Monday Memo

Good Morning Washburne Families,

We are excited to begin our first full week of school! Each day, we will highlight our student message in the daily bulletin, which is reviewed with students during advisory. The bulletin includes important reminders and updates about clubs, sports, school events, and other opportunities for students.

We also appreciate your support in reinforcing safe and respectful bike practices. Bikes should be parked in the bike racks when students arrive at school. Bikes left on sidewalks or near the street may be removed because they block safe passage for others. We have also received reports from neighbors on Ash Street and nearby streets about students riding unsafely, including riding in the middle of the street. If your child rides a bike to or from school, please take a moment to review safe riding expectations with them.

Dr. Luke Livingston, Principal

Ms. Britta Dahlberg, Assistant Principal

September:

Monday, September 7 | No School Labor Day

Wednesday, September 9 | Go to School Night

Monday, September 21 | Yom Kippur No School

Tuesday, September 22 | Picture Day

Wednesday, September 23 | Fall MAP Testing Reading

Thursday, September 24 | Fall MAP Testing Math

Friday, September 25 | Back to School Bash

Monday, September 28 | Washburne Safety Week Begins

Wednedsay, September 29 | Shelter/Tornado Drill

Thursday, September 30 | Lockdown Drill with Winnetka Police Department

October:

Friday, October 2 | Fire Drill

Monday is Washburne Spirit Day:

On Monday's we will wear our Washburne gear to celebrate our school.

Washburne Practices and Guidelines:

These are friendly reminders about practices and guidelines related to Washburne: Practices and Guidelines 2026-2027

Hot Lunch:

Washburne has a hot lunch program and it begins on Thursday. You can find all the information here: Washburne Hot Lunch Details.

Fall Sports

Fall sports will be starting up right away this school year. We will once again offer 3 sports: Girls Volleyball (7-8), Coed Cross Country (6-8), and Coed Soccer (7-8).

The annual Washburne Sports parent meeting will be on Wednesday, August 26 at 6:00 on zoom. Please use this link to attend this brief session as we discuss all things related to sports for the 26-27 school year.

Requirements for all sports include being fully registered online (See below) and having a current physical on file with the Washburne Nurse.

Cross country and soccer will have their first practices on Tuesday, Sept 1st. Students who plan to participate in these sports should plan to meet their coaches on the back field after school, ready to participate. If there is rain, or the fields are unusable, the teams will meet in the hallway outside of the gyms for a quick team meeting.

Girls volleyball will have tryouts on Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th from 3:30-5:30. If needed, we will have a 3rd tryout day on Monday, August 31 from 2:30-4:00. The 3rd tryout date will be determined after Friday's tryout and communicated to families immediately. Girls should plan to attend both days of tryouts. The first practice will be on Tuesday, Sept 1 from 3:30-5:00.

Registration for all three sports will be found online here. Registration may not be live yet - but can be found by following this link. If you have any questions, please reach out to Andy Becker at AndyBecker@winnekta36.org

Extracurricular & Sports:

Washburne offers a variety of clubs and sports. This is a list and is also shared on the Washburne Website.

Chess for Success:

Classes beginning MONDAY 9/14 through 11/16/2026, 7:45-8:15am weekly.

Chess-Ed will provide this unique, exciting, and dynamic chess instructional program which lifts each student to a new level of chess expertise. The basics and beyond, such as opening theory with different openings, middle game tactics, and strategies, plus end game combinations are part of the lessons taught.

Studies confirm that the student who plays chess does better academically and throughout life. Chess increases IQ performance, uses analytical and critical thinking skills, teaches problem solving, responsibility, decision making, good sportsmanship, and social skills. We hope your student will join us for the morning “brain-warm-up” with chess!

This 9-week program will be offered: 9/14, (no school 9/21), 9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, and 11/16/2026. Early register fee is $135 (NO FEE INCREASE again), and continues thru Monday, 9/8 . (Final fee $165 begins 9/9/2026.)

https://skokie-washburnefallchess2026.eventbee.com

Monthly Observances | September | LatinX Heritage Month & Patriot Day:

As part of The Winnetka Public Schools' ongoing commitment to equity by fostering connection and belonging, our schools will take time each month to recognize the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds. Observances will look different at all schools and even at different grade levels. Some activities might include art, music, book studies, research projects, sharing cultural holidays and celebrations, and other school activities.

For the month of September we are celebrating Latin X Heritage Month as well as Patriot’s Day. More information is included below…

In September, we celebrate LatinX Heritage Month in the United States each year. This tradition began in 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Week. The dates for LatinX Heritage Month were chosen to coincide with the Independence Day celebrations of many Latin American nations when they declared independence from Spain.

During LatinX Heritage Month, we celebrate the countless contributions that Hispanic Americans have made to our nation. We also take this time to recognize the trailblazing individuals who fought for progress and equity for their communities. Throughout this month, teachers will incorporate this into their classrooms with age and grade appropriate materials. In addition, our library will be sharing some resources for families at home. You can access two of the resources here:

Families can learn more about LatinX Heritage Month here.
You can access our library collection via Destiny here: Destiny collection

As a school, we will also celebrate Patriot’s Day on September 11th. Patriot’s Day is a national day of remembrance for those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. In the morning, our school will take a moment of silence when we complete the Pledge of Allegiance as a school community

Parent Volunteer Sign-Up/Form:

We are excited to announce that beginning this school year, The Winnetka Public Schools will be using Raptor VolunteerSafe to manage volunteer applications, approvals, and background screening requirements across the district.

Volunteers play an important role in supporting our students, staff, and schools. 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.

Through VolunteerSafe, volunteers will be able to:

Complete and submit volunteer applications online
Receive approval notifications electronically
Complete required background screening requirements
Manage volunteer information in one secure location
Easily participate in school events, field trips, and volunteer opportunities

All volunteers, including field trip chaperones and classroom volunteers, will be required to complete the VolunteerSafe application process prior to volunteering during the school year.

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.

We appreciate your partnership and commitment to making sure our campuses, students and staff are as safe to work and learn as possible. Together, we can continue creating a safe, welcoming, and engaging environment for all students.

Personal and Instructional Technology

Beginning in the Fall of 2024, The School Board approved the introduction of Yondr Pouches in grades 5-8, eliminating the use of personal technology on our middle school campuses. Personal technology includes items such as cell/smart phones, airpods/earbuds, smartwatches, etc. While our K-4 schools do not utilize Yondr Pouches, access to personal technology is not allowed on any of our school sites during school hours and will be enforced. Students are not to engage with personal technology during instructional hours and will be subject to disciplinary consequences for using personal technology, including but not limited to parents reclaiming devices in the main office, and/or loss of privileges. Parents may call the main office of their child’s school to relay any messages during the school day.

When it comes to instructional technology, these are tech devices that are issued by the District for student use. While we have an educational obligation to ensure our students are appropriately exposed to technology to equip them with the skills and discernment to be responsible users, we are also a school district rooted in a deep history of progressive education, which places a high value on experiential and meaningful learning through hands-on, imaginative, social and highly engaging learning experiences. We are committed to ensuring that these two educational responsibilities (technology and progressive education) co-exist in our classrooms. As a result, we will be seeking staff and family feedback on the use of instructional technology. We will use this information to help us shape clearer guidelines and communication for staff and families on the use of instructional technology in the classroom. Keep an eye out for opportunities to learn more and share your feedback.

District Communication:

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.

PRINCIPAL MESSAGE PRINCIPAL MESSAGE

UPCOMING DATES UPCOMING DATES

PRIORITY INFORMATION PRIORITY INFORMATION

CONTACT WASHBURNE CONTACT WASHBURNE

PRINCIPAL MESSAGE

UPCOMING DATES

PRIORITY INFORMATION

CONTACT WASHBURNE