Skokie Home Scoop

March 4, 2024

Dear Families:

We hope you had a wonderful weekend. We ended our week with an engaging day for our 5th grade students, led by Educating Outside the Lines. Students had the opportunity to learn about ADA compliance and to engage in work focused on accessibility, as well as perspective taking.

Exploring Skokie

Spanish: Sixth graders finished their story about a high diving giraffe named Mildred. The video clip that accompanies this story was a favorite! We started our class novel, Brandon Brown versus Yucatán, and have been familiarizing ourselves with the Yucatán region in México where our story takes place. As a cross-curricular activity, students studied both the physical and cultural features of the Yucatan using several maps. We have already completed chapter 1 of the book and are working through chapter 2. We will soon start acting out some fun scenes that take place in the next couple of chapters. Students also participated in La Voz Skokie (The Voice Skokie), a listening activity where students listened to various renditions of Osvaldo Farrés’ “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás, (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps) and had to provide one piece of positive feedback for each performer.

Fifth graders completed a homework assignment, retelling the Frozen story to a family member. Many students chose to retell the story entirely in Spanish, using gestures and visuals while others chose to retell the story in English, translating from Spanish. To prepare for this accomplishment, students drew scenes from our story, matched pictures with screenshots, and finally spent several periods writing out the story in their own Spanish words. To celebrate all the hard work students have put into this story, some classes competed in El Juego Injusto (The Unfair Game) while others played Jeopardy, with some class-favorite categories “detalles, detalles” (details, details) and ¿Dónde? (questions that start with “where?”). Some classes were able to play 99 (noventa y nueve,) a Spanish counting card game where students need to count up to (and hopefully not above!) 99.

Clubs

Spring Chess Enrichment Details

Spring Chess Enrichment Registration

Baking Club: There are still a few spots available, so even if your child has participated already this year, they are welcome to sign up again. The new sessions start next Wednesday, March 13th, after school.

Illinois Science Assessment

Thursday, March 7th and Friday, March 8th

• Thursday, March 7th for the first 2 tests (one during each block)

• Friday, March 8th for the third test during the math/science block

Winnetka Parents Institute

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics.

Click here for the Winter/Spring 2024 schedule. Up next:

From Washburne to New Trier: (Paul Waechtler, Principal)

A D36 Parent's Guide to the New Trier Transition

March 6, 2024

10:00-11:00 A.M.

Washburne RC

Carleton Washburne School

RSVP here.

We Want Your Feedback!

You are invited to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can inform school improvement efforts. The five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

• Effective Leaders

• Collaborative Teachers

• Involved Families

• Supportive Environments

• Ambitious Instruction

Your participation in this survey is voluntary, but important to our schools and the District. We do not receive results from the survey unless at least 20 percent of parents/guardians respond. The more responses parents/guardians provide, the more we will know how to focus our efforts. Please help us to improve by completing the survey.

• Go to: the 5Essentials Survey website to take the survey

• Select “Parent Survey.”

• You may enter your email address if you would like to receive confirmation of your submission, but it is not required.

• Then enter “COOK” into the county field and type in your student’s school.

You will then be asked a series of questions to provide input regarding your family’s experience at your student’s school. Please remember to click “submit” once you are done so your responses can be counted.

Please know that your identity and responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected with your child. If you have multiple children who attend our schools, you may complete one survey for each child. However, only one parent per household may submit a survey for a given child. The parent survey closes on March 29, so please submit your responses soon.

Winnetka Voices

Season 2, Episode #4: What is Project Based Learning?

Think back to a favorite project you experienced when you were a student. Was there something about it that was highly engaging, unique, and allowed you freedom to discover and explore your own interests? Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent, has a conversation with Carleton Washburne School students, Ms. Tip Walker (The Skokie School), and Ms. Jennifer Bertacchi (Carleton Washburne School) reflecting on the profound impact of Project Based Learning on education. This episode provides a window into how Project Based Learning is designed by teachers, experienced by students and connects to learning standards. As stated by a student interviewed about a recent Project Based Learning activity, “This really prepared me for what I may be able to do in the future.” To see the website built by these students as one of their public products visit this link.

Listen here:

Apple Podcast

Amazon

Spotify

iHeart Radio

Google

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.

Single-Subject and Grade Level Acceleration

The Accelerated Placement Act requires Illinois public school districts to adopt and implement policies on acceleration that provide opportunities for single subject and grade level acceleration. To learn more about District 36’s acceleration policy implementation, click here to view an infographic and click here to visit our updated webpage. The request form is now open; the window is February 26-March 22. If you have questions about the policy, please contact the Asst Supt of Innovation, Teaching and Learning, Dr. Becky Mathison, at beckymathison@winnetka36.org.

WPSF Phone-A-Thon Fundraiser Is Here!

On March 10, Winnetka Public Schools Foundation board members will be reaching out to D36 parents and community members by phone, text and email to secure donations for the coming year. The goal is to raise $85,000 during Phone-A-Thon so that WPSF can continue to fund grants to promote teaching innovation. Every donation makes a difference in our schools! Donate online by March 9, to “Beat the Call.” With your support, WPSF can continue to invest in our students, teachers, schools and community and fund grants to enhance the learning experience for every Winnetka D36 student.

https://www.wpsf.org

Homework and Executive Functioning Parent Survey
The Homework and Executive Functioning Network, composed of teachers, interventionists, and administrators, is currently working to develop District Guidelines for Homework (grades 5-8) and Executive Functioning (grades K-8).

In order to make an informed decision, the Network would greatly appreciate your honest response to this brief, ANONYMOUS survey so that we can better understand our current practice and perceptions around these two topics. Responses are due by March 13. The information we collect from teachers, students, and parents, paired with research, will guide the Network in developing:

1. A qualitative, single-point rubric for Executive Functioning that details descriptors in the following areas: Organizing & Planning, Initiating Tasks and Staying Focused, and Managing Emotions.
   Executive functioning impacts each student’s growth, development, and achievement. These are essential skills for students in school and life, and are often strong indicators of future success.

2. Guidelines for grades 5-8 Homework Practices to aid in establishing consistent classroom-to-classroom expectations for students, increasing vertical alignment within our system and between levels, and identifying supports in preparing students for “what’s next”.

We understand that experiences may vary by grade level so please complete one survey per grade level and school that your student(s) are in.

Survey link: https://forms.gle/huKAKKvtR4kSv1bV9

Erin’s Law Information for Families

During the week of March 18th, classroom teachers will implement state-mandated sexual abuse prevention education during one 20-30 minute session in each classroom. For more detailed information about Erin’s Law and curriculum content, please refer to the Erin’s Law page of the District website or contact your school’s social workers, Kelly Anderson and Lori Barsztaitis. Parents can choose to opt their children out of the program as they deem appropriate, and must do so by March 17th. If you are choosing to opt your child(ren) out, you can either email or send in the form linked here to Michelle Cooney or Larry Joynt.

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

Sincerely,

Michelle Cooney and Larry Joynt

Principal and Assistant Principal

The Skokie School