Carleton Washburne

It has been a quick and eventful first three weeks at Washburne. Classrooms are full of learning, and our students are off to a great start to the year. We wanted to share a couple safety reminders with our families that we shared with students last week. Please encourage your child to lock their lockers while at school, this is the best way to ensure that their belongings remain safe. Also, students are expected to wear their lanyards with their student lunch ID’s while at school. Thank you in advance for helping us remind our students to bring their lanyards each day.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to meet with parents at our first Principal Coffee this Friday, September 29th from 9-10:00am at Elm Park. (just across the street from Skokie School) Please join us for this opportunity to connect with us and other Washburne families.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

Parents can view our lunch menu by clicking on this LINK.

We are looking forward to fall conferences, which will take place on Thursday, October 12th and Friday, October 13th. Your child’s advisor will be reaching out to families this week to begin scheduling conferences. Conferences can be held online via Zoom or in person based on your family’s preference. Students should be in attendance for their conferences.

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

One of the biggest changes to our schedule this year has been the addition of X Block. Simply put, X Block is a time for students to receive support or enrichment. To begin the year, all students have received executive functioning support during X Block, with lessons covering how to use a planner, manage materials, avoid procrastination, and communicate with teachers. As these initial lessons wind down, teachers are assigning students to different rooms for extra help or to work on projects. Every Monday, students receive an email letting them know where they are assigned for the week. Thank you to all of our staff for helping to launch X Block this year!

We look forward to sharing more updates with parents throughout the year.

Debate club meets after school on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30pm in Ms. Etter’s room (N106). This is a great opportunity for students to hone their research skills, become polished public speakers, and challenge themselves outside of the classroom. Students can compete in after-school tournaments with other New Trier feeder schools a few times throughout the year.

Please reach out to Ms. Etter (maureenetter@winnetka36.org) with any questions.

Parents can register their child for debate by clicking this LINK.

Dungeons and Dragons Club is a joint club between Skokie and Washburne that allows students to participate in the roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons. Students can be new to D&D or experienced. There is room for all!

• Registration opens at 9am on Tuesday, September 26th.

• To see this club, please click Washburne Non-Sports.
  

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, September 26th: School Board Meeting - 7:15pm @ Carleton Washburne School

Thursday & Friday, October 12th-13th: Fall Conferences, No Student Attendance

The D36 Green Team is ready to kick off the school year but we need help from each school to make a tangible difference. Here are some ways that you can be involved:

• Attend our monthly meetings! Our first meeting is scheduled for October 6, 8:45-9:30 a.m. over Zoom. Meetings will take place the first Friday of each month at 8:45 a.m. over Zoom. Email Patrick Dawson if you're interested in attending, even if you can't make every month!

• Sign up to empty out our plastic bags collection boxes! Can't make our meetings? Prefer to take more of a behind-the-scenes roll? Sign up HERE for a month or two at your building to empty out the plastic bags collection. We ask that you complete it at the end of the month unless the box is full before that. You're only responsible for emptying it that one time in a month! If the end of the month comes and it's still not full, please do still empty it.

Interested in helping with a project? Contact Liz Kunkle and we'll keep you in mind as projects arise!

In order to prevent traffic-related incidents from occurring in our community, it is important to be vigilant as a bike rider, pedestrian, or driver when traveling through town. Our principals review bike and pedestrian safety practices with students at the start of the school year. We ask that you also take a moment to review the following information with your family:

• Illinois law prohibits the use of cell phones or other electronic devices while driving in a school zone, even if it's hands free. It is dangerous and is enforced as a moving violation by the police.

• Please do not use pick up and drop off time to check texts, etc. This potentially endangers others.

• Please remind your students that they should not be using cell phones or other electronic devices while biking.

• Crossing guards are present at busier intersections near our schools to assist with safety. Please respect the authority of the crossing guards and follow their directions

• Please talk to children to ensure that they understand the importance of using caution and following all traffic signals.

• Note that there are not stop signs at every intersection, especially on Oak and Elm Streets, which are heavily used thoroughfares to Crow Island, Skokie, and Washburne.

• We STRONGLY recommend that all students who bike, skateboard, or scooter to school wear a helmet, regardless of age.

• Students should bike on the sidewalk wherever possible, and be respectful to pedestrians. Also, children are expected to walk their bikes through crosswalks and while traveling in Winnetka business districts.

• When riding on sidewalks, students should be cautious approaching driveways to be sure there is not a vehicle exiting.

• In order to prevent theft or damage, please encourage your child to securely lock their bike to the bike racks available at school.

• Each elementary school also has specific traffic procedures and parking restrictions that are enforced by police. We encourage you to review these procedures and contact your building administrator if you are unclear.

• The speed limit in our school zones is 20 miles per hour during school days. For the safety of all, please follow the posted speed limit.

• Recommended safe routes to each neighborhood school are as follows:

• Crow Island School

• Greeley School

• Hubbard Woods School

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

The Winnetka Public Schools, Village, Police, and Fire Departments work to proactively refine safety practices on an ongoing basis. We are grateful for our collaborative partnership, and have worked together to compile a Fall Edition of our Safety Bulletin as we begin the 23/24 school year. You’ll find general information on a variety of safety-related topics and resources to support the safety of our entire community.

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. Please view the fall schedule here. If you were unable to attend “The Winnetka Experience: Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and Progressive Education” view the session here.

Coming Soon:

District 36: Benchmark Assessments

October 19 2023 @ 9:30 A.M.

Location: Skokie Community Room

Join Dr. Becky Mathison, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, Teaching and Learning, to hear about the standardized academic assessments administered in the areas of reading and math. Learn about what skills are assessed at each grade level, how staff use this information, and when parents can expect to receive assessment results following each of the three benchmarking periods (fall, winter, and spring)

Interested:

RSVP for this event here

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

Feedback Link

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

If your student brings their school device home (grades 4-8), consider setting up the JAMF Parent App! The JAMF Parent app will allow you to allow & restrict apps, enable an app lock, set device and location rules, etc. All you need is the JAMF Parent App on your device (Apple/Android) and your student's iPad in front of you.

Follow the instructions in this brief tutorial from JAMF on how to set it up and interact with the platform. Additional resources can be found here.

If you have not registered and paid for the bus yet for this school year there is still time to do so. Registration for bus service reopened on Monday, September 18th at this link.

Download the District’s app by searching “The Winnetka Public Schools” on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The app will serve as a convenient way to report absences, view and manage your school calendars, and see at-a-glance District news.

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