Greeley Greeting

Dear Families,

Today, our incredible staff officially returns to Greeley to begin preparing for the year ahead! We are looking forward to reconnecting as a team, welcoming new colleagues into our Greeley community, and getting our classrooms and learning spaces ready for the 361 children expected to attend this year.

We’ll also enjoy a delicious welcome-back meal generously provided by our hardworking PTO, just one of the many ways your PTO dues help support our staff and strengthen our school community. We are so grateful for your partnership!

Tomorrow, the building gets even more joyful as we welcome our new and returning students for Meet the Teacher from 10:45–11:30 a.m. We’ll have maps available at the front entrance, and staff members will be throughout the building to help point you in the right direction. We can’t wait to see familiar faces, meet new ones, and officially kick off another wonderful year together at Greeley!

Finally, don’t forget to make time for the PTO Popsicle Playdates this week. It's a great opportunity for students and families to reconnect before the first day of school or meet a few of our 31 new Greeley families!

See you tomorrow!

Warmly,
Principal Kopinski

August

• Monday 8/24: PTO Popsicle Playdates Grade 2 (3pm at Elder Lane Park), Grade 4 (4pm at Elder Lane Park), Grade 1 (5pm at Elder Lane Park)

• Tuesday, 8/25: Greeley Meet and Greet (10:45-11:30 am)

• Tuesday 8/25: PTO Popsicle Playdate for Grade 3 (12pm at Indian Hill Park)

• Tuesday 8/25: PTO New Family Tours (3:00 p.m. at Greeley School)

• Tuesday 8/25: PTO Popsicle Playdate for Kindergarten (4pm at Greeley K Playground)

• Wednesday, 8/26: First Day of School (½ Day: 8:30-11:20 am) Right At School Before School begins, all busses begin, no lunch, Right At School After School does NOT begin

• Thursday, 8/27: First Full Day of School (Marla's Lunch and Right at School After School begins)

• Monday-Friday, 8/31-9/4: Greeley Safety Week (Safety Drills conducted, High Five Friday with Winnetka Police and Fire)

September

• Monday, 9/7: No School (Labor Day)

• Thursday 9/17-Wednesday 9/30 Fall Benchmark Assessment Window Open

• Wednesday 9/23: Greeley Picture Day

• Monday, 9/21: No School (Yom Kippur)

• Thursday 9/24: Greeley Go to School Night 6:00-7:30 pm (Parents and Caregivers Only Please)

The latest edition of The 36 Mix is out now! Be sure to check out the 3-6 Things to Know from The Winnetka Public Schools. You'll find back-to-school information, photos from New Teacher Orientation and more.

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.

Please join us on Tuesday, August 25, from 10:45–11:30 a.m. at Greeley School for our Meet & Greet! This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to meet their teacher, see their classroom, and begin getting excited for the new school year. Our teachers and staff are looking forward to welcoming their new students and families, and it's also a great chance to connect with other families in your child's class.

If you did not purchase a PTO school supply kit, you are welcome to bring your child's school supplies with you to the Meet & Greet. If you did purchase a PTO supply kit, your child's supplies have been delivered and are waiting in their classroom. School Supply Lists can be found on the Greeley PTO Website, linked in the button below.

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.

Ms. Newton and Ms. Frederick are thrilled to offer a fall club opportunity! Please see their flyer below to learn more. Registration will open soon. The link for registration is provided below the flyer.

Before- and After-School Care

The District has partnered with Right At School, headquartered in Evanston, to provide before- and after-school care for students. The Right At School Program will be offered all days school is in session. Before School Session begins at 7:00 A.M. After School Session is available until 6:00 P.M. Registration is now open.

Please note that the before care begins on the first half day of school (Wednesday, August 26th). However, after care does not begin until the first full day of school (Thursday, August 27th). Please make sure that you have arranged for transportation home on Wednesday, August 26th at 11:20am.

We continue to be excited to welcome our students each morning with a short play opportunity and want to share a few reminders so that arrival runs smoothly and safely for everyone.

Playground Supervision
Staff will begin supervising both playgrounds at 8:20 a.m.

Bus Riders

• Buses drop off on Hawthorn.

• Students will enter the Grades 1–4 playground through the Hawthorn Gate.

• K bus riders will be walked to the K playground by a staff member after disembarking.

Walkers

• Please encourage your child to always use a crosswalk when coming to school. Both corners of Hawthorn as well as the corner of Fairview and Elder are staffed with crossing guards.

• Walkers may enter through either the Hawthorn Gate, the Kindergarten Elder Gate, or the Woodland Gate.

Bike Riders

• Bikes should be parked in the racks in front of the school.

• After parking, bike riders will walk to the 1-4 playground.

• Students may not walk through the staff parking lot.

Car Riders

• Drop-off begins at 8:20 a.m. on Fairview Ave only.

• Cars should pull into the four-car cutout area for students to safely exit.

• Students will then walk to the Kindergarten Fairview or Elder Gates to join the playground.

• To keep things moving, drivers must remain in their vehicles.

• If your child needs help getting out of the car, we ask that you use legal street parking and walk your child to the playground.

Classroom teachers will meet their classes on the playground at 8:30am and guide them to their classrooms. Supervising staff will only remain outside until the tardy bell rings at 8:37am. If a student arrives later than 8:37am, they should head to the front of the school and enter at Door 1.

We appreciate your partnership in helping us start the day with a safe and smooth arrival for all of our students!

School Hours:

8:20am | Morning supervision begins

8:30am | School Doors open

8:37am | School promptly begins

2:45pm | Grades K-4 dismissal (Mondays only)

3:15pm | Grades K-4 dismissal (Tuesday-Friday)

Office Email: danarahkhem@winnetka36.org

Location: 275 Fairview Avenue Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-6060