Greeley Greeting
Monday, March 4, 2024
A Message from the Principal
Dear Greeley Families,
We are more than halfway into our reading of Pie for One School One Book. I hope you have been enjoying the book! I wanted to take a moment to thank our PTO volunteers for all of their hard work and partnership: Katie Hennessey, Jeremy Fiser, Laura Barden, Jessica Cunnick, and Rachel Allport.
Community reading can be a powerful experience for readers of all ages in both the school and home. While reading Pie (or any book for that matter), I encourage families to interact with the text with their children. This can look like asking a child to summarize what was read, discussing the perceived motivations of individual characters, or making predictions of what may happen next within the story. This can foster excitement to read and elicit further engagement with text. These are critical elements of reading development!
Thank you again to our PTO and Ms. Glenn, our Resource Center Director, for providing families with this enriching opportunity.
Sincerely,
Joshua Swanner
Principal
Pokemon Club - Spring Session Signup Information
Club registration for Session 2 will be available beginning March 12th at 9 AM on the
District Webstore and will close March 22nd or when we reach 20 students enrolled.
For winter session Pokémon Club filled up in a few hours, so plan accordingly. 😊
Winnetka Parents Institute
The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics.
Click here for the Winter/Spring 2024 schedule. Up next:
From Washburne to New Trier: (Paul Waechtler, Principal)
A D36 Parent's Guide to the New Trier Transition
March 6, 2024
10:00-11:00 A.M.
Washburne RC
Carleton Washburne School
We Want Your Feedback!
You are invited to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can inform school improvement efforts. The five indicators that affect and predict school success are:
Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environments
Ambitious Instruction
Your participation in this survey is voluntary, but important to our schools and the District. We do not receive results from the survey unless at least 20 percent of parents/guardians respond. The more responses parents/guardians provide, the more we will know how to focus our efforts. Please help us to improve by completing the survey.
Go to: the 5Essentials Survey website to take the survey
Select “Parent Survey.”
You may enter your email address if you would like to receive confirmation of your submission, but it is not required.
Then enter “COOK” into the county field and type in your student’s school.
You will then be asked a series of questions to provide input regarding your family’s experience at your student’s school. Please remember to click “submit” once you are done so your responses can be counted.
Please know that your identity and responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected with your child. If you have multiple children who attend our schools, you may complete one survey for each child. However, only one parent per household may submit a survey for a given child. The parent survey closes on March 29, so please submit your responses soon.
Winnetka Voices
Season 2, Episode #4: What is Project Based Learning?
Think back to a favorite project you experienced when you were a student. Was there something about it that was highly engaging, unique, and allowed you freedom to discover and explore your own interests? Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent, has a conversation with Carleton Washburne School students, Ms. Tip Walker (The Skokie School), and Ms. Jennifer Bertacchi (Carleton Washburne School) reflecting on the profound impact of Project Based Learning on education. This episode provides a window into how Project Based Learning is designed by teachers, experienced by students and connects to learning standards. As stated by a student interviewed about a recent Project Based Learning activity, “This really prepared me for what I may be able to do in the future.” To see the website built by these students as one of their public products visit this link.
Listen here:
Winnetka Voices is a podcast hosted by The Winnetka Public Schools, featuring candid conversations on issues relevant to education and shared resources to support our students and families.
Single-Subject and Grade Level Acceleration
The Accelerated Placement Act requires Illinois public school districts to adopt and implement policies on acceleration that provide opportunities for single subject and grade level acceleration. To learn more about District 36’s acceleration policy implementation, click here to view an infographic and click here to visit our updated webpage. The request form is now open; the window is February 26-March 22. If you have questions about the policy, please contact the Asst Supt of Innovation, Teaching and Learning, Dr. Becky Mathison, at beckymathison@winnetka36.org.
WPSF Phone-A-Thon Fundraiser Is Here!
On March 10, Winnetka Public Schools Foundation board members will be reaching out to D36 parents and community members by phone, text and email to secure donations for the coming year. The goal is to raise $85,000 during Phone-A-Thon so that WPSF can continue to fund grants to promote teaching innovation. Every donation makes a difference in our schools! Donate online by March 9, to “Beat the Call.” With your support, WPSF can continue to invest in our students, teachers, schools and community and fund grants to enhance the learning experience for every Winnetka D36 student.
Homework and Executive Functioning Parent Survey
The Homework and Executive Functioning Network, composed of teachers, interventionists, and administrators, is currently working to develop District Guidelines for Homework (grades 5-8) and Executive Functioning (grades K-8).
In order to make an informed decision, the Network would greatly appreciate your honest response to this brief, ANONYMOUS survey so that we can better understand our current practice and perceptions around these two topics. Responses are due by March 13. The information we collect from teachers, students, and parents, paired with research, will guide the Network in developing:
A qualitative, single-point rubric for Executive Functioning that details descriptors in the following areas: Organizing & Planning, Initiating Tasks and Staying Focused, and Managing Emotions.
Executive functioning impacts each student’s growth, development, and achievement. These are essential skills for students in school and life, and are often strong indicators of future success.Guidelines for grades 5-8 Homework Practices to aid in establishing consistent classroom-to-classroom expectations for students, increasing vertical alignment within our system and between levels, and identifying supports in preparing students for “what’s next”.
We understand that experiences may vary by grade level so please complete one survey per grade level and school that your student(s) are in.
Survey link: https://forms.gle/huKAKKvtR4kSv1bV9
Erin's Law
Beginning this Spring, building social workers and/or classroom teachers will implement state-mandated sexual abuse prevention education during one 20-30 minute session in each classroom. Parents have the option to opt their children out of the program as they deem appropriate by completing this form by March 15. For more detailed information about Erin's Law, including curriculum content and zoom opportunity with social work staff, please refer to the Erin’s Law page of the District website or by contacting our school’s social worker, Katie Kalogriopoulos.
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
- Friday, March 8: Spirit Day!
- Thursday, March 14: STEAM Night; 6-7:30 pm
- March 25-29: Spring Break
About Us
School Hours:
8:30am | Doors open
8:37am | School promptly begins
2:10pm | Kindergarten dismissal
2:45pm | Early Release (MONDAY ONLY)
3:15pm | Grades 1-4 and Stay & Play Kindergarten dismissal
Email: GordonSchreiber@winnetka36.org
Website: https://www.winnetka36.org/greeley
Location: 275 Fairview Avenue, Winnetka, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 446-6060
Facebook: facebook.com/Winnetka36
Twitter: @Winnetka36