Greeley Greeting

August 20, 2024

Week of February 10, 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

February is Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate the incredible contributions of Black Americans to our country's history, culture, and progress. At Greeley School, we believe that learning about and appreciating diverse perspectives helps all our students grow into compassionate, well-rounded individuals.

Throughout this month, our classrooms will highlight the achievements of Black scientists, artists, leaders, and innovators who have shaped our world. From Garrett Morgan, who invented the traffic signal and made our roads safer, to the groundbreaking work of Mae Jamison, the first Black woman in space, our students will discover age-appropriate stories about perseverance, creativity, and courage.

We encourage families to continue these conversations at home by reading books together, exploring music and art, or simply celebrating the beauty of diversity in our everyday lives. When we take time to listen and learn from one another, we build a strong, more inclusive community for all.

Thank you for your partnership in fostering kindness, understanding, and respect.

Warmly,

Principal Kopinski

Upcoming Dates

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)

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New Information

Spotlight on Black Authors and Illustrators

At Greeley School, we believe books are mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,* meaning books should reflect ourselves and help us see the lives and walk in the shoes of others. Our library read alouds are diverse year 'round with a focus on reinforcing that other's lives are the same, and importantly, different from our own.

This month, we feature a collection of Black Authors and Illustrators in our Destiny catelog. A similar selection is on special display in the Greeley Library.

*Sims Bishop, Rudine. The Ohio State University. Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors. Originally appeared in Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books in the Classroom. Vol. 6. No. 3. Summer 1990.

Change Drive Update

If each student at Greeley donates just $3 of change, we will reach our goal!

Contagious Illness Update from the Nurses

To keep everyone informed on what we are seeing around the district, we are sharing that a lot of students are currently getting diagnosed with influenza, strep, and GI viruses. Please keep our health guidelines in mind when thinking of sending your child to school.

If your child is not feeling well and you are uncertain about sending him/her on any given school day, it is best to keep him home and observe him for further symptoms. If a child is too ill to attend school in the morning it is recommended that he/she stay home all day.

Everyone needs to be fever/vomiting/diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of medication before returning to school.

Safety Protocol: Before and After School Activities

We are grateful for your cooperation as we’ve worked to improve safety and security practices at our schools. That said, I would like to give some reminders when dropping off or picking up your children from before and school after school programs.

For before and after school care/activities:

When parking your car or waiting in your car for your child(ren) please remember to not block any driveways in and around the school if you park on the street.
Please follow their instructions involving pickup. i.e., sign in and out protocols.
Do not leave your vehicle running when you come inside, even leaving your vehicle momentarily is a safety hazard and provides opportunities to thieves.
Please use the designated parking spots to avoid blocking the lane of traffic when parking in the school lot.
If you need to walk your chil(dren) to the building please use the designated door that after school staff have identified as the pickup dropoff location.
It is strictly prohibited to enter school buildings outside of regular school hours without a staff member escort. This includes going to the RC or the child's classroom to pick up something they may have forgotten.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school as safe as possible.

Otus/aimswebPlus Update

AimswebPlus Math scores for grades K-6 are now viewable by parents in Otus. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

PowerSchool Cybersecurity Update

In early January, the District notified families of a recent data breach impacting many of the 18,000 school districts that use PowerSchool globally.

The Winnetka Public Schools has been working with PowerSchool leadership regarding this data breach, and they have informed us that they plan to offer credit monitoring to anyone whose data was involved in the breach, regardless of whether it included “personal information” that could be used for identity theft purposes.

In the coming weeks, PowerSchool plans to reach out directly with information on accessing this credit monitoring offer. Whether or not you receive an email or letter, you may also visit PowerSchool’s website to learn how to activate the offer from Experian: http://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/notice-of-united-states-data-breach/.

We encourage families and staff to take advantage of this complimentary credit monitoring service.

Reminders from Last Week

Valentine's Day Reminders

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.

Online Pre-Registration for Incoming Kindergarteners & New Students for the 2025/2026 School Year is Now Open

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.