Dear Crow Island Families,
We hope that you had a great weekend! We enjoyed seeing families during conferences and look forward to a continued partnership to better support students.
This week, we have a few big events happening around Crow Island. The overarching theme for the week is unity and students are encouraged to participate in the spirit week focused around celebrating Crow Island's sense of community and digital citizenship. In addition, the PTO is sponsoring Bike, Walk, or Roll to school week. Students are encouraged to participate to celebrate our neighborhood school roots. Lastly, we are excited to have students participate in the PTO sponsored Run-a-thon. We look forward to seeing families come to Crow Island and cheer on students.
Have a great week!
Luke Livingston
Principal
Monthly Observances: Disability Awareness Month
In October, Americans observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month by paying tribute to the accomplishments of the men and women with disabilities whose work helps keep the nation’s economy strong and by reaffirming their commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens. At Crow Island it is also a time for our learning community to focus on a culture of inclusion and learn more about disabilities. Our Crow Island Library has created a library collection of texts on Destiny our online resource and families can view that here: Disability Awareness Month Collection.
Unity Week & Digital Citizenship Week:
October 16th will be a spirit week at Crow Island School. During this week we come together to celebrate our school community through the idea of Unity and that we all work together to make Crow Island a special place where all students feel connected and a sense of belonging. This year, we are also expanding our approach to focus on Digital Citizenship and what it means to be responsible online and being an up-stander. Each day has a theme and there is is family connection that can be reviewed at home and we encourage families to participate!
PTO Run-a-thon:
The Annual Crow Island Run-a-thon is quickly approaching on Thursday, October 19th. Volunteers are STILL needed (see below).
Your child will be bringing home detailed information about the annual Run-a-thon and a donation form to track donations collected.
All children who turn in a donation form by Wednesday, October 18th will be entered in a raffle to win Crow Island spirit wear. Extra donation forms can be found with Mrs. Roumeliotis at the front desk.
Donations can be made by Venmo, Zelle, check or PayPal online with this LINK. The online link allows you to share with family or friends to donate on behalf of your runner!
Race Details:
In addition to joining us in fundraising, please plan on cheering on the runners behind the school on Thursday, October 19th at the following times, depending on your child(ren)’s grade(s):
- 9:15–9:45 AM: 1st/2nd Grade
- 10:00–10:30 AM: 3rd/4th Grade
- 10:45–11:15 AM: Kindergarten
**In the event of rain in the AM, run times may be pushed back to later in the afternoon.**
Halloween Celebrations:
We are looking forward to celebrating Halloween at Crow Island. Below are a few reminders about our day:
1pm is the Parade and Ghost Walk:
The entire Crow Island community of staff, students, and families come together to celebrate Halloween.
1pm -Parade begins
Students will parade out the front doors, through the K playground, and down Glendale towards the big playground and blacktop.
Parents can line up on the front lawn, K playground, Glendale, and along the fence near the blacktop to view the parade.
After the costume parade:
Kindergarten will head back into school to participate in their classroom celebrations at 1:20pm.
Grades 1 - 4
Parents/Families - Walk from their parade location to the outdoor amphitheater.
Students - Students will continue to parade through the ghost walk in the woods and go to the amphitheater.
Ghost of Crow Island - Families, students, and staff will meet at the amphitheater and work together to call for the ghost of Crow Island.
Classroom Celebrations:
1:20 - 1:50 pm - Kindergarten
2pm - 1st Grade - 4th Grade
Room parents are invited into classrooms to facilitate class Halloween celebrations. Room parents should plan for the following:
Craft or game(s) to play students in the room
No food or candy should be purchased
Costumes Guidance:
Students can bring costumes to school. They will have time to change into costumes before the costume parade and ghost walk. Please follow the guidelines around costumes:
No fake blood or weapons
Keep the costumes school friendly (nothing too scary)
No masks
Keep in mind students are putting this on by themselves so keep it simple.
You can learn more about Halloween at Crow Island here: Halloween 2023
Understanding Assessment Results
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.
Literacy Pilot Underway
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.
Pokemon Club Starts Tuesday:
Back by popular demand, Pokemon Club will meet every Tuesday at 8:15am. Students can bring cards and will be dismissed to their classes at 8:35am. Pokemon club is hosted by Mr. Medina and Ms. Stoffer. Students who attend should come at 8:15am to the main entrance.
Practice Lockdown Drill & LockDown Drill:
Crow Island works closely with the Winnetka Police Department to practice our responses to emergency situations. When the drills are completed families will receive a message from Mr. Livingston. In addition, we are required to notify parents in advance of the drills and below are the two dates for emergency drill information:
- On Tuesday, October 10th we will have a "practice" lockdown drill. During this experience, teachers talk students about what would happen if we go into a lockdown situation. During this practice experience, teachers and students work together to talk through a potential situation. The police are not present for this drill and the experience lasts about 10 minutes.
- On Tuesday, October 17th we will have a lockdown drill with the Winnetka Police Department. During this drill, an announcement will be made by Mr. Livingston regarding the lockdown and teachers will lead students through the experience. The police observe the drill. After 10 minutes, Mr. Livingston will provide the all clear and push into classrooms to see students. In addition, an announcement will be made when the drill is completed.
Our staff takes great care in making sure all students are safe and their voices are valued during these emergency practice opportunities. Teachers spend time ensuring that students practice in a way that is age and grade appropriate and supports each child. If you choose not have your child participate in the drill with their classroom teacher you can complete the "opt out form" here: Opt out form. In the event a student opts out they will still review the drill procedures with Mr. Livingston during that time. If you have questions you can also reach out to Mr. Livingston.
Bullying Awareness Month:
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.
2023/2024 Calendar
Reminder of Covid-19 Guidance for Students/Staff:
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.
Winnetka Parents Institute
The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. Please view the fall schedule here. If you were unable to attend “The Winnetka Experience: Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and Progressive Education”view the session here.
District 36: Benchmark Assessments
October 19 2023
9:30 A.M.
Location: Skokie Community Room
Join Dr. Becky Mathison, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, Teaching and Learning, to hear about the standardized academic assessments administered in the areas of reading and math. Learn about what skills are assessed at each grade level, how staff use this information, and when parents can expect to receive assessment results following each of the three benchmarking periods (fall, winter, and spring)
Interested:
Following the event a link will be provided to the recorded presentation on the website.
Want to monitor your child's school device at home? Set up the JAMF Parent App!
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.
Introducing The Winnetka Public Schools App
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.
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