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Dear Skokie Community,
I hope you are feeling as refreshed from this beautiful weekend as I am! There is nothing like the sunshine, the outside air, and the beauty of Spring to bolster the spirit.
Last week, I had a chance to reflect with our teachers regarding our experiences with Remote Learning thus far and the feedback provided from the recent surveys. Our teachers had a chance to share the many shifts they have made in the past several weeks to enhance the student experience as we adjust to this new way of providing instruction. They are learning each and every day in working with the students, and constantly trying new things in order to adapt their practices to these new circumstances. Your feedback was helpful with providing us some guidance as to where to focus our efforts.
I imagine you are learning each and every day in working with your child at home, too. A Skokie parent shared a great article with me written about parenting middle schoolers during the pandemic that is worth a read:
The War Between Middle Schoolers and Their Parents Ends Now
. One trend we are noticing, which is reflected in the article, is that many of our 5th and 6th graders are not producing their best school work during this quarantine. In a school setting, our teachers are constantly circulating the room and checking in with students. They ask guiding questions and provide targeted feedback. Given our current circumstances, we are unable to re-create this continuous interaction between teacher and student, and you end up supporting our efforts as a parent. Many of our teachers who are parents of middle schoolers have reported that they are frequently encouraging their children to go back and add more or try again in order to support their children to supply their best work. This is not an easy task for parents, as there are many responsibilities to balance, and it's one with which we're asking for your continued support and assistance.
We are continuing to tweak our approach to remote learning in order to meet the students' needs, and we know you are, too. We are in this together! Thank you for your partnership.
Betty Weir Larry Joynt
Principal Assistant Principal
The Skokie School The Skokie School
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District News
Superintendent Message-May 1
On May 1st,
this message
was shared including the May/June Remote Learning Calendar, Adventures in Learning update, etc.
Monday, May 4, 2020; Authors: Writing & Storytelling Grey Day
On Monday, May 4, 2020, we will have our next District-wide Grey Day with a literacy focus: Authors: Writing & Storytelling. We hope that this will be a fun day for students to write, illustrate, read, and listen to amazing stories. A guide of activities for this day organized by grade level bands is available with further instructions here:
As a reminder, Grey Days were added to the calendar to achieve the following:
- Provide all students with common, theme-based activities designed to be accessible to the whole family.
- Add time for students to engage in independent work and to catch up on assignments/projects.
- Afford teachers common time to prioritize curricular objectives across the District for consistency and alignment.
Remote Learning Schedule May and June
As you are aware, our last remote learning day for our students is Friday, June 5. When we started our school year, we could never have imagined that we would conclude the year in this capacity. We remain committed to making the best of our last weeks together and appreciate your tremendous efforts to support learning at home.
Please access the May/June 2020 calendar here.
Adventures in Learning--Program Adjustment & Refund Information
Based on available public health information, we have determined that it is necessary to redesign our longstanding summer program, Adventures in Learning. While we will not be able to offer the program in its in-person format, we are committed to providing remote learning alternatives for students. We appreciate our summer educators' creativity for rethinking remote course offerings that include engaging enrichment options. By mid-May, we will share class schedules and registration information for the remote learning version of Adventures in Learning, which will run from July 6-24 with 30-minute sessions. This change in programming also allows our District's staff to dedicate summer time to planning for our fall 2020 transition to a new school year.
If you registered for Adventures in Learning, your registration will be automatically cancelled and refunded to you via your original method of payment beginning at the end of next week. Please allow at least 3-5 business days for the refund to process. If your credit card has expired or you have any questions or concerns about your refund, please contact refunds@winnetka36.org.
Student Material Pick-Up
A letter was shared on April 30 with details on how to pick up materials belonging to your child(ren) the week of May 4-8.
Please take a moment to read the letter for detailed instructions on this process.
Note that there will not be another opportunity for families to come to the buildings before the end of the 2019-2020 school year and the
District will not be able to accommodate alternative pick-up times outside of what is designated.
Pickup is limited to
one adult representative
from each family and this adult representative will need to be wearing a face mask per the Governor's order.
Also, while we appreciate the desire to return items such as books to our schools, at this time we do not have the capacity to safely accept these materials. We request that you kindly hold on to any school-owned items until we are able to return to our buildings.
Social and Emotional Learning Resources
Our partners at Family Action Network (FAN) are hosting a webinar, in partnership with New Trier High School. Author and psychologist
Lisa Damour, Ph.D.
, will be doing a
live webinar
, "Managing Stress, Anxiety, and Parenting Under Covid-19," Tuesday, May 5, 7:00-8:00 PM. After her presentation, she will be interviewed by Denise Dubravec, Principal at NTHS' Winnetka campus. Dr. Damour is a frequent contributor to
The New York Times and has most recently written articles supporting parents as they navigate life during the pandemic
.
2020-2021 Online Registration for new and returning students begins this month
Registration information for next year will be sent
via regular mail
and email. Look for these materials in your mailbox and inbox. Once you receive this information, you may contact District Registrar, Carolin Huh, at 847-446-9400 or carolinhuh@winnetka36.org, if you have any registration questions, or did not receive notification.
Registration should be completed and submitted by June 30.
All students entering the sixth grade are required to submit a Certificate of Health Examination and Proof of a School Dental Examination. Incoming second graders must submit Proof of a School Dental Examination. Both are due before the first day of school and must be dated after August 26, 2019. Please schedule your child's doctor appointments now and return the forms before the end of this school year if possible.
Parents interested in before and/or after-school care will have an opportunity to attend a virtual open house on May 20, 2020, with Right at School, the District's new provider for this program. Details on how to attend the meeting will be provided in next week's principal newsletters. Click here to learn more about the Right at School program, fees and registration.
April 2020 Winnetka Wire
To read the latest Letter from the Superintendent and other updates from the District, click here: https://conta.cc/2KdFxVV
Associates & Remote Learning
A shift to Remote Learning has required our teachers, students, administrators and parents to adapt to an entirely new way of receiving instruction. As such, all of our roles are being reinvented as we seek to support our students. Under normal circumstances, our Teacher Associates play a critical role in the classroom, supporting students on an individual and small group basis, providing review of instruction, reinforcement, assistance in classroom management of routines and practices. As we settle into a second phase of Remote Learning, we have taken some time to establish guidelines for our Teacher Associates so that they are able to maintain their own role in contributing to Remote Learning and support of students.
Our Kindergarten and First Grade classes each have a dedicated Classroom Associate. In addition, we have Special Education Associates throughout all grade levels that are present to provide supports specifically designated within Individualized Education Plans (IEPs/Special Education). If you do not have a student in Kindergarten, First Grade or within our Special Education program, it is likely that you and your child will not interact with a Teacher Associate during Remote Learning.
If you do have a student that may be interacting with a Teacher Associate, expect to see any of the following from this dedicated team:
-
Participation in Synchronous Lessons
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Supporting Small Student Groups
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Checking in with Individual Students requiring specific supports
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Leading a game, story, review session, song/dance with students
In addition, our Teacher Associates are using this time to collaborate with teachers on lesson development, differentiation and modification of materials and professional development specific to Remote Learning and support individual needs of students. We are working together to continuously monitor how our Teacher Associates are supporting our students so that we can make adjustments where necessary.
Device Loans/Replacements
To request a device, please
complete this form
. Devices will be distributed safely to those who request them. Our technology staff is able to arrange for device pick up one day per week. You will be contacted within 24 hours of your request.
Proxy Filter
We are working to replace the proxy filter. The proxy filter is what keeps kids from accessing inappropriate content online whether at home or at school. In the next week or two, you will receive an email from the technology team regarding Securly with additional details.
Inquiries Regarding School Access
Schools have been receiving questions from parents to access our school buildings for student belongings and materials. Due to the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation and in accordance with the Stay-at-Home Order issued by Governor Pritzker, we are limiting public access to our school buildings at this time. We will be able to help facilitate the pick up of student items when the Stay-at-Home Order is lifted. Our first priority is supporting our public officials in taking measures that help protect the collective safety of our community.
Special Education Services
The Department of Student Services would like to assure parents that special education staff members have focused their time on the development of flexible learning options for students with IEPs. We recognize the importance of continuing to provide special education services to our students who require this support to access the core curriculum. Now more than ever, schools need to be focused on the importance of providing an appropriate, accessible, accommodated educational program to all students in light of their current circumstances.
We would like to assure parents that their children's IEPs will be implemented in this new context as reasonably as possible. This includes, but is not limited to, related services within a student's IEP. Please note that the provision of special education support during remote learning will not be exactly the same as it would have been had schools remained open.
Students will receive some direct instruction and will also be completing activities independently with support from associates and special education staff. Students will have access to their case manager and any related service provider who has provided services as indicated on his or her IEP.
Case managers will check in with students and reach out to parents weekly. Most special education instruction will be asynchronous in nature. Some instruction may be synchronous (meaning live) for particular therapies, however, not all services can be provided in this fashion. If students are asked to participate in any specialized group therapy, parental consent will be required.
Please know that our goal is to help each of your children be successful as a remote learner with the support of their special education teacher and/or related services provider.
Questions? Contact Beth Martin
bethmartin@winnetka36.org
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Dates to Note
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