Crow Island Connections

Dear Crow Island Community,

It was so nice seeing many of you at Go to School Night last Thursday! I appreciate you taking the time to join us, connect with your child’s teachers, and learn more about what your child’s year will look like at Crow Island. For those who were unable to attend my presentation, I have linked it below if you would like to take a look.

We are currently in the middle of our fall benchmarking assessment window, which helps us better understand each child’s individual strengths and identify areas where we can best support their continued growth. Our students have been working incredibly hard and showing great focus and perseverance throughout these assessments. We are so proud of their effort!

I also wanted to provide a quick update about our auditorium and share why my Go to School Night presentation was held in the gym this year. Our auditorium stage is currently under construction after a portion of the stage floor was damaged this summer due to an incorrectly installed air conditioning component by a vendor. That portion of the structure will need to be replaced this coming summer.

In the meantime, our construction manager is working closely with our custodial and maintenance teams to determine a short term solution that will allow us to safely use the space for our holiday and end of year performances. We know how special these performances are for our students and families, and I will continue to share updates as more information becomes available.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership and support of our students and staff. I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,
Anna

September

• Tuesday, September 29th | MAP Math Assessment, Grades 3–4
  

October

• Monday, October 5th | Safety Week Starts
  

• Wednesday, October 7th | Vision and Hearing Screening

• Thursday, October 8th | PTO Runathon

• Friday, October 9th | High Five Friday

• Wednesday, October 14th | Picture Retake

• Thursday, October 22th and Friday, October 23th | Fall Conferences- no student attendance
  
• Friday, October 30th | Halloween Parade and Ghost Walk
  

Our first graders are making exciting connections across literacy, math, and technology! As part of their first literacy unit, students are learning all about maps. When our teachers noticed that our new math program included a challenge involving maps, Ms. Anderson, Mrs. Hazelwood, and Mrs. Banas saw the perfect opportunity to extend the learning into technology time.

During their first session, students explored location words and learned how grids can help us describe exactly where something is located on a map. Using a desert map, students practiced using numbers and shapes on a grid to identify and describe the precise location of different objects.

Now, students are putting their learning into action by creating their own map grids in the classroom. During their next technology session, they will take their learning one step further by using Cubetto robots to code a path and navigate across their grid maps. What a great example of our teachers working together to help students make meaningful connections across different parts of their school day!

The PTO is organizing a clothing drive this week! Donate NEW and GENTLY USED women’s & men’s attire as well as children’s winter gear to support WINGS, Connections for the Homeless, and Cradles to Crayons! Items will be collected during morning drop-off at both the circle and Glendale Avenue drop-off points from Monday, September 28th through Friday, October 2nd. Questions? Email the Community Outreach Committee: Lauren Dupont and Alex Schultz.

The Annual Crow Island Run-a-thon is on Thursday, October 8th.

Run-a-thon is the PTO’s largest fundraising event of the year and is a school tradition dating back to 1985! Students are encouraged to run or walk 30 laps and raise money from family and friends to support their participation. You are invited to attend the event to cheer on your child!

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Misericordia Special Olympics Track & Field Team. Donation forms for students and more information about Run-a-thon will go home in backpacks by September 25.

Run-a-thon Schedule:

• Kindergarten: 12:45 PM- 1:15 PM *THIS IS AN UPDATED TIME!*

• 1st Grade: 9:15–9:45 AM

• 2nd Grade: 10:00–10:30 AM

• 3rd Grade: 10:00–10:30 AM

• 4th Grade: 9:15–9:45 AM

  
  

Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities and more information on how to donate!

Please note: In the event of rain, the event will be moved inside or postponed to October 9th.

We are already looking forward to one of our favorite kindergarten traditions, the Butterfly Migration and Outdoor Sing! This year’s event will take place on Friday, November 6 at 2:00 PM. Please note that the time has been adjusted to accommodate our new full day kindergarten schedule. Parents and families are invited to join us for this special Crow Island event!

Reminder: Prepare for Fall Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-Up

Fall Conferences will be held on:

• October 22 - 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

• October 23 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

**This is proactive communication to ensure that parents have the necessary access and any login troubles can be resolved in advance of the window opening on October 1.

What is ParentsMeeting?

Parents Meeting is the online scheduling system used by The Winnetka Public Schools for parent-teacher conference registration. Through Parents Meeting, families can view available conference times and select appointments with their child’s teacher(s).

When can I sign-up for conferences?

Fall conference sign-up will open on Thursday, October 1 at 12:00 p.m.

Please Try Logging in Now

Attempting to log in ahead of time gives you an opportunity to resolve any access issues before conference scheduling begins.

School-Specific Links

• Crow Island: https://crowislandelementary.schoolcloud.co.uk/

• Greeley: https://greeleyelementary.schoolcloud.co.uk/

• Hubbard Woods: https://hubbardwoodselementary.schoolcloud.co.uk/

• Skokie: https://theskokieschool.schoolcloud.co.uk/

• Washburne: https://carletonwashburne.schoolcloud.co.uk/

  
  

When logging in, please enter your information exactly as it is in PowerSchool. You can check this by logging into the PowerSchool Parent Portal and clicking on “Account Preferences” to view your information. This includes using the email address registered in PowerSchool.

If you are able to access the system successfully, no further action is needed until conference sign-up opens on October 1.

If you experience difficulty logging in, please complete a Help ticket.

Add the Notification Email Address to Your Contacts

To ensure you don't miss any communication regarding your conferences, please add the email address noreply@schoolcloud.co.uk to your email contacts.

Important Dates

• September 18: Parents Meeting follow-up

• October 1 at 12:00 p.m.: Fall conference sign-up opens

• October 21 at 12:00 p.m.: Fall conference sign-up closes

Additional information about conference scheduling, including school-specific details and instructions, will be shared as we get closer to October 1.

Thank you for taking a few minutes now to confirm your access. Doing so will help ensure a smooth conference sign-up experience for all families.

Parent Input Needed by October 2!

The Winnetka Public Schools is reviewing how instructional technology is used across our K–8 classrooms, including during the school day and for learning at home, and we want to hear from parents and caregivers.

Your feedback through this brief anonymous survey will help District leadership better understand families’ perspectives and experiences as we work to establish clear, consistent expectations across grade levels and strengthen the resources and guidance we provide to families.

If you have multiple children enrolled in The Winnetka Public Schools, please respond based on your eldest child’s experience. Please complete the survey by October 2, 2026.

Hearing and vision screenings will be conducted at Crow Island beginning Wednesday, October 7th. Screenings will be completed as required by the State of Illinois for eligible students.

For details about screening requirements, eligible students, and additional information, please review the Hearing and Vision Screening Letter which is linked below.

If your student wears glasses, please ensure they bring them to school on the day of screening. Questions can be directed to the school nurse.

Winnetka Parent Institute: October 7, 2026

Exploring Innovamat: A Fresh Approach to K–4 Mathematics

10:30 am -11:30 a.m. - The Skokie School Resource Center

*Please note - this is an in-person event*

Join us for an interactive introduction to Innovamat, our new K–4 mathematics resource. Parents will experience math learning as our students do—exploring problems, sharing strategies, and building understanding through discussion and discovery, all while learning how Innovamat’s spiraled approach develops confident, flexible mathematical thinkers.

RSVP here

Parents/guardians of students receiving special education services are invited to complete this survey.

As a part of the district's focus on strategic planning for the future, we are engaging with The Ability Challenge to complete an analysis that will help us better understand the strengths and growth opportunities related to how we serve students with disabilities in Winnetka. Your perspective is very valuable to us because we want to understand how all members of the community experience the support we provide.

We invite you to complete this anonymous survey. Your responses will be available only to our partners at The Ability Challenge. They will provide the district with updates about completion rates, and the overall trends will help inform findings of their analysis. Individual responses will not be identifiable or able to be attributed to any single respondent.

We thank you for your participation and partnership in helping us serve all students equitably and well in Winnetka.

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 for this year. 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.

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