Greeley Greeting

August 20, 2024

Week of May 27, 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Greeley Families,

Last week, we had the joy of celebrating our District 36 staff at the Annual Retirement and Recognition Event. We honored retirees as well as staff members who were nominated by their peers and supervisors for exemplifying the competencies of our Portrait of an Educator.

What stood out most to me was the number of former staff members who returned to celebrate their colleagues. That kind of ongoing connection speaks volumes about the strength and spirit of our community—it’s something truly special.

At the event, we were proud to recognize Ms. Kristina Pierce for demonstrating the Lifelong Learner competency. Kristina’s enthusiasm for her current graduate work is inspiring, and she actively shares her learning with others, always connecting it to our district’s priorities. Congratulations, Kristina!

Another highlight last week was our Kindergarten Open House. We were thrilled to welcome 19 families who came to learn more about our program and explore a kindergarten classroom. We look forward to seeing our future Greeley Gorillas again at the Kindergarten Connection event in August!

Looking ahead, we have three community-focused activities planned this week. I can’t wait to share photos and highlights from those events in next week’s newsletter.

Warmly,
Lindsay

Upcoming Dates

May

5/28 New Trier Graduate Parade (See below)
5/28 Ms. Montgomery's Community Drop-In (Auditorium) 3:30-4:30pm
5/28 Rescheduled Second Grade Bike Rodeo 4-5pm (Blacktop)
5/30 Otus parent portal opens

June

6/6 Half Day-11:20am dismissal
6/9 June birthday lunches with the principal
6/10 Field Day (6/11 Field Day Rain Date)
6/12 Fourth Grade Celebration (6/13 Rain Date)
6/16 Last Day of School (11:20am dismissal)

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New Information

Greeley/New Trier Graduate Parade

In partnership with our former families, we are thrilled to welcome back former Greeley students who are graduating from New Trier this year! On Wednesday afternoon, they’ll return for one final walk through the halls of their elementary school, cheered on by our current Greeley students. I look forward to sharing photos of this special celebration with you next week!

Benchmark Assessment Information

Benchmark assessments are valuable tools that provide a snapshot of student progress at a point in time. These assessments help teachers to identify areas where students are excelling and where they may need additional support. They can also inform instructional decisions by providing data that can be used to tailor teaching to meet each student's unique needs and strengths. Benchmark assessments are an important component of progressive education, which recognizes that students learn in different ways and at different rates. By using benchmark assessments to inform instruction, teachers can provide a more individualized approach to learning that supports each student's academic growth and personal development.

Academic benchmark assessments for literacy and math will occur three times this year for students in grades K-8. The Spring Benchmark Assessments started on May 5th and concluded on May 23rd. There are four platforms the district utilizes to gather student learning information; aimswebPlus, mCLASS, NWEA MAP, and SSIS. Benchmark data will be available in Otus beginning May 30, 2025. In order to allow for the data uploads to take place and to provide parents with consistent access to student data, please be aware that the Otus Parent Portal will be inaccessible May 5-30.

Building Data Team meetings to review the Spring Benchmarking data will occur June 2-9.

Otus Parent Resources

Please be aware that access to the Otus Parent Portal will be turned off on June 30, 2025 in order to prepare for the next school year. Communication will be sent out at the start of the year notifying parents when the portal will be accessible again.

A Note From Our Strings Teacher, Ms. Cai

Just a quick email to let you know it is that time of year again. Recruitment assemblies will be taking place within the next few weeks at Greeley, Hubbard Woods and Crow Island for current 1st-3rd grade students. 4th grade students will have a separate assembly where they will learn more about the program at Skokie. 4th graders can also start on any string instrument including the string bass!! Students will be introduced to the instruments that they can learn at school: violin, viola, cello and string bass. (4th graders only) The registration forms will be electronic again this year via Google Forms. Here are the links for registration--

For the current 1st-3rd Grade students

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11Ht_yhorZu0uC6AmKMa_6l1GBSoY1bzqfl5ABvbWx_o/viewform?edit_requested=true

For the current 4th Grade students

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18F1VD3QswnQ4gy1Fudu--zNjluGxIt_zw6_zpoFRz0c/edit

The registration deadline will be at the end of June. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Ms.Yue Cai

Strings teacher

Reminders from Last Week

Drop in Event to honor Ms. Montgomery

We’re thrilled to invite the community to stop by and celebrate Ms. Montgomery as she begins her well-deserved retirement this summer!

Please drop by the Greeley auditorium this Wednesday, May 28th between 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. to share your well wishes and say goodbye. Please spread the word to any former students and families who may want to stop by.