Monday Memo

Dear Washburne Families,

We hope you had a great weekend! We wrapped up MAP testing last week and are now conducting make-up sessions to ensure all students complete the assessment. This week, we are gearing up for Autumn Fest and look forward to having fun as a school community through this exciting fall tradition! Below, you will find some food allergy information to review with your child.

In a previous newsletter, we mentioned the work our KW department is doing to provide tier 1 mental health support in classrooms. Our partnership with Erika’s Lighthouse was on full display, and Candice Florance, a KW Teacher, appeared on NBC Chicago to explain this important work.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR2OCqU4GWg. This is such unique work and ties directly back to supporting students at Washburne.

Luke Livingston

Principal

Ben Horwitz

Assistant Principal

October:

Friday, October 10 | Autumn Fest

Thursday, October 16 | New Trier Band Festival Concert 6:15pm

Monday, October 27 | Washburne Safety Week

Wednesday, October 29 | Lockdown Safety Drill

Thursday, October 30 | Conferences

Friday, October 31 | Conferences

Conferences

Fall conferences across the district will be on Thursday, October 30th and Friday, October 31st. Families will be able to sign up for a 20 minute conference with your child’s advisor beginning on October 3rd at 12:00 PM.

Last year, Washburne changed its fall conference model to five-minute sessions with individual teachers since these conferences took place at the end of the trimester. With a return to earlier conferences this year, we are shifting back to our traditional advisor conferences in the fall. Individual five minute conferences will remain the model for our winter conferences.

Instructions on how to access for our new conference scheduling platform, Parents’ Meeting, were sent to families on September 25. We encourage you to attempt logging in ahead of time so that you’re ready when scheduling begins. These instructions have also been placed in your PowerSchool Parent Portal Document Library in case you cannot find the email or the link has expired. Conference sign-ups will be available from October 3 at 12:00 PM through October 28 at 12:00 PM (CT). If you experience any difficulty with logging in, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at help@winnetka36.org.

Autumn Fest and Food Allergies:

We are hosting our Autumn Fest on Friday at 2:30 - 3:30pm. All students will participate and it is going to be a lot of fun! As part of the festivities there are treats and food items invovled. You can access all of the ingredients here: Allergy Listing for Autumn Fest

Parent Survey: Calendar

In consideration of the 26/27 School Year, the Winnetka Public Schools Calendar Committee is seeking feedback from Winnetka families. Creation of a school year calendar is dictated by the collective bargaining agreement between the School Board and the Winnetka Education Association as well as requirements from the state. This feedback will provide the committee with a sense of families’ priorities when it comes to planning for a new school year.

The survey window will be open from October 1 to October 17.

Boys & Girls Basketball:

This registration is for our interscholastic, competitive boys basketball team tryout. Tryouts will be 2-3 days (all days required attendance) the week of October 20th (more details in the Monday Memo). Practices will occur Tue/Wed/Thu from either 3:30-5:00 or 5:00-6:30 and Friday from either 7-8 am or 3:30-5. Games are all during the week, Monday through Friday starting at either 4:00 or 5:00. We will have 2 teams (Green and White) consisting of 11 players each. Each team will also keep up to 4 kids on the practice squad. Refunds will be issued for students not continuing on with the program. Contact AndyBecker@winnetka36.org with questions. Boys Basketball is live on the District Web Store. Registration opens at 9am on Tuesday, September 30th.

2025-26 Basketball Tryout Dates/Times are set. Students need to be registered online for basketball and should attend all tryout dates to be considered for the team. Families will be emailed the results of tryouts to the address used during registration. Contact AndyBecker@winnekta36.org for more information.

Monday, Oct. 20

2:30-4:00 7th Grade Boys

4:00-5:30 8th Grade Boys

Tuesday, Oct. 21

3:30-5:00 7th Grade Girls

5:00-6:30 8th Grade Girls

Wednesday, Oct. 22

3:30-5:00 8th Grade Boys

5:00-6:30 7th Grade Boys

Thursday, Oct. 23

3:30-5:00 8th Grade Girls

5:00-6:30 7th Grade Girls

Friday, Oct. 24

3:30-5:00 - 3rd day for teams that may need it

Student Ambassador Program (8th Gr Only):

As a means to honor the student experience and elevate the critical importance of student voice and civic contribution, The Winnetka Public Schools will be introducing a Student Ambassador Program at the start of the 2025/2026 school year. Participation in the Student Ambassador Program will involve simultaneous membership in a chapter of the National Junior Honor Society.

Program Overview
Applications go live Monday, September 22: Students Apply Here. 8th grade students were emailed the application and can access it via their email. Parents should check-in with their student to view the application.

8th Grade Students will be receiving this application via schoology and their student email.

Washington DC Trip 8th grade

We are sharing information from World Strides about next year's 8th grade Washington DC Trip (please note, this is not a school-sponsored trip).You can register for the trip here.

Questions? Reach out to DJ Barraca or Teri Knaff.

PTO Dues:

You can use the QR code in the picture below to pay for your dues.

Otus Data

While benchmark testing is occurring, we have limited family access in Otus to benchmark scores as new scores are being processed and updated. Once everything is up to date and clean, we will reactivate these scores for families. You may still log in during this time but will not be able to view your student’s data until October 20.

This year students in Grades K-8 will participate in academic benchmark assessments of literacy, math and social emotional learning starting September 25-October 10. On October 20, results will be emailed home, available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal, as well as online via Otus.com.

Winnetka Parent’s Institute (WPI) Schedule 25/26

Progressive Tenets in Action: Whole Child Approach

October 15, 2025

9:30 A.M.

Location: SK Community Room

Join the first in a three-part series that will explore the District’s Progressive Education Tenets. Learn about what a Whole Child Approach means and how it comes alive in our classrooms.

Interested:

RSVP for this event here

Following the event a link will be provided to the taped presentation on the website.

Feedback Link

E-Scooter and Other Motor-Driven Vehicle Regulations Effective Immediately

At the September 16 Village Council meeting, an ordinance was passed regulating the use of motor-driven vehicles, including electric scooters (e-scooters) and motor-driven cycles* (commonly known as e-dirt bikes or e-motos). This ordinance is effective immediately and violations can result in a fine: both to the violator and their responsible parent, when applicable.

Operators of e-scooters must be at least 18 years of age and possess a valid driver’s license: this is in alignment with State of Illinois legislation regarding low-speed e-scooters. Operators of motor-driven vehicles must be at least 16 years of age, possess a valid driver’s license, and have the vehicle properly titled and registered. In either case, it is a violation to alter the vehicle’s original manufacturer’s design to change its speed, method of propulsion, braking, or other operations.

It is also unlawful for more than one person to ride on an e-scooter or other motor-driven vehicle. Both e-scooters and other motor-driven vehicles cannot be driven on public sidewalks or within Village-owned parks, in Village-owned or Village-maintained parking lots, or on the Green Bay Trail.

Volunteer Center Junior Board:

The Junior Board at the Volunteer Center is a dynamic group of 6th-8th graders in New Trier township passionate about making a difference in their community. Through hands-on service projects, leadership development, and team collaboration, board members gain invaluable experience while giving back. It’s an incredible opportunity for youth to develop skills, connect with peers, and create meaningful change. Whether you're looking to make new friends or build leadership skills, the Junior Board is where tomorrow’s leaders start today!

Optional Fees & Services – Deadline: Monday, September 29, 2025

✅ Visit the Web Store for more information and to register or purchase optional services.

iPad Accidental Damage or Lost/Stolen Coverage

Students in grades K–8 may purchase iPad coverage for $30. This plan covers accidental damage or the loss/theft of a device.

Important: Coverage must be purchased by Monday, September 29, 2025. After this date, it will no longer be available for current students.

Transportation Service

Bus registration reopened September 15, 2025 at a flat fee of $550 for:

· One-way AM service

· One-way PM service

· Two-way service

Please note:

· There is no longer a separate fee for one-way vs. two-way service.