Dear Crow Island Families,
I hope you had a productive conference last week and were able to learn a little more about the experiences of your children while at school. In addition, our school team looks forward to revisiting the conversations from the collaborative conference forms as we move into the school year and provide progress updates along the way.
This week, we are celebrating Unity Week at Crow Island. We have a lot of fun themes planned to help students and staff celebrate. We hope to see all of the students participating.
Have a great week!
Luke
- Monday, October 17th: Unity Spirit Week at Crow Island
- Monday, October 17th: District 36 Referendum Info Session @ Crow Island 9:30am
- Monday, October 17th: Annual Crow Island Food Drive (all week)
- Monday, October 24th: Picture Retake Day
- Monday, October 31st: Halloween
- Tuesday, November 1st: Institute Day Non-Attendance for students
- Tuesday, November 8th: Non-Attendance Day for Students (Election Day)
Message from K-4 Principals:
Cooler weather is on the horizon, and our students are fully immersed in the classroom community and curriculum. We wanted to use this week’s joint newsletter to highlight some key curricular concepts as we head into parent-teacher conferences next month.
At the start of the year, staff began gathering data on students’ levels of performance to inform instruction. This includes math and literacy screeners, MAP testing for third and fourth grade, instructional reading levels, and curricular pre-assessments. These tools are used in concert to help teachers select materials, create instructional groupings, and identify approaches (pacing, revisiting concepts, etc.) that may be needed or modified.
In order to ensure teachers and teams have time to implement their plans, all of our elementary schools have included What I Need (WIN) time in the school day this year. During WIN, students will receive instruction targeted to their specific learning path. WIN will be made available to students at a consistent time each week, which allows for greater scheduling and collaboration with support staff such as literacy/math facilitators, interventionists, and student services (speech, social work, etc.).
Our teachers are accustomed to making adjustments to their instruction throughout the year. It is beneficial for our district as a whole to review our curriculum at large at regular intervals to ensure materials, goals, and our district’s mission are in alignment. This school year, our district will begin the review cycle process of our language arts curriculum, as shared in Dr. Kelly Tess’s entry plan during last month’s board meeting. This entails ensuring best practices are revisited, the latest research explored, student data trends reviewed, and a comprehensive plan from kindergarten through eighth grade developed.
Teachers communicate curricular topics in their newsletters. Please reach out if you have any additional questions. We are proud of the instruction we offer our students, and we are eager to continually improve our curriculum and practices. ~ Luke, Beth, and Josh.
Unity Week @ Crow Island:
Starting Monday, October 17th we will be celebrating Unity Week at Crow Island. Each day has a theme focused on kindness and being an upstander. Learn more about Unity Week here.
Halloween:
We are excited to celebrate Halloween at Crow Island. Please review our plan to celebrate at school. Teachers will also send out more information. Halloween 22-23.
2022 Downsized Capital Improvement Plan: Referendum
As a member of The Winnetka Public School community, we want to ensure you are informed about the improvements to all five schools as part of the 2022 Downsized Capital Improvement Plan: Referendum, which was adopted as a resolution by the School Board on August 16th and will be on the ballot November 8th. You are invited to attend an upcoming informational session, in person or via Zoom. Please see the image below for further information, or visit our website at www.winnetka36.org.
Commemorative Bricks at Carleton Washburne School
Due to wear and tear from exposure to the elements, the bricks formerly on display at the Northwest corner of the Washburne campus were removed for safety reasons. If you or a family member previously purchased a commemorative brick (names are reflected in this list) and would like to retrieve the brick, you may do so between now and November 11, 2022. Simply visit the location on the map below.
Fall Winnetka Parents Institute Schedule
The District is offering an array of upcoming educational sessions for families and community members. Click here for session dates and more information. Fall sessions include SEL-related topics and technology tips for parents regarding maneuvering the ever-changing landscape of technology, social media, and phones.
Service Opportunity from the Volunteer Center
The Volunteer Center is hosting its 20th Annual Make A Difference Day that will help 18 nonprofits' clients in critical need. North Shore residents are invited to "upcycle" their new and gently used goods at this one day annual collection drive. The event is Saturday, Oct. 22 from 9am - noon at Winnetka's Indian Hill train station parking lot.
Safely drive thru and drop off! If you have any of the essential items the nonprofits have requested like clothing, food, toys, games, books, DVDs, CDs, vinyl, musical instruments and much more! Please sort, bag and label them with the corresponding nonprofit and bring them over! The list of items requested from each nonprofit can be found here on the VC's website. Only the items on the list will be accepted. Nonprofit reps will be there to receive the essential donations. Volunteers will take them from your vehicle and the nonprofits will drive off with them at the end of the morning.
We also are in need of volunteers from middle school aged youth through adults, to help us take the donations to the corresponding nonprofit and/or help sort the items. Please email if you or your family or service group would like to help or if you have any questions. Contact info@volunteercenterhelps.org.
Parent Education Sessions from District Partner Family Action Network (FAN):
For upcoming events, access FAN’s website here.
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: lindyschmidt@winnetka36.org
Website: https://www.winnetka36.org/crowisland
Location: 1112 Willow Road Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-0353
Twitter: @CrowIslandD36