Thankful This Season for HW and D36

 

'Tis the season to count our lucky stars and I find myself feeling very lucky to be a part of Hubbard Woods School -- but moreover, our D36 family of schools. In my humble opinion, it doesn't really matter if you land at Crow, HW or Greeley -- our kids are all being taught by the best of the best, with a unique focus on teaching each child in the way best suited to their needs -- and support of the whole child, from a social-emotional standpoint. The student-lead progressive spirit is so exciting when you get a glimpse of it in action. Also, the various experiential projects happening at the schools are cool enough to give you goosebumps.

For example, I peeked at the student film festival that Todd Burleson and his team put on last week (thanks to a grant from the WPSF), where our kids' stop-motion animation movies were screened for all kids and staff to see. It was evident there was as much joy in the process of planning and creating during weeks of IDEA Lab time (my third grader never stopped talking about it!), as there was in viewing the final result. How lucky are we to have such amazing resources? Thank you to Todd and all of the HW staff who made this "magic" happen for our kids. Thank you to Amy Chudgar, Melinda Doty and the other parents who helped out. Please read Todd's recap below, with a Web link for parents to see more.

It makes me excitedly look forward to what D36 can be farther down the road, with a bit more modern space to move and create -- and fewer learning obstacles (like stopping the class to get fresh air when the school's too hot, like electrical brown outs, like kids learning in a hallway). Please tune into the EMFP (if unfamiliar, click here) to get up to speed on the D36 facilities plan that will be up for referendum in April, and will be discussed within the Winnetka community this winter.

In the meantime, the HW PTO wishes your family a fun and healthy break. There are fun things to look forward to in 2019 -- from family events like Dance Party and Bingo, to STEAM Night, Mayfest and a spring luncheon for parents. We hope this winter each classroom's parents can gather at someone's home to  socialize and know each other better -- stay tuned to hear from your room parents on that.

Happy holidays to you and yours!