Hubbard Woods Family Newsletter
November 11, 2024
Dear Hubbard Woods Families,
As we settle into the school year, we’ll be taking some time this week to reflect on your child’s progress and share important updates. In addition to your valuable input and our focus on academics, we will be discussing key areas such as work habits, participation, and your child’s role in the classroom community. Please feel free to share any observations you have about your child’s friendships, behavior, play interactions, or academic progress, as these are essential aspects of their social, emotional, and academic growth.
Thank you for your continued partnership in creating a positive and supportive school experience. We’re excited to work together to support your child’s growth and success.
Best regards,
Ivory Ajavon
Principal
Online Pre-Registration for Incoming Kindergarteners & New Students for the 2025/2026 School Year begins November 18, 2024
Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2025/2026 will begin November 18, 2024. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2025, are eligible to enroll. Questions related to School Admissions and age requirements are addressed in School Board Policy 7:50 School Admissions and student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools.
Hubbard Woods Book Fair
The annual Hubbard Woods Book Fair is almost here! Come shop for your favorite and new books in the Resource Center on Wednesday, November 20th from 2-8pm and Thursday, November 21st, 8-10am. Proceeds go directly to the HW PTO. Please look for presale flyers in your child’s folder to make sure you snag a copy of the most popular titles coming out this year. They will sell out at the fair!
Please also consider making room on your bookshelves by donating your used books to Andrea’s Angels. There will be collection bins at the start of the fair on Wednesday 11/20. Classrooms donating the most books will compete for a fun movie afternoon with Mrs. Delzell in the resource center.
Fall Parent/ Teacher Conferences
November 14th and 15th is an opportunity for families to partner with teachers and better support our students. We look forward to collaborative conversations. Here is some basic information regarding the structures around conferences:
Conferences are scheduled for at least 25 minutes.
We ask that you prioritize conferencing on the days of:
Thursday, November 14th from 8:30am - 11:30am and 12:30pm - 5:30pm . If you can not meet in person during those days, then the teacher will set up a virtual conference on those days.
Friday, November 15th from 8:30am-12:30pm
Teachers may prefer an in-person conference so that work samples and a face to face conversation can take place.
All teachers are available for a conference. If you wish to speak to a non-homeroom teacher for any reason you will want to email that staff member.
*These conferences are focused on general education topics. Special education teachers and clinicians (such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and social workers) are welcome to attend in order to listen to the general education teacher share information about the child's performance in the general education classroom. We ask that no discussions regarding Individual Education Plans (IEPs) take place during this time. If you would like to have an IEP-related meeting, please email your child’s case manager, who will arrange a meeting for you. Parents of students with an IEP will receive official IEP benchmarks at the end of November. The end of the trimester is on November 22nd.
4th Grade Author's Visit - Misa Sugiura
Our 4th graders will visit with author Misa Sugiura on Wednesday, November 20, courtesy of our friends at The Book Stall. Ms. Sugiura will share the first two books in her Momo Arashima series, Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind and Momo Arashima Breaks the Mirror of the Sun. You can learn more about this series and order signed copies of the books directly from The Book Stall by following this link. Please place your orders no later than Sunday, November 17. Questions? Please reach out to our librarian, Liz Delzell at lizdelzell@winnetka36.org.
Belonging Means
The Dimension of Belonging featured in November is “welcomed” and monthly observances include Native American Heritage Month, Diwali, Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving. Learn more by reading the Belonging Means… Newsletter which features contributions from Hubbard Woods and the Department of Human Resources/Professional Development.
AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 5-8
November 13, 2024
9:30 A.M.
Location: Carleton Washburne School Cafeteria
UNESCO, in their 2021 report entitled AI and education: Guidance for policy-makers stated that:
“AI is said to be a key enabler of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)…A recent global estimate suggests that 30% of work activities could be automated by 2030. Up to 375 million workers worldwide could be affected...Meanwhile, however, AI and other frontier technologies are increasing the range of high-skill jobs that require unique creative and analytical abilities and human interactions. In short, many workers’ jobs might disappear, and they will need to develop new skill sets – upskilling or reskilling – to enable them to enter the new occupations made possible by AI. Education ministries and training providers need to anticipate these changes, equipping today’s workers and preparing new generations with the necessary technical and social job skills, to smooth the transition to a world dominated by AI, while ensuring social sustainability.”
Artificial Intelligence is “out of the toothpaste tube” and is not going back in. In response, we’ll share with parents the steps we’re taking to increase the literacy of our students of Artificial Intelligence and how we’re preparing them to be responsible users of this tool.
Interested:
If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:
Insights on K-8 Literacy Programming in The Winnetka Public Schools
What to Know About the Otus Parent Portal
Save the Dates
Thursday, November 14th - Fall Teacher/ Parent Conference Day 1 (8:30am-5:30pm)
Friday, November 15th - Fall Teacher/ Parent Conference Day 2 (8:30am-12:30pm)
Tuesday, November 19th - School Board Meeting (7:15pm) at Washburne
Wednesday, November 20th 2pm-8pm - Hubbard Woods Book Fair
Thursday, November 21st 8am-10am - Hubbard Woods Book Fair
Week of November 25th - 29th - No School