The Skokie Home Scoop
January 9, 2023
January 9, 2023
Dear Families:
Important Dates:
Monday, January 16: No School; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Winter MAP Dates
Wednesday, January 18th: Reading
Wednesday, January 25th: Math
Lions of Leadership
Our Lions of Leadership is continuing to collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, and they wanted to share this video as a reminder of their cause.
Math Skills
We would like to share that we are welcoming a new member of our Skokie team. Ann DeVries will begin with us tomorrow as our new math interventionist. Please join me in welcoming her to Skokie. She will be teaching a math pull-out class during the Skills Period.
Below, you will find an introduction to Ann:
Ann Devries is excited to be joining the Skokie School community to teach 5th and 6th grade Math Skills. Through the years Ann has taught 5th through 8th grade mathematics including Honors Algebra. Ann attended Miami University for her undergraduate degree and National Louis University for her MAT. She is married and has three grown children.
Exploring Skokie
Fifth Grade Spanish: students have been working hard on new vocabulary and a new story in class. It’s about a snowman that sneezes and the troubles he has, based off of the trailer for the original Frozen movie. Students have great energy when coming to class, and participate eagerly in our activities. We will be engaging in illustrating some captions in the next few days to demonstrate comprehension.
Sixth Grade Spanish: students recently finished learning a story about a Llama trying to cross the road. They wrote and retold the story in their own words and even shared the story with a family member. Since then we have started a new story about a giraffe that likes to swim. Upon our return after break we will be resuming and completing it. Students enjoyed playing the unfair game, and are showing high levels of comprehension in the classroom.
Sixth Grade French: students recently finished learning a story about a Llama trying to cross the road. They acted out the story and retold it to a partner in class. Students continue to practice subject pronouns and new verbs to discuss their likes and dislikes. They are able to ask and answer questions about their preferences. 6th grade French students are showing high levels of comprehension in the classroom.
Winter MAP 2023 Testing
We are approaching our second testing window for the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test, which will take place between January 17 - 27, 2023. Your child’s school or teacher will inform you of his or her specific testing dates.
Similar to the fall, all students in Grades 3 - 8 will take one reading test and one math test. The MAP Assessment is designed to measure a student’s achievement level at different times of the school year and compute growth over time. MAP is a computer-adaptive test, which means every student receives a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. This provides a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level.
The purpose of the second testing session is to provide teachers with midyear progress data that will help inform their instruction as they move forward into the school year. Winter student reports are not sent home. Student reports are sent home at the end of the school year with fall to spring growth measures. Additional information on the MAP Assessment may be found on our district website in the Assessment Section of ITL. If you need further information on your child’s testing session please contact your building principal.
Winnetka Parents Institute
JANUARY 2023:
Introduction to Kindergarten in The Winnetka Public Schools
Tuesday, January 10 at 6:00 p.m.
Greeley School
275 Fairview Avenue
Winnetka
This informational session is intended for Winnetka parents of preschool students who will be attending The Winnetka Public Schools. Parents will learn more about the support and services that the District provides to current preschool students attending local preschool programming. Additionally, families will receive a preview of:
The transition-to-Kindergarten process by Crow Island, Greeley and Hubbard Woods Principals,
The resources available to families from the Department of Student Services, Equity and Inclusion
Details on Kindergarten Connection that will occur in summer 2023
Highlights of a typical kindergarten day in The Winnetka Public Schools
We look forward to meeting new families at this event!
Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager:
The Developmental Progression of the Middle School Child
January 12, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
The Skokie School Community Room
Join Principal Cooney and Assistant Principal Joynt (The Skokie School) and Principal Fenton and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will spend time exploring both the academic and social-emotional needs appropriate to 5th-8th grade children, how they change over that four year span, as well as the neurological changes that contribute to these needs. Parents with current middle schoolers, or soon-to-be middle schoolers, are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.
Interested:
January 12, 2023
10:00-11:00 AM
Acceleration in Winnetka 36
January 25, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
The Skokie School Community Room
Director of Innovation, Teaching, and Learning Dr. Becky Mathison will host this information session about the acceleration policy. The content will include a review of the purpose of the acceleration policy and a preview of updated procedures this year. Participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on specific components including the initial request form.
Interested:
January 25, 2023
10:00-11:00 AM
Parent Education Sessions from District Partner Family Action Network (FAN):
For upcoming events, access FAN’s website here.
Sincerely,
Michelle Cooney and Larry Joynt
Principal and Assistant Principal
The Skokie School