Carleton Washburne

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

Washburne’s fall conferences will be on Thursday, November 14th and Friday, November 15th. With the later date of this year’s conferences, Washburne will utilize its winter conference model in the fall. Families will have the opportunity to schedule five-minute conferences with each teacher on their child’s trimester 1 schedule.

In-person conferences will be offered from 8:30am-3:30pm on Thursday the 14th and 10:30am-12:30pm on Friday the 15th.

Zoom conferences will be available from 3:30pm-5:30pm on Thursday the 14th and 8:30am-10:30am on Friday the 15th.

The scheduling portal will open this Wednesday, October 30th at 9:00am. Last week, all families were sent an email containing specific directions. If you did not receive this email, please contact Mr. Horwitz (benhorwitz@winnetka36.org).

On Wednesday, families can access the scheduling portal by clicking this LINK.

During this time of year, we are seeing an increase in illnesses including strep, colds, flu, and other viral infections. Additionally, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), pneumonia, and strep are prevalent in the community right now.

Here are some steps we can take together to help keep our school community healthy:

1. Stay Home When Sick: If your child is experiencing symptoms such as a persistent cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, please keep them home and consult a healthcare provider. This helps prevent the spread of illness to other students and staff. You can reference our district Health Guidelines here.

2. Encourage Good Hygiene: Remind your children to wash their hands frequently with soap and water, especially before meals and after using the restroom. Using hand sanitizer can also be effective when soap and water are not available.

3. Promote Cough Etiquette: Teach your children to cover their mouths and noses with a tissue or their elbow when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of tissues properly and wash hands afterward.

Your support in reinforcing these practices at home is invaluable. Together, we can help ensure a healthier school environment for everyone.

In this section we will be shining the spotlight on our Related Studies program and all the wonderful opportunities available to our Washburne students.

Students in Industrial Arts are currently working on their C02 car project. This is a five-week activity where students use the engineering design loop to create a car. During this project students learn about thumbnail sketches, multi-view drawings, and the science that goes into making a fast car. Once the car has been created, they test the efficiency of their designs using a wind tunnel to measure drag, a fog tunnel that highlights the vehicles’ aerodynamic qualities, and a test track that measures speed.

Cardio/resistance training club registration is open. Cardio club is a time for students to improve their fitness training, going beyond what is done in Kinetic Wellness. The Club will meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:30. Students may attend when their schedule allows. As a member of the cardio/resistance training club, students will receive 3 hours a week in the fitness room, supervision from a certified KW teacher, and a chance to perform their own workout. The club will start on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 and will continue until March 21, 2025. All students are welcome to join us as we set goals, work on personal training habits, and work on another wonderful lifetime fitness activity.

Registration opens at 9:00am on Tuesday, October 29th via the District Web Store.

If you have any questions, please call or email Mrs. Florance at 847-446-5892 ext. 3179 or candiceflorance@winnetka36.org

Healthy choices start today!

Does your child have a passion for MATHEMATICS? They should join our district MathCounts Team! MathCounts is a competition where students Grades 6-8 compete for a chance to go to the State, and even the National Math Competition. Each week we will learn new skills, play games, and do challenges to prepare for the competition. This club will meet on Thursdays from 3:45-4:45 pm at Carleton Washburne School Room S204. The regional competition will be on 2/1/25. Hope to see you on November 7th, 2024.

The Math Counts Club is live on the District Web Store under Washburne Non-Sports.

Registration opens at 9:00am on Tuesday, October 29th.

Click here to find October’s edition of the newsletter Belonging Means…

October Dimension of Belonging: Invited

Definition: The way people are invited signals their value and fosters a sense of belonging.

Essential Question: How are we pursuing all staff and students’ presence and actively extending new invitations?

• Tuesday, October 29th: School Board Meeting 7:15pm
• Friday, November 1st: Teacher Institute Day - No Student Attendance
• Tuesday, November 5th: No School, Election Day
• Thursday and Friday, November 14-15th: No School, Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences

Thank you to those families who were able to join our leader round tables, hosted at all five buildings. We’ve included a link to the slides as well as a link to a feedback form including questions that were asked at the event. Feedback will be synthesized and shared out in an upcoming principal newsletter. We will then follow-up leading up to Fall Conferences in a subsequent newsletter with ways we are being responsive to the feedback.

Crow Island: Slides and Google Form

Greeley: Slides and Google Form

Hubbard Woods: Slides and Google Form

Skokie: Slides and Google Form

Washburne: Slides and Google Form

October is National Principals Month and the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) observes Principal Appreciation Week October 20-26, 2024. To highlight the the contributions of our building Administrators, the first five episodes of Season Three of the District’s podcast Winnetka Voices, feature Ms. Ivory Ajavon (Principal of Hubbard Woods School), Ms. Lindsay Kopinski (Principal of Greeley School), Ms. Michelle Cooney and Mr. Larry Joynt (Principal and Assistant Principal of The Skokie School), Dr. Andrew Fenton and Mr. Ben Horwitz (Principal and Assistant Principal of Carleton Washburne School) and Dr. Luke Livingston (Principal of Crow Island School). Winnetka Voices is a podcast hosted by The Winnetka Public Schools, featuring candid conversations on issues relevant to education and shared resources to support our students and families.

Listen here:

Apple Podcast

Amazon

Spotify

iHeart

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

Up Next:

AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 5-8

November 13, 2024

9:30 A.M.

Location: Carleton Washburne School RC

UNESCO, in their 2021 report entitled AI and education: Guidance for policy-makers stated that:

• “AI is said to be a key enabler of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)…A recent global estimate suggests that 30% of work activities could be automated by 2030. Up to 375 million workers worldwide could be affected...Meanwhile, however, AI and other frontier technologies are increasing the range of high-skill jobs that require unique creative and analytical abilities and human interactions. In short, many workers’ jobs might disappear, and they will need to develop new skill sets – upskilling or reskilling – to enable them to enter the new occupations made possible by AI. Education ministries and training providers need to anticipate these changes, equipping today’s workers and preparing new generations with the necessary technical and social job skills, to smooth the transition to a world dominated by AI, while ensuring social sustainability.”

Artificial Intelligence is “out of the toothpaste tube” and is not going back in. In response, we’ll share with parents the steps we’re taking to increase the literacy of our students of Artificial Intelligence and how we’re preparing them to be responsible users of this tool.

Interested:

RSVP here

If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:

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

What to Know About the Otus Parent Portal

Practice Remote Learning Activity on November 7, 2024:

To ensure our students are prepared for any potential shift to remote learning due to multiple days of inclement weather, we have planned a proactive practice activity. This practice session is an important step in ensuring that our students remain connected and ready for learning should inclement weather occur.

• Date for Device Take-Home: On Thursday, November 7, all students will bring their school-issued iPads home.

• Objective: The goal is for each student to connect their device to their home Wi-Fi network and ensure they have access to the necessary tools and platforms.

• Return of Devices: Please ensure that the devices are returned to school with your child on Friday, November 8.

• Communication: Additional communication and reminders, as well as a form to record any issues your student experiences, will be sent closer to this practice event.