The Skokie Home Scoop

September 26, 2023

Dear Families:

We are looking forward to conferences in two weeks’ time. Our educators will be reaching out this week to coordinate sign-ups for these important days. All conferences will be held on Thursday, October 12th and Friday, October 13th. We will not be holding conferences earlier in the week or the following week, as we prioritize meeting on our designated conference days. Zoom conferences are available for those families unable to attend in person. As you will note in your Advisors’ newsletters, 5th grade conferences are educator-led, and 6th grade conferences are led by our students.

Skills

There will be four Skills cycles during the course of the school year, with the first cycle beginning today and running through mid-November. Educators will implement effective practices with a lower student to teacher ratio in the areas of ELA and Math support and enrichment within grade level content, and Project Based Learning (PBL). Students will engage in a project based learning experience during one Skills cycle this year. Below, please find the seven competencies of Portrait of a Graduate. These competencies will be woven into the work of our groups engaging in Project Based Learning during Skills.

Do you like taking pictures? Do you like graphic design? Do you like creating something that will last forever? Do you want to be a part of something that helps every student in the school? Do you want to be a part of school assemblies and contests? Then the Memory Book Club is for you. Open to all 5th and 6th graders, we meet before school on Mondays from October - March. Registration is open. Please register here.

D36 Green Team

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 on 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 bag collection boxes! Can't make our meetings? Prefer to take more of a behind-the-scenes role? 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!

Transportation Safety

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

2023/2024 Calendar

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

Fall 2023 Safety Bulletin

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.

Winnetka Parents Institute

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

Monthly Observances

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

Want to monitor your child's school device at home? Set up the JAMF Parent App!

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.

Bus Registration is Reopening

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 at 8 a.m. on Monday, September 18th at this link.

Elementary Strings at Crow Island and Hubbard Woods

It is NOT too late to sign up for strings. Lessons are offered on Violin, Viola and Cello for all 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders. Please fill out this form as soon as possible for your child to be a part of the program this year at Crow Island and Hubbard Woods.

Introducing The Winnetka Public Schools App

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.

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