The Skokie Home Scoop
October 2, 2023
October 2, 2023
Dear Families:
We hope you are having a nice start to the beginning of the week. We are looking forward to seeing everyone for conferences next week. Last week we launched our first week of our first Skills cycle as students engage in the areas of ELA and Math support and enrichment within grade level content, and Project Based Learning (PBL). Students are engaging in a project based learning experience during one Skills cycle this year. Below, please find two photos from the art classroom as Mr. Greenman launched PBL with a visit from Kevin Grabacz, a working commission artist.
Exploring Skokie
Kinetic Wellness: Kinetic wellness classes are off to a great start! Most students have come to class prepared with gym shoes and water bottles. We do require that all students wear proper gym shoes in order to participate in KW. Sixth graders are also required to wear a KW uniform. Remember to bring warm clothing for KW as the weather is getting colder! No need to purchase extra clothing, bring an extra sweatshirt, sweatpants, gloves, etc from home. All KW clothing should be separate from clothing worn to/from school and during the school day. If you still need to purchase a KW uniform click on THIS LINK to get to the One Stop Trev Shop.
During Kinetic Wellness class we have been diligently trying to finish our first round of fitness testing. The 4 tests we are using are the Fitness Gram curl-up, push-up, pacer and flexibility test. The KW classes have just started transitioning into our current curricular units of badminton, kickball, blamball, and flag football. The skills we are working on during these activities include:
Badminton: grip, serving, forehand, backhand, rules and game play
Kickball/Blamball: kicking, striking, catching, pitching, rules and game play
Flag Football: throwing, receiving, running routes, basic rules and game play
5th Grade After School Sports starts on Tuesday, October 3rd and 6th Grade After School Sports begins Wednesday, October 4th. The first session of Climbing Club will run Wednesdays, October 4, 10, 18, and a Thursday Climbing Club running October 5, 19, 26. All activities run from 3:35-4:30pm. Climbing club members need to have had previous climbing experience with the Skokie School Kinetic Wellness staff. 6th grade students would have received this training in school their fifth grade year. 5th graders would have had to have been a part of Adventures in Learning High Ropes adventure class.
Clubs
Film-Making Club: Join the Film-Making Club! This club will be full of creativity. You can write scripts, act, film, edit or do it all! We will have expert film-makers who will help others learn.We will teach them how to edit and film the movies. You don’t have to know anything about filmmaking.
The club will meet Thursdays, in the Skokie School computer lab. Club members will bring their iPads to the club each day for filming and writing. For the movie making portion, films will be sent to the big computers for editing on iMovie (only on large computers). You can film movies, music videos, commercials and more! You can make your own movie or make movies with other club members. However, we will all help each other! Throughout the year you can make multiple movies or videos. When you finish, we will create QR codes for viewing the final products at home.
Registration opens Tuesday, October 10th, at 9am
Reminder of Covid-19 Guidance for Students/Staff:
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.
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 the first Friday of each month at 8:45 a.m., all over Zoom. Email Patrick Dawson if you're interested in attending, even if you can't make it every month!
Sign up to empty out our plastic bags collection boxes! Can't make our meetings? Prefer to have 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 though.
Interested in helping with a project? Contact Liz Kunkle and we'll keep you in mind as projects arise!
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:
Following the event a link will be provided to the recorded presentation on the website.
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.
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