Greeley Greeting
August 20, 2024
Week of September 30, 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
It was wonderful to see so many families at Go to School Night last week. I know our teachers appreciate the opportunity to share the year's planned learning experiences and have the chance to partner with you in the shared goal of ensuring a positive year of growth for our students.
In looking ahead to this week, we will have no school on Thursday in recognition of Rosh Hashanah. We will also have last Spiritwear day as Greeley Pandas on Friday, so be sure to have your students wear their Pandawear with pride!
In partnership,
Lindsay Kopinski
Principal, Greeley School
Upcoming Dates
October
- 10/3 No School
- 10/4 Greeley Spiritwear Day
- 10/14 Leader Round Table, 6:30-7:30pm, RSVP Here (see below for more information)
- 10/18 PTO Fall Fest (see flyer below)
- 10/25 Kindergarten Butterfly Migration
- 10/30 Picture Retake Day
New Information
K-8 Literacy Program: Knowledge Building and Foundational Skills
In order to support students in acquiring the skills above, the new programming has two components:
Foundational Skills
Knowledge Building
Foundational Skills apply to students in grades K-5, as described by the Common Core State Standards. This includes basic reading skills such as letter recognition and letter sounds. In grades 3-5 learning goals expand to include prefixes, suffixes, Latin and Greek roots.
Knowledge Building is a core of K-8 programming. Using their Foundational Skills, students combine reading and writing with background knowledge on science, social studies, and the arts. This allows students context to apply skills and is not intended to replace current programming in these areas.
Messages regarding the new literacy curriculum will continue to be included in principal newsletters. Be sure to see past additions for more details.
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
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? You can read the first edition of the Department of Student Services monthly newsletter, Belonging Means… here.
Reminders from Last Week
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:
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.
Health Forms Due
This is a friendly reminder that all medical forms required by the State of Illinois are overdue. You can find additional copies of the forms on the district website here.
Please see the information below:
State of Illinois Health Examination:
Kindergarten & Grade 6
Eye Examination:
Kindergarten
Dental Examination:
Kindergarten, Grade 2 & Grade 6
Please email all forms to the school nurse, marykathrynjanda@winnetka36.org
SSIS SEL Survey
The SSIS Student SEL Survey will be administered in grades K-8 the week of October 7th as part of our District-wide goal to support SEL for all students. The survey is aligned with Illinois state Social-Emotional Learning standards and will provide data to help inform our efforts to support the well-being of all students. The survey focuses on five core SEL competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Students grades 3-8 will take the survey during their SEL/advisory time. Time will be dedicated during our October 7th staff meeting for teachers grades K-8 to complete the teacher portion of the SSIS survey. Additionally, all staff will be asked to complete the Teacher and Staff survey through Panorama which will focus on: wellbeing, belonging, school climate, and equity and inclusion.
School Hours
School Hours:
8:20am | Morning supervision begins
8:30am | School Doors open
8:37am | School promptly begins
2:10pm | Extended day kindergarten dismissal (Monday-Friday)
2:45pm | Grades 1-4 & Stay and Play kindergarten dismissal (Mondays only)
3:15pm | Grades 1-4 & Stay and Play kindergarten dismissal (Tuesday-Friday)
Helpful School Links for Families
Helpful District Links
Contact Information
Contact Us
Office Email: gordonschreiber@winnetka36.org
Location: 275 Fairview Avenue Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-6060