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| The Skokie Home Scoop - August 31, 2018 |
Dear Skokie Families,
The wind is blowing outside today, and we are thankful that it is bringing the cooler fall temperatures along with it! As we head into the Fall season, now is the time to be thinking ahead to Parent/Teacher Conferences. This year's Fall window of conferences is October 8-19. Each of our teacher teams creates a schedule within that window, and offers them to families either via the links below, or through their own individual communication to families. If you do not see your child's team listed below, expect to receive contact from them regarding your conference time. Otherwise, lick on a link below to sign up for your twenty-minute session with your child's team.
Fall conferences are a fantastic time to talk about how the transition into the school year has gone, goals for the coming trimester, areas of strength and challenge, new social connections being made, or any questions you may have. Know that your child's team is eager to continue to form a relationship with you in the interest of supporting your fifth or sixth grader's growth. If there are any specific questions or concerns you have leading up to conferences, it is often helpful to reach out to the teacher/s prior to that time so they may prepare for the conversation. Also note that our teachers take great care in planning your conference time, and have much they look forward to sharing with you. We do our best to keep on track with our schedules, and making the most of that time slot together, helps us to give each family the attention and focus that they deserve. We look forward to having you in the building!
FIFTH GRADE
SIXTH GRADE
*sign up with your sixth grader's advisor ONLY
Enjoy the beautiful Fall weekend and the time together with your families!
Most Sincerely,
Kelly Tess
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @skokie36
#beatree #everybodyin
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AP CORNER
This year's Home Scoop will feature the "AP Corner," giving our Assistant Principal, Betty Weir, an opportunity to share information each week. You can follow Betty on Twitter at @BettyWeirEdu.
Spreading Positivity on Social Media
Many of our fifth and sixth graders begin exploring social media as they enter their middle school years. While there are mixed feelings on social media, the reality is that it will be a part of our children's lives in one way or another as they enter into adulthood.
George Couros, leadership consultant and author of
The Innovator's Mindset
, argues that it is important to provide teenagers with "practice" in social media settings that are closely monitored by parents so that feedback can be provided and reflection can happen. Inevitably, some teens will make mistakes and post content that is not appropriate in one way or another. He argues that:
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We need to support teens in reflecting on and learning from these situations.
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We should encourage our teens to post positive content that builds others up.
When it comes to social media, he contends, "We need to make the positive so loud that the negative becomes almost impossible to hear."
As parents, you will make the decision when your child is ready for a social media account. When
that day comes, consider looking at your child's posts and helping him/her to reflect upon the tone and content of the messages being sent.
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| District News
Educational Master Facility Plan (EMFP): Future Ready D36
The School Board affirmed current
working assumptions
and agreed to a
2018-2019 timeline
leading to a potential facilities referendum in spring 2019. Key milestones reviewed included a September survey-poll to collect data on community priorities and funding level support, finalization of the EMFP in late October, and Board Work Sessions to define an implementation plan and potential Phase I facilities project.
A review of the 10-year vision for the EMFP focused on a potential K-4; 5-8 Concept which would restore all (3) neighborhood elementary schools to a grade K-4 configuration and consolidate to a single (1) grade 5-8 campus. All planning options considered would require change to the elementary school attendance boundaries in the least disruptive manner for students, families and households. The timeline of late spring 2019 was established for making decisions regarding boundary changes - and following the definition of a potential Phase I facilities plan and community approved referendum.
The District reviewed costs associated with modernization to address aging buildings, systems, and outdated instructional spaces. Estimated 30-year costs to address items identified in the Health Life Safety Plan (alone) totaled approximately $127 million; in comparison, the estimated 30-year cost of implementing the K-4; 5-8 Concept totaled approximately $160 million.
Blackboard Test
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2, we will be conducting a test via Blackboard, our emergency call system.
Please know this is only a test when you see the emergency test alert from The Winnetka Public Schools at 4:30 p.m. This test is to ensure that our emergency communications system, which is
used to alert parents and staff of weather-related school closures and emergency situations, is working properly.
Winnetka Parents Institute Events
Navigating Your Child's IEP: A Parent's Role
Tuesday, October 16 at 9:30 a.m.
The Carleton Washburne School Green Room
Presented by Susan Hans, Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED) Parent Mentor, this session is intended for all parents - whether your child has just received their IEP or has had one in place for years. With years of both personal and professional experience, Ms. Hans will cover the basic components of the IEP process and plan, provide specific strategies on how to make the meeting more meaningful to you as a parent, and how you can effectively contribute to the process and outcomes.
Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager: The Developmental Progression of the Middle School Child
Friday, October 26 at 9:30 a.m.
The Skokie School Community Room
Join Principal Tess and Assistant Principal Weir (The Skokie School) and Principal Kanne and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational 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.
RSVP here
.
D36 Communications
Our annual publication
Learners
, should have arrived in your mailbox this month. We hope you'll enjoy reading more about our District goals, highlights from 2017-2018, and alumni stories.
Learners
also contains our annual Financial Report. The online edition is
here
.
Please follow D36 on Social Media if you'd like to see photos (including from our first week of school!), videos, and news. You may access these platforms from the icons at the bottom of this email. We look forward to connecting with you throughout the year!
An Opportunity to Contribute to the New Trier Strategic Planning Process
New Trier High School Superintendent, Dr. Paul Sally, is facilitating a strategic planning process for the community this year. Dr. Sally is encouraging participation of elementary district parents to share input via an online survey. The link to the survey in Dr. Sally's message (below) is specific to Winnetka Public School District 36. We encourage you to take a few moments to complete the survey so that your voice is heard as New Trier High School builds their next strategic plan. The survey is open through September 26, 2018.
Dear New Trier Families,
New Trier High School needs your input as we plan for the future of our school district in the next decade and beyond. Included with this email is a link to a survey from our independent research firm, Hanover Research. This survey asks about your goals and priorities in areas such as New Trier's curriculum, extracurricular programs, climate and culture, and facilities and operations.
Please take a few minutes to share your opinions with us. This anonymous survey will give our planning committee important information as we develop our new strategic plan, New Trier 2030. The plan will define our district's goals and prioritize the work we do within our school. More information about our planning process will be posted on our website in the coming weeks.
Thank you in advance for helping shape the future of New Trier. You may also access the survey from the home page of our website, http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Sally, Superintendent
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 (attention: Amy Huisel).
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AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS AT SKOKIE
We are in the process of pulling together this year's after/before school club offerings. At this time, we are accepting registration for After School Sports, Climbing Club, Chorus and First Lego League. Stay tuned for more information on our wide variety of other clubs, coming soon!
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The first Chorus rehearsal will be
Tuesday, September 18th
at 7:30 a.m.
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September 2018
Skokie Family,
This year, Skokie is again collecting tabs for the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) near Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. Ronald McDonald House's mission "...is to care for families of children with complex medical needs by providing comfort, compassion and a sense of community... by keeping families of hospitalized children together in a 'home away from home'." For more information, visit http://rmhccni.org/about-us/mission/.
Why tabs? United Scrap Metal, a local recycling company picks them up from RMH. They recycle the metal and then pay them the market value, plus a charitable match on a percentage of their profit. United Scrap Metal recycles all types of metal; however, they focus mostly on pop tabs since they are clean, compact, easy to collect and the aluminum in the tab is a higher-grade so it has a higher recycling value.
All types of tabs are accepted - from juice cans, pop cans, to cat food cans.
This year, we are hosting a competition between the advisories. The advisory with the most tabs, as determined by the weight, will win a prize.
Thank you for your support of this program.
Marla Goldberg
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Dates to Note
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September 11-21
District Wide MAP
Testing Window
September 19, Wednesday
NO SCHOOL-Yom Kippur
October 8-19
Fall Conference Window
October 26, Friday
WPI: "Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager: The Developmental Progression of the Adolescent Brain" Hosted by the Washburne and Skokie Principals, 9:30am--Skokie Community Room
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