Dear Crow Island Families,
It was wonderful having families visit our school for Go to School Night. We hope that you enjoyed visiting classrooms and hearing from teachers. At the start of my parent presentation for families I shared video that highlighted our Progressive Core Values as a school. You can view the video here.
As we move into October, we are looking forward to the Crow Island PTO Run-a-thon. The Run-a-thon will take place on Thursday, October 10th. The Run-a-Thon is our annual tradition and we look forward to cheering on students.
Take care,
Luke
October:
- Thursday, October 3rd | Rosh Hashanah - No School
- Tuesday, October 8th | Practice Lockdown Drill
- Wednesday, October 9th | Cloud Man Production; Filament Theatre
- Thursday, October 10th | PTO Run-a-Thon
- Thursday, October 10th | Leader Roundtable 6:30 - 7:30pm
- Friday, October 11th | Fire Drill & Fire Prevention Assembly with Winnetka Fire Department.
- Thursday, October 24th | Lockdown Drill with Winnetka Police Department
- Wednesday, October 30th | Bus Evacuation Drill
- Thursday, October 31st | Halloween Parade and Ghost Walk
Monday Spirit Days:
As a reminder, every Monday is considered a Crow Island Spirit Wear Day. Staff and students are encouraged to participate.
PTO Annual Run-a-Thon:
Thursday, October 10th will be the Run-a-thon. Run-a-thon is the PTO’s largest fundraising event of the year and is a school tradition dating back to 1985!
- Students are encouraged to run or walk 30 laps and raise money from family and friends to support their participation.
- A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Misericordia Special Olympics Track & Field Team.
- You are invited to attend the event at Crow Island to cheer on your child.
- Donation forms for students and more information about Run-A-Thon will go home in backpacks in the coming week.
Race Details: Run-a-thon will take place on the front lawn of Crow Island School.
9:00-9:30 AM Kindergarten
9:45-10:15 AM 1st Grade
10:30-11:00 AM 2nd Grade
12:45-1:15 PM 3rd Grade
1:30-2:00 PM 4th Grade
**In the event of rain, the event will be pushed to Friday, October 18th.**
New! K-8 Literacy Program Con’t
Last week’s Principal Newsletter featured some highlights about what the new literacy program is designed to do to support student learning and growth. With this change, the units at each grade level have new topics or themes.
The American Reading Company (ARC) begins with the Literacy Lab for grades K-6. This is a time when learning routines are established and teachers are able to get an initial understanding of current student performance in the areas of reading and writing. Following this first unit, each grade level has three units based on a theme.
Kindergarten- Zoology, Ecology, Entomology
1st- Wild & Endangered Animals, Family Stories, Plants
2nd- Bugs, Animal Stories, Join My Community
3rd- Weather & Climate, Traditional Tales, Marine Life
4th- Animal Adaptations, American Historical Fiction, Sports and Society
5th- Ecosystems, Adventure, Civil War
6th- World Mythology, Geology, Fantasy, World Civilizations
You’re Invited to Leader Round Tables at our Schools
We invite you to engage on important District and school-related topics with Dr. Tess and your building Principal. Please mark your calendar for the session at your home school(s) and kindly RSVP here:
Crow Island School
Thursday, October 10
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Overview of Our Monthly Observances & the Ten Dimensions of Belonging
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?
Winnetka Parents Institute
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:
If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:
Insights on K-8 Literacy Programming in The Winnetka Public Schools
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
Contact Us
Email: christinedemas-hall@winnetka36.org
Website: https://crowisland.winnetka36.org/
Location: 1112 Willow Road Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-0353
Twitter: @CrowIslandD36