Skokie Home Scoop

September 2, 2024

Dear Families:

We are excited to welcome our students to Skokie tomorrow! We will line up and welcome students into Skokie by Advisory on Tuesday morning (see details below). Following the first day, students will arrive and enter the building at 8:15 each morning. Please be mindful at pick up and drop off of pulling curbside along Glendale, Oak or Elm St. and having students exit the car school-side. For student safety, there will be no double parking. Please look for more information on drop off and pick up in the upcoming weeks as we prioritize student safety during two busy times of day.

First Day of School Lineup Setup

We invite advisory teams to meet students outside at 8:15 to welcome students and walk with them into Skokie. Students will line up by Advisory signs and we can begin entering with classes at 8:20. Below, please find the location for your class to support accessible entry for all. We will have signs for each Advisory so that students will have an easy time finding their classroom.

Elm St. Door N9 (Near Goldberg)

Goldberg/Erickson

Oak St. Next to Room 116 (Stone) enter through Door S4 and 116

Madden/Skydell
Hoyt/Martinsen

Front Drive:

Nigliazzo/Hilty (pass through auditorium)
Gehrig/Graf (pass through auditorium)
Gylling/Krupinski
Warner/Karageorgis
Walker/DeGiulio
Lambros/Agouridis

Notes about Food and Drinks:

As a reminder, students should have a water bottle that they can keep with them throughout the day. Students may have other beverages such as juice during lunch, but we will only have water in classroom spaces.

Important Note From a Skokie Family

Dear Skokie Parents:

Our daughter Teodora “Teya” Radovic, is starting 5th Grade at The Skokie School. We are excited to see her reach a new milestone, make new friends, and continue her academic career. Some of your children know Teya well, some in passing from elementary school, and since many of your children don't know her, we wanted to share with you that our daughter, Teya, happens to have a rare genetic and progressive condition called Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (or EB for short). She was born with it and she will have it for her entire life. You will notice she wears special bandages, because she has very fragile skin along with several other struggles. Teya’s skin easily blisters and tears, from minor friction, bumps/falls. While you may not see every wound, externally and internally, she is constantly in a state of healing. You will sometimes see her walking and running, and sometimes see her riding a scooter (mobility or regular), when she is in too much pain to walk. We are sharing this with our Skokie community so you can help your child understand a few things.

● The most important thing is that Teya is just like them! She is creative, she likes to draw, read, and be silly. She wants nothing more than to make friends, be included, and fit in with her peers.

● It is said that children with EB have skin as fragile as the wings of a butterfly.

● EB is not infectious or contagious. Your child will never ‘catch’ what our child has.

● EB is painful and unrelenting. She has very hard days, but usually makes the best of it, and will try to make it to school anyway.

● Due to chronic wounds, and scarring throughout her body, in general Teya moves slower than her peers, and may need extra time.

● Our Teya is not defined by EB, it is simply a part of her, and affects all aspects of her life.

● If your child is in class or at recess with Teya, they can help by being gentle with her. EB prevents her from being as physically active as her peers, but she is always looking

forward to recess with friends.

● Due to the severity of her EB, she is smaller in stature than her peers. Teya’s hands are

very scarred, and she wears fingerless gloves for extra protection. Her hands are usually

what other children notice first, and ask about, since they are very different from theirs.

● EB causes her fingers to fuse and contract which requires regular lifelong and extremely painful hand surgeries in order to maintain her hand function.

● Due to her fragile skin, she is very limited in the things she can do without repercussions of EB, but that doesn’t stop Teya from living her life to the fullest. We, as parents, look up to her as she has showed us first-hand what being resilient is and how to stay positive.

● Teya's life is full of challenges, but her strength and positivity prevail the evils of EB.

● Despite what she goes through, we will always expect her to be kind and work hard.

Please feel free to reach out to me (Teya’s mom) with any questions; 312-613-7301 or

milana1987@yahoo.com. We are open about our journey and looking forward to meeting new Skokie families!

Sincerely,

Milana (mom), Aleks (dad), Maksim and Mateo (younger brothers) Radovic

Upcoming Clubs

3D Design Club

Do you love to create and design in 3D? Are you interested in 3D software and how 3D printers work? Join the 3D Design Club where we will use 3D pens, software and our imaginations to create and explore 3D printing. No experience necessary, just bring your ideas and curiosity!

Wednesdays from 3:30-4:15 pm

September 18, 25
October 2, 9, 16. 23, 30
November 6, 13, 20

KW Uniforms

Our apologies for not being clear in our previous Home Scoop. 5th graders do not use KW uniforms. Students start using the locker rooms to change into their KW uniforms in 6th grade.

Art Portfolios

Welcome to the 2024/25 school year! I am so excited to be sharing this time with your students!

Here at the Skokie School we use Artsonia for our online student Art portfolios. It houses both personal galleries and our collective school gallery. Please be assured all student info is confidential, and the platform is SOPPA approved.

If you do wish to opt out, please email michaelgreenman@winnetka36.org by Friday, Sep. 6th, and I will remove your student from the roster. All other families can expect a welcome email with login info in the coming weeks.

Looking forward to a creative and productive school year!

Michael Greenman

Studio Arts Teacher

The Skokie School

(847) 501-5475

Securly Home

We are excited to share a new resource with parents this year that will enable them to receive a weekly email sharing their student’s web activity using their school account. An introductory video can be viewed here. For a detailed overview of the capabilities and how to get started, watch this video. You can expect to receive an email by September 3 inviting you to download the Securly Home app.

Additional resources:

The Winnetka Public Schools App

Download the District’s app by searching “The Winnetka Public Schools” on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The app will serve as a convenient way to report absences, view and manage your school calendars, and see at-a-glance District news.

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

Green Team Kickoff Event

The District’s Green Team will be hosting a kickoff event on September 13 at 3:30-4:00 pm at the Washburne Amphitheater. All current and interested Green Team members District-wide are invited to attend and hear more about our vision for this school year. Did we mention there will be popsicles? Please RSVP here if you plan to attend so we know how many to purchase.

September | Monthly Observances

As part of The Winnetka Public Schools' ongoing commitment to equity by fostering connection and belonging, our schools will take time each month to recognize the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds. Observances will look different at all schools and even at different grade levels. Some activities might include art, music, book studies, research projects, sharing cultural holidays and celebrations, and other school activities.

For the month of September we are celebrating Latin X Heritage Month as well as Patriot’s Day. More information is included below…

In September, we celebrate LatinX Heritage Month in the United States each year. This tradition began in 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Week. The dates for LatinX Heritage Month were chosen to coincide with the Independence Day celebrations of many Latin American nations when they declared independence from Spain.

During LatinX Heritage Month, we celebrate the countless contributions that Hispanic Americans have made to our nation. We also take this time to recognize the trailblazing individuals who fought for progress and equity for their communities. Throughout this month, teachers will incorporate this into their classrooms with age and grade appropriate materials. In addition, our library will be sharing some resources for families at home. You can access two of the resources here:

Families can learn more about LatinX Heritage Month here.
You can access our library collection via Destiny here: Destiny Collection

As a school, we will also celebrate Patriot’s Day on September 11th. Patriot’s Day is a national day of remembrance for those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. In the morning, our school will take a moment of silence when we complete the Pledge of Allegiance as a school community.

Sincerely,

Michelle Cooney and Larry Joynt

Principal and Assistant Principal

The Skokie School