Skokie Home Scoop

Dear Families:

Regardless of how many new-school-year "firsts" your family is experiencing, this week always brings a tremendous amount of excitement for some, jitters for others, and a mix of emotions as we let go of summer and embrace a brand new school year. Our educators are excited to begin this year in partnership with you.

We look forward to seeing everyone at our Meet and Greets tomorrow, and we especially look forward to welcoming your children to Skokie on Wednesday!

Students should plan to arrive at school by 8:15 every day for an 8:25 start. Teachers will meet students outside, in the circle drive, on the first day of school. We are excited to welcome everyone for their first day of school!

• Tuesday, August 25th: Meet and Greet, 2:15-3:15pm

• Wednesday, August 26th: First Day of School (½ Day: 8:30-11:50 am) Lunch will not be served at school on this date. There will be bus service on this date.

• September 8th-11th: Skokie Safety Week

• Thursday, September 10th: Skokie Go to School Night 6:00-7:30 pm.

• Monday, September 21st: No School, Yom Kippur

• Wednesday, October 7th: Picture Day

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.

New Process Required for Volunteers in Our Schools

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.

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.

Cross country will once again be available for 6th grade participation this fall. We will have our first practices on Tuesday, Sept 1st. Standard practices are Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays/Fridays from 3:30-4:30, and students are welcome to join us as their schedule allows.

Students who plan to participate in cross country should plan to meet their coaches on the back field after school, ready to participate in comfortable athletic clothing and should have a water bottle with them as well. If there is rain, or the fields are unusable, the teams will meet in the hallway outside of the Washburne gyms for a quick team meeting.

The doors for Washburne by the basketball hoop on Elm Street should be open after school for students to get into the building. If your child is interested in participating in cross country, they need to be registered online here (It is listed under Washburne Sports). Students also must have an updated physical on file with the Skokie Nurse. Please contact Andy Becker with any questions (AndyBecker@winnetka36.org)

Sincerely,

Michelle Cooney, Principal

Emily Castillo-Oh, Assistant Principal

Maria Grable, Interim Assistant Principal