Crow Island Parent Newsletter

Dear Crow Island Community,

The big day is finally here—our first day of school is tomorrow, Tuesday, September 2nd! I know many different feelings come with the start of a new year—excitement, anticipation, maybe even a few nerves. Our teachers have been hard at work preparing their classrooms and are ready to welcome students with open arms.

Please take a moment to review the important logistics and updates below, as they include key details to help ensure a smooth start. I could not be more excited for tomorrow and look forward to seeing you at drop-off. Enjoy the rest of your long weekend—we’ll see you in the morning!

Sincerely,

Anna

September

• Monday, September 1st | No School, Labor Day

• Tuesday, September 2nd | First Day of School 11:20am Dismissal

• Wednesday, September 3rd | First Full Day of School, Hot Lunch Starts

• Thursday, September 4th | Back to School Bash, 5pm, Back Playground

• Friday, September 5th | Boo-Hoo/Ya-Hoo Kinder Parent Coffee, 8:40am, Front of school

• Wednesday, September 10 | Fire Drill
  

• Wednesday, September 17th | Picture Day

• Wednesday, September 24th | Fall Benchmark Assessments Start for K-4 students

• Thursday, September 25 | Practice Lockdown Drill
  

• Thursday, September 25th | Go to School Night, 6pm

• Tuesday, September 30 | MAP Test – Reading (3rd & 4th Grade)

October

• Wednesday, October 1 | MAP Test – Math (3rd & 4th Grade)
• Thursday, October 2 | No School – Yom Kippur
• Monday, October 6 | Safety Week Begins
• Tuesday, October 7 | Fire Drill
• Wednesday, October 8 | Vision & Hearing Screening
• Thursday, October 9 | Lockdown Drill
• Friday, October 10 | Tornado/Shelter Drill
• Thursday, October 16 | PTO Runathon
• Wednesday, October 22 | Picture Retakes
• Friday, October 24 | Kindergarten Butterfly Migration & Outdoor Performance, 1:30pm
• Wednesday, October 29 | Halloween Parade & Ghost Walk
• Thursday, October 30 | Fall Conferences
• Friday, October 31 | Fall Conferences

*Important Change!* Spirit Day is FRIDAY!- 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!

Tuesday/Wednesday Schedule

• Tuesday, September 2nd is a Half Day. Drop-off times remain the same- supervision begins at 8:20 AM, and instruction begins at 8:37 AM. Pick-up will be at 11:20 AM for all students. The bus will run on Tuesday. For drop-off and pick-up locations, please see below.
• Wednesday, September 3rd will be a full day of school, following the guidelines below. Hot lunch begins today.

Arrival and Dismissal

Morning Arrival

• Supervision begins at 8:20am (Students arriving before this time must be supervised by a parent or caregiver)

• Instruction starts at 8:37am.

Arrival Locations by Grade:

• Kindergarten – Kindergarten Playground (Car drop-off in Circle Drive)

• 1st Grade – 1st Grade Blacktop (Car drop-off in Circle Drive)

• 2nd Grade – Back Playground (Car drop-off in Circle Drive; walk through K playground/Glendale)

• 3rd & 4th Grade – Back Playground (Car drop-off on Glendale Ave, near back playground)

If Raining/Cold: Students enter through Main Entrance or S6 (back door) and go to the auditorium.

Other Notes:

• Walkers/Bikers – Cross Willow only at the officer. Bikes must be walked once on school sidewalks.

• Bus Riders – Drop-off on Willow Road, then walk to assigned grade-level location.

• Multiple Children? – Use the youngest sibling’s drop-off spot.

Afternoon Dismissal

Kindergarten:

• 2:10pm – Pick-up in Circle Drive (unless on extended play).

• Extended Play (3:15pm; 2:45pm on Mondays) – Pick-up in Circle Drive

Grades 1–4:

• Monday: 2:45pm dismissal

• Tuesday–Friday: 3:15pm dismissal

Dismissal by Grade:

• Kindergarten – Circle Drive or bus.

• 1st Grade – Circle Drive; walkers meet at Crow Statue; bus staff assist.

• 2nd Grade – Circle Drive; walkers/bikers go home or meet at Crow Statue.

• 3rd & 4th Grade – Glendale Ave near back playground (unless with younger sibling → Circle Drive); walkers/bikers go home; bus staff assist.

Traffic Reminders

• No left turns into the Circle from westbound Willow.

• Glendale (south of Willow): One-way during drop-off/pick-up.

• Glendale (north of Willow): Southbound only, used for cars queuing into pick-up line.

• Parking: Follow signs; no parking on Glendale. Use Ash or nearby side streets if walking to campus.

• Crosswalks: Always stop—children may not see you.

• No cell phone use in school zone.

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 opens at 9am on Tuesday, September 2nd. This is open for 3rd and 4th grade students. Please note the 3rd grade link is not currently appearing on the website, but we will get it up and running ASAP.

We need your help!

We have two members of our Crow Island Community who are in need of your votes! Read below, and vote today! Please share with your families and friends as well.

Vote for Harper- Youth Athlete of the Year

From Harper's Mom, Corey: Harper, who is a proud Crow Island second grader has advanced to the Top 5 in a national Youth Athlete of the Year competition, and with enough support, he has the opportunity to move forward to the quarterfinals.

What makes this campaign especially meaningful is that it raises funds for two incredible causes:

• The V Foundation (supporting cancer research and awareness)

• The Why Not You Foundation (dedicated to youth education, health, and poverty prevention)

As a mom and a Nurse Manager at Lurie Children’s in pediatric hematology/oncology, this is a very personal cause for me—watching Harper combine his love of hockey with raising awareness and support for kids battling cancer and those striving for brighter futures has been truly inspiring.

To advance, Harper needs to be in 1st place by September 5. Supporters can vote once daily for free, or donate votes with all proceeds going directly to the above foundations.

Here’s the link to vote: https://athleteoftheyear.org/2025/harper-b67a

Vote for Ms. Szczecinski- "Heroes of the Classroom" Finalist

Allie Szczecinski, our SEL Coach at Crow Island Elementary is a finalist in “Heroes of the Classroom” program and could win a $10,000 check for themselves and our school will receive a $5,000 check plus a one-year supply of Kleenex Brand Tissue! The Grand Prize winner is selected through a public vote through September 8. So, it is important to get the word out in our community!

The Grand Prize winner will be announced the week of September 22 with a school wide celebration.

The nine remaining First Prize winners receive a $1,000 Costco Shop gift card for themselves and a $1,000 check for their schools.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ALLIE!

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 for this year. 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. Hot lunch will begin on September 3rd. New and existing families hoping to register a Kindergartner will not be able to until after 10:00 on Friday when it goes live.

School Supplies:

• If you pre-ordered supplies last spring, they will be delivered directly to your child’s classroom.
  
  

• If you did not pre-order, you can view the supply list here: Crow Island School Supplies and bring items on the first day of school.
  
  

Health Forms

Kindergarten Parents- Please upload your child’s health documents HERE. As a reminder, these forms are 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.

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