Greeley Greeting

Dear Families,

We are thrilled to kick off a new school year and to see all 355 of our students walking through our doors today. As a reminder, today is a half day with 11:20 a.m. dismissal. Please be sure your child’s teacher knows their end-of-day plan so dismissal can run smoothly for everyone.

With excitement for a joyful year ahead,
Principal Kopinski

September

• Tuesday, 9/2: First Day of School (½ Day: 8:30-11:20 am) Busses will run on this date, but lunch will not be served.

• Wednesday, 9/3: Marla's Lunch service begins for K-4 students (for ordering, see the PTO website)

• Friday, 9/12: PTO New Family Welcome Party

• Monday, 9/22: No School (Institute Day for staff)

• Tuesday, 9/23: No School (Rosh Hashanah)

• Wednesday, 9/24: Picture Day

• Thursday 9/25: Greeley Go to School Night 6:00-7:30 pm.

• Wednesday 9/24-Friday, 9/26: Greeley Safety Week

October

• Thursday, 10/2: No School (Yom Kippur)
• Friday, 10/24: Kindergarten Monarch Migration, 9:15am
• Wednesday, 10/29: Greeley Ghost Walk and Ghost Dance
• Thursday, 10/30: Parent Teacher Conferences (No School)
• Friday, 10/31: Parent Teacher Conferences (No School)

November

• Wednesday, 11/5: Picture Retake Day
• Monday 11/24-Friday, 11/28: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

Please welcome Señora Julie Soto to our related arts team this year as our Spanish Teacher. Señora Soto has many years of experience in education helping students grow and learn the Spanish Language in fun and engaging ways. Señora Soto most recently served as a Spanish Teacher at St. Francis Xavier School in Wilmette. She earned her Bachelor’s degree as well as her Master's degree from DePaul University in Chicago. We can’t wait for our students and families to get to know her!

We are excited to welcome Ms. Lindsy Webb to the Greeley team as our new part-time Speech-Language Pathologist! Ms. Webb brings nine years of experience providing speech and language therapy services in public schools, private practice, and through teletherapy.

Originally from the Northwest suburbs, she spent seven years in Las Vegas before returning to Chicago two years ago. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s degree from St. Xavier University.

Outside of school, Ms. Webb enjoys time by the lakefront, cheering on the Cubs, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with family. She is eager to get to know our students and families and looks forward to a wonderful year ahead at Greeley!

In this special book club edition of the podcast, The Winnetka Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kelly Tess and Dr. Devorah Heitner, bestselling author of Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World, have a candid conversation about helping kids navigate today’s complex digital landscape. From privacy and 'cancel culture' to AI, sexting, going viral, and the nonstop cycle of sharing and comparing, Dr. Heitner offers practical, research-backed advice to guide children toward thoughtful, responsible use of technology.

Listen here:

Apple Podcast

Amazon

Spotify

iHeart

Registration for Bracelets and Beads Club and Blocks, Trains, and Cars Club will open today at 9am. Please register online on the District Web Store Link Below.

Registration for Cooking Club and Typing Club will open on Tuesday, September 9th at 9am.

See flyers for these clubs below in the Repeated Information section of the newsletter.

We are excited to welcome our students each morning with a new play opportunity and want to share a few reminders so that arrival runs smoothly and safely for everyone. This information is meant for families of students in grades 1-4; Kindergarten families will receive information from their child's kindergarten teacher regarding arrival procedures soon.

Playground Supervision
Staff will begin supervising the Grades 1–4 playground at 8:20 a.m. When students arrive, they should place their backpacks in line behind their teacher’s cone before heading off to play. This keeps the playground safe and organized for all.

Bus Riders

• Buses drop off on Hawthorn.

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

Walkers

• Please encourage your child to always use a crosswalk when coming to school.

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

Bike Riders

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

• After parking, bike riders will walk and follow the directions of our Student Safety Patrol:

  • Head south to the corner of Fairview and Elder.

  • Turn left and enter through the Elder Gate.

Car Riders

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

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

• Students will then walk to the Elder Gate to join the playground.

• To keep things moving, drivers should 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.

• Because they are needed for playground supervision, staff will no longer be able to open car doors.

Classroom teachers will meet their classes on the playground at 8:30am and guide them to their classrooms. At 8:37am, newly arriving students will be directed to enter the main entrance at Door 1 to receive a tardy slip.

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

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.

Greeley’s PTO, in partnership with the District, offers extracurricular activities called Discovery Clubs, specialty programming for Greeley students after the school day ends. These seasonal Clubs are offered in three sessions - fall, winter and spring. Greeley 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.

Please hold the following dates for Winter Sharing, Spring Sings, and our Strings Concerts.

Winter Sharing:

Grades K-4: Wednesday, December 17th at 6pm

Spring Sings:

K/3/4: Thursday, May 21st, starting at 5:30m

1/2: Tuesday, May 26th, starting at 6pm

Greeley Strings Concert:

Wednesday, April 22nd at 6:30pm

We have a great new assortment of club choices from our amazing teachers. Please see the flyers below. (Depending on your device, to click on links in a S'more email, you may need to scroll to the top of the email and click to view the newsletter in the browser).

This year, with our move to three lunch periods, we’re hoping to simplify lunchtime routines for students and staff. Last year, we noticed a large number of Uber Eats deliveries and parent drop-offs each day, which made the lunch hour more complicated. To help things run smoothly, we kindly ask that families send lunches with students in their backpacks each morning, and reserve delivery services like Uber Eats for special circumstances only, such as a forgotten lunch.

Thank you for your support in helping us ensure that every student has what they need for a successful school day!

School Hours:

8:20am | Morning supervision begins

8:30am | School Doors open

8:37am | School promptly begins

2:10pm | Extended day kindergarten dismissal (Monday-Friday)

2:45pm | Grades 1-4 & Stay and Play kindergarten dismissal (Mondays only)

3:15pm | Grades 1-4 & Stay and Play kindergarten dismissal (Tuesday-Friday)

Office Email: danarahkhem@winnetka36.org

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