The Skokie Home Scoop
December 11, 2023
December 11, 2023
Dear Families:
Upcoming Events:
Wednesday, December 13th: Progress Reports available through Parent Portal
Thursday, December 14th: Chorus Concert (5th-8th gr.), 7:00 pm - Skokie auditorium
Saturday, December 23rd - Sunday, January 7: Winter Break
We hope you are having a wonderful month as we lead up to winter break. We know that it is a busy time of year for families! Congratulations to our wonderful musicians. Last week, our Skokie students joined with Washburne musicians for a beautiful orchestra performance at Skokie and another beautiful band performance at Washburne. We are looking forward to this week’s chorus concert!
We appreciate your partnership as we continue to see an emphasis on on time arrivals this year with students arriving at 8:15! This truly supports a calm and cohesive start to the day as students begin their day in Advisory.
The lunch room has asked that we send a quick reminder out about straws and utensils. If students need straws or utensils for lunches brought from home, these should be brought with their lunches. Utensils are provided when needed for lunches through Marla’s Lunch only.
Our students are off and running in our second cycle of Skills. Students are working with their teachers or interventionists on language arts and math, and small groups are working on project based learning experiences with our Exploratory teachers who are Skills partners. This cycle will continue through January, and we will shift to our third cycle in early February.
Reminder from PTO:
JOIN US FOR COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPALS
Thursday, December 14th at 9:30am
Skokie Community Room
Join Principal Cooney and Assistant Principal Joynt (The Skokie School) and Principal Fenton and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational session focusing on the literacy pilot and how Skokie and Washburne Educators are testing literacy programs and practices for the middle school classroom.
Want to familiarize yourself with the literacy pilot? Watch this video.
Exploring Skokie
Spanish 6th Grade: Students have been working on several language skills, from reading novellas in Spanish to acting out stories in the target language. One story was a class favorite, called El Empleado Malo (The Bad Employee). During this story, students acted out scenes alongside el bebé malo (the bad baby), our protagonist from a previous class story who is a central character in this new story as well. Together the class provided details, acted, read, wrote an essay about, and illustrated some captions for the story. `
As we continue to focus on comprehensible input, reading and listening comprehension are increasing. Students enjoy illustrating and writing on white-erase-boards, continue listening to songs, and enjoy Señor Wooly videos. A favorite review game is Blooket.
Spanish 5th Grade: Students have finished a story about a child named Chuy, who has a disorganized room. Students love to share the state of their own rooms, and who normally is in charge of cleaning them. Some favorite games to practice vocabulary are Gimkit or Blooket. Some classes were also able to play a Spanish Halloween Go Fish game at the end of October. Students are very enthusiastic about our silent choice reading time in class called FVR (Free Voluntary Reading). This silent reading period allows the students to delve into our extensive library of level-appropriate books. Both Señora Pesa and Profe Rothwells have designed their reading nooks with comfortable chairs, plants galore, and shelves upon shelves of books.
Orchestra Performance
Reading Nook in Spanish
Reading Nook in Spanish
Winter Benchmarking
Benchmark assessments are valuable tools that provide a snapshot of student progress at a point in time. These assessments help teachers to identify areas where students are excelling and where they may need additional support. They can also inform instructional decisions by providing data that can be used to tailor teaching to meet each student's unique needs and strengths. Benchmark assessments are an important component of progressive education, which recognizes that students learn in different ways and at different rates. By using benchmark assessments to inform instruction, teachers can provide a more individualized approach to learning that supports each student's academic growth and personal development.
Academic benchmark assessments for literacy and math will occur three times this year for students in grades K-8. The Winter Benchmark Assessments start on January 8th and conclude on January 19th. There are three platforms the district utilizes to gather student learning information; aimswebPlus, mCLASS, and NWEA MAP. Benchmarking reports will be mailed home on Wednesday, January 31st.
Preschool/Kindergarten Family Information Night
Tuesday, January 10 at 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Greeley School
275 Fairview Avenue
Winnetka
This informational session is intended for Winnetka parents of preschool students who will be attending The Winnetka Public Schools. Parents will learn more about the support and services that the District provides to current preschool students attending local preschool programming as well as what is available within our schools once a student enters kindergarten. Families will receive a preview of:
The transition-to-Kindergarten process by Crow Island, Greeley and Hubbard Woods Principals,
The resources available to families of current preschool students from the Department of Student Services, Equity and Inclusion
Details on “Kindergarten Connection” which will take place in Summer 2024
Highlights of a typical kindergarten day in The Winnetka Public Schools
We look forward to meeting new families at this event!
Stay & Play Registration
Kindergarten students who are not currently enrolled in Stay & Play will have the opportunity to register for the 2nd half of the year after 8:00 am January 8th through this link. Please note that the registration period ends January 31, 2024 and will remain closed for the remainder of the year. The rates are prorated below. If you attempt to register before the 9th, you will receive an Item Unavailable message. After purchasing Kindergarten Stay & Play registration, your child will be able to begin their attendance in the program the following Monday so the schools can plan accordingly.
Online Pre-Registration for Incoming Kindergarteners & New Students for the 2024/2025 School Year has begun.
Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2024/2025 is now open. 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. 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.
Step 1: Complete the online pre-registration form; Step 2: Visit the District Office (1235 Oak Street) to provide the following:
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.
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. Click here to begin the online segment.
Winnetka Parents Institute
The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. The Winter/Spring schedule will be shared soon. In the meantime, videos of the Fall 2023 sessions are available here:
The Winnetka Experience: Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and Progressive Education
The Middle School Experience, AKA “Why is my child acting like this?” Please help.
Literacy Pilot: How District 36 Educators are Testing Literacy Programs and Practices
Save-the-Date for the Winnetka Public Schools Foundation Carlson Event
January 30, 2024
6:30-8:30 P.M.
Location: Skokie School
Join WPSF at their free annual event to learn about findings from the literacy pilot and to see a showcase of recently funded grants in D36. Teachers will be participating in a panel discussion on reading education. Don't miss this opportunity to learn firsthand from faculty and district leaders and to see #grantsinaction.
2023/2024 Calendar
To view the calendar for the 2023/2024 school year, please click here.
Follow us on Social Media!
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
Sincerely,
Michelle Cooney and Larry Joynt
Principal and Assistant Principal
The Skokie School