

Crow Island Parent Newsletter
February 17, 2025
Dear Crow Island Families,
We loved having our families into school last week to help our students celebrate Valentine's Day. In addition, our 4th graders celebrated their the publishing of their informational animal projects and hosting their zoo.
This week we are looking forward to conferences partnering with parents and celebrating our students and their growth.
Have a great week!
Luke
February:
- Thursday, February 20: Winter Conference (non-attendance for students)
- Friday, February 21: Winter Conference (non-attendance for students)
March:
- Friday, March 7th: Parent Staff Party at Sunset Ridge Country 5:30pm
- Friday, March 14: 4th Grade Immigration Week Lunch
- Thursday, March 13th: Spring Sings, 1st Grade 5:45 pm, 2nd Grade 6:45 pm
- Friday, March 21st: Spring Break Starts
- Monday, March 31st: School Resumes
Monday Spirit Days:
As a reminder, every Monday is considered a Crow Island Spirit Wear Day. Staff and students are encouraged to participate.
Winter Conferences:
February 20th and February 21st is an opportunity for families to partner with teachers and better support our students. We look forward to collaborative conversations.
Conferences are scheduled for at least 25 minutes.
Conference sign-up will go out this week through homeroom teachers.
We ask that you prioritize conferencing during those days/times. If you can not meet in person during those days then the teacher will set up a virtual conference on those days.
Families should communicate and make one plan for their family. We want to avoid “splitting” the conference and having one parent in-person and another parent online.
Teachers will prefer an in-person conference so that work samples and a face to face conversation can take place.
All teachers are available for a conference, so if you wish to speak to a non-homeroom teacher for any reason you will want to email that staff member.
Monthly Observances | February | Black History Month
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society—from activists and civil rights pioneers such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to leaders in industry, politics, science, culture and more. At Crow Island, students will engage in classroom activities that celebrate some of the individuals listed above. In addition, families can access the library cultivated collection for Black History Month. You can access the Crow Island Destiny Collection here.
Related Arts Spotlight | Spanish
In Spanish in first grade we continue to work on new stories. We have either started or are getting ready to begin our own retelling of The Billy Goats Gruff (los tres chivos). Fairy tales are a wonderful way to introduce Spanish to the younger grades as they are already familiar with the stories. They are practicing with the new words and will act out the story with their classmates!
Third graders have been learning about La Tomatina, the "world's largest food fight" in Spain. We've talked about all the tomatoes that are thrown during this festival, and the different traditions that come along with it. They are almost ready to start reading the novel Daniel el Detective, and will be acting the story out as we read. Many students wish they could participate in throwing tomatoes!
Resource Center & Technology (From Ms. Maneck, Mrs. Banas, and Ms. Rasmussen)
In November and December, our theme for the RC/MakerSpace was "Our Identities, Families, and Traditions are Important". For our community project, we asked families & staff to share a recipe that is special to them. We have collected recipes and you can find the ones submitted here: Crow Island Elementary School Community Cookbook.
If you still would like to participate you can submit your recipe via this Google Form. We will periodically update the file to include newly submitted recipes and will share them with you.
Contagious Illness Update from the Nurses:
To keep everyone informed on what we are seeing around the district, we are sharing that a lot of students are currently getting diagnosed with influenza, strep, and GI viruses. Please keep our health guidelines in mind when thinking of sending your child to school.
If your child is not feeling well and you are uncertain about sending him/her on any given school day, it is best to keep him home and observe him for further symptoms. If a child is too ill to attend school in the morning it is recommended that he/she stay home all day.
Everyone needs to be fever/vomiting/diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of medication before returning to school.
Otus/aimswebPlus Update (K-6 only)
AimswebPlus Math scores for grades K-6 are now viewable by parents in Otus. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Kindergarten Registration:
Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2025/2026 will begin November 18, 2024. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2025, 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.
Safety Protocol: Before/After School:
We are grateful for your cooperation as we’ve worked to improve safety and security practices at our schools. That said, I would like to give some reminders when dropping off or picking up your children from before and school after school programs.
For before and after school care/activities:
When parking your car or waiting in your car for your child(ren) please remember to not block any driveways in and around the school if you park on the street.
Please follow their instructions involving pickup. i.e., sign in and out protocols.
Do not leave your vehicle running when you come inside, even leaving your vehicle momentarily is a safety hazard and provides opportunities to thieves.
Please use the designated parking spots to avoid blocking the lane of traffic when parking in the school lot.
If you need to walk your chil(dren) to the building please use the designated door that after school staff have identified as the pickup dropoff location.
It is strictly prohibited to enter school buildings outside of regular school hours without a staff member escort. This includes going to the RC or the child's classroom to pick up something they may have forgotten.
Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school as safe as possible.
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
Contact Us
Email: christinedemas-hall@winnetka36.org
Website: https://crowisland.winnetka36.org/
Location: 1112 Willow Road Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-0353
Twitter: @CrowIslandD36