Carleton Washburne

We are looking forward to our upcoming winter conferences, which will provide another opportunity for parents, teachers, and students to check in about the progress that has been made this year. Teachers at Carleton Washburne will be available for conferences on our district's conference dates: Thursday, February 8th and Friday, February 9th. On February 8th, conferences will run from 8:30am-5:30pm. On February 9th, conferences will run from 8:30am-12:30pm. At Washburne, you can schedule a 5 minute conference with each teacher that your child has during trimester two. Parents can choose to have their conferences in person or virtually via Zoom.

Sign ups for Washburne Winter Conferences will open this Thursday, January 25th at 9:00 am. Families can access the scheduling portal by clicking this LINK. All families were sent specific instruction to schedule conferences for their child last Thursday. If you did not receive this information, please reach out to Mr. Horwitz at benhorwitz@winnetka36.org.

We are also excited for our 2nd annual Washburne Winter Bash next Friday, February 2nd from 6:30-8:00pm. See the flyer below for more information. CLICK HERE for more information from the PTO, and to sign up for the event.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

8th grade families can sign up for a 15 minute conference with New Trier to discuss your child’s schedule for next year. You can access the Sign Up Genius by clicking on this LINK. Please make sure to enter your child’s name in the comments when you make an appointment.

Families can sign up for any 15 minute time slot that works best for you and your child between 1:00-6:00pm on Wednesday, February 7th. If you sign up for a conference during school hours, your child will be released from class to meet you in the gym. Parents should enter the building through our athletic entrance off Elm Street.

If your child has an IEP, you will receive a separate communication from New Trier to schedule a conference. Please do not use this Sign Up Genius to make an appointment.

Welcome to Window to Washburne! Each week, we will be highlighting some of the learning taking place in our classrooms.

Students in Mr. Rice and Ms. Etter’s classes have been reflecting on the past and thinking ahead toward the future. Students entered the C-Span StudentCam documentary competition by submitting a film that answered one of two questions, either what has been the most important change over the last 20 years, or the most important change they would like to see in the next 20. As you might imagine, students had many different ideas and topics of focus. Some students created films that focused on health care while others looked at the environment, education, or technology. As part of their documentary, students were required to consider a variety of viewpoints on their topic to ensure that they were presenting a thoughtful, fresh perspective. The deadline for submission was this past Friday, January 19th, so we are now eagerly awaiting the results.

Kudos to Mr. Rice and Ms. Etter for guiding our students through this competition.

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 Furniture Making class just wrapped up week five of the trimester. During that time, they studied safety, power tool use, and completed a clock design. The clock project is now in the production phase and students are fully engaged in the use of scroll saws, disc sanders, power drills and spindle sanders to bring their designs to life. Once the project production is complete, students will learn about finishing techniques. The shop is stocked with a wide array of products and color options to accommodate each student’s individual design.

Students at Washburne do not have to go outside for recess. However, if your child enjoys going outside each day, we ask for your partnership in ensuring that they have proper winter gear for the elements. When the temperature is extremely cold (a feels like temperature of 10 degrees or colder), we will keep all students indoors.

Below are resources we use as guidance for our district to determine if we are outside or staying inside for recess.

• We use the Weather Channel to monitor the weather.

• We use the ISBE windchill guide for “feels like” temperature.
  

Boys Volleyball season is set to begin at the end of the month.

Tryouts will be on Tuesday, January 30 and Wednesday, January 31st from 3:30-5:00pm.

Practices will start on Thursday, Feb. 1. Practices are typically Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00pm and Friday mornings from 7:00-8:00am. Games are played throughout the week, starting at either 4:00 or 5:00pm. We are done by 6:30pm on game days and have no weekend commitments. Boys who are interested in playing need to be registered online and have a medical clearance form or current physical on file at school. Boys should bring athletic clothing, athletic shoes, and knee pads to tryouts and practices. If you have any questions, please contact Andy Becker at AndyBecker@winnetka36.org

Boys Volleyball registration opened on the District Webstore Tuesday 1/16 at 9am.

CLICK HERE to register.

Tuesday, January 23rd: School Board Meeting - 7:15pm @ Carleton Washburne School

Thursday, February 8th & Friday, February 9th: Washburne Winter Conferences

As we may experience additional inclement weather this winter, we want to ensure our students are prepared for potential remote learning. With this in mind, we have planned a proactive practice activity for students. This practice session is an important step in ensuring that our students remain connected and ready for learning should multiple days of inclement weather occur.

Remote Learning Practice Activity:

• Date for Device Take-Home: On Thursday, January 25, all K-8 students will bring their school-issued iPads home.

• Objective: To connect their device to home Wi-Fi and access educational tools (How-to guide can be found here). This is purely for preparedness and will not be graded.

• Help/Support: If you run into any issues with connecting your student’s device or in accessing materials, please complete this Google Form so that we can follow up with you.

• Device Return: Please return the devices to school on Friday, January 26.

This practice activity is a crucial step in ensuring our students can seamlessly transition to remote learning if required.

• In the event of school closures, communication will be made through Blackboard (phone, email, text), our website, and the Emergency Closing Center.

• The first inclement weather closure will be a traditional snow day, with subsequent closures moving to remote learning.

For more information on our full inclement weather policy, please refer to our previous Principal newsletter communications. We appreciate your support in these preparations.

Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2024/2025 is now open. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2024, are eligible to enroll. Questions related to School Admissions and age requirements are addressed in School Board Policy 7:50 School Admissions and student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools.

Please note: There are two steps to completing new student registration. We ask that parent(s)/guardian(s) complete BOTH steps of pre-registration BEFORE January 12, 2024. As an added incentive new students that have completed the two step pre-registration process by January 12, 2024, will receive a credit of $40.00 toward student fees for the 2024/2025 school year.

Step 1: Complete the online pre-registration form; Step 2: Visit the District Office (1235 Oak Street) to provide the following:

1. Proof of residency. Click here to view the list of documents that will meet these requirements. For your convenience residency documents may be uploaded during online registration.

2. Original or certified copy of your child(ren)'s birth certificate and a parent photo ID.

Completing both steps (online and in-person) is required for your child(ren) to be enrolled as new students. Click here to begin the online segment.

January 30, 2024

6:30-8:30 P.M.

Location: Skokie School

Join WPSF at their free annual event to learn about findings from the literacy pilot and to see a showcase of recently funded grants in D36. Teachers will be participating in a panel discussion on reading education. Don't miss this opportunity to learn firsthand from faculty and district leaders and to see #grantsinaction.