Crow Island Parent Newsletter
December 8th, 2025
Dear Crow Island Community,
I hope you all had a great weekend. Today's newsletter covers important information regarding upcoming events:
1) Winter Spirit Week is next week (12/15-12/19)! Check out the flyer below. We hope it will be a fun way to bring us into winter break!
2) Please pre-register for Winter Sing by Monday, December 15th. This will ensure a smooth entry process and avoid missing any of the wonderful performance due to long lines. See details below.
Looking forward to two action-packed weeks ahead before the break!
Wishing you a wonderful week.
Sincerely,
Anna
December
- Monday, December 15th- Friday, December 19th | Spirit Week
- Thursday, December 18th | Winter Sing
- Friday, December 19th | Sack Supper
- Saturday, December 20th | Winter Break Begins
January
- Monday, January 5th | School Resumes
- Monday, January 19th | MLK Day- No School
- Wednesday, January 21st | Winter MAP Reading Test- 3rd and 4th grade
- Thursday, January 22nd | Winter MAP Math Test- 3rd and 4th grade
- Thursday, January 29th | Pioneer Room Open House (9:30 AM)
- Thursday, January 29th | Math Night (5:30-6:15 PM: 1st and 2nd Grade, 6:30-7:15 PM: 3rd and 4th Grade)
Lighthouse Moment: Crow Island Book Fair
It was truly amazing to feel the excitement from the Book Fair last week! Students all had a chance to visit and create their wishlists. Despite the snow, we had so many families come out and support our PTO through the Book Fair. It was so great to see the community come together to support our school, foster a love of learning, and spread joy this holiday season! A huge thank you to the amazing volunteers- some of whom were here the entire day with smiles on their faces! A personal favorite moment was seeing the 4th grade student volunteers at the wrapping station. You could tell that they were very excited for this important job! Finally, we were able to donate many large bins full of books to to Bernie's Book Bank.Thank you to the community for a successful Book Fair!
***Winter Sing Pre-registration*** Please complete by Monday, December 15th!
All visitors will need to be entered through our security system and receive a visitor badge.To avoid long lines during the Winter Sing we are asking all guests to pre-register so that we can print visitor badges in advance. Please use this link to RSVP and register and each visitor will need to register.
Winter Sing Details:
We are looking forward to seeing you all at this year’s Winter Sing on Thursday, December 18th! Children will perform at each performance time, but as always, students may sit together with their families during their family's performance time when they are not onstage. You are all invited to join us at the time assigned to your last name:
Performance Times:
9:00- Last Name A-G
10:30AM- Last Name H-O
1:00PM- Last Name P-Z
For capacity reasons, please plan to attend during your assigned time. However, if you have an unavoidable conflict with your assigned time, please email your preferred time to Kanella Roumeliotis at kanellaroumeliotis@winnetka36.org, in addition to your child(ren)’s homeroom teacher.
In this year’s sing, we are celebrating our district wide theme of “belonging”. Each grade will sing songs within the theme of belonging, in addition to our tradition of singalong songs. In addition to the sing, we will have a donation drive for Betsy’s Blankets in partnership with the PTO. Stay tuned for more information on how to contribute!
Traffic Reminders
- Please be sure that you are not stopping on Glendale Ave. when turning into the circle.
- Be sure to wait until there is room to enter the circle before turning off of Willow Rd.
- Additionally, when exiting the circle, please do not turn left until there is space to fit your vehicle without blocking Glendale.
- Finally, please pull over as far to the right as possible on Glendale when picking up a student from the back playground.
District Update: Erin's Law
In March 2021 the District began providing state-mandated sexual abuse prevention education for all students in compliance with Erin’s Law. Erin’s Law is prevention-based, bringing sexual abuse education into public schools using age appropriate curriculum. Thanks to Erin’s Law, children are being taught to recognize abuse and learning what to do if they need assistance. Erin’s Law requires all public schools to provide education on sexual abuse prevention for all students, early childhood through 12th grade, annually. This law also requires educators to take part in training classes that cover sexual abuse and how to recognize warning signs.
The Erin’s Law curriculum will be taught in your child’s regular classroom or advisory by a school social worker and/or their classroom/advisory teacher. Elementary students will take part in three to four lessons, each lasting 20–30 minutes, over the course of a few weeks starting in January. All materials and activities are developmentally appropriate for each grade level. Middle School students will participate in one lesson taught by their advisor and/or social worker in March. For more information about the curriculum, please visit the District website.
We understand this can be a sensitive topic for some families and we have resources for you, as parents/guardians, to learn more about this program.
Our elementary school social workers will be holding open office hours on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 from 10-10:30am. The meeting link can be found here; Meeting ID: 819 7168 4256/Passcode: 655079. You may also reach out individually to your school’s social worker if you have specific questions about the program.
Parents have the option to opt their children out of the program as they deem appropriate. The opt-out form must be completed and returned to the building principal by January 9, 2026. Please feel free to contact Dana Ruecker, Assistant Director of Student Services, Equity, and Inclusion, with additional questions or concerns about Erin’s Law.
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.
Spirit Day:
Crow Island Spirit Day will be on FRIDAYS this year! Get your Crow Island Spirit wear from our PTO Store here!
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.
Winnetka Parents Institute- DECEMBER 2025:
Progressive Tenets in Action: Collaborative Community (Virtual Webinar)
December 10, 2025
9:30 A.M.
Location: Virtual
Join the third in a three-part series that will explore the District’s Progressive Education Tenets. Learn about what a Collaborative Community means and how it comes alive in our classrooms.
Interested:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://winnetka36.zoom.us/j/87477059974?pwd=LaBSpD0VjkfHeEnEFP5RqzzgacBqHy.1
Meeting ID: 874 7705 9974
Passcode: 328845
Following the event a link will be provided to the taped presentation on the website.
After School Sports (3rd/4th Grade)
*NEW*: Crow Island After School Sports with Mr. Sweene and Mr. Wilson is now on the District Web Store. Registration opens at 9am on Tuesday, December 9th. Please note that Crow Island After School Sports is different timeline (January 6 through March 11) from Discovery Clubs through Right At School.
Registration for winter Discovery Club programs is open and will remain open through Friday, December 5th. The session begins the week of December 8th and will end February 25th.
While some of these programs do fill up quickly, there is a waitlist option that often does allow for enrollment even if a class appears full. Please add yourself to the waitlist! Instructions for doing so can be found on the PTO website.
Monthly Observances: Human Rights Month
December is National Human Rights Month, a time to reflect on the importance of treating all people with dignity, kindness, and respect. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the values of fairness and equality that help create welcoming communities for everyone.
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