Carleton Washburne

It was wonderful to see so many Washburne families in our building last Wednesday evening for Go to School Night. We hope you found the evening informative and we can’t wait to continue to partner with you as we move through the 2024-25 school year. If you were unable to attend on Wednesday, we have included our principal presentation HERE for your review. Our teams will also be sharing their presentations with families.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to meet with parents at our first Principal Coffee this Tuesday, September 24th from 9-10:00am at Elm Park. (just across the street from Skokie School) Please join us for this opportunity to connect with us and other Washburne families.

Our PTO is also excited to host the first “Washburne Back to School Bash” this Friday, September 27th from 6:30-8:00pm in the Washburne Gym. The event will have a DJ & Photo Booth! Bumper Ball! Mario Smash Brothers Gaming! Food & fun - sign up today!

Register HERE

Volunteer HERE

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

The Winnetka Public Schools are committed to the second goal area of our strategic plan focused on creating a culture of positive well-being for students, staff, and community. This includes promoting wellness for our school community and collaborating Districtwide to foster connection and belonging.

We are committed to continuing recognition of monthly observances and celebrations this year; however, we have made some revisions and additions based on feedback from our school community. A link to the official 2024/2025 calendar can be found here. The calendar was created to collectively raise awareness of the important days of commemoration across several events and faith traditions practiced by staff and families in the District. However, it should be noted that this is not a comprehensive list of all religious days or faith traditions observed in the community. If you would like to recommend a change or addition to this calendar for consideration in the future, please let us know via this online form.

September 15 to October 15 is National LatinX Heritage Month. This is a time to celebrate the cultures, achievements and contributions of LatinX, Hispanic and Latino-identified people whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

In 2024/2025, we will further explore what it means to have a sense of belonging using the Vanderbilt University research-based Ten Dimensions of Belonging which offers 10 ways schools can foster belonging for all. Districtwide, we will focus on one dimension of belonging each month. September’s dimension is PRESENT. Staff are students are encouraged to reflect and take action regarding the following: Are all students, families, and staff involved in the same spaces and activities as their peers?

This club is back by popular demand for a second year. Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game where students will design a character and work cooperatively to complete missions and questions using both strategy and creativity. All levels of knowledge about the game (including beginners) are welcome. Dungeons and Dragons club takes place every third Thursday of the month after school until 4:45pm, and it is a great way to meet new people with similar interests. Please sign up in the District Web Store and reach out to Katie Nelson at katienelson@winnetka36.org with any questions.

Homework Club has begun after school in the Washburne Resource Center from 3:30-5:00pm. Homework Club will be available all year on Tuesdays, Wednesdays (new this year!), and Thursdays. It's a great opportunity to get things done while still at school. Drop in to finish some homework or get help from a teacher. All are welcome and there are no sign-ups required. Stay until five or leave when finished. Reach out to Ms. Nelson with any questions.

Debate meets after school on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30pm in Ms. Etter’s room (N106). This is a great opportunity for students to hone their research skills, become polished public speakers, and challenge themselves outside of the classroom. Students can compete in after-school tournaments with other New Trier feeder schools a few times throughout the year.

Our first meeting will be Tuesday, October 8th. Click here to register for this club.

Students are a vital part of planning, promoting, and executing our annual dance marathon, benefiting Lurie Children's Hospital. To date, we have raised over $200,000 for a place that has touched so many lives of those who live in Winnetka. Our student steering committee will meet on Thursdays at 8:00AM, monthly at first, then bimonthy, then weekly closer to the event, which will take place in the early spring. Sign up your child to be a part of this committee using the link below, which will be open until October 23rd, the day before our first meeting. DM Student Steering Committee

Whether your child is outgoing or wants to work behind the scenes, there is something for everyone to do. We need talents of all types. Every year it is a joy to work with students on such an important (and fun!) service project.

We can't wait to get started!

- Tracy Silverman, Melissa Yeoman, Rachel Hirsh, and DeAnna SeLander

Office Drop-Off Procedures

We will be implementing new procedures for parents who need to drop off items, such as iPads, lunches, or homework, at school during school hours. If you are dropping off an item for your child, you will be buzzed into the outer foyer of our building. We have a table set up where items can be left. There are post-it notes and pens on the table if you need to label the item for your child. We will no longer be buzzing parents into the office if you are dropping off an item during school hours.

Lanyards

All students were provided with a Washburne lanyard on the first day of school. For safety and security reasons, students are required to wear this lanyard during the school day.

If your child leaves the lanyard at home, we will provide a temporary one for them to wear that day. If the lanyard is lost, a replacement lanyard must be purchased for $1. Please help remind your child to bring their lanyard to school each day.

Thank you for your partnership as we work together to create a safe environment for our students, staff and families.

Due to an increasing number of students with food allergies, schools must be extremely careful regarding food items brought into the school building and classrooms. In order to provide a safe and healthy environment NO FOOD treats will be allowed for birthday celebrations or classroom/advisory parties.

• Tuesday, September 24th: Coffee with the Principal 9:00am-10:00am.
• Tuesday, September 24th: School Board Meeting 7:15pm
• Friday, September 27th: Washburne Back to School Bash 6:30-8:00pm
• Wednesday, October 9th: Leader Round Table @ Washburne School 6:30pm-7:30pm

We invite you to engage on important District and school-related topics with Dr. Tess and your building Principal. Please mark your calendar for the session at your home school(s) and kindly RSVP here:

The Skokie School

Tuesday, October 1

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Hubbard Woods School

Tuesday, October 8

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Carleton Washburne School

Wednesday, October 9

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Crow Island School

Thursday, October 10

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Greeley School

Monday, October 14

6:30-7:30 p.m.

The SSIS Student SEL Survey will be administered in grades K-8 the week of October 7th as part of our District-wide goal to support SEL for all students. The survey is aligned with Illinois state Social-Emotional Learning standards and will provide data to help inform our efforts to support the well-being of all students. The survey focuses on five core SEL competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Students grades 3-8 will take the survey during their SEL/advisory time. Time will be dedicated during our October 7th staff meeting for teachers grades K-8 to complete the teacher portion of the SSIS survey. Additionally, all staff will be asked to complete the Teacher and Staff survey through Panorama which will focus on: wellbeing, belonging, school climate, and equity and inclusion.

Last week’s Principal Newsletter featured some highlights about what the new literacy program is designed to do to support student learning and growth. With this change, the units at each grade level have new topics or themes.

The American Reading Company (ARC) begins with the Literacy Lab for grades K-6. This is a time when learning routines are established and teachers are able to get an initial understanding of current student performance in the areas of reading and writing. Following this first unit, each grade level has three units based on a theme.

Kindergarten- Zoology, Ecology, Entomology
1st- Wild & Endangered Animals, Family Stories, Plants
2nd- Bugs, Animal Stories, Join My Community
3rd- Weather & Climate, Traditional Tales, Marine Life
4th- Animal Adaptations, TBD (Mystery or American Historical Fiction), Sports and Society
5th- Ecosystems, Adventure, Civil War
6th- World Mythology, Geology, Fantasy, World Civilizations

CommonLit offers teachers options for which units to implement. The units below include both CommonLit units, as well as those rooted in existing practice of integration with other content areas and Project-Based Learning (PBL). The CommonLit* units are marked with an asterisk.

7th- Community and Belonging*, Adolescence*, The Outsiders*, Memoir, Social Media Risks and Rewards*, Dystopia (PBL)
8th- The Art of Suspense*, Social Justice (PBL), Debate Over School Start Time, Shakespeare*, Not That Different*, World War II (Integrated Unit w/ Social Studies)

This is a friendly reminder that all medical forms required by the State of Illinois are overdue. You can find additional copies of the forms on the district website here.

Please email all forms to the appropriate school nurse:

Hubbard Woods: ashleyjaskowski@winnetka36.org

Greeley: marykathrynjanda@winnetka36.org

Crow Island: chrissyhahn@winnetka36.org

Skokie School: mariannesiegel@winnetka36.org

Washburne: lisasweeney@winnetka36.org

Please see the information below:

State of Illinois Health Examination:

Kindergarten & Grade 6

Eye Examination:

Kindergarten

Dental Examination:

Kindergarten, Grade 2 & Grade 6

These include:

• Kindergarten Stay & Play

• iPad Insurance

• Elementary and Skokie Milk Fees

• Central PTO Dues

ALL optional fees, programs or services are accessed via RevTrak https://winnetka.revtrak.net/.

ALL optional fees, programs or services are accessed via RevTrak https://winnetka.revtrak.net/.

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. View the entire 2024/2025 schedule here.

Up Next:

What to Know About the Otus Parent Portal (Virtual only!)

October 9, 2024

9:30 A.M.

Location: Virtual

Zoom Link:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://winnetka36.zoom.us/j/89140902359?pwd=CkiZde9cij4R65VWd5jMpDaW5wkTlo.1

Meeting ID: 891 4090 2359

Passcode: 740131

Patrick Dawson (Director of Innovation, Teaching and Learning) and Dr. Zach Fodor from Otus will present on how parents can access their student’s assessment data (i.e. NWEA MAP, aimswebPlus, mClass DIBELS, IAR, etc) in one platform, Otus. Come and learn how you can use this powerful tool to review and stay up-to-date on your student’s performance.

Interested:

RSVP for this event here

If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:

Insights on K-8 Literacy Programming in The Winnetka Public Schools

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