Crow Island Parent Newsletter

February 26, 2024

Dear Crow Island Families,

We celebrated the 100th day of school last week and had a blast! Our kindergarten students and staff were really involved and I know they shared out pictures in their family email updates.

I also wanted to quickly highlight that our STEAM Expo information is linked below for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders who wish to participate.In addition, please take time this week to participate in the Illinois 5 Essentials Parent Survey that I linked below. The survey will provide our school with important information we can use to better support our students and families.

Have a great week!

Luke Livingston

Principal

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Friday, March 1st: 4th Grade Immigration Lunch
Friday, March 1st: PTO Parent/Teacher Party 5:30pm
Wednesday, March 6th: 1st & 2nd Grade Crow Island Math Night, 6:30–7:30 PM
Thursday, March 7th: 3rd & 4th Grade Crow Island Math Night, 6:30–7:30 PM
Monday, March 25th: No School, Spring Break
Monday, April 1st: School Resumes
Thursday, April 4th: STEAM Expo 6:00pm
Tuesday, April 9th: Illinois Assessment Readiness (IAR) Grade 3 and 4 Starts

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Monday Spirit Days:

As a reminder, every Monday is considered a Crow Island Spirit Wear Day. Staff and students are encouraged to participate.

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.

https://www.wpsf.org

5 Essential Parent Survey

Crow Island families, we need your help completing the 5 Essential Parent Survey for Crow Island. Below is information and how you can help.

What are the 5 Essentials?
The Illinois 5 Essentials 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

The survey is used for our Illinois School Report Card and is published on the report card website. Teachers and our 4th grade students also complete a survey. You can see our school report card survey results HERE.

How is the data used?
We use the 5 Essentials as a staff to set goals and make adjustments. This year, are going to be using the parent data as a school to consider adjustments so we really appreciate your feedback. 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.

Access the 5 Essential Parent Survey:
You can access the survey HERE.

STEAM Expo:

Save the date for the Crow Island Steam Expo. The Expo will take place on Thursday, April 4. Students in grades 2, 3, and 4 can participate.

This year's STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) Expo will take place on Thursday, April 4. All 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders are welcome to participate. During the school day, students will present to their peers. From 6-7 pm, families will be welcome to visit and view student projects. Guidelines for the projects can be found here . All students must be registered by March 21 using this Google Form.

End-of-School Date Change

Note that the last day of our school year will now fall on Friday, June 14, 2024. This is due to the emergency day taken when we experienced a winter storm last week.

2024/2025 Calendar Now Available

Families may now access the calendar for the upcoming school year, also available on our District website.

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. Note that the acceleration request form will be open 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.

Online Pre-Registration for Incoming Kindergarteners & New Students for the 2024/2025 School Year Now Open

Registration for incoming kindergarteners and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2024/2025 will open on November 13, 2023. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2024, are eligible to enroll. Questions related to School Admissions and age requirements are addressed in School Board Policy 7:50 School Admissions and student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools.

Please note: There are two steps to completing new student registration. Step 1: Complete the online pre-registration form; Step 2: Visit the District Office (1235 Oak Street) to provide the following:

Proof of residency. Click here to view the list of documents that will meet these requirements. For your convenience residency documents may be uploaded during online registration.
Original or certified copy of your child(ren)'s birth certificate and a parent photo ID.

Completing both steps (online and in-person) is required for your child(ren) to be enrolled as new students.

Why are both steps necessary? In January of each year, the District begins preparing its budget and staffing plan for the upcoming school year. For grades, other than Kindergarten/1st grade, the staffing plan is based on the assumption that all current students will return and matriculate to the next grade level. For kindergarten and first grade students, the District forecasts enrollment based on those students that have both the in-person and online forms submitted. These early enrollments impact the staffing plan by determining the number of kindergarten/1st grade sections and student services needed. For this reason, we ask that parent(s)/guardian(s) complete BOTH steps of pre-registration BEFORE January 12, 2024. As an added incentive new students that have completed the two step pre-registration process by January 12, 2024, will receive a credit of $40.00 toward student fees for the 2024/2025 school year.

Thank you for doing your part to ensure that the District is able to retain and/or attract the best educators for our students.

Coffee with Kelly

Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendent of Schools, invites you to the first “Coffee with Kelly,” a community conversation that will be hosted at our schools over the remaining months of the school year. Staff, families and community members are welcome to join Dr. Tess and a special guest for co-facilitated discussions on topics of interest, providing an opportunity to gather together, listen to each other’s perspectives and enhance our partnership to educate the students of Winnetka.

The first “Coffee with Kelly” will center on the topic of Gathering. Dr. Tess will be joined by Ms. Carly Andrews, Executive Director of The Alliance for Early Childhood for a conversation on:

fostering social connections for our students,
supporting community members craving connection,
learning about how staff and families feel linked or out of synch with each other,
and reflecting on how caring for others can be both nourishing and depleting.

This is an opportunity to converse, connect, learn, and grow together!

Guests are invited to:

Read an excerpt from Nourished: Connection, Food, and Caring for Our Kids (And Everyone Else We Love) by Deborah MacNamara PhD
and/or watch this interview with the author
and/or come as you are, excited to engage with your childrens’ teachers, your neighbors, and your school leaders!

Wednesday, February 28 from 12 p.m.-1:00 p.m.

Greeley School Resource Center,

275 Fairview Ave., Winnetka

Please RSVP by February 25, 2024.

All staff and parents (including grandparents and caregivers!) are welcome. You do not need to be a Greeley family or staff member to attend. Coffee will be served!

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.

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

RSVP here.

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