Dear Crow Island Families,
We are wrapping up our Winter Benchmarking this week. Students have engaged in literacy and math benchmark assessments. We are excited to share student growth and know our students are working hard at Crow Island.
I also want to encourage families to take a few minutes to complete the strategic planning survey linked below. Our district is engaging in a new strategic plan and your voice and feedback is valuable.
Have a great week!
Luke
January:
- Thursday, January 23: Pioneer Open House
- Thursdsay, January 30: Math Night, 5:30–6:15 PM (1st and 2nd); 6:30–7:15 PM (3rd and 4th)
February:
- Monday, February 3: Winter Conference Sign-up will go live to parents.
- Friday, February 7: Half Day Institute Day (Dismissal 11:20am)
- Thursday, February 20: Winter Conference (non-attendance for students)
- Friday, February 21: Winter Conference (non-attendance for students)
Monday Spirit Days:
As a reminder, every Monday is considered a Crow Island Spirit Wear Day. Staff and students are encouraged to participate.
District Strategic Plan Survey:
As the District launches its Strategic Planning process, we are conducting a survey in partnership with Studer Education. Your feedback will guide our work as we identify the greatest areas of need to best support our students and families through their K-8 experience.The survey takes about 10-15 minutes. Please complete a separate survey for each of the schools your children attend.
The Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey can be accessed here:
Winnetka Public District 36 – Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey
To maintain confidentiality of the Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey, our partners at Studer Education will be administering the survey, managing the data collection, and aggregating the data to provide results reports to leaders.
Spotlight on Related Arts: Music
We're having a great start to the calendar year in music! In kindergarten, we are playing lots of rhythm name games, and working on our drumming skills through games like poison pattern and copy me/take a risk. We're also starting our unit on musical opposites, learning through play with games like Green Snake (a hide and seek/hot and cold game), and Grizzly Bear.
First and second graders are beginning to work on their Spring Sings! First graders create a musical based on a children's book, and they are in the final stages of voting on their favorite selection. In a collaboration with Senora Landor, second graders will be creating a bilingual musical based on the true story of Benito the giraffe, based on a book that Senora Landor wrote! As part of the show, they will soon be delving into their research on giraffes, animal habitats, and mariachi music.
Third and fourth graders are beginning to learn how to play the ukulele! They have learned to identify the strings, and are learning to read chord charts. Soon, we will move to reading tablature and with the ukulele. With a popular approach to playing the ukulele, students are learning how musicians generate ideas to compose their own music, and are developing their own songwriting tools. It's been a great month and we look forward to what's ahead!
Stay & Play Registration
Kindergarten students who are not currently enrolled in Stay & Play will have the opportunity to register for the 2nd half of the year after 8:00 am January 6th through this link. Please note that the registration period ends January 31, 2025 and will remain closed for the remainder of the year. The rates are prorated below. If you attempt to register before the 6th, you will receive an Item Unavailable message. After purchasing Kindergarten Stay & Play registration, your child will be able to begin their attendance in the program the following Monday so the schools can plan accordingly.
Benchmark Assessments & Otus Access
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 Winter Benchmark Assessments start on January 6th and conclude on January 24th. 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 January 31, 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 January 6-January 30.
Building Data Team meetings to review the Winter Benchmarking data will occur February 3-14.
For help with understanding what questions you can answer in Otus, access Otus for Parents.
Kindergarten Registration:
Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2025/2026 will begin November 18, 2024. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2025, are eligible to enroll. Questions related to School Admissions and age requirements are addressed in School Board Policy 7:50 School Admissions and student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools.
Follow us on Social Media!
Please follow the District via the following social media platforms in order to see day-to-day happenings and more.
Facebook and Twitter: @Winnetka36
Instagram: @WinnetkaPublicSchools
Contact Us
Email: christinedemas-hall@winnetka36.org
Website: https://crowisland.winnetka36.org/
Location: 1112 Willow Road Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-0353
Twitter: @CrowIslandD36