Carleton Washburne

We hope everyone stayed safe and warm this weekend. As the cold weather continues this week, please encourage your middle schooler to bring a coat and warm weather gear. We will be reminding them of this as well, as it is a team effort. Students completed their MAP testing today, and we are excited to see the progress they are making.

Winter Conferences

Winter Conferences will take place across the district on Thursday, February 8th and Friday, February 9th. At Washburne, parents will be able to schedule individual conferences with each of their child’s trimester two teachers, either in person or remotely via Zoom.

Later this week, you will receive an email from Mr. Horwitz with instructions about how to schedule conferences for your child. As a reminder, the scheduling portal will not open until January 25th at 9:00 am.

If you have not received an email with scheduling instructions by the end of the week, please reach out to Mr. Horwitz at benhorwitz@winnetka36.org.

Please save the date, and see the flyer below, for the Washburne Winter Bash, sponsored by our PTO, on Friday, February 2nd.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

Students at Washburne do not have to go outside for recess. However, if your child enjoys going outside each day, we ask for your partnership in ensuring that they have proper winter gear for the elements. When the temperature is extremely cold (a feels like temperature of 10 degrees or colder), we will keep all students indoors.

Below are resources we use as guidance for our district to determine if we are outside or staying inside for recess.

• We use the Weather Channel to monitor the weather.

• We use the ISBE windchill guide for “feels like” temperature.
  

Boys Volleyball season is set to begin at the end of the month.

Tryouts will be on Tuesday, January 30 and Wednesday, January 31st from 3:30-5:00pm.

Practices will start on Thursday, Feb. 1. Practices are typically Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00pm and Friday mornings from 7:00-8:00am. Games are played throughout the week, starting at either 4:00 or 5:00pm. We are done by 6:30pm on game days and have no weekend commitments. Boys who are interested in playing need to be registered online and have a medical clearance form or current physical on file at school. Boys should bring athletic clothing, athletic shoes, and knee pads to tryouts and practices. If you have any questions, please contact Andy Becker at AndyBecker@winnetka36.org

Boys Volleyball registration opened on the District Webstore Tuesday 1/16 at 9am.

CLICK HERE to register.

DO YOU LOVE MATH???

Do you want to compete with other school and have fun while learning new concepts?

If this is you, join our District 36 MathCounts team!

Practices are on Thursdays from 3:45-4:45 PM

ROOM S204 @ CARLETON WASHBURNE SCHOOL

Register on the District Web Store.

This club is open to 6th - 8th graders and it is posted under Washburne Non-Sports on the Webstore.

Tuesday, January 23rd: School Board Meeting - 7:15pm @ Carleton Washburne School

As we may experience additional inclement weather this winter, we want to ensure our students are prepared for potential remote learning. With this in mind, we have planned a proactive practice activity for students. This practice session is an important step in ensuring that our students remain connected and ready for learning should multiple days of inclement weather occur.

Remote Learning Practice Activity:

• Date for Device Take-Home: On Thursday, January 25, all K-8 students will bring their school-issued iPads home.

• Objective: To connect their device to home Wi-Fi and access educational tools (How-to guide can be found here). This is purely for preparedness and will not be graded.

• Help/Support: If you run into any issues with connecting your student’s device or in accessing materials, please complete this Google Form so that we can follow up with you.

• Device Return: Please return the devices to school on Friday, January 26.

This practice activity is a crucial step in ensuring our students can seamlessly transition to remote learning if required.

• In the event of school closures, communication will be made through Blackboard (phone, email, text), our website, and the Emergency Closing Center.

• The first inclement weather closure will be a traditional snow day, with subsequent closures moving to remote learning.

For more information on our full inclement weather policy, please refer to our previous Principal newsletter communications. We appreciate your support in these preparations.

Benchmark assessments are valuable tools that provide a snapshot of student progress at a point in time. These assessments help teachers to identify areas where students are excelling and where they may need additional support. They can also inform instructional decisions by providing data that can be used to tailor teaching to meet each student's unique needs and strengths. Benchmark assessments are an important component of progressive education, which recognizes that students learn in different ways and at different rates. By using benchmark assessments to inform instruction, teachers can provide a more individualized approach to learning that supports each student's academic growth and personal development.

Academic benchmark assessments for literacy and math will occur three times this year for students in grades K-8. The Winter Benchmark Assessments start on January 8th and conclude on January 19th. There are three platforms the district utilizes to gather student learning information; aimswebPlus, mCLASS, and NWEA MAP. Benchmarking reports will be mailed home on Wednesday, January 31st.

Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2024/2025 is now open. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2024, are eligible to enroll. Questions related to School Admissions and age requirements are addressed in School Board Policy 7:50 School Admissions and student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools.

Please note: There are two steps to completing new student registration. We ask that parent(s)/guardian(s) complete BOTH steps of pre-registration BEFORE January 12, 2024. As an added incentive new students that have completed the two step pre-registration process by January 12, 2024, will receive a credit of $40.00 toward student fees for the 2024/2025 school year.

Step 1: Complete the online pre-registration form; Step 2: Visit the District Office (1235 Oak Street) to provide the following:

1. Proof of residency. Click here to view the list of documents that will meet these requirements. For your convenience residency documents may be uploaded during online registration.

2. Original or certified copy of your child(ren)'s birth certificate and a parent photo ID.

Completing both steps (online and in-person) is required for your child(ren) to be enrolled as new students. Click here to begin the online segment.

January 30, 2024

6:30-8:30 P.M.

Location: Skokie School

Join WPSF at their free annual event to learn about findings from the literacy pilot and to see a showcase of recently funded grants in D36. Teachers will be participating in a panel discussion on reading education. Don't miss this opportunity to learn firsthand from faculty and district leaders and to see #grantsinaction.