| |
| The Skokie Home Scoop - September 22, 2017 |
Dear Skokie Families,
The first day of fall has brought with it summer-like temperatures, making it a toasty end to the week at Skokie. The warm weather is expected to last through next Tuesday, so please be sure to send your 5th or 6th grader to school with a water bottle. We do have rotations set up for our classes to spend time in our few air conditioned spaces throughout the day, but hydration is key on these warm days.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will occur October 9-20. Each team sets up a schedule for parents. Below you will find links to advisories offering online sign-up for conference times. Advisories that do not have a link listed below will contact families to set up conference times. If you see a link below, please do sign up as soon as possible as times tend to fill up quickly. Given the number of families that each team meets with, we are able to dedicate 20 minutes to each family during this conference period. 6th grade students do attend conferences with their teachers and parents, allowing students the opportunity to engage in conversation about their goals, growth, successes and challenges. October conferences are a great time to discuss the transition to a new grade level, initial assessment data, beginning units of study for the year, social interactions, and goals for the trimester. A conference will be offered again in February.
(FOR THE NAMES BELOW, ONLY SIGN UP UNDER ADVISOR'S NAME--you will have an opportunity to conference with both teachers, but do not need to sign up under each teacher's name)
Anderson/Walters-
Margolis-
Hoyt-
Martinsen
(FOR THE NAMES BELOW, SIGN UP BY TEAM)
Williams/Skydell-
Hilty/Nagliazo
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/5080A4CABAF23A6FB6-hiltynagliazo
Finally, on the national level this summer, US legislators were encouraged to shadow a principal for a day in October. In the interest of connecting our law-makers and policy writers with the every day operations of a public school and the innovative learning opportunities we offer here in Winnetka, I reached out to representatives of Winnetka and Illinois, and immediately heard back from Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. Given her availability, she will be coming to visit our school on Monday, September 25 and will have an opportunity to speak with our students about civic duty and serving others through her role, connecting it to our school-wide focus on service and choosing kind. If you are interested, you may join us in the auditorium at 8:45 on Monday morning. We are excited to provide Rep. Schakowsky with the opportunity to connect with public school children, and look forward to future connections with others who may be interested. To learn more about the Principal For a Day program, please visit
https://ilprincipals.org/advocate/principal-for-a-day/
Do your best to stay cool on this warm weekend, and enjoy the time together with your families. Happy Rosh Hashanah to those who celebrated this week as well.
Most Sincerely,
Kelly Tess
Principal
_______________________________________________________________
|
Skokie After School Activities
We are pleased and excited to be offering for the upcoming
2017-2018 school year:
- After School Sports Club for 5th and 6th graders
- Skokie Climbing Club
- Washburne Cross Country Team for 6th graders
The links below will provide you with information on how to register.
Fall Preview: First Lego League Robotics Club--Registration coming soon!
Come be a part of the Skokie/Washburne FLL team! Take on Frist Lego League challenges. Build and program with Lego Mindstorms to accomplish tasks. Compete against other teams for global domination! The club meets Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 at Skokie School (10/3-11/28). Join Mr. Martinsen, Mrs. McDonogh, Mr. Selgrat, and experienced FLL champion coach, Mr. Graham in our inaugural season!
There are a number of other clubs with registration in the works....keep an eye out for Creative Writing Club, Art Club, Math Counts, Science Olympiad, Memory Book and more very soon! You can keep up to date with registration as it becomes available through the district at https://winnetka36.org/skokie-after-school-activities
|
This year Skokie will be hosting its fourth annual 5K -
The Skokie Shuffle on Saturday, November 4th.
|
Skokie's Harvest
Skokie's Happy Tillers Gardening Club, together with Mr. Martinsen's advisory, have worked hard over the last couple of years to establish a vegetable garden and outdoor learning space in our South Courtyard. Last week's staff salad bar included a bounty of veggies grown and cared for by our very own students! We look forward to continuing to watch this space continue to grow!
|
Thursday, September 28--9:30am
"Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager: The Developmental Progression of the Middle School Child"
--Skokie School Community Room--Join Principal Tess and Principal Kanne for an informational morning session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will spend time exploring both the academic and social-emotional needs appropriate to 5th-8th grade children, how they change over that four year span, as well as the neurological changes that contribute to these needs. Parents with current middle schoolers, or soon-to-be middle schoolers, are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together. To RSVP visit https://goo.gl/GWVFi
|
Friday, October 6--9:30am "Zones of Regulation" --Skokie School Community Room-- Join the Social Workers at The Skokie School and Kelly Tess, Principal, to learn more about The Zones of Regulation, a Socio-Emotional strategy that helps students identify their readiness for learning based on their physical and emotional help. This is a strategy we are using building-wide, and is a great resource for parents to utilize at home as well.
|
The Skokie Garden Needs Your Help!
The Happy Tillers Club at Skokie are looking to give our garden a bit of a make-over. If you have any unwanted brick pavers going unused at your home, we would love to put them to use. Also, we appreciate any donations of gardening tools (shovels, steel rakes, etc.) that you want to pass our way. Please email [email protected] if you would like to make a donation to the Skokie Garden. Thank you!
|
Please remember to bring in your
Grand Food Center receipts
that you saved over the summer. Collecting
Grand receipts
is an easy and no-cost way for you to support the Skokie-Washburne PTO (so ultimately our schools!) and also support The
Grand
, a fabulous local grocery store.
It's simple, too. Just collect and drop off your
Grand receipts in the colorfully wrapped boxes labeled "
Grand
receipts
" located in Washburne's office and Skokie's lobby. In fact, your 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grader can easily get involved in the process and drop off the
receipts themselves. The
Grand
generously donates 3% of the pre-tax amount to the PTO on each
receipt
collected from their Winnetka or Glencoe stores.
|
District News
Future Ready D36 Community Engagement Sessions & Core Team Application
District 36 is conducting
Future Ready D36,
its first Educational Master Facility Plan in 20 years.
Future Ready D36
is a holistic process that will measure, validate, quantify and qualify opportunities to align the District's school facilities, enrollment, and vision for teaching and learning to meet the needs of current and future students in a fiscally responsible manner. Your involvement as a Winnetka community member is essential to Future Ready D36. There will be many community engagement opportunities for all who wish to learn more and share input. The first sessions are scheduled for the end of this month:
Monday, September 25, 2017
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
The Skokie School
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Crow Island School
Wednesday September 27, 2017
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Carleton Washburne School
Monday, October 2, 2017
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Hubbard Woods School
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Greeley School
At these presentations, community members will be asked to answer some questions via a polling app called Turning Point. If you would like to download this app on your device in advance, links are below. If you do not have a smartphone or similar device to use for this purpose but would like to participate, the District will have extra devices available.
iTunes-
Google Play
Further information on
Future Ready D36
is available at
Blackboard Emergency Testing
On Monday, October 2 at 4:30 p.m., we will be conducting a test via Blackboard, our emergency call, email, and text system. Blackboard is used to alert parents and staff of weather-related school closures and emergency situations. Please contact your building secretary if you would like to update your emergency contact phone numbers or email addresses.
Winnetka Parents Institute Event
Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager: The Developmental Progression of the Middle School Child
Thursday, September 28 at 9:30 a.m.
The Skokie School Community Room
Join Principal Tess and Principal Kanne for an informational morning session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will spend time exploring both the academic and social-emotional needs appropriate to 5th-8th grade children, how they change over that four year span, as well as the neurological changes that contribute to these needs. Parents with current middle schoolers, or soon-to-be middle schoolers, are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.
To RSVP visit:
Safety Reminder
Student safety is our highest priority. Please use caution when driving and encourage your children to be on the lookout for cars, whether they are walking, riding their bikes, skating, or scootering. Bike helmets are recommended at all times to keep our students safe.
Please encourage your children to cross at appropriate crosswalks, rather in the middle of the road. This is especially pertinent to students crossing major intersections, such as Tower and Hibbard Roads.
International Walk to School Day
On Wednesday, October 4, 2017, students at all schools may choose to participate in International Walk to School Day. Facilitated by the District 36 Green Team, this event encourages all forms of active, non-motorized transportation. If bikes, scooters or skates are used, please be sure your child is wearing a helmet. For details click here:
Typing Club Keyboarding Program
The Winnetka Public Schools District 36 subscribes to a typing program,
Typing Club
. Our subscription is for students in grades K- 6. Students can login with their District email address and password via the
Typing Clu
b link listed under "Students" on each school's website. The Resource Center Directors will be introducing students to
Typing Club
and teaching students to login.
Typing Club is available at school and home.
We are encouraging students to practice at home as keyboarding success requires regular practice. Students can also access Typing Club via this link:
Mobile Learning Initiative (MLI) Device Coverage for accidental damage or loss
We encourage parents to purchase device coverage for student iPads $25/year. If you missed purchasing Device Coverage at registration, you may still purchase coverage through September 30th. Cash/check payments can be dropped off with your school secretary or at the District Office.
|
|
|
|
|
Dates to Note
***************************
October 3 & 4
Vision & Hearing
Screening
--------------------------------
Friday, October 6
Health & Wellness Day
--------------------------------
Friday, October 13
SK/CW Parent's Night Out
--------------------------------
Parent/Teacher Conferences
--------------------------------
Skokie Shuffle
5K Run/Walk
--------------------------------
|
|
