Carleton Washburne

We hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine and fall weather this weekend. Washburne students are welcome to dress up for Halloween on Tuesday, October 31st. If your child will be wearing a costume to school, please help them to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Students may not wear a mask that is part of a costume. A health and safety mask is okay.

2. All costumes should reflect good taste and common sense. Nothing deemed inappropriate by our regular dress code will be allowed.

3. Weapons of any nature are not allowed. This includes toy guns, knives, sticks, swords, etc.

4. Students will be in their costumes for the entire day, so it should be comfortable for them to wear.

As a reminder, if you are considering other high schools besides New Trier, there is a common Winnetka Teacher feedback form that parents need to sign and return the first page to Jen Pistorius (jenpistorius@winnetka36.org) in the Washburne Office to begin this process. You can then send the Common Teacher Feedback Form, Linked Here, to each teacher.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

Students who were absent or need to retake their school photo can do so on Friday, October, October 27th. Picture retakes will occur during students’ lunch periods. Here are general dress guidelines for photos:

8th Grade: This is a formal, graduation picture. Students are recommended to wear a dark sports jacket, a white or pastel shirt, and a tie –or-- a dark top and a simple piece of jewelry.

7th Grade: More casual attire is permitted. In general, darker clothing shows well, and shirts with collars are better than those without.

Washburne Basketball Tryouts are set for this week. In order to participate in basketball, students must be registered online and have a medical clearance form or copy of a recent physical (within 13 months) on file at school. The form can be found on this page.

Students need to attend both days of tryouts

• 7th Grade Girls - Monday, October 23 from 2:30-4:00 and Wednesday, October 25 from 5:00-6:30

• 7th Grade Boys - Tuesday, October 24 from 5:00-6:30 and Thursday, October 26 from 3:30-5:00

• 8th Grade Girls - Monday, October 23 from 4:00-5:30 and Wednesday, October 25 from 3:30-5:00

• 8th Grade Boys - Tuesday, October 24 from 3:30-5:00 and Thursday, October 26 from 5:00-6:30

• *Friday, October 27 will be used as a 3rd tryout date for any team that may need it.

We will meet in the Washburne gyms at the designated time. Students should bring basketball shoes, but do not need to bring their own ball. Tryout results will either be emailed home to the address used during registration, or shared with the students in a different format. Tryouts are not open to any spectators. Any questions can be directed to Andy Becker at AndyBecker@Winnetka36.org.

The Middle School Experience, AKA “Why is my child acting like this?” Please help.

November 3, 2023

9:30 A.M.

Washburne RC

Join Principal Cooney and Assistant Principal Joynt (The Skokie School) and Principal Fenton and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will share the neuroscience behind the changes that occur in 5th-8th grade children, and offer suggestions on how to support children both academically and socially-emotionally as they navigate the middle grades.

Skokie and Washburne families are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.

Interested:

RSVP here

Calling all you talented vocalists. Washburne Chorus will have its first meeting on Wednesday, November 8th at 3:30pm in the Washburne Chorus room. Washburne Chorus will meet on Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00pm. We will perform for the community several times throughout the year. Come sing with us!

For more information, please reach out to Ms. Allison Singer allisonsinger@winnetka36.org.

Welcome to Window to Washburne! Each week, we will be highlighting some of the learning taking place in our classrooms.

Halloween may be a week away, but monsters have arrived early at Washburne. Students in 7th grade science classes were dissecting zombie dolls last week to help them learn more about human body systems. While zombies may be undead, they share the same organs and body systems as their living counterparts. Thankfully, the zombie dolls did not feel any pain as they were torn apart by our students and their organs were examined. Students also investigated the potential causes of zombie-ism, such as bacteria or viruses.

Kudos to our 7th grade science teachers, Mr. Pappas and Mr. Cooper, for helping our students learn more about the biology of both the living and the undead.

In this section we will be shining the spotlight on our Related Studies program and all the wonderful opportunities available to our Washburne students.

Great things are happening in the art and yearbook classes! Studio Art 8 students are working on their Warhol Soup Cans. The Art & Design classes are ready to start constructing their Place Collage. Sculpture class has now perfected their slab making and are working on mythical animals and learning about the Sgraffito technique of glaze application. The Yearbook class has finalized their theme for the 23/24 yearbook and students are working on the overall layout of the yearbook and their page designs.

Washburne Students now have their photo ID's that they will be using to order lunch in the cafeteria. Please help us encourage our students to remember to bring and wear their ID's each day.

Parents can view our lunch menu by clicking on this LINK.

We are happy to announce that our after-school club, the Cardio/Resistance Training Club, is back. This is a time for students to improve their fitness training, going beyond what is done in Kinetic Wellness. The Club will meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:30pm. Students may attend when their schedule allows. As a member of the cardio/resistance training club, students will receive 3 hours a week in the fitness room, supervision from a certified KW teacher, and a chance to perform their own workout.

The club will start on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 and will continue until March 21, 2024. All students are welcome to join us as we set goals, work on personal training habits, and work on another wonderful lifetime fitness activity.

Registration is now open on the District Web Store.

If you have any questions, please call or email Mrs. Florance at 847-501-3179 or candiceflorance@winnetka36.org.

Healthy choices start today!

For planning purposes, please note that Washburne 8th graders will take the New Trier placement test on Saturday, December 2nd. If for any reason your child needs to test on a different day, please reach out directly to New Trier in early October after they send information to families about testing.

New Trier holds scheduling conferences each February for 8th grade families to discuss their child’s schedule for next year. For planning purposes, please note that these conferences will take place on Wednesday, February 7th. We will provide further details this winter.

Tuesday, October 24th: School Board Meeting - 7:15pm @ Carleton Washburne School

Friday, October 27th: Picture Retakes

Wednesday, November 1st: Teacher Institute Day - No Student Attendance

Please take approximately five minutes and click on this link to provide your feedback by Friday, November 18. Last year’s survey findings led to numerous improvements in the areas of curriculum & instruction, communications and human resources. It is my hope that our responsiveness will continue to be witnessed in our efforts to provide the very best educational experience for the students of The Winnetka Public Schools and excellence for the community-at-large.

Click here to view a message from Carleton Washburne students.

Bullying affects everyone: those exhibiting bullying behaviors, the bullied, and the bystanders. The District's Bullying Response and Prevention Plan creates awareness of what bullying is with “child-friendly” language that illustrates the difference between mean, rude or bullying behavior; establishes and communicates to students, parents and staff methods for reporting incidents related to bullying behavior; develops communication protocols for investigating, notifying and resolving incidents reported; and, builds an ongoing dialog with students on bullying awareness and prevention.

The District 36 approach to bullying is “pro” solution rather than “anti” problem to foster a change of culture through kindness, compassion, respect, reaching out, and helping others. Every October, students discuss bullying prevention in their classrooms/advisories where they are reminded of methods available to them to speak with an adult about their concerns. Students in grades 5-8 are able to report an incident or indicate that they want to talk to an adult from a form on their ipad. Students K-4 are able to report an incident to any adult in whatever form is most comfortable for them. A reporting form is also accessible from the District’s website, along with information on text4help. Click here for additional information.

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. Please view the fall schedule here.

Coming Soon:

The Middle School Experience, AKA “Why is my child acting like this?” Please help.

November 3, 2023

9:30 - 10:30 A.M.

Washburne RC

Join Principal Cooney and Assistant Principal Joynt (The Skokie School) and Principal Fenton and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will share the neuroscience behind the changes that occur in 5th-8th grade children, and offer suggestions on how to support children both academically and socially-emotionally as they navigate the middle grades.

Skokie and Washburne families are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.

Interested:

RSVP here

Recordings of previous sessions:

• The Winnetka Experience: Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and Progressive Education

Fall benchmark assessment results have been mailed home. Information to help parents understand the assessment reports are available on the District website. As a community of learners, we are navigating the way through how to best use this information along with the valuable insight gathered on a day-to-day basis in our schools. Thank you for being our partner in this growth process.

Last year the District strategic plan goal to realign the K-1 literacy program was updated to entail a full curriculum review of literacy programming K-8. The goal of the curriculum review is to ensure there is a guaranteed and viable literacy curriculum based upon current research that builds from Kindergarten through Grade 8. In the spring a group of educators that comprised the District’s Literacy Leadership Committee identified literacy programs to pilot this year and 60 classroom teachers volunteered to participate in the pilot. Participating in the pilot means that the teacher has been trained in the program and will select one existing unit in the literacy curriculum to replace with the pilot curriculum. Your child’s classroom teacher may have shared this information during the recent Go To School Night events, as well as through their classroom newsletters. While the student learning outcomes in literacy may remain the same this year, the programming, materials and sequence used may be different in classrooms where the pilot is taking place. More information about the pilot will continue to be shared through District communications and regular updates during School Board meetings.

A special thank you to the Winnetka Public Schools Foundation Board for approving funding that was used for a large majority of the pilot training that occurred during September.

Per the Illinois Department of Public Health, it is recommended that a person isolates for at least 5 days from symptom onset if symptoms are present or 5 days from positive test date if no symptoms. Day 1 starts the day after symptom onset/positive test date. They can return on day 6 if fever, vomiting, and diarrhea cease for 24 hours and have improvement of symptoms. It is recommended to mask day 6-10.

To view the calendar for the 2023/2024 school year, please click here.

As part of Winnetka School District 36’s ongoing commitment to equity by fostering connection and belonging, the District will take time each month to recognize the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds. The goal of these monthly observances is to provide resources and support for teachers in order to bring awareness and appreciation to the diverse population of students in our community. Observances will look different at all schools and even at different grade levels. Some activities might include art, music, book studies, research projects, sharing cultural holidays and celebrations, and other school activities. As materials are developed for these observances, we will make them accessible.

September 15- October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October: Disability Awareness

November: Native American Heritage

December: Human Rights

January: MLK Jr. Day

February: Black History

March - April 15: Women’s History Month

April 15-May 15: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage

May 15 - June 13: Jewish American Heritage

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