Greeley Greeting

August 20, 2024

Week of May 12, 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Greeley Families,

It was such a joy to see so many of you at last week’s Spring Sing performances! Our students put a lot of heart into creating original lyrics with Mr. Urquhart, and the beautiful artwork they made with Ms. Montgomery added a special touch to each show.

These performances wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our teachers and associates, who helped with both supervision and organization. We're also incredibly grateful to you—our supportive families—for coming out to celebrate our students, our staff, and the arts at Greeley.

On behalf of our entire team, I also want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our parent community and PTO for the kindness and appreciation shown during Staff Appreciation Week. Thanks to your thoughtfulness, our staff felt truly valued and supported each day.

Please take a moment to read the important updates below regarding kindergarten and traffic on Sheridan. Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership.

Warmly,
Principal Kopinski

Upcoming Dates

May

5/21 Grade 2 Bike Rodeo at 3:30pm
5/22 Kindergarten Open House, 6:15pm (For Incoming K families)
5/26 Memorial Day (No School)
5/30 Otus parent portal opens

June

6/6 Half Day-11:20am dismissal
6/9 June birthday lunches with the principal
6/10 Field Day (6/11 Field Day Rain Date)
6/12 Fourth Grade Celebration (6/13 Rain Date)
6/16 Last Day of School (11:20am dismissal)

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New Information

Sewer Work and Impact on Traffic

Beginning this week (the week of May 12th), there will be work on Sheridan Road from Cherry Street to Winnetka Avenue. The work will involve sewer and manhole cleaning as part of the MWRD’s Northshore Rehabilitation Project. This phase is expected to last approximately three months. The overall project spans multiple North Shore communities, including Winnetka, Kenilworth, Wilmette, and Evanston. Please note that this work will likely impact school traffic, and may impact arrival and dismissal times.

Kindergarten Next Year

As we continue planning for the upcoming school year, I want to share an exciting update: we are just a few students away from being able to recommend the addition of a fourth kindergarten section.

To help make this possible, we’re asking for your support in spreading the word. If you know of any families planning to enroll a kindergartner at Greeley next year, please encourage them to complete the registration process as soon as possible.

Our office will be reaching out by phone to families who we believe intend to enroll but have not yet completed registration. Finalizing these registrations is key to ensuring smaller class sizes for our youngest learners.

Reminders from Last Week

Winnetka Parents Institute Event

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

Benchmark Assessment Information

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.

Online Pre-Registration for Incoming Kindergarteners & New Students for the 2025/2026 School Year is Now Open

Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students NEW to the District (beginning fall 2025) is now open.

Kindergarten enrollment: Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2025, are eligible to enroll for Kindergarten.

School Admissions and age requirements are addressed in School Board Policy 7:50 School Admissions and student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools.

2-Step Process to complete registration:

Step 1: Click here to begin the online new student registration process.
Step 2: Contact Maria Perez via email mariaperez@winnetka36.org or phone 847-446-9400 to schedule a time to drop-in with final verification documents.