September 2024

Dear Families, Staff and Community Members,

As we conclude our third week of school, I want to recognize all of the incredible work poured into ensuring we are off to a successful start to our year. These past several weeks I’ve been able to observe students gleefully selecting library books, deeply engaging in learning new math concepts together, experiencing their first art class, and participating in civic engagement by placing flags on the Village Green to commemorate 9/11.

To our educators, your passion for upholding our Progressive Tenets (A Whole Child Approach, Experiential & Meaningful Learning, Collaborative Community) is evident. As one of our building administrators shared with me today, “We want to do the best we can for kids because we know they are impacting the future.” To our families, we are honored that you have entrusted us with educating your children and appreciate your support–from creating a festive environment at our buildings as we welcomed our students on the first day of school, to generously providing lunch to teachers, to volunteering with the PTOs and Winnetka Public Schools Foundation.

I want to share a brief video message on a few important ongoing initiatives in our District including referendum-funded Construction and the implementation of a new Literacy Curriculum. Additionally, you’ll hear from Mr. Ray Finnerty, our new Director of Safety & Security, who shares information on our new Standard Response Protocol for emergency situations.

As we head into the fall, I invite you to join me and your building Principal(s) for Leader Round Tables at all five campuses. This will be an opportunity to engage on important District and school-related topics. Please mark your calendar for the session at your home school(s) and kindly RSVP here:

The Skokie School

Tuesday, October 1

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Hubbard Woods School

Tuesday, October 8

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Carleton Washburne School

Wednesday, October 9

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Crow Island School

Thursday, October 10

6:30-7:30 p.m.

Greeley School

Monday, October 14

6:30-7:30 p.m.

I look forward to connecting with you in the near future. Enjoy these early autumn days!

Most Sincerely,

Dr. Kelly Tess

Superintendent of Schools

The next School Board meeting will be held at Carleton Washburne School on September 24, 2024. There will be a Budget hearing at 7:00 p.m. The Regular Meeting is at 7:15 p.m.

The Tentative Budget for the 2024-25 school year can be found on the Winnetka 36 website: Business Office Site.

The following presentations are on the Regular Meeting agenda:

Bulley & Andrews/Perkins & Will Summer Construction Update

KW Curriculum

In-person seating for the public is on a first-come, first-served basis.

To observe via Zoom:

https://winnetka36.zoom.us/j/88090707037?pwd=NG5odzg5ejhac3Frb05HK0lYQmZTUT09

Meeting ID: 880 9070 7037

Passcode: 353337

The meeting will include an opportunity for in-person public comment. Please note, the Board will be following policy 2:230 and limit public comment to three minutes - however, if there is a high volume of public comment, the Board may need to limit the amount of time dedicated to public comment in order to efficiently conduct business. Community members can send communications to board members at board@winnetka36.org which will be individually reviewed by each board member prior to the meeting.

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?

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

Up Next:

What to Know About the Otus Parent Portal (Virtual only!)

October 9, 2024

9:30 A.M.

Location: Virtual

Zoom Link:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://winnetka36.zoom.us/j/89140902359?pwd=CkiZde9cij4R65VWd5jMpDaW5wkTlo.1

Meeting ID: 891 4090 2359

Passcode: 740131

Patrick Dawson (Director of Innovation, Teaching and Learning) and Dr. Zach Fodor from Otus will present on how parents can access their student’s assessment data (i.e. NWEA MAP, aimswebPlus, mClass DIBELS, IAR, etc) in one platform, Otus. Come and learn how you can use this powerful tool to review and stay up-to-date on your student’s performance.

Interested:

RSVP for this event here

If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:

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

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

To view the calendar for the 2024/2025 school year, please click here.

Please follow the District via the following social media platforms in order to see day-to-day happenings and more.

Instagram: @WinnetkaPublicSchools

LinkedIn: @TheWinnetkaPublicSchools

Facebook and X: @Winnetka36