Carleton Washburne

We hope that everyone had a good weekend, and that you survived the four seasons of weather that Chicago provided the past few days. The warm weather is a hopeful reminder that spring is just around the corner. There is lots happening at Washburne in March, and we have included a lot of information in this week’s memo.

Washburne is hosting a dance marathon benefiting Lurie Children's Hospital on Friday, March 15th from 3:30-5:30pm. If you haven't received a fundraising link from your child or his/her/their advisor yet, you can find your link here. We are still looking for volunteers to help with this event, please reach out to the Skokie/Washburne PTO if you are interested in volunteering.

As the weather warms up, we know that many of our students will return to biking or walking to school. Thank you in advance to our families for helping us reinforce the following practices:

• understanding the importance of using caution and following all traffic signals

• wearing a helmet while riding a bike, skateboard or scooter

• walking a motorized scooter or bike on school grounds

• being respectful to pedestrians while riding on the sidewalk, and

• walking bikes through crosswalks.

We are grateful for your partnership on this important issue. Please ensure that your student follows safety guidelines when biking to school.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Carleton Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

In the coming weeks, building social workers will implement state-mandated sexual abuse prevention education during one 20-30 minute session in each classroom. Parents have the option to opt their children out of the program as they deem appropriate, and must do so by March 4th.

For more detailed information about Erin’s Law and curriculum content, or to find the opt-out form, please refer to the Erin’s Law page of the District Website or contact our Washburne social workers; Rachael Hutson, Naira Ejupovic, and Ellie Hotchkiss.

Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 6th, from 10:00-11:00am at Washburne school for our next coffee and conversation with the principal. We will be joined by New Trier Freshman Campus Principal Paul Waechtler. Mr. Waechtler will share a brief presentation on transitioning to high school, followed by time for questions and discussion.

RSVP 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.

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

Our passionate and creative Dance Marathon Student Steering Committee has been hard at work since November planning our annual event, which benefits Lurie Children’s Hospital. These sixteen students have helped make many big decisions, such as the date of the event, the colors of the swag, and what activities will take place at the event. Two of the students collaborated to design this year’s creative logo, and many others made colorful posters that adorn the halls of Washburne and are displayed on our screens. They are all leading the way in encouraging teachers to agree to get pied in the face and in encouraging their peers to fundraise. Participating in this steering committee is helping these students understand how important it is to help others and much fun you can have along the way!

- Ms. Hirsh, Ms. Silverman, and Ms. Yeoman

In this section we will be shining the spotlight on our Related Studies program and all the wonderful opportunities available to our Washburne students.

As we near the end of the second trimester, students are busy collaborating and problem-solving their way through the fourth and final STE(A)M challenge in Innovation Technology. In the photo, you can see students working in various capacities as they are troubleshooting a 3D printer, creating a video game, programming LEGO robots, and working with circuits and LED lights. As they wrap up this final challenge students will share out their work in a final reflection video. It’s been a wonderful trimester working with this group!

Thank you to all of our families who checked our lost and found during conferences. We know that many long-lost items were recovered. We will be keeping our lost and found out in the front foyer over the next few weeks. Please take a look at the photos below and stop by school to claim any lost items.

Friday, March 8th: Last Day of Trimester 2

Friday, March 15th 3:30-5:30pm: Skokie/Washburne Dance Marathon

Tuesday, March 19th: D36 School Board Meeting - 7:15pm @ Washburne School

Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent of Schools, invites you to the first “Coffee with Kelly,” a community conversation that will be hosted at our schools over the remaining months of the school year. Staff, families and community members are welcome to join Dr. Tess and a special guest for co-facilitated discussions on topics of interest, providing an opportunity to gather together, listen to each other’s perspectives and enhance our partnership to educate the students of Winnetka.

The first “Coffee with Kelly” will center on the topic of Gathering. Dr. Tess will be joined by Ms. Carly Andrews, Executive Director of The Alliance for Early Childhood for a conversation on:

• fostering social connections for our students,

• supporting community members craving connection,

• learning about how staff and families feel linked or out of synch with each other,

• and reflecting on how caring for others can be both nourishing and depleting.

This is an opportunity to converse, connect, learn, and grow together!

Guests are invited to:

• Read an excerpt from Nourished: Connection, Food, and Caring for Our Kids (And Everyone Else We Love) by Deborah MacNamara PhD

• and/or watch this interview with the author

• and/or come as you are, excited to engage with your childrens’ teachers, your neighbors, and your school leaders!

Wednesday, February 28 from 12 p.m.-1:00 p.m.

Greeley School Resource Center,

275 Fairview Ave., Winnetka

Please RSVP by February 25, 2024.

All staff and parents (including grandparents and caregivers!) are welcome. You do not need to be a Greeley family or staff member to attend. Coffee will be served!

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.

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.

Families may now access the calendar for the upcoming school year, also available on our District website.

Note that the last day of our school year will now fall on Friday, June 14, 2024. This is due to the emergency day taken when we experienced a winter storm in January 2024.

Per the Illinois State Board of Education, the District is obligated to have a certain number of instructional days in a year. If it is necessary to take any additional emergency days, they will be remote learning days and not result in any additional days added to the end of the school year.

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. Note that the acceleration request form will be open 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.