Greeley Greeting

Dear Families,

Yesterday marked the first day of fall, and with it we have already welcomed some cooler weather. As our days begin to shorten, we look forward to seeing you at Go to School Night this week, the PTO Fall Fest Celebration with a new date, and our first Leader Round Table event. Please see below for more details on these events and how to register.

In partnership,

Lindsay Kopinski

Principal, Greeley School

Please see the flyer below with an updated date from our PTO.

September

• 9/23 September Birthday Lunch with Mrs. Kopinski
• 9/25 Picture Day
• 9/26 Go to School Night, 6pm-7:30pm

October

• 10/3 No School
• 10/4 Greeley Spiritwear Day
• 10/14 Leader Round Table, 6:30-7:30pm, RSVP Here (see below for more information)
• 10/18 PTO Fall Fest
• 10/25 Kindergarten Butterfly Migration
• 10/30 Picture Retake Day

Please join us on Thursday, September 26th as teachers share classroom information and curriculum highlights with families.

In order to provide a more comfortable environment as well as accommodate families with multiple children, we have organized our session offerings by your child's last name:

6:00 - 6:40 p.m.

• Grades K-2: Child's last name A-L
• Grades 3-4: Child's last name M-Z

6:50 - 7:30 p.m.

• Grades K-2: Child's last name M-Z
• Grades 3-4: Child's last name A-L

If you need to attend a different session, please contact your child's teacher to make arrangements. We look forward to seeing you there!

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 see the information below:

State of Illinois Health Examination:

Kindergarten & Grade 6

Eye Examination:

Kindergarten

Dental Examination:

Kindergarten, Grade 2 & Grade 6

Please email all forms to the school nurse, marykathrynjanda@winnetka36.org

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)

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.

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?

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

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/.

You can registere here: https://winnetka.revtrak.net/

Mr. Urquhart is excited to announce that Chorus will be starting soon for fourth graders.

Do you love music? Like to sing, dance, and be creative with your friends? Fourth Graders, we are talking to you! Greeley’s Fourth Grade Chorus will be starting our year at the beginning of October with weekly morning rehearsals on Tuesdays before school from 8-8:30 in the Greeley Music Room.

Chorus will challenge your student to perform as a group with their peers to make one harmonious sound. We will perform at the District Chorus Fest in the Spring of 2025, sing for our fellow students at Greeley, and perhaps be able to do some community performances depending on how quickly we learn our songs!

There is no prior knowledge or talent to be able to join this group. All that is asked from students is to come in with a willingness to try their best and work well with their friends.

4th Grade Chorus will have its first morning rehearsal Tuesday October 1st at 8 am.

Information on drop off for parents and students will be shared upon enrollment. Parents, be on the lookout for a permission slip coming home soon!

School Hours:

8:20am | Morning supervision begins

8:30am | School Doors open

8:37am | School promptly begins

2:10pm | Extended day kindergarten dismissal (Monday-Friday)

2:45pm | Grades 1-4 & Stay and Play kindergarten dismissal (Mondays only)

3:15pm | Grades 1-4 & Stay and Play kindergarten dismissal (Tuesday-Friday)

Office Email: gordonschreiber@winnetka36.org

Location: 275 Fairview Avenue Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-6060