Carleton Washburne

It was so great to see our students back on campus and in classrooms last week, and we can’t wait to welcome the students back for their first full week of school, starting today! Seeing the children last week was the perfect reminder of why we do what we do as educators. We cannot wait to form relationships with your children this year so that we can best support their learning and personal growth. Thank you for your partnership and support as we start the school year. We look forward to welcoming you into the building this Wednesday evening for our Go to School Event. (more on this below)

We know that the beginning of the school year is a big transition. With that in mind, we are providing time during the first few weeks of the year for all students to learn social-emotional skills from our social workers and advisors. This week, students will spend time discussing how they want to feel when they come to school, and behaviors that can help everyone fulfill those needs. In addition, we are also spending time in advisory focusing on executive functioning skills, helping students to use a planner, organize their materials, and utilize Schoology for assignments. We are hopeful that embedding time for these skills at the beginning of the year will benefit all students.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

Washburne’s Go to School Night (GTSN) will be held this Wednesday, August 31st from 6:00pm to 7:45pm. We are excited to be able to have an in-person event once again and welcome families into our building.

Our GTSN will begin with a brief presentation from Dr. Fenton and Mr. Horwitz in the Washburne Gym starting at 6:00pm.

All families should use the Elm Street entrance pictured below to enter the building to start the evening.

Over the course of the evening, parents will spend time with their child’s advisory, attend a present from the teachers on the team, and attend their related studies courses. You will receive a schedule for your child in advisory.

• Locations for our advisors can be found by clicking on this link.

• Locations for our related studies and special education teachers can be found by clicking on this link.

Advisors will also have paper copies of these documents, along with your child’s schedule, available for you on Wednesday.

All Washburne students will need a uniform for kinetic wellness classes. Uniforms can be ordered by clicking on this LINK.

The deadline for ordering a KW uniform is Sunday, September 4th.

If you have any questions about Kinetic Wellness clothing, please contact a member of our Washburne Kinetic Wellness team:

Mr. Becker - andybecker@winnetka36.org

Mr. Cooper - victorcooper@winnetka36.org

Ms. Florence - candiceflorance@winnetka36.org

Due to an increasing number of students with food allergies, schools must be extremely careful regarding food items brought into the school building and classrooms. In order to provide a safe and healthy environment NO FOOD treats will be allowed for birthday celebrations or classroom/advisory parties.

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

One of the benefits of looping is that our 8th grade students already have a strong connection to their teachers and their classmates at the start of the year. With norms and relationships already established, students in Mr. Rice’s social studies class were able to jump back in time to the 19th century and look at the impact of technology. Similar to how the internet has transformed life in the 21st century, students were able to make connections to how electricity and steel revolutionized life in the 1800s. Students were able to see how these technologies not only led to new inventions, but also dramatically changed social conditions.

Kudos to Mr. Rice and his students for starting the year on a strong note!

Similar to last year, Washburne will have four entrance locations for students based on their team. Please keep in mind the following regarding our entrance procedures:

• Students should not be dropped off prior to 8:10 AM.

• Doors will open at 8:20 AM so that students can drop off items in their lockers before heading to advisory.

• The school day begins at 8:30 AM. Any students who arrive after 8:30 will need to enter through the main entrance and sign in at the office.

• Please remember that Oak St. is one way, westbound, between 8:00AM-4:00PM. If dropping off a student on Oak, please make sure to drop them off on the north side of the street. If you are dropping off your child on Elm St., please use the south side of the street. Doing so will prevent students from needing to cross the road at a busy time and prevent accidents.

Quest Food Management Services, Inc. is the food service provider for the Carleton Washburne Cafeteria. The school district has partnered with mymealtime.com, a convenient and secure online service for monitoring your student's lunch account and making credit or debit card deposits.

Please visit the following link for more information: Washburne Lunch Webpage.

In addition, families who do not already have accounts created will receive an email from the district today with login information. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Huisel at 847-501-2527 or amyhuisel@winnetka36.org.

Cross Country will have an informational meeting on Tuesday, August 30 from 3:30-4:00pm. They will meet in the hallway outside of the gyms at Washburne.

• Cross Country practice is typically Tuesdays through Friday, from 3:30-4:30pm.

• Cross country will usually meet for practices in the back field between Washburne and Skokie.

In order for any student to participate in a Washburne sport, they need to be registered online, and have a copy of a current physical form (within a year) or a medical clearance form on file at school. Registration and the medical form can be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact Andy Becker at Andybecker@winnetka36.org.

At the August 16 Meeting, the School Board approved a resolution to move forward with placing the $59.4MM referendum on the November 8, 2022 ballot. If this referendum should pass, it would fund the following work at our schools:

• Updated safety components, including secure entry vestibules

• Upgraded HVAC systems to improve air quality, air flow, temperature control and energy efficiency

• Accessibility for all students, staff and visitors that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Electrical wiring and panel upgrades to support technology and improve energy efficiency

• Plumbing replacements to address fixtures that have reached the end of their useful life

• The addition of a multipurpose room/cafeteria at Hubbard Woods

• Removal of the temporary trailers at Crow Island and the subsequent addition of three permanent classrooms

• ​​Repurposing of the current gym to serve as a multipurpose room/cafeteria and the subsequent addition of a gym at Crow Island

• Extension of the useful life of existing facilities and proactive reduction of costly emergency repairs

This letter from the Board and Superintendent was shared on Wednesday, August 17 with the community.

To view the presentation video, please click here.

To view the presentation slides, please click here.

In an effort to ensure that our community is well-informed, we look forward to hosting Informational Sessions on the following dates (all are welcome):

Virtual:

Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. (Zoom details to follow)

In person:

Weds., Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. (Crow Island--followed by tour)

Sat., Oct. 8 from 9-10 a.m. (Hubbard Woods--followed by tour)

Monday, October 17 at 9:30 a.m. (Crow Island)

Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (Hubbard--followed by tour)

Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. (Crow)

Virtual:

Tuesday, Nov. 1 at noon (Zoom details to follow)

Please view this link for details on the health forms that are due for your child prior to the start of the school year.

Students in grades K-8 have the option of purchasing iPad coverage at a cost of $25, for accidental damage or a lost/stolen device. Click here for cost comparison. Coverage may be purchased up until the end of the day on Friday, September 2, 2022. After that date it will no longer be available for current students to purchase. Click here to sign up.

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 will reopen on Tuesday, September 6th. An email will be sent with the link to register your child along with the bus routes and stops.

For upcoming events, access FAN’s website here.

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

Wednesday, August 31st: Washburne Go To School Night - 6:00pm - 7:45pm

Monday, September 5th: No School - Labor Day Holiday