Hubbard Woods Family Newsletter
March 10, 2025
We ask that you please take a moment to fill out this Parent Survey Supplement. This allows parents/guardians to share their perspectives on the important elements of our school community. If at least 20% of parents from Hubbard Woods complete the survey, a parent report will be generated. Currently Hubbard Woods is at 5%. We appreciate your continued support and feedback.
All the best,
Ivory Ajavon
Principal
Homework Tips & Tricks for Parents
The Homework & Executive Functioning Network has compiled a list of tips and tricks to support students and parents with homework success at home. Review the list here!
Counted Out - Math Documentary Screening
On April 8 from 6:00-8:00 p.m., a free community showing of the documentary Counted Out will be held in the Skokie Auditorium, followed by a brief facilitated discussion with participants. If you are interested in attending, please register here.
About the film:
“Counted Out” investigates the biggest crises of our time. Political polarization. Racial biases. Social injustice. Economic inequity. Climate change. And a global pandemic. All viewed through a previously unseen lens: math.
In our current information economy, math is everywhere.The people we date, the news we see, the influence of our votes, the candidates who win elections, the education we can access, the jobs we get is all underwritten by an invisible layer of math that few of us understand, or even notice.
But whether we know it or not, our numeric literacy — whether we can speak the language of math — is a critical determinant of social and economic power.
Through a mosaic of personal stories, expert interviews, and scenes of math transformation in action, “Counted Out” shows what’s at risk if we keep the status quo. Do we want an America in which most of us don’t consider ourselves “math people?” Where math proficiency goes down as students grow up? Or do we want a country where everyone can understand the math that undergirds our society — and can help shape it?
The film’s voices include the late civil rights icon Robert Moses as well as Talithia Williams, associate professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd University and TEDx speaker of “Own Your Body’s Data,” Julia Angwin, investigative journalist and founder of Proof, Steven Levitt, co-author of “Freakonomics.”
Season 3, Episode #7: “Be Where Your Feet Are”: Benefits of Cell Phone-Free Schools
A bold decision was made in The Winnetka Public Schools to counter the growing disruption of personal technology in our learning environments. Yondr, a secure storage system for personal technology was implemented in grades 5-8 in September 2024. Dr. Kelly Tess is joined by Flossmoor School District 161 Superintendent, Dr. Dana Smith, who spearheaded the adoption of this program in Illinois. The conversation touches on research highlighted in the recent bestseller The Anxious Generation, including the impact of cell phone use on adolescents’ neurological development and mental health. Special guests, Carleton Washburne School students Ellie and Lulu, share their candid thoughts on the “new normal” in middle school in Winnetka. The upshot: “I feel like its not that big of a deal…you get used to it.”
Listen here:
Erin's Law Information for Families
Beginning this Spring, building social workers and/or classroom teachers will implement state-mandated sexual abuse prevention education during one 20-30 minute session in each classroom. Parents have the option to opt their children out of the program as they deem appropriate by completing this form by March 14th. For more detailed information about Erin's Law, including curriculum content and zoom opportunity with social work staff, please refer to the Erin’s Law page of the District website or by contacting your school’s social worker, Marion Greenwood.
5 Essentials Survey (run all month)
District 36 has chosen to provide the optional Parent Survey Supplement. This allows parents/guardians to share their perspectives on the important elements of school effectiveness. If at least 20% of parents from your student’s school complete the survey, a parent report will be generated. **Please note that parent survey data will not be included in the State Report Card but will be valuable for school and district improvement planning.
Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement efforts. All responses are completely confidential and will never be linked back to you or your child. To complete the Parent Survey, click here.
After- School Discovery Club Survey
Please take a few minutes to complete this survey no later than 3:15 PM on March 14th to help us improve our after-school Discovery Club programming run by Right at School. In an effort to encourage honest feedback, no personal data will be collected in connection with this survey. However, please feel free to email d36centralpto@gmail.com with any questions regarding this survey. Thank you!
Single-Subject and Grade Level Acceleration
The Accelerated Placement Act requires Illinois public school districts to adopt and implement policies on acceleration that provide opportunities for single subject and grade level acceleration. To learn more about District 36’s acceleration policy implementation view this infographic or visit our updated webpage. The request form for accelerated programming in the 2025/26 school year is now open; the request form window is February 24-March 21. If you have questions about the policy, please contact the Asst Supt of Innovation, Teaching and Learning, Dr. Becky Mathison, at beckymathison@winnetka36.org.
Adventures In Learning 2025
Get ready for an exciting Summer 2025 filled with opportunities for growth and learning! We are thrilled to offer a dynamic range of Adventures in Learning (AIL) programs, including Discover, Extended School Year, and Academic Intervention Classes. These programs are designed to provide enriching educational experiences and support for students throughout the summer months.
The Winnetka Public Schools will host summer programs at Greeley and Hubbard Woods Elementary schools from June 23 to July 24, 2025. There will be no class on Friday, July 4. The hours are 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Registration opens March 3, 2025. Details are here.
Monthly Observances/Dimensions of Belonging
The Dimension of Belonging featured in March is “Supported” and monthly observances include Women’s History Month. Learn more by reading the Belonging Means… Newsletter which features contributions from Greeley School and the Department of Innovation, Teaching and Learning.
Winnetka Parents Institute Sessions
The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. View the entire 2024/2025 schedule here.
Up Next:
Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager: The Developmental Progression of the Middle School Child
March 12, 2025
9:30 AM
The Skokie School Community Room
Join Principal Cooney and Assistant Principal Joynt (The Skokie School) and Principal Fenton and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will spend time exploring both the academic and social-emotional needs appropriate to 5th-8th grade children, how they change over that four year span, as well as the neurological changes that contribute to these needs. Parents with current middle schoolers, or soon-to-be middle schoolers, are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.
Interested:
If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:
Save the Dates
Wednesday, March 12th at 6pm Family Math Night
Tuesday, March 18th at 7:15pm - School Board Meeting at Washburne
Monday, March 24th - Friday, March 28th - Spring Break
Monday, March 31st - School Resumes