Carleton Washburne

We hope everyone enjoyed the President’s Day weekend. Friday afternoon was filled with learning, as our staff participated in a variety of professional learning opportunities related to our strategic plan and portrait of a graduate. We are thankful for the collaboration time and look forward to welcoming students back to Washburne today.

Bike Safety Reminder

As the weather warms up, we know that many of our students will return to biking or walking to school. Thank you in advance to our families for helping us reinforce the following practices:

• understanding the importance of using caution and following all traffic signals

• wearing a helmet while riding a bike, skateboard or scooter

• walking a motorized scooter or bike on school grounds

• being respectful to pedestrians while riding on the sidewalk, and

• walking bikes through crosswalks.

We are grateful for your partnership on this important issue. Washburne students worked collaboratively with Skokie students to create this bike safety pledge. Please ensure that your student follows safety guidelines when biking to school.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 6th, from 10:00-11:00am at Washburne school for our next coffee and conversation with the principal. We will be joined by New Trier Freshman Campus Principal Paul Waechtler. Mr. Waechtler will share a brief presentation on transitioning to high school, followed by time for questions and discussion.

RSVP here.

On March 10, Winnetka Public Schools Foundation board members will be reaching out to D36 parents and community members by phone, text and email to secure donations for the coming year. The goal is to raise $85,000 during Phone-A-Thon so that WPSF can continue to fund grants to promote teaching innovation. Every donation makes a difference in our schools! Donate online by March 9, to “Beat the Call.” With your support, WPSF can continue to invest in our students, teachers, schools and community and fund grants to enhance the learning experience for every Winnetka D36 student.

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

The Washburne string orchestra has been busy these last few weeks! Many of our 8th grade students have had individual auditions with Mr. Matthew Nix, the orchestra director at New Trier High School. These auditions will help determine our students' placement within the program next year. In addition, Mr. Nix worked with the Washburne string orchestra on Tuesday, Jan. 30th! It was a great opportunity for all of the string students to meet him and ask questions about the fabulous program at New Trier High School.

In addition, many of our students participated last Saturday, Feb. 10 in the Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) Solo/Ensemble Contest at Aptakisic Junior High School in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Between Skokie and Washburne Schools, we presented 17 solos and 4 ensembles. Scores ranged from Div. II (excellent) to Div. 1+ (perfect score)! D36 was well represented and performed at their highest level! It was a fun day for all!

We are in the middle of preparation for our Spring Concert as well as the Tour of The Elementary Schools with Washburne's jazz band!! The orchestra is also hoping to perform again at the May Awards assembly for the Washburne Community!

Lots of exciting events to round out the school year!

Calling all engineers, inventors, and robot wranglers! Spark your creativity and get ready to design and build beyond your wildest dreams! We’re bringing back the Washburne Robotics Club kicking it off on Tuesday, February 20th, continuing for the next 15 weeks!

Here are the details:

Time: Tuesdays, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM, a perfect after-school adventure!

Dates: February 20th - June 4th, let's conquer the spring semester with bots!

Location: The CW CoLab, N102, (Mr. Selgrat’s room) Washburne

What to Expect: We will collaborate to build and program Lego robots! We will work together to choose our path as a club, sharpening our creativity and problem-solving skills.

No experience needed: Just bring your enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to participate.

The First Lego League Robotics Club is live on the District Web Store.

Thank you to all of our families who checked our lost and found during conferences. We know that many long-lost items were recovered. We will be keeping our lost and found out in the front foyer over the next few weeks. Please take a look at the photos below and stop by school to claim any lost items.

This year's dance marathon benefiting Lurie Children's Hospital will take place on Friday, March 15th from 3:30-5:30pm at Washburne. If you haven't received a fundraising link from your child or his/her/their advisor yet, you can find your link here. Advisory Links

Where does the money go? Children's Miracle Network

The energetic and creative Dance Marathon Student Steering Committee has set its sights on beating our total from last year, which made us the top fundraising middle school in the country! Our total last year was $83,186.70.

Last, there will be plenty of ways to volunteer to help plan and run the dance Marathon through the PTO. That information is forthcoming. Stay tuned!

Washburne Families, we want your feedback on our lunch program.

Please Click Here and take a few minutes to share your feedback as we look to ensure you have the highest quality food service program possible.

Tuesday, February 20th: D36 School Board Meeting - 7:15pm @ Washburne School

Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent of Schools, invites you to the first “Coffee with Kelly,” a community conversation that will be hosted at our schools over the remaining months of the school year. Staff, families and community members are welcome to join Dr. Tess and a special guest for co-facilitated discussions on topics of interest, providing an opportunity to gather together, listen to each other’s perspectives and enhance our partnership to educate the students of Winnetka.

The first “Coffee with Kelly” will center on the topic of Gathering. Dr. Tess will be joined by Ms. Carly Andrews, Executive Director of The Alliance for Early Childhood for a conversation on:

• fostering social connections for our students,

• supporting community members craving connection,

• learning about how staff and families feel linked or out of synch with each other,

• and reflecting on how caring for others can be both nourishing and depleting.

This is an opportunity to converse, connect, learn, and grow together!

Guests are invited to:

• Read an excerpt from Nourished: Connection, Food, and Caring for Our Kids (And Everyone Else We Love) by Deborah MacNamara PhD

• and/or watch this interview with the author

• and/or come as you are, excited to engage with your childrens’ teachers, your neighbors, and your school leaders!

Wednesday, February 28 from 12 p.m.-1:00 p.m.

Greeley School Resource Center,

275 Fairview Ave., Winnetka

Please RSVP by February 25, 2024.

All staff and parents (including grandparents and caregivers!) are welcome. You do not need to be a Greeley family or staff member to attend. Coffee will be served!

Season 2, Episode #4: What is Project Based Learning?

Think back to a favorite project you experienced when you were a student. Was there something about it that was highly engaging, unique, and allowed you freedom to discover and explore your own interests? Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent, has a conversation with Carleton Washburne School students, Ms. Tip Walker (The Skokie School), and Ms. Jennifer Bertacchi (Carleton Washburne School) reflecting on the profound impact of Project Based Learning on education. This episode provides a window into how Project Based Learning is designed by teachers, experienced by students and connects to learning standards. As stated by a student interviewed about a recent Project Based Learning activity, “This really prepared me for what I may be able to do in the future.” To see the website built by these students as one of their public products visit this link.

Listen here:

Apple Podcast

Amazon

Spotify

iHeart Radio

Google

Winnetka Voices is a podcast hosted by The Winnetka Public Schools, featuring candid conversations on issues relevant to education and shared resources to support our students and families.

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics.

Click here for the Winter/Spring 2024 schedule.

Up next:

From Washburne to New Trier: (Paul Waechtler, Principal)

A D36 Parent's Guide to the New Trier Transition

March 6, 2024

10:00-11:00 A.M.

Washburne RC

Carleton Washburne School

RSVP here.

Families may now access the calendar for the upcoming school year, also available on our District website.

Note that the last day of our school year will now fall on Friday, June 14, 2024. This is due to the emergency day taken when we experienced a winter storm in January 2024.

The Accelerated Placement Act requires Illinois public school districts to adopt and implement policies on acceleration that provide opportunities for single subject and grade level acceleration. To learn more about District 36’s acceleration policy implementation, click here to view an infographic and click here to visit our updated webpage. Note that the acceleration request form will be open February 26-March 22.

If you have questions about the policy, please contact the Asst Supt of Innovation, Teaching and Learning, Dr. Becky Mathison, at beckymathison@winnetka36.org.

The tradition continues – fun for the whole family at Winter Carnival!

On Friday, February 23 from 5-8:30 p.m., the New Trier Senior Class is hosting its annual Winter Carnival, during which the entire Class of 2024 will work with their adviser rooms to transform the Winnetka Campus into various carnival attractions for children. Carnival-goers can expect everything from the classics, like Pop-A-Shot and Putt Putt Golf, to more unique activity booths, such as Glitter World Salon and Human Bowling. Admission at the North main entrance (along Trevian Way) is free and activity tickets are $1 each. Parking is free, and is available in the lots on the east side of the school as well as in any space marked "New Trier High School" in the Indian Hill lot adjacent to the Metra lot at Winnetka Avenue and Green Bay Road.

This year’s carnival will also feature an optional Magic Show, raffle, and more! Purchase tickets for the Liam the Magic Man Magic Show from 5-5:30 ($10 per family) here: https://newtrier.revtr

ak.net/fundraising/fundraising-senior-class/liam-the-magic-man-s-magic-show/

All proceeds benefit the 2024 Senior Class Service Project, Embarc Chicago, which provides “real-world experiential learning accompanied by a state of the art in-class curriculum to change the trajectories of students’ lives.”