The 36 Mix: September 2026

Dear Winnetka Families, Staff and Community,

There is a growing sense of excitement in the District this week as we prepare to welcome our students and colleagues back to school. Over the past several days, we have been delighted to connect with our newest educators and staff members through New Teacher Orientation. I am grateful to each of them for choosing to bring their talents to The Winnetka Public Schools, joining a community that has been a National Leader in Progressive Education for over 100 years.

As we begin our 2026/2027 school year, I am reflecting on what our students have reported as mattering most to them. A Crow Island student expressed, "I love how welcoming my teachers are. They make a good class family." "The teachers do an AWESOME job of teaching you in a way that is hard but fun at the same time. You become a lifelong learner,” said a student at The Skokie School. A Washburne student shared of a teacher, "She makes sure everyone in my class is included." A Crow Island student said, “If you have something hard to work through, they always help you.” According to a Greeley student, "I look forward to coming to school every day." “All the students are very lucky to have the best teachers in the world!" proclaimed a Hubbard Woods student.

Those simple observations say a great deal about the work happening across our schools. Our students feel supported, challenged, included, and known. This sense of belonging is fostered by educators and staff members who care deeply about children and prioritize the tenets of Progressive Education:

Whole Child Approach

Meaningful & Experiential Learning

Collaborative Community

As we look ahead, I invite you to view the brief Welcome Back video accompanying this message for a glimpse into what is in store for the 2026/2027 school year.

September 2026 will also mark Safety Month in The Winnetka Public Schools. Throughout the month, our Director of Safety & Security, Mr. Ray Finnerty, will share important information about the practices, partnerships, and procedures that help us maintain safe and welcoming learning environments. We know that students learn best and are most engaged when they feel secure, supported, and safe. To that end, please review a few updates below regarding volunteer procedures, food delivery, and personal technology.

Finally, please join me in recognizing our incredible Custodial, Maintenance, and Buildings & Grounds teams. While our schools may appear quieter during the summer months, an extraordinary amount of work happens behind the scenes. These teams have worked tirelessly to clean, prepare, and care for our historic buildings so they are ready for another year of learning. This summer, one of our longtime Maintenance Team members shared that he and his colleagues care for our school campuses as they would their own homes, and for our school community with the same respect and care they would their own families.

To our new staff: welcome to Winnetka. To our returning staff: we are so glad you are back. To our students and families: we cannot wait to see you and begin another wonderful year together.

Here’s to a terrific 2026/2027 school year!

Most Sincerely,

Dr. Kelly Tess
Superintendent
The Winnetka Public Schools

• The FY27 Preliminary Budget was presented and approved.

The full Board Packet for the August 2026 meeting is available here.

• Campus Safety & Security
• New Required Process for Volunteers in Our Schools

• Personal and Instructional Technology

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.

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.