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| The Skokie Home Scoop - April 13, 2018 |
Dear Skokie Families,
What happened to the spring weather?! It seemed we were all looking forward to a high of 70 today, but that promise was quickly changed in the weather forecast. I know we are eager to see our students spend some more time outside enjoying the sunshine! This week marked the conclusion of PARCC testing. Our 5th and 6th graders successfully completed testing in the areas of Language Arts and Math over the past two weeks. Make-up sessions will continue into next week should your child have missed a day. Thanks to a generous gift from our PTO, our students and staff will be enjoying a session on mindfulness and meditation next week. Staff from The Full Bloomed Lotus in Wilmette will be visiting with each class to present strategies around responding to and dealing with stressful situations. We look forward to this next week and thank our PTO for their support!
Today Skokie was host to the district's third community presentation focused on Future Ready D36 and the concepts presented by the Core Team in response to enrollment needs, our vision for teaching and learning and our building facilities. Today's presentation drew interest from over 70 community members. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to visit the Future Ready D36 website to gather information on the process thus far, communication and engagement with the community and the timeline of the work.
Click here to be connected to the website: https://www.winnetka36.org/master-facility-plan-overview
Finally, we look forward to welcoming our future fifth grade families next Tuesday, April 17 at 6:30pm for our annual Fifth Grade Orientation. Families will arrive at entrances based on their current elementary school to allow us to pair you with a current fifth grade group of tour guides. This is a fun and informational evening for both students and their families, and just one of the first of several events we host as we anticipate the transition to Skokie. Links to complete a parent reflection form related to placement will be emailed to all families with a 5th or 6th grader at Skokie on April 17.
Stay warm and dry this weekend, and enjoy the time together with your family.
Most Sincerely,
Kelly Tess
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Who: The Skokie School Baldies (St. Baldrick's)
The Skokie School Clippers (Wigs for Kids)
What:
Shaving our heads and cutting our hair.
When:
Monday, April 30th, from 2:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Where:
The Skokie School Auditorium
Why: To raise money in support of childhood cancer research and
to provide wigs for children who have no hair.
Registration Information:
St. Baldrick's participants can sign up online:
Wigs for Kids participants can find a packet of information to
participate on or off stage in the foyer.
Registration Deadline:
Friday, April 27, 2018
Questions? See Mr. Rowe, Ms. Goldberg, or Mr. Hynes
For more information on the St. Baldrick's Foundation and Wigs for Kids, please visit their web sites:
Extension for a Cause!
This year we are excited to offer a new opportunity for the students, their families, and staff that are not shaving or donating their hair. Rather than losing hair, students can add hair by purchasing and wearing a colored hair extension. This year, we are offering GREEN to represent solidarity for St. Baldrick's and a means to show solidarity for the children going through chemotherapy.
Hair extensions are available for a minimum donation of $25.00. Cash and checks (made out to Winnetka Public Schools) will be accepted. Participants can choose which organization (St. Baldricks or Wigs for Kids) they want their donation to support. Forms to reserve your extension can be found in the front foyer.
Babe hair extensions are a highly reputable company. The tape in extensions are made with 100% Indian human hair. They have been dyed the Kelly green and treated so they won't fade and will easily wash. They can be easily removed with baby oil and or rubbing alcohol applied to the adhesive. The tape in extensions will last 4 to 6 weeks they will last longer if properly cared for. They can also be re used if they want to come in to the Hair Lounge and reapplied. The hair Lounge #847-446-5600. Or winnetkahairlounge.com
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Adventures In Learning Request - Animal Care Classes
ATTENTION all lovers of rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, turtles, birds and other small animals! Winnetka's Adventures in Learning/Animal Care Class is back this summer beginning Monday, June 18th. If (you or) your child's small animal is due for a brief break this summer, please email Anna at animal.care.adventures@gmail.com
Attempts at permanent adoptions can also be made if it is time to pass your pet on to another loving family.
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As the
Future Ready D36
Core Team continues to
refine possible Educational Master Facility Plan concepts over the course of the spring, we are seeking your continued input and involvement. If you have feedback or ideas to share, you may email
[email protected]
. Please note that the Core Team will review the emails received, but will not respond to each message.
Over the spring, there will be ongoing revisions to the proposed concepts based on our community's feedback. It is anticipated that the Board will approve a master plan in June 2018.
To learn more, documents and meeting materials regarding
Future Ready D36
are available at
www.winnetka36.org
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2018 PARCC Assessment
The PARCC assessment will be administered to students in grades 3 through 8 from April 4-20, 2018. Grades 3 - 5 will complete 7 testing sessions (3 Language Arts and 4 math) and Grades 6 - 8 will complete 6 testing sessions (3 Language Arts and 3 Math). Individual teachers or schools will be sending details concerning specific dates and times of testing sessions. In order to ensure that students feel comfortable in the testing environment and understand the nature of the questions that will be presented on the exam, teachers will be familiarizing students with the testing platform and expectations. The Illinois State Board of Education requires all public school districts to administer the PARCC exam. For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please visit
https://www.winnetka36.org/curriculum/parcc
.
Updates regarding the future of PARCC/State Assessment
In a letter dated February 9, 2018, Tony Smith, State Superintendent of Education, outlined details regarding changes to the State Assessment process that will begin in the 2018 - 2019 school year. With continual growth and improvement of the statewide assessment process in mind, Illinois will no longer use PARCC in its current form. The state plans on developing a new Illinois Assessment of Readiness utilizing core features of PARCC in alignment with Illinois state standards. The new assessments will continue to include complex tasks in reading and math that require strategic reasoning, extended investigation, and writing. As the assessments evolve over time, it is important to note that the standards and our high expectations for learning remain constant.
The specific improvements the State is working to make include:
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Returning results more quickly, providing teachers with time to adjust instruction;
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Building assessments from the ground up in more languages to increase accessibility and allow all students to demonstrate their true level of mastery;
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Reporting results on a common scale across all assessments, including local assessments, so educators can engage in deeper dialogue with each other and with families and students;
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Reaching full online assessment to support equity of access to rigorous instruction and return results faster; and
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Transitioning to a computer-adaptive format, meaning the test items become more or less advanced depending on the student's performance as they progress through, so we know not just whether a student meets the standards for their grade level but the upper and lower bounds of their mastery.
Illinois will phase in changes slowly over time. The ability to compare performance over time will remain intact during this transition. The timeline and specific details for all changes depend on the proposals potential vendors submit to the Illinois State Board of Education.
The announcement of future changes has not influenced the commitment District 36 has regarding our teaching and assessment practices. We will approach the upcoming 2018 PARCC testing with the same integrity of past years. State testing is one of multiple important measures District 36 utilizes to monitor and support student learning.
Is Your Child Starting Kindergarten in 2018?
To pre-register your child for the 2018-2019 school year, please contact the District office at
847-446-9400
to begin the process. This early pre-registration process helps ensure that The Winnetka Public Schools have proper staffing and most accurate school assignments. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2018, are eligible to enroll.
Click here
for documents required for new students. Registration packets are available at the District Office (
1235 Oak St
.). Children will not be considered enrolled until residency documentation is verified and all forms are submitted. If you have any questions, please contact the District Office at
847-446-9400
.
Adventures in Learning 2018
Adventures in Learning 2018 runs from June 18th-July 20th, 2018. (There is no camp on July 4th.) A decades-long tradition, this summer program includes classes as varied as Drone Flight School, Camping Adventures, Make Your Own Music Video, Adventures in STEAM, Archery, The Wacky World of Water, Kitchen Magicians, Tennis, Computer Animation, Improvisation, Yoga for Kids, Animal Care, and Spa-Licious. Students in grades 2-8 may choose up to four classes from over 100 options. Younger children (pre-K through grade 1) will explore educational concepts through guided play and outdoor activities.
This year's program will be held at The Skokie School for the 2-8th graders and Hubbard Woods School for the Pre-K (4 years old by June 1, 2018) and K-grade 1 Primary program (5 years old by September 1, 2018).
PTO Communications for Incoming Families
The District and PTO will be sharing content specific to new families on an occasional basis throughout the spring and summer. If you do not wish to receive these communications at the email address(es) you provided during pre-registration, please complete this form to opt out:
https://goo.gl/forms/YXMFQCPaof45GHZQ2
The Skokie School, Orientation for 5th Grade
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
The Skokie School will host an orientation meeting for current fourth grade students and their parents, Tuesday, April 17th from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Families will receive an emailed invitation with more details.
Skokie students identified last year's orientation meeting as one of the most helpful components of their orientation activities. Students enjoyed the opportunity to tour the school, meet the staff, and have a conversation with current Skokie students. Please mark your calendar.
The
New Trier Township Innovation & Tech Expo
is an opportunity for parents to hear about how technology is being used throughout the township. All New Trier Township schools will be participating in this joint mini-conference taking place Saturday, April 28, 2018. It will be held at New Trier Winnetka Campus,
385 Winnetka Avenue, Winnetka, IL
, from 8:30am to 12pm and
To view sessions,
click here
. Registration is not required, but if you select your sessions, you will be sent an email reminder the night before. Hope to see you on the 28th!
TREX Challenge News
Thanks to the Green Team for organizing the TREX Plastic Film Challenge, which ran through the fall and ends this week
. Due to the completion of the challenge, recycling bins for plastic film will be removed from our schools for the remainder of the year.
Please continue to recycle plastic film at area stores such as The Grand, The Grand, Mariano's, or Jewel. Thanks to all who have participated!
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Dates to Note
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5th Grade Orientation
6:30-8:00 p.m.
April 18, Wednesday
Informational Meeting on the Placement Process
for K-8 Students - presented
by
the WPS Prin
cipals
9:30 a.m. in the
Skokie Community Room
April 26,Thursday
Class Pictures
April 27, Friday
6th Grade Talent Show
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Class Pictures
Thursday, April 26th
Class Advisory Pictures will be taken on Thursday, April 26th. Order forms were sent home earlier this week. You may also
click here for an order form.
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Save the Date!
The 6th Grade Party
Friday, May 4th
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Washburne Gyms & Cafeteria
(Permission slips and more information will be sent home closer to the event).
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ART Club
(Last Session)
Please join us for our final Art Club session of the year! Art Club students are encouraged to use this time to explore a variety of media, processes and techniques. This is an opportunity to dive deep into personal interests while expressing yourself creatively. Art Club also provides a fun environment to be inspired in - while working alongside other young artists.
Tuesdays: APR 17, 2018 thru MAY 29, 2018; 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesdays: APR 18, 2018 thru MAY 30, 2018; 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Club meets in the Skokie School Art Room.
Open to 5th and 6th Grade
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