Carleton Washburne

We hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine and had a restful weekend. The leaves are falling and Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. As we head into November, we wanted to spotlight our monthly observance; Native American Heritage. November is Native American Heritage Month and the official designation of November as National Native American Heritage month was signed into law in 1990. This month, we celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. This is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.

As a reminder, this is the last week to provide feedback via the Superintendent survey. Please Click Here to take this brief survey.

Our PTO is excited to sponsor grade level "Winter Warm-Up" events again this year. The 8th Grade warm-up will be on Friday, December 1st at 3:30pm, and the 7th Grade warm-up will be on Friday, December 15th at 3:30pm.

Please keep an eye out later this week for information from the PTO on registering and volunteering for this event.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

Welcome to Window to Washburne! Each week, we will be highlighting some of the learning taking place in our classrooms.

Pride of Lions is back for the 2023-2024 school year! Each year, Ms. Nelson, our resource center director, and Ms. Summerville, one of our reading specialists, choose high interest young adult books for our students. Ms. Nelson and Ms. Summerville present the books to all of our students, and there are prizes for students who read at least four of the books over the course of the year. Students who read all 20 books are treated to a trip to Dairy Queen in the spring with Dr. Fenton! New this year, we are only presenting the first 10 books in the fall and will share the final 10 later in the winter. We have copies of all of these books and have also partnered with the Winnetka Library and local bookstores for additional copies. Here are the 10 books that were introduced to students last week:

A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

The Perfect Mile by Neil Bascomb

The Ruby Code by Jessica Khoury

The Song of Us by Kate Fussner

Thin Air by Kellie M. Parker

Troublemaker by John Cho

Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Kudos to Ms. Nelson and Ms. Summerville for continuing this great program!

In this section we will be shining the spotlight on our Related Studies program and all the wonderful opportunities available to our Washburne students.

Kinetic Wellness is in the process of finishing up our unit rotations for trimester one. By the end of the week, all 7th graders will have experienced Touch Rugby, Lacrosse, Soccer, and Pickleball. All of our 8th graders will have tried their hand at Flag Football, Golf, Ultimate Frisbee, and Badminton. In addition to these units, we have continued to work on personal fitness, through different fitness activities and games. All students have also gone through the first round of fitness testing for this year, which included running the mile, the PACER test, push-ups, curl-ups, sit and reach, and other tests which measure various skill related fitness components. We are looking forward to the last week in the trimester, as we will do a period-wide class tournament in a fan favorite activity.

As a reminder, please expect KW uniforms to come home on Fridays to be washed!

Science. . . . is awesome.

Science Olympiad is back and fully in person!

Practices will begin this week on Wednesday, November 15th in Ms. Berna's room (W221N), and will be every Wednesday from 3:35-4:30pm. Please reach out to Ms. Berna at emilyberna@winnetka36.org if you have any questions.

All students grades 6-8 are welcome! Please visit the District Web Store to register.

Parents - We have an exciting opportunity for all 7th and 8th graders. Last year, we held our 4th annual dance marathon for Lurie Children’s Hospital. We had a vibrant, creative group of students who were part of our inaugural Student Steering Committee. They helped plan, promote, and execute a very successful event where students had a blast, and in the process, raised about $84,000! We were the top raising middle school in the country!

That said, we are starting this year’s student steering committee sooner rather than later. We will meet on Thursday mornings at 8:00AM. If your child is interested in joining our Dance Marathon Student Steering Committee, please sign up your child via the District Web Store.

• Registration will close on Wednesday, November 15th.

• Our first meeting will be on Thursday, November 16th.

We are so excited to start this year’s process!

- Tracy Silverman, Melissa Yeoman, and Rachel Hirsh

Four Square Club will be a gathering of students who enjoy the exciting classic game of Four Square. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, our club welcomes players of all skill levels to engage in friendly competition. Join us to improve your reflexes, strategy, and teamwork, all while having a blast with fellow classmates. Get ready to dive into the world of Four Square and experience the thrill of this classic game like never before! Parents can sign up on the webstore under Skokie Non-Sports as this club is open to 5th-8th graders.

The Washburne Intramural program is set to begin in December. This is our house league basketball program. It is available for all 7th and 8th graders. We will plan on having 2 skill building days in December (12/9 and 12/16) and will then create teams. The teams will play each other throughout the season. The games will start in January and end before Spring Break with a tournament. All of our activities will be on Saturdays between the hours of 12-2 (games typically last about 45 minutes). This is a fun and exciting time for any student who enjoys playing basketball!

Registration opens at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 14th on the District Webstore.

Please contact AndyBecker@winnetka36.org for any questions.

We are happy to announce that our after-school club, the Cardio/Resistance Training Club, is back. This is a time for students to improve their fitness training, going beyond what is done in Kinetic Wellness. The Club will meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:30pm. Students may attend when their schedule allows. As a member of the cardio/resistance training club, students will receive 3 hours a week in the fitness room, supervision from a certified KW teacher, and a chance to perform their own workout.

The club will start on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 and will continue until March 21, 2024. All students are welcome to join us as we set goals, work on personal training habits, and work on another wonderful lifetime fitness activity.

Registration is now open on the District Web Store.

If you have any questions, please call or email Mrs. Florance at 847-501-3179 or candiceflorance@winnetka36.org.

Healthy choices start today!

For planning purposes, please note that Washburne 8th graders will take the New Trier placement test on Saturday, December 2nd. If for any reason your child needs to test on a different day, please reach out directly to New Trier in early October after they send information to families about testing.

Tuesday, November 14th: School Board Meeting - 7:15pm @ Carleton Washburne School

Monday - Friday, November 20-24th: No School - Thanksgiving Break

Friday, December 1st: Last Day of Trimester 1

Friday, December 1st: 8th Grade Winter Warm Up 3:30-4:30pm

Friday, December 15th: 7th Grade Winter Warm Up 3:30-4:30pm

Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2024/2025 will open on November 13, 2023. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2024, 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.

Please note: There are two steps to completing new student registration. Step 1: Complete the online pre-registration form; Step 2: Visit the District Office (1235 Oak Street) to provide the following:

1. Proof of residency. Click here to view the list of documents that will meet these requirements. For your convenience residency documents may be uploaded during online registration.

2. Original or certified copy of your child(ren)'s birth certificate and a parent photo ID.

Completing both steps (online and in-person) is required for your child(ren) to be enrolled as new students.

Why are both steps necessary?

In January of each year, the District begins preparing its budget and staffing plan for the upcoming school year. For grades, other than Kindergarten/1st grade, the staffing plan is based on the assumption that all current students will return and matriculate to the next grade level. For kindergarten and first grade students, the District forecasts enrollment based on those students that have both the in-person and online forms submitted. These early enrollments impact the staffing plan by determining the number of kindergarten/1st grade sections and student services needed. For this reason, we ask that parent(s)/guardian(s) complete BOTH steps of pre-registration BEFORE January 12, 2024.

As an added incentive new students that have completed the two step pre-registration process by January 12, 2024, will receive a credit of $40.00 toward student fees for the 2024/2025 school year.

Thank you for doing your part to ensure that the District is able to retain and/or attract the best educators for our students.

Please take approximately 12 minutes to view or listen to the District’s Fall 2023 Biannual Report. The message provides an update progress made toward the goals outlined in the District’s Strategic Plan, Annual Goals for the 23/24 school year, District and School Improvement Plan for 23/24, and the implementation of our Portrait of an Educator. Additionally, here is an infographic highlighting areas of progress toward our Strategic Plan and Annual Goals.

Please take approximately five minutes and click on this link to provide your feedback by Friday, November 18. Last year’s survey findings led to numerous improvements in the areas of curriculum & instruction, communications and human resources. It is my hope that our responsiveness will continue to be witnessed in our efforts to provide the very best educational experience for the students of The Winnetka Public Schools and excellence for the community-at-large.

Last year the District strategic plan goal to realign the K-1 literacy program was updated to entail a full curriculum review of literacy programming K-8. The goal of the curriculum review is to ensure there is a guaranteed and viable literacy curriculum based upon current research and the science of reading which builds from Kindergarten through Grade 8. Throughout the 2022/2023 school year the School Board received regular communication regarding the process for curriculum review, including the selection of materials.

To review the background information about how the process resulted in the current pilot, please click here.

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. Please view the fall schedule here.

Coming Soon:

Literacy Pilot: How District 36 Educators are Testing Literacy Programs and Practices

December 6, 2023

9:30 A.M.

Location: Skokie Community Room

As a part of the current literacy curriculum review cycle, approximately 59 teachers across the district representing each grade level are piloting a variety of evidence-based literacy programs and practices. The pilot allows teachers to apply current understanding of literacy instruction through the test of items vetted by the Literacy Leadership Committee.

Interested:

RSVP for this event here

Following the event a link will be provided to the recorded presentation on the website.

Feedback Link

Recordings of previous sessions:

• The Winnetka Experience: Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and Progressive Education

• District 36: Benchmark Assessments
  

• The Middle School Experience

Per the Illinois Department of Public Health, it is recommended that a person isolates for at least 5 days from symptom onset if symptoms are present or 5 days from positive test date if no symptoms. Day 1 starts the day after symptom onset/positive test date. They can return on day 6 if fever, vomiting, and diarrhea cease for 24 hours and have improvement of symptoms. It is recommended to mask day 6-10.

To view the calendar for the 2023/2024 school year, please click here.

As part of Winnetka School District 36’s ongoing commitment to equity by fostering connection and belonging, the District will take time each month to recognize the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds. The goal of these monthly observances is to provide resources and support for teachers in order to bring awareness and appreciation to the diverse population of students in our community. 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. As materials are developed for these observances, we will make them accessible.

September 15- October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October: Disability Awareness

November: Native American Heritage

December: Human Rights

January: MLK Jr. Day

February: Black History

March - April 15: Women’s History Month

April 15-May 15: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage

May 15 - June 13: Jewish American Heritage

Please follow the District via the following social media platforms in order to see day-to-day happenings and more.

Facebook and Twitter: @Winnetka36

Instagram: @WinnetkaPublicSchools