Carleton Washburne

It was wonderful to see so many Washburne families in our building last Thursday evening for Go to School Night. We hope you found the evening informative and we can’t wait to continue to partner with you as we move through the 2023-24 school year. If you were unable to attend on Wednesday, we have included our principal presentation HERE for your review. Our teams will also be sharing their presentations with families.

Students at Washburne will complete MAP testing starting today, Monday, September 18th and Tuesday, September 19th. Please ensure that your student brings their fully charged iPad to school these days and is prepared for testing.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

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

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

School may have started later this year, but our students are off and running in their classes. In Mr. Senechal’s social studies class, students read a nonfiction article about the value of recess in middle school. Students chose sides (you can guess which side was more popular) and held a debate on the issue. In addition to working on their reading and communication skills, students are also improving their executive functioning by organizing all of their materials based on the table of contents pictured below.

Kudos to Mr. Senechal and his students for starting the year on a good note!

The D36 Green Team is ready to kick off the school year but we need help from each school to make a tangible difference. Here are some ways that you can be involved:

• Attend our monthly meetings! Our first meeting is scheduled for October 6, 8:45-9:30 a.m. over Zoom. Meetings will take place the first Friday of each month at 8:45 a.m. over Zoom. Email Patrick Dawson if you're interested in attending, even if you can't make every month!

• Sign up to empty out our plastic bags collection boxes! Can't make our meetings? Prefer to take more of a behind-the-scenes roll? Sign up HERE for a month or two at your building to empty out the plastic bags collection. We ask that you complete it at the end of the month unless the box is full before that. You're only responsible for emptying it that one time in a month! If the end of the month comes and it's still not full, please do still empty it.

Interested in helping with a project? Contact Liz Kunkle and we'll keep you in mind as projects arise!

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.

We're thrilled to announce the kick off of our 2023 home football season.

Please take a moment to share the following new procedures for the 2023 season with your students and their families, particularly those in grades K-8:

• Student grades K-8 must be accompanied by their parent or guardian to enter and remain in the stadium.

• Tickets must be purchased using New Trier’s GoFan account as cash will not be accepted at the gate.

We appreciate your collaboration in fostering a safe and spirited atmosphere for our students, families, and the broader community.

Sincerely,

Paul Waechtler

Principal - Northfield Campus

Denise Dubravec

Principal/Assist. Supt.

Augie Fontanetta

Winnetka Campus Athletic Director

Have you ever wanted to directly impact students' learning journeys? Are you passionate about sharing your expertise? Here's your chance to make a real difference! We believe that one of the most impactful experiences we can offer our students is the opportunity to connect with professionals who are applying concepts and skills in their work or are tackling similar challenges. If you're interested and willing to help out, we invite you to complete this short form.

The information collected will serve as a valuable resource for our teachers, helping them identify individuals within our community who might be eager to spend time with our students in mentoring or expert roles for various topics or projects. Please rest assured that the information you provide will be used exclusively for the purposes previously described and never shared with external entities.

Should you ever wish to remove your name from our list, it's as simple as clicking the "edit response" link in the email you receive after submitting your response. By doing so, you can easily delete your personal information and resubmit if needed.

Thank you for considering this exciting opportunity to partner with our students!

All students change for their Kinetic Wellness classes. Please CLICK HERE for more information on how to order your KW uniform.

Monday & Tuesday, September 18th-19th: Fall MAP Testing

Monday, September 25th: No School

In order to prevent traffic-related incidents from occurring in our community, it is important to be vigilant as a bike rider, pedestrian, or driver when traveling through town. Our principals review bike and pedestrian safety practices with students at the start of the school year. We ask that you also take a moment to review the following information with your family:

• Illinois law prohibits the use of cell phones or other electronic devices while driving in a school zone, even if it's hands free. It is dangerous and is enforced as a moving violation by the police.

• Please do not use pick up and drop off time to check texts, etc. This potentially endangers others.

• Please remind your students that they should not be using cell phones or other electronic devices while biking.

• Crossing guards are present at busier intersections near our schools to assist with safety. Please respect the authority of the crossing guards and follow their directions

• Please talk to children to ensure that they understand the importance of using caution and following all traffic signals.

• Note that there are not stop signs at every intersection, especially on Oak and Elm Streets, which are heavily used thoroughfares to Crow Island, Skokie, and Washburne.

• We STRONGLY recommend that all students who bike, skateboard, or scooter to school wear a helmet, regardless of age.

• Students should bike on the sidewalk wherever possible, and be respectful to pedestrians. Also, children are expected to walk their bikes through crosswalks and while traveling in Winnetka business districts.

• When riding on sidewalks, students should be cautious approaching driveways to be sure there is not a vehicle exiting.

• In order to prevent theft or damage, please encourage your child to securely lock their bike to the bike racks available at school.

• Each elementary school also has specific traffic procedures and parking restrictions that are enforced by police. We encourage you to review these procedures and contact your building administrator if you are unclear.

• The speed limit in our school zones is 20 miles per hour during school days. For the safety of all, please follow the posted speed limit.

• Recommended safe routes to each neighborhood school are as follows:

• Crow Island School

• Greeley School

• Hubbard Woods School

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

Crow Island, Greeley & Hubbard Woods

Wednesday, September 20 - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

The Winnetka Public Schools, Village, Police, and Fire Departments work to proactively refine safety practices on an ongoing basis. We are grateful for our collaborative partnership, and have worked together to compile a Fall Edition of our Safety Bulletin as we begin the 23/24 school year. You’ll find general information on a variety of safety-related topics and resources to support the safety of our entire community.

The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. Please view the fall schedule here, and mark your calendar for this upcoming event in September:

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

September 20, 2023

Time: 9:30AM

Location: Washburne RC

Interested:

RSVP here

Jeff Knapp (Assistant Superintendent of Professional Learning and HR) and Beth Carmody (Principal at Hubbard Woods School) will present on the Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and the impact that these along with Progressive Education have with students and staff to help drive the Winnetka Public Schools District 36 as a local and national leader in talent development. A panel discussion of Winnetka teachers will bring to life how Progressive Education is displayed across our schools.

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

If your student brings their school device home (grades 4-8), consider setting up the JAMF Parent App! The JAMF Parent app will allow you to allow & restrict apps, enable an app lock, set device and location rules, etc. All you need is the JAMF Parent App on your device (Apple/Android) and your student's iPad in front of you.

Follow the instructions in this brief tutorial from JAMF on how to set it up and interact with the platform. Additional resources can be found here.

If you have not registered and paid for the bus yet for this school year there is still time to do so. Registration for bus service will reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday, September 18th at this link.

Download the District’s app by searching “The Winnetka Public Schools” on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The app will serve as a convenient way to report absences, view and manage your school calendars, and see at-a-glance District news.

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