Crow Island Parent Newsletter
December 15th, 2025
Dear Crow Island Community,
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and stayed warm! We’ve officially arrived at our final week before Winter Break, and there is lots of excitement buzzing around Crow Island.
We kicked off Spirit Week today with Mismatch Monday and are looking forward to Sports Day, Ugly Sweater Day, Dress Up Day, and Cozy Day throughout the week. Students have been practicing hard for their Winter Sing and are almost ready to share their performance with families on Thursday. As a reminder, please be sure to pre-register using this link if you haven’t already.
We are also grateful to welcome members of the Volunteer Center, who are visiting classrooms to talk with students about the importance of giving back and our annual Sack Supper service project. On Friday, students will take part in a hands-on service experience by assembling meals for those in need. With donated food items from families, students will prepare sandwiches and brown bag dinners during their classroom holiday parties. This cherished Crow Island tradition truly brings the spirit of giving to life during the holidays.
I’m looking forward to a week full of joy, excitement, and generosity and hope to see many of you on Thursday for the Winter Sing!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and hope you take the time to recharge and relax with your loved ones!
Sincerely,
Anna
December
- Monday, December 15th- Friday, December 19th | Spirit Week
- Thursday, December 18th | Winter Sing
- Friday, December 19th | Sack Supper
- Saturday, December 20th | Winter Break Begins
January
- Monday, January 5th | School Resumes
- Monday, January 19th | MLK Day- No School
- Wednesday, January 21st | Winter MAP Reading Test- 3rd and 4th grade
- Thursday, January 22nd | Winter MAP Math Test- 3rd and 4th grade
- Thursday, January 29th | Pioneer Room Open House (9:30 AM)
- Thursday, January 29th | Math Night (5:30-6:15 PM: 1st and 2nd Grade, 6:30-7:15 PM: 3rd and 4th Grade)
Lighthouse Moment: 3rd Grade Robot Parade
Third Grade students read "Balloons Over Broadway" with Ms. Maneck, bringing to life the inspirational story of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who created the iconic giant balloons featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
During Tech, with Mrs. Banas and Ms. Maneck, students worked in pairs to design and build their own balloon floats. They began by creating an annotated sketch of their design, then brought it to life using a variety of materials in the Creation Station (MakerSpace). Once their floats were complete, students learned the basics of coding and programmed the Root Robot to carry their float down the parade route in the Creation Station.
We concluded the project by inviting other classrooms to attend our robot parade and celebrate the third graders' hard work!
This project showcases many elements of our Portrait of a Student. Students practiced collaboration, communication, and empathy as they worked with partners to create a float they both felt proud of. They demonstrated adaptability and resilience when balloons popped or designs didn't go as planned, and they learned to persevere through challenges. Along the way, students explored history, engaged in the design process, developed computational thinking skills, and -- most importantly -- were creative and had fun!
Winnetka Parents Institute (WPI): Differentiation: What is it and how can I tell if my child is having a differentiated experience?
January 21 at 9:30 AM
Location: Washburne RC
Join this session led by the Dept of Innovation, Teaching and Learning to learn a bit about what differentiated instruction is, the conditions needed in order to implement, and what it looks like in action in District 36 classrooms.
Incoming Kindergarten Family Information Night with Winnetka Administration
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Register for Kindergarten in 26/27 on-site from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Session from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Greeley School
275 Fairview Ave., Winnetka
This informational session is for Winnetka parents whose children will enter Kindergarten in the 2026/2027 school year. Parents will learn the resources and experiences that await students once they begin Kindergarten in The Winnetka Public Schools.
Families will learn about:
The Transition-to-Kindergarten process, presented by the Principals of Crow Island, Greeley, and Hubbard Woods Schools
A glimpse into a typical Kindergarten day in The Winnetka Public Schools
Supports for student needs that are available through the Department of Student Services, Equity and Inclusion
We look forward to welcoming our incoming 2026–2027 Kindergarten families at this event!
RSVP here.
Math Pilot: Parent Feedback Requested
As part of our ongoing K–8 math curricular review, we invite you to share your input on the home support resources provided by the Fall 2025 pilot programs. Your feedback will help the Math Leadership Team understand how each tool supports families and which are most useful at home.
Please take a few minutes to complete the brief survey linked below. Your perspective is greatly appreciated. This survey will remain open until January 7.
Survey Link
Pick-up/drop off during lunch and recess
As a reminder, our policy is that students should not be picked up or dropped off during lunch/recess from 11:30 AM- 12:20 PM. Please feel free to pick them up just before lunch and drop them off just after as needed. This is for safety reasons. We appreciate your support with this!
Winter Sing Reminders
***Winter Sing Pre-registration*** Please complete by today (Monday, December 15th).
All visitors will need to be entered through our security system and receive a visitor badge.To avoid long lines during the Winter Sing we are asking all guests to pre-register so that we can print visitor badges in advance. Please use this link to RSVP and register and each visitor will need to register.
Winter Sing Details:
We are looking forward to seeing you all at this year’s Winter Sing on Thursday, December 18th! Children will perform at each performance time, but as always, students may sit together with their families during their family's performance time when they are not onstage. You are all invited to join us at the time assigned to your last name:
Performance Times:
9:00- Last Name A-G
10:30AM- Last Name H-O
1:00PM- Last Name P-Z
For capacity reasons, please plan to attend during your assigned time. However, if you have an unavoidable conflict with your assigned time, please email your preferred time to Kanella Roumeliotis at kanellaroumeliotis@winnetka36.org, in addition to your child(ren)’s homeroom teacher.
In this year’s sing, we are celebrating our district wide theme of “belonging”. Each grade will sing songs within the theme of belonging, in addition to our tradition of singalong songs. In addition to the sing, we will have a donation drive for Betsy’s Blankets in partnership with the PTO. Stay tuned for more information on how to contribute!
Traffic Reminders
- Please be sure that you are not stopping on Glendale Ave. when turning into the circle.
- Be sure to wait until there is room to enter the circle before turning off of Willow Rd.
- Additionally, when exiting the circle, please do not turn left until there is space to fit your vehicle without blocking Glendale.
- Finally, please pull over as far to the right as possible on Glendale when picking up a student from the back playground.
Crow Island 101 Document:
Our Crow Island 101 Guide is a helpful, at-a-glance resource for families. Many parents like to keep a copy in their kitchen for quick reference. You can view it here: Crow 101 Document.
Arrival & Dismissal:
Please take a few minutes to review our Arrival & Dismissal procedures. These routines help ensure a safe and smooth start and end to each school day for all students.
Hot Lunch Program:
Crow Island has a hot lunch program run through a third party collaboration with our PTO called Marla's Lunch. You can register and sign-up here: Marla's Hot Lunch.
Spirit Day:
Crow Island Spirit Day will be on FRIDAYS this year! Get your Crow Island Spirit wear from our PTO Store here!
Morning Drop-off Reminders
As a reminder, please note the following regarding morning drop-off:
- Supervision begins at 8:20 AM. Students should not arrive at school unsupervised until 8:20 AM.
- Due to the number of students and the varying age levels, students should not bring balls to use in the morning on the playground.
District Update: Erin's Law
In March 2021 the District began providing state-mandated sexual abuse prevention education for all students in compliance with Erin’s Law. Erin’s Law is prevention-based, bringing sexual abuse education into public schools using age appropriate curriculum. Thanks to Erin’s Law, children are being taught to recognize abuse and learning what to do if they need assistance. Erin’s Law requires all public schools to provide education on sexual abuse prevention for all students, early childhood through 12th grade, annually. This law also requires educators to take part in training classes that cover sexual abuse and how to recognize warning signs.
The Erin’s Law curriculum will be taught in your child’s regular classroom or advisory by a school social worker and/or their classroom/advisory teacher. Elementary students will take part in three to four lessons, each lasting 20–30 minutes, over the course of a few weeks starting in January. All materials and activities are developmentally appropriate for each grade level. Middle School students will participate in one lesson taught by their advisor and/or social worker in March. For more information about the curriculum, please visit the District website.
We understand this can be a sensitive topic for some families and we have resources for you, as parents/guardians, to learn more about this program.
Our elementary school social workers will be holding open office hours on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 from 10-10:30am. The meeting link can be found here; Meeting ID: 819 7168 4256/Passcode: 655079. You may also reach out individually to your school’s social worker if you have specific questions about the program.
Parents have the option to opt their children out of the program as they deem appropriate. The opt-out form must be completed and returned to the building principal by January 9, 2026. Please feel free to contact Dana Ruecker, Assistant Director of Student Services, Equity, and Inclusion, with additional questions or concerns about Erin’s Law.
After School Sports (3rd/4th Grade)
Crow Island After School Sports with Mr. Sweene and Mr. Wilson is now on the District Web Store. Registration is now open. Please note that Crow Island After School Sports is different timeline (January 6 through March 11) from Discovery Clubs through Right At School.
Registration for winter Discovery Club programs is open and will remain open through Friday, December 5th. The session begins the week of December 8th and will end February 25th.
While some of these programs do fill up quickly, there is a waitlist option that often does allow for enrollment even if a class appears full. Please add yourself to the waitlist! Instructions for doing so can be found on the PTO website.
Monthly Observances: Human Rights Month
December is National Human Rights Month, a time to reflect on the importance of treating all people with dignity, kindness, and respect. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the values of fairness and equality that help create welcoming communities for everyone.
Contact Us
Email:
annatrilla@winnetka36.org (Principal)
christinedemas-hall@winnetka36.org (Administrative Assistant)
Website: https://crowisland.winnetka36.org/
Location: 1112 Willow Road Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-0353
Instagram: Winnetka Public Schools