communication protocols for investigating, notifying and resolving incidents reported; and, builds an ongoing dialog with students on bullying awareness and prevention.

The District 36 approach to bullying is “pro” solution rather than “anti” problem to foster a change of culture through kindness, compassion, respect, reaching out, and helping others. Every October, students discuss bullying prevention in their classrooms/advisories where they are reminded of methods available to them to speak with an adult about their concerns. Students in grades 5-8 are able to report an incident or indicate that they want to talk to an adult from a form on their ipad. Students K-4 are able to report an incident to any adult in whatever form is most comfortable for them. A reporting form is also accessible from the District’s website, along with information on text4help.

Click here for additional information.

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. Please view the fall schedule here.

Coming Soon:

The Middle School Experience, AKA “Why is my child acting like this? Please help."

November 3, 2023

9:30 A.M.

Washburne RC

Join Principal Cooney and Assistant Principal Joynt (The Skokie School) and Principal Fenton and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will share the neuroscience behind the changes that occur in 5th-8th grade children, and offer suggestions on how to support children both academically and socially-emotionally as they navigate the middle grades.

Skokie and Washburne families are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging, and educational hour together.

Interested:

RSVP here

Recordings of previous sessions:

• The Winnetka Experience: Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and Progressive Education

Fall benchmark assessment results have been mailed home. Information to help parents understand the assessment reports are available on the District website. As a community of learners, we are navigating the way through how to best use this information along with the valuable insight gathered on a day-to-day basis in our schools. Thank you for being our partner in this growth process.

Last year the District strategic plan goal to realign the K-1 literacy program was updated to entail a full curriculum review of literacy programming K-8. The goal of the curriculum review is to ensure there is a guaranteed and viable literacy curriculum based upon current research that builds from Kindergarten through Grade 8. In the spring a group of educators that comprised the District’s Literacy Leadership Committee identified literacy programs to pilot this year and 60 classroom teachers volunteered to participate in the pilot. Participating in the pilot means that the teacher has been trained in the program and will select one existing unit in the literacy curriculum to replace with the pilot curriculum.

Your child’s classroom teacher may have shared this information during the recent Go To School Night events, as well as through their classroom newsletters. While the student learning outcomes in literacy may remain the same this year, the programming, materials and sequence used may be different in classrooms where the pilot is taking place. More information about the pilot will continue to be shared through District communications and regular updates during School Board meetings. A special thank you to the Winnetka Public Schools Foundation Board for approving funding that was used for a large majority of the pilot training that occurred during September.

As part of Winnetka School District 36’s ongoing commitment to equity by fostering connection and belonging, the District will take time each month to recognize the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds. The goal of these monthly observances is to provide resources and support for teachers in order to bring awareness and appreciation to the diverse population of students in our community. Observances will look different at all schools and even at different grade levels. Some activities might include art, music, book studies, research projects, sharing cultural holidays and celebrations, and other school activities. As materials are developed for these observances, we will make them accessible.

September 15- October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October: Disability Awareness

November: Native American Heritage

December: Human Rights

January: MLK Jr. Day

February: Black History

March - April 15: Women’s History Month

April 15-May 15: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage

May 15 - June 13: Jewish American Heritage

Please follow the District via the following social media platforms in order to see day-to-day happenings and more.

Facebook and Twitter: @Winnetka36

Instagram: @WinnetkaPublicSchools

• Monday, 10/30: Pumpkin Decorating Showcase
  
• Tuesday, 10/31 (weather allowing): Ghost Dance 12:45 pm (parents gather on the sidewalk)

• Wednesday, 11/1: No School (Institute Day)
• Friday, 11/3: Photo Retake Day

School Hours:

8:30am | Doors open

8:37am | School promptly begins

2:10pm | Kindergarten dismissal

2:45pm | Early Release (MONDAY ONLY)

3:15pm | Grades 1-4 and Stay & Play Kindergarten dismissal

Email: GordonSchreiber@winnetka36.org
Website: https://www.winnetka36.org/greeley
Location: 275 Fairview Avenue, Winnetka, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 446-6060
Facebook: facebook.com/Winnetka36
Twitter: @Winnetka36