Greeley Greeting

Dear Families,

February is National Random Acts of Kindness Month, and we kicked it off with an all-school assembly! During the assembly, we watched a short video about the ripple effect of kindness and encouraged both students and staff to spread kindness throughout our school community.

One way we are fostering kindness through service this month is by coming together as a school to raise money for the Western Lowland Gorillas at the Lincoln Park Zoo, in celebration of our new mascot. Please see the details below for more information.

Additionally, we’re excited to announce a special week focused on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), taking place from February 10th through February 14th. This week will include activities around kindness, empathy, and emotional well-being, as well as a school-wide service project supporting Project Linus. Please read on for more details.

Thank you for your continued support!

In partnership,
Principal Kopinski

February

• 2/3-2/28 Greeley Adopt a Gorilla Change Drive (benefitting Lincoln Park Zoo)
• 2/12 Winnetka Parent Institute: From Washburne to New Trier, 9:30am at Washburne
• 2/14 Valentine's Day
• 2/20 No School-Parent Teacher Conferences
• 2/21 No School-Parent Teacher Conferences
• 2/24 Acceleration Request Window opens

March

• 3/7 End of Trimester 2
• 3/10 Start of Trimester 3
• 3/13 Greeley PTO STEAM Night, information to follow
• 3/24-3/28 Spring Break
• 3/31 School Resumes

April

• 4/18 No School
• 4/25 Half Day (11:20am dismissal)

We’re excited to bring our group back together and hear about the great work that’s happening! Our meeting will be held on Friday, February 7, 11:40 a.m.-12:40 p.m. in the Skokie Community Room. Please RSVP HERE if you plan to attend!

Our Fourth Grade Leaders have organized a change drive for the month of February, and we’re excited to support their efforts! During today’s all-school assembly, the students shared the purpose of the drive and announced their goal to the school community. The students are eager to help raise funds for the Western Lowland Gorillas at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Students can begin bringing in any spare change they would like to donate to their classrooms. Each classroom will have a plastic jar where students can drop off their donations. Our Fourth Grade Leaders will provide weekly updates on their progress during the morning announcements, and I will make sure to share these updates with you as well. We’re all cheering for our Fourth Graders to reach their goal by February 28th!

Thank you for supporting this great cause!

We are excited to kick off a week focused on social emotional learning here at Greeley! Please see the poster below for more details. This information was shared with students at today's assembly.

Nurse Janda reminded everyone at the assembly today that the best way to prevent the spread of illness around our classrooms and school is to wash hands with soap and water. She shared this video, which was a great reminder for all of us here in the school community to help take care of each other and ourselves.

• If your child is participating in a Valentines exchange, please ensure they bring one for each of their classmates. Teachers can provide a “first name list” only to ensure accurate class counts.

• Many teachers in our younger grades prefer that students only write their own name on each Valentine to make it easier for your child to distribute Valentines. Please see classroom newsletters for specific information from your child's teacher.

• Avoid sending in any food (including candy) to come with Valentines. The district has a no food policy to support our students who have a variety of food allergies.

• You can send in small items with a Valentine’s that are non-food related.

Dr. Kelly Tess chats with Department of Communications, Safety & Security leaders, Mr. Ray Finnerty (Director of Safety & Security in his first year in the District) and Ms. Kate Hughes (Director of Communications in her tenth year in the District). A retired police officer and former publicist seem to be an unlikely team–and what purpose does this Department serve? Mr. Finnerty shares how he has enhanced safety and security practices with the support of the Winnetka Police and Fire Departments. Ms. Hughes shares how the District’s communication strategies have evolved to align with current best practices, serving as a model for other Districts, as well as garnering six awards from the National School Public Relations Association between 2023-2024 and a record 65 awards from the Illinois School Public Relations Association since 2015.

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.

Listen here:

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The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. View the entire 2024/2025 schedule here.

Up Next:

From Washburne to New Trier: A D36 Parent's Guide to the New Trier Transition

February 12, 2025

9:30 A.M.

Location: Carleton Washburne School RC

Join Paul Waechtler, Principal at the New Trier High School Freshman

Campus, who will discuss the New Trier freshman placement process and the efforts made to ensure a smooth transition to high school. A Q & A will provide an opportunity for parents to learn more about how to best support their child(ren) as they prepare for their New Trier experience.

Interested:

RSVP here

If you missed it, view videos from past sessions:

• Insights on K-8 Literacy Programming in The Winnetka Public Schools

• What to Know About the Otus Parent Portal

• AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 5-8

• Understanding the IEP and 504 Processes: From Referral to Eligibility and Services (with Ms. Denise Matthews, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Equity and Inclusion, and Ms. Jackie Schwartz, Director of Student Services, Equity and Inclusion)

• Acceleration Applications Overview with Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, Teaching and Learning Dr. Becky Mathison

• Preschool/Kindergarten Family Information Night (with Winnetka Administration and Sue Stolzer, Early Childhood Assessment Team Lead from TrueNorth)

Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students NEW to the District (beginning fall 2025) is now open.

Kindergarten enrollment: Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2025, are eligible to enroll for Kindergarten.

School Admissions and age requirements are addressed in School Board Policy 7:50 School Admissions and student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools.

2-Step Process to complete registration:

• Step 1: Click here to begin the online new student registration process.

• Step 2: Contact Maria Perez via email marizperez@winnetka36.org or phone 847-446-9400 to schedule a time to drop-in with final verification documents.

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)

Office Email: gordonschreiber@winnetka36.org

Location: 275 Fairview Avenue Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-6060