The Skokie Home Scoop
January 23, 2023
January 23, 2023
Dear Skokie Families:
Thank you for your ongoing partnership. As you will see in this week's Home Scoop, there are many opportunities in the upcoming weeks for our our continued collaboration as partners in our work at Skokie and in the community. We look forward to seeing you as we continue to learn and grow together!
Winter Conferences
We’re looking forward to having conferences in a couple weeks. Signups will be shared by advisory teams on Friday, January 27th.
Reminder of the conference times, which are non student attendance days:
Thursday, 2/9 (8:30 am - 5:30 pm)
Friday, 2/10 (8:30 am - 12:30 pm)
Winter Warm-Up
Our 5th grade students enjoyed the Winter Warm-Up hosted by PTO this past Friday, January 20th. Students had a blast with music, ping pong, hot chocolate and churros. Thank you to PTO! The next Winter Warm-Up is approaching on Friday, February 3rd for our 6th graders.
Exploring Skokie
Creative Dramatics & Movement:
We are learning about the Elements of Dance: Space, Action, Body, Time, Effort. Performing artists use these elements as the building blocks of movement. Each class introduces new material with which the students can experiment. Students also engage in playing a suite of theatre games, to develop concentration, communication, and collaboration skills. Class time allows for reflection and repetition to reinforce concepts. The 5th graders are just beginning to create their own variations on basic Brain Dance actions. They will continue to build both improvisational and choreographic skills in the weeks to come. We will also be exploring the Actor’s Toolbox: Body, Voice, Mind through poetry and storytelling.
Ask your student to teach you Brain Dance moves and/or to describe the games Count to 10, Alphabet Race, and Stop.Start. Challenge them to demonstrate all five Body Shapes (wide, narrow, round, angular, and twisted), as shown (out of order) in the photos below. Remind them that they can combine shapes and explore low, middle, and high levels.
LIT:
In the Resource Center, students have been exploring literature genres. They completed a ‘Genre Personality Quiz’ to help them identify what types of genres they gravitate towards and even some that might surprise them. In the weeks to come, students will dig into these genres and explore a wide variety of titles for each of their genres. We’ll learn how our digital library catalog (Destiny) can help us locate and discover books that align with our genre categories.
During tech time in LIT, students are advancing their understanding of desktop navigation and the wireless magic mouse. The computers in the Skokie MakerLab have new to this school year Mac desktops, and students are becoming familiar with commands in both the Apple Menu and the Apps menu. Students are also learning swipes and gestures for mouse functionality.
Winnetka Public Schools Foundation's Annual Carlson Event on January 26
YOU ARE INVITED to an evening you won't want to miss...
Winnetka Public Schools Foundation's Annual Carlson Event
Thursday, January 26, 2023
7pm - 9pm
Winnetka Community House, Garden Room
The annual Carlson Event is a lively, interactive evening that provides an opportunity for D36 parents and community members to see the Foundation grants in action.
The Foundation is excited to host a panel of D36 educators who will speak about significant grants which are funding professional development on two hot topics for all K-8 teachers. K-4 teachers received training from the Reading League on the “Science of Reading”, and 5-8 teachers received training from the Buck Institute on “Project Based Learning.” Attendees will learn about these important training investments and their current impact on students in the classroom.
Join us and bring your friends for conversation, a glass of wine, and delicious hors d'oeuvres! All are welcome for this free community event.
Please RSVP to info@wpsf.org.
For more information about the Foundation, go to wpsf.org
This complimentary event is sponsored by a generous gift left to the Foundation in 2002 by Charlotte Carlson, a long-time educator in the Winnetka Public Schools.
Winnetka Parents Institute
Acceleration in Winnetka 36
January 25, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
The Skokie School Community Room
Director of Innovation, Teaching, and Learning Dr. Becky Mathison will host this information session about the acceleration policy. The acceleration policy provides the opportunity for parents, students, and licensed educational professionals to request that accelerated programming be examined for an individual student. The policy identifies acceleration as: early entrance in Kindergarten, early entrance into 1st grade, single-subject acceleration (any subject), and grade-level acceleration. The content will include a review of the purpose of the acceleration policy and a preview of updated procedures this year. Participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on specific components including the initial request form. Please note that the New Trier Math program and Washburne accelerated math are not a part of this policy.
Interested:
January 25, 2023
10:00-11:00 AM
Parent Education Sessions from District Partner Family Action Network (FAN):
For upcoming events, access FAN’s website here. These noteworthy events are coming up this this week and next:
Jan. 24, 2023 from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm:
The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of the Center for Psychodynamic Therapy and Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, co-director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, and co-founder of the Lifespan Research Foundation
William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School
ON ZOOM
Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT).
Jan. 26, 2023 from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm:
Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
Professor of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Faculty Director of the Greater Good Science Center, and bestselling author
Author of the #1 New York Times bestselling books Quiet and Bittersweet
Jan. 31, 2023 from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm:
A Place Called Home: A Memoir of Deprivation and Hope
Head of Community Engagement (West) for Amazon and Author
Sincerely,
Michelle Cooney and Larry Joynt
Principal and Assistant Principal
The Skokie School