Crow Island Parent Newsletter

Dear Crow Island Community,

We have a big week ahead! On Wednesday, we’ll celebrate Halloween, and on Thursday and Friday, we look forward to welcoming you for Fall Conferences. As a reminder, there will be no school for students on Thursday and Friday due to conferences.

Full details for our Crow Island Halloween celebration can be found below. If students would like to dress up, they should bring their costumes to school and will have an opportunity to change before the Parade and Ghost Walk. Families are invited to join these two outdoor events beginning at 1:00 PM!

I look forward to seeing you at both our Halloween celebration and conferences.

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,
Anna

October

Wednesday, October 29 | Halloween Parade & Ghost Walk
Thursday, October 30 | Fall Conferences
Friday, October 31 | Fall Conferences

November

Friday, November 7th| Kindergarten Butterfly Migration + Outdoor Performance at 1:30 PM
Monday, November 24th- Friday, November 28th | Thanksgiving Break- No School

December

Wednesday, December 3rd | PTO Book Fair (3:30-8:00 PM)
Thursday, December 4th | PTO Book Fair (8:00-10:00 AM)
Thursday, December 18th | Winter Sing
Friday, December 19th | Sack Supper
Saturday, December 20th | Winter Break Begins

Morning Drop-off Reminders

As a reminder, please note the following regarding morning drop-off:

Supervision begins at 8:20 AM. Students should not arrive at school unsupervised until 8:20 AM.
Due to the number of students and the varying age levels, students should not bring balls to use in the morning on the playground.

Halloween at Crow Island (Reminder)

We are so excited for our upcoming Halloween Celebration! Please see all of the details below:

Halloween at Crow Island

Wednesday, October 29 2025

10am - Halloween Assembly (students and staff only)
1pm - Costume Parade and Ghost Walk
2pm - Classroom Celebrations with Room Parents and Class Photographer
No related arts classes today

School-wide Halloween Assembly (10am):

This annual assembly takes place in the morning and is a fun time for staff and students to come together and have some fun. The assembly is for students and staff only.

Costume Parade & Ghost Walk (1:00pm)

The entire Crow Island community of staff, students, and families come together to celebrate Halloween.

Students will parade out the back door onto the blacktop area, turning left onto Glendale towards Willow Road, turn west on Willow, and then head back towards school at the Crow Statue.
Parents can line up on the front lawn, Glendale, and along the fence near the blacktop to view the parade.

After the costume parade:

Kindergarten will head back into school to participate in their classroom celebrations at 1:20pm.
Grades 1 - 4

Parents/Families - Walk from their parade location to the outdoor amphitheater.
Students - Students will continue to parade through the ghost walk in the Crow Island Woods (near the 1st Grade Playground) and go to the amphitheater.
Ghost of Crow Island - Families, students, and staff will meet at the amphitheater and work together to call for the ghost of Crow Island.

Classroom Celebrations:

Kindergarten | 1:20 - 2:10 pm
1st Grade through Fourth Grade | 2:00pm -2:30 pm

Room parents/class photographer are invited into classrooms to facilitate class Halloween celebrations. Room parents should plan for the following:

Craft or game(s) to play students in the room
No food or candy should be purchased

Costumes Guidance:

Students can bring costumes to school. They will have time to change into costumes before the costume parade and ghost walk. Please follow the guidelines around costumes:

No fake blood or weapons
Keep the costumes school friendly (nothing too scary)
No masks
Keep in mind students are putting this on by themselves so keep it simple.

LAST CALL! Parent Survey: Crossing Guard Locations

The safety and well being of our students and staff is our number one priority. That includes ensuring that our students have safe pathways to school, especially if they choose to walk or ride their bike. The Winnetka Public Schools have received feedback that the current placement of a crossing guard at Willow and Wilson (in the Greeley attendance zone) would be better utilized at Sunset and Green Bay Roads as students make their way to and from school. Given this information, we wanted to solicit your input via this survey as we consider a possible relocation of our crossing guard in that area. Survey participation is voluntary and all responses are anonymous. The survey will close on October 30, 2025.

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences are this week!

Conference schedules can be viewed in the following ways:

Review the email from noreply@schoolcloud.co.uk with a list of your bookings
Log in to the site to review your schedule

Signed up for a video conference? Review this guide!

You will need your unique Parents Meeting code to login. If you did not download or save this information, you may access it the following ways:

Email from noreply@winnetka36.org on October 3 with information
Access your Parents Meeting doc through the PowerSchool Parent Portal Document Library (It can take 1-2 minutes to load the site)
**Note: The Document Library is not accessible from the PowerSchool app, only via a browser window

Crow Island 101 Document:

Our Crow Island 101 Guide is a helpful, at-a-glance resource for families. Many parents like to keep a copy in their kitchen for quick reference. You can view it here: Crow 101 Document.

Arrival & Dismissal:

Please take a few minutes to review our Arrival & Dismissal procedures. These routines help ensure a safe and smooth start and end to each school day for all students.

Hot Lunch Program:

Crow Island has a hot lunch program run through a third party collaboration with our PTO called Marla's Lunch. You can register and sign-up here: Marla's Hot Lunch.

Health Forms:

Kindergarten Parents- Please upload your child’s health documents HERE. As a reminder, these forms were due by the first day of school (September 2nd).

2nd Grade Parents- As a reminder, all second grade students are required to provide a copy of their most recent dental exam. Please see the attached link for form and additional information. Please use the following link to upload your child's dental form.

You can find more information about district health policies here.

Spirit Day:

Crow Island Spirit Day will be on FRIDAYS this year! Our first Crow Island Spirit Day will be on Friday, September 5th. Get your Crow Island Spirit wear from our PTO Store here!

After-School Programs:

Right At School

The District has partnered with Right At School, headquartered in Evanston, to provide after-school care for students. The Right At School Program will be offered all days school is in session. After School programming is available until 6:00 P.M. Registration is now open.

Discovery Clubs by Right at School

Crow Island's PTO, in partnership with the District, offers extracurricular activities called Discovery Clubs, specialty programming for Crow Island students after the school day ends. These seasonal Clubs are offered in three sessions - fall, winter and spring. Crow Island PTO works with the Discovery Club provider, Right at School, to offer an array of programming focused on STEM, arts and movement with offerings across age groups. The fall session begins on September 22 and runs through December 5, and registration opens Monday, September 8. Preview the activity offerings here on the PTO website.

After School Sports

Crow Island After School Sports is live on the District Web Store. Registration opened at 9am on Tuesday, September 2nd. This is open for 3rd and 4th grade students.

Monthly Observances: Disability Awareness Month

Each October, we take time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions of individuals with disabilities in our schools, workplaces, and communities. It is an opportunity to highlight the importance of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunity for all.

Progressive Tenets in Action: Experiential and Meaningful Learning

November 12, 2025

9:30 A.M.

Washburne Cafeteria

Join the second in a three-part series that will explore the District’s Progressive Education Tenets. Learn about what Experiential and Meaningful Learning means and how it comes alive in our classrooms.

Interested:

RSVP here

Following the event a link will be provided to the taped presentation on the website.

Feedback Link

Remote Learning Practice Day

Practice Remote Learning Activity on November 6, 2025:

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 6, 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 7.

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.

Contact Us

Email:

annatrilla@winnetka36.org (Principal)

christinedemas-hall@winnetka36.org (Administrative Assistant)
Website: https://crowisland.winnetka36.org/
Location: 1112 Willow Road Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-0353
Instagram: Winnetka Public Schools