March 15, 2025
Dear Winnetka Families, Staff and Community Members,
As we anticipate spring break and a chance to pause we are also preparing for a spring filled with many end-of-the-year traditions, the culmination of an array of Project Based Learning activities and a final few months with our eighth grade students.
I am sharing a quick update on a few important items:
Construction
Referendum-related construction at all schools remains on budget and track for completion in Summer 2025. Over the summer, the majority of work will occur on the Crow Island School campus. We appreciate the community’s support for these projects, which will benefit our students and staff for generations to come.
Strategic Planning
Our Strategic Priorities Core Advisory Team met this week for a day-long work session centered on analyzing survey data and focus group feedback, as well as forming structure around the anticipated Strategic Plan priorities. District Administration looks forward to sharing the plan with the School Board for approval later this spring. Learn more about the process in this month’s episode of “Winnetka Voices.”
Literacy Curriculum Implementation
Educators serving on the Literacy Committee recently convened to review student data as well as their observations on the the Literacy Curriculum implementation. The group discussed recommendations for how to best tailor instructional experiences as we move forward.
Congratulations to Skokie and Washburne!
Through their annual Dance Marathon fundraising event, middle school students have now raised over $2.4M for Lurie Children’s Hospital this past four years. Shout out to the students on the Steering Committee, middle school staff members and parents who have supported this initiative.
Whether you are headed near or far, I hope you have a restful and safe spring break.
Most Sincerely,
Dr. Kelly Tess
Superintendent of Schools
Season 3, Episode #8:
“Listening, Simplifying & Celebrating: Creating a Dynamic Strategic Plan”
Dr. Pat Greco, Senior Director of Thought Leadership at Studer Education, chats with Dr. Kelly Tess regarding the District’s current Strategic Planning process. Faciliated by Dr. Greco, the next iteration of the District’s Strategic Plan is significantly simplified from previous interactions, intended to pivot based on student needs. Dr. Greco reflects on how her 38 years in public education inform her approach to this process, noting that in Winnetka “Your teachers take experiential learning to heart.”
Listen here:
Get ready for an exciting Summer 2025 filled with opportunities for growth and learning! We are thrilled to offer a dynamic range of Adventures in Learning (AIL) programs, including Discover, Extended School Year, and Academic Intervention Classes. These programs are designed to provide enriching educational experiences and support for students throughout the summer months.
The Winnetka Public Schools will host summer programs at Greeley and Hubbard Woods Elementary schools from June 23 to July 24, 2025. There will be no class on Friday, July 4. The hours are 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Registration is now open.
Best-Selling Author Dusti Bowling Visits The Winnetka Public School
Written by The Skokie School students Helin, Leigh, Nicole, & Stuart
This March, bestselling author Dusti Bowling came to visit The Skokie School and Carleton Washburne School as the culmination of the 2024-2025 One Book One Campus book study of The Canyons Edge. One Book One Campus is a summer reading initiative for 5th through 8th grade students, supported in part by The Winnetka Public Schools Foundation. This thrilling book discusses grief and loss in a newfound light.
The Student Library Advisory Board (SLAB) from The Skokie School was deeply engaged in planning for Ms. Bowling’s visit. “We worked really hard and felt empowered to be part of this,” shares Leigh, a 5th grade student. 32 students divided into six groups collaborated on intiatives such as embarking on field trip at the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library for a behind-the-scenes tour, creating Canva slides and arts and crafts projects, decorating the library at Skokie to welcome Ms. Bowling, and even more! “We felt really important to be able to host an author and use our own work,” says Helin, a 5th grade student.
During her visit, Ms. Bowling held writing workshops and hosted assemblies at both Skokie and Washburne. During the assemblies and sessions she held with students, she shared how her life experiences, including personal adversity, have impacted her writing process. Additionally, students learned storytelling techniques they can directly apply to their own writing. “It felt good to know we were doing something that others could enjoy,” reflects 5th grade student, Nicole. SLAB also held a special podcasting session with Ms. Bowling to ask questions about her past, present, and future books. During the interview, eight students took turns interviewing, snapping photos, and documenting the experience.
The esteemed Ms. Bowling has written 14 books and has won four awards, Reading the West, the Sakura Medal, a Golden Kite Honor and the William Allen White Children’s Book Award. She grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona and reportedly always had her nose in a book.
