Belonging Means...

From The Department of Student Services, Equity & Inclusion

FEBRUARY 2025: INVOLVED

School Feature: SKOKIE

INVOLVED

Learning is a primary purpose of school, but not as a solitary event. A distinctive feature of school is that students are all learning together—not alone. To be involved is to be actively engaged with and alongside peers in shared learning and common goals. Learning together is a magnificent way to learn.

Students are meaningfully involved when they participate in cooperative learning with their classmates, work toward collective learning goals, and navigate challenges together as peers. Teachers support this deep involvement in the curriculum when they hold high expectations for all students and design opportunities for students with varying abilities, strengths, and needs to learn from and with one another.

*TIEScenter.org

Lions Of Leadership

Students in Lions of Leadership, building upon their experience last year supporting the planning and implementation of the Winnetka Public Schools Foundation (WPSF) Grant for the Den, decided to write a grant proposal to update Skokie’s Lunchroom.

The process started with gathering input from all Skokie students and lunchroom supervisors during lunch periods on what they would love to see the space look and feel like. From there, the Lions of Leadership started researching and crafting their grant proposal to make the Skokie lunchroom a more beautiful, inviting, and inclusive space for all students.

Student Library Advisory Board (SLAB)

Skokie’s first-ever Student Library Advisory Board (SLAB) has been a smashing success this year! Over 25 students voluntarily come to school early on Thursday mornings—talk about dedication! They're not just reading; they're building a real community of book lovers and developing some serious leadership skills along the way.

Valentine’s Day at Skokie

Skokie will hold Valentine’s Day parties on February 14th. Along with a celebration of friendship, students will engage in activities that focus on kindness and acts of service. Some examples of this work include, but are not limited to, Filla Heart for Kids "Mini Toiletry Kits": with Valentine's cards for children who are in foster care and Cards for Hospitalized Kids, supporting hospitalized youth in Chicago.

Service Efforts

A district family reached out to share resources for how to support those in need from the wildfires in California. Lions of Leadership jumped at the opportunity to promote those resources in hopes of providing as much support as possible. Here is the video they created to bring awareness of how we can help.

American Red Cross

World Central Kitchen

Additionally, students on the Gylling/Krupinski 6th Grade team have started a food and clothing drive for Connections for the Homeless in Evanston to provide support to those in need locally during these winter months.

Department Feature: BUSINESS

The Business Department has a history of being involved in the functioning in the district. From managing expenses to facilitate instruction, being sure employees are paid and have benefits, and managing the finances of student activities, we take pride in being an integral part of the district. Our staff is willing to help with any questions and issues people may have.

The department is also taking steps to streamline our involvement in the district. The migration to Skyward Q will help in being more effective in financial management and transactions. We are also adding new platforms to help in the budgeting process and an alternative procurement platform for purchases at the school and department level. These tools will help us serve you in the financial aspects needed for the district’s activities and programs.

If you ever have questions or need assistance, the Business Office is ready to be an involved partner in answering those needs for you. We look forward to be an involved part of the Winnetka Public Schools District 36 on a daily basis.

February's Dimension of Belonging: INVOLVED

What Does It Look Like?

Amaira and her classmates are learning how to measure objects, which helps Amaira master early number concepts. Her classmate, Sarah, says “Let’s count together to see how long it is.” Sarah counts out loud as Amaira touches each number in sequence on her communication device.
Dante’s 8th grade English Language Arts teacher posts a brief “Do Now” assignment on the board for all students to work on as they enter the classroom. Dante works on his “Do Now” with his friend Terrance, who knows how to support Dante in answering each of the questions.
Ms. McLoughlin uses journal prompts at the end of most of her 4th grade social studies lessons. After their lesson on the Gettysburg Address, Nicholas drew a picture of Abraham Lincoln in his journal and wrote “All people are equal.” When he showed it to his classmate, Jessica, she said “I wrote something like that too!”

What Can You Do?

Identify ways that students can interact and collaborate more in their learning. Be sure to think about the support students with significant cognitive disabilities need to participate in these learning activities with their peers.
Use creative ways to support collaboration between general and special education teachers, such as using shared cloud-based documents online. Focus this collaboration on identifying support for students with significant cognitive disabilities to be more involved during lessons and learning activities.
Learn how Universal Design for Learning principles can help you plan classroom activities that support the learning and involvement of all students, including those with disabilities.
Teach students with and without disabilities the interpersonal skills they need to participate in and benefit from cooperative learning.

Questions for Reflection

Reflect on a time when you successfully navigated a shared challenge or met a learning goal with other people. What is different about learning together compared to learning alone? How did learning together contribute to your sense of belonging?
Observe students in their classrooms to determine the extent to which everyone is involved in common learning goals and activities. What do you notice about the involvement of students with significant cognitive disabilities?
Talk with fellow teachers about their learning goals for students with significant cognitive disabilities who take general education classes. What can collectively be done to help promote high expectations in your school?
Brainstorm several ways that you can support the learning and active involvement of all students in the classroom. What is one new strategy you can try out first to help students with and without disabilities make progress in the curriculum together?

Carter, E. W., & Biggs, E. E. (2021). Creating communities of belonging for students with significant cognitive disabilities (Belonging Series). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, TIES Center.