Carleton Washburne

This school year, our District will be focusing on best practices regarding student attendance. The National Center for Education Statistics released an overview of the importance of students regularly attending school, as well as the negative impacts of missing school. Incorporated in School Board Policy 7:20 are requirements (per Section 105 ILCS/5/22-92 of the Illinois School Code) that all Illinois school districts must establish and submit its Absence/Truancy Program to the Illinois State Board of Education. This requirement went into effect January 2023 and is to be submitted every two years thereafter.

Our wish is to partner with our families in understanding the importance of regular and prompt attendance. To that end, our schools will be sending home a letter to families of students that have passed a threshold of absences at this point in the school year. This letter is meant to draw attention to the number of absences a student has had and offer support should families need it.

We understand that there are times when absences are unavoidable, particularly in the event of sickness or family emergencies. Please do notify our schools if we can help in any way with these matters. Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Winnetka District 36 Principals

Beth Carmody, Hubbard Woods

Michelle Cooney, Skokie

Andrew Fenton, Washburne

Luke Livingston, Crow Island

Joshua Swanner, Greeley

Washburne students are welcome to dress up for Halloween on Tuesday, October 31st. If your child will be wearing a costume to school, please help them to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Students may not wear a mask that is part of a costume. A health and safety mask is okay.

2. All costumes should reflect good taste and common sense. Nothing deemed inappropriate by our regular dress code will be allowed.

3. Weapons of any nature are not allowed. This includes toy guns, knives, sticks, swords, etc.

4. Students will be in their costumes for the entire day, so it should be comfortable for them to wear.

The Middle School Experience, AKA “Why is my child acting like this?” Please help.

November 3, 2023

9:30 A.M.

Washburne RC

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 ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will share the neuroscience behind the changes that occur in 5th-8th grade children, and offer suggestions on how to support children both academically and socially-emotionally as they navigate the middle grades.

Skokie and Washburne families are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.

Interested:

RSVP here

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

Students in IDEA class just wrapped up their Trebuchet Unit this week. The Trebuchet was invented during the Middle Ages as a war machine that threw heavy stones at enemy castles. Although the invention of the cannon put their initial use to rest a long time ago, they remain great teaching tools, especially in the area of physics, to this very day. Students worked in pairs to build a small-scale working Trebuchet and then spent time studying the relationship between ammunition mass and distance traveled. This was followed by looking at Potential Energy and how the weight of the counterweight factors into distance traveled. The unit ended with everyone’s favorite activity, A Trick Shot Video.

Calling all you talented vocalists. Washburne Chorus will have its first meeting on Wednesday, November 8th at 3:30pm in the Washburne Chorus room. Washburne Chorus will meet on Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00pm. We will perform for the community several times throughout the year. Come sing with us!

For more information, please reach out to Ms. Allison Singer allisonsinger@winnetka36.org.

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.

• The sign up will go live at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, October 31st.

• 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

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!

Washburne Students now have their photo ID's that they will be using to order lunch in the cafeteria. Please help us encourage our students to remember to bring and wear their ID's each day.

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

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.

New Trier holds scheduling conferences each February for 8th grade families to discuss their child’s schedule for next year. For planning purposes, please note that these conferences will take place on Wednesday, February 7th. We will provide further details this winter.

Wednesday, November 1st: Teacher Institute Day - No Student Attendance

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

The Board approved a temporary pause in Adventures in Learning programming for the Summer of 2024 to accommodate construction and renovation at all five campuses. Extended School Year will continue as planned, but will be hosted at New Trier’s Northfield Campus. The District will be excited to reopen Adventures in Learning in Summer 2025. More details are below.

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.

Click here to view a message from Carleton Washburne students.

Bullying affects everyone: those exhibiting bullying behaviors, the bullied, and the bystanders. The District's Bullying Response and Prevention Plan creates awareness of what bullying is with “child-friendly” language that illustrates the difference between mean, rude or bullying behavior; establishes and communicates to students, parents and staff methods for reporting incidents related to bullying behavior; develops communication protocols for investigating, notifying and resolving incidents reported; and, builds an ongoing dialog with students on bullying awareness and prevention.

The District 36 approach to bullying is “pro” solution rather than “anti” problem to foster a change of culture through kindness, compassion, respect, reaching out, and helping others. Every October, students discuss bullying prevention in their classrooms/advisories where they are reminded of methods available to them to speak with an adult about their concerns. Students in grades 5-8 are able to report an incident or indicate that they want to talk to an adult from a form on their ipad. Students K-4 are able to report an incident to any adult in whatever form is most comfortable for them. A reporting form is also accessible from the District’s website, along with information on text4help. Click here for additional information.

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

Coming Soon:

The Middle School Experience, AKA “Why is my child acting like this?” Please help.

November 3, 2023

9:30 - 10:30 A.M.

Washburne RC

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 ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will share the neuroscience behind the changes that occur in 5th-8th grade children, and offer suggestions on how to support children both academically and socially-emotionally as they navigate the middle grades.

Skokie and Washburne families are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.

Interested:

RSVP here

Recordings of previous sessions:

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

Fall benchmark assessment results have been mailed home. Information to help parents understand the assessment reports are available on the District website. As a community of learners, we are navigating the way through how to best use this information along with the valuable insight gathered on a day-to-day basis in our schools. Thank you for being our partner in this growth process.

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 that builds from Kindergarten through Grade 8. In the spring a group of educators that comprised the District’s Literacy Leadership Committee identified literacy programs to pilot this year and 60 classroom teachers volunteered to participate in the pilot. Participating in the pilot means that the teacher has been trained in the program and will select one existing unit in the literacy curriculum to replace with the pilot curriculum. Your child’s classroom teacher may have shared this information during the recent Go To School Night events, as well as through their classroom newsletters. While the student learning outcomes in literacy may remain the same this year, the programming, materials and sequence used may be different in classrooms where the pilot is taking place. More information about the pilot will continue to be shared through District communications and regular updates during School Board meetings.

A special thank you to the Winnetka Public Schools Foundation Board for approving funding that was used for a large majority of the pilot training that occurred during September.

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