|
Dear Winnetka Public Schools Families,
We look forward to welcoming you all into school over the next few weeks for our first round of conferences. At these conferences, you will hear a bit about your child's transition to school from the classroom teacher's perspective and how he or she is doing as a student and classroom community member. The teacher will offer you a brief snapshot of your child's academic performance using assessment data and work samples to help you get a clear picture of your child's performance. These data points will be grounded in observational evidence and qualitative feedback.
In addition, the teachers will want to hear from you about how you feel your child is adjusting to the school year and what is on your mind. Thus, in grades 1-4, these conferences are set up as goal setting conferences.
Using information gathered so far from the classroom, in coordination with your input, areas of focus will be determined for the coming months.
These goals will be finalized and mailed to parents after conferences. In kindergarten, your child's adjustment to the classroom and readiness for learning will be discussed.
During February's winter conference, parents can expect to get an update on the goals created in October and teachers will again share quantitative and qualitative data from their ongoing diagnostic assessments and observations. At this time, parents will also receive a progress report of their child's learning. This learning will be represented on a continuum of growth. A final year-end report will be mailed home to parents in June. Our kindergarten families can expect two conferences and a final report at the end of the school year.
We look forward to meeting with you all in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Julie Pfeffer, Principal, Crow Island School
Joshua Swanner, Principal, Greeley School
Beth Carmody, Principal, Hubbard Woods School
Crow Island News:
Dear Crow Island Families,
Thank you to our PTO for their help organizing our Runathon last week and to all of our amazing parent volunteers. Although the weather didn't fully cooperate, we were able to get all of our running in and the children had a great time. We greatly appreciate the support for our school. We also enjoyed hosting the athletes from Misericordia who joined our parents and families cheering and encouraging our runners. Thanks to all for making it such a success.
Please see below for a note from our art teacher, Mrs. Johnston:
Dear Crow Island Families,
We would like to try do do an all school art project in the art room for which we will need many plastic caps (marker caps, water bottle caps, juice bottle caps, soda bottle caps, laundry detergent, milk jug, etc.). Please see the photo below for an example.
Please do us (and the earth) a favor and save your caps! Please wash/rinse first, and bring them to school. There is a collection bin by the front door.
Many thanks!
Finally, please always remember to drive carefully around the school. Be aware that students are often headed to Skokie before school when you may be dropping off students for before school activities like Strings and Chorus. Remember to use extra caution when pulling into the circle and look for students and bikes crossing.
Thank you and have a wonderful week!
Julie
|
Redistricting Update 2020
After three years of evaluating redistricting scenarios, The Winnetka Public Schools Board received a recommendation from Superintendent Kocanda at the School Board Meeting on September 24, 2019 endorsing Option 2 as the option best aligned to the Board's Redistricting 2020 Guiding Principles. The Board will make final approval of a change in attendance boundaries at the October 22, 2019 School Board meeting.
The September 24 meeting included a presentation from Cropper GIS, the District's demographer, summarizing data from a newly updated forecast model on student enrollment in the district. This updated forecast suggests a stabilizing enrollment for the district over the next ten years, and a continued imbalance amongst our three schools without a change in attendance boundaries.
Feedback from the community as well as input from the Village and Winnetka Police Department was reviewed at the meeting. Community concerns largely centered on changes in traffic patterns and the need for safety measures (signage, lighting, crossing guards) at the newly traveled intersections. The Village and Police are committed to partnering with the District in efforts to make this transition a safe one for families.
The School Board also continued discussions on "phasing-in." Phasing-in allows a subset of students to remain at their current school AFTER new boundary lines go into effect. The Board gained consensus on phasing-in the following students who reside in the redistricted zone (representing 2020-2021 grade levels):
-
All 4th graders
-
2nd and 3rd graders who attended D36 Kindergarten
-
2nd and 3rd graders who did not attend D36 Kindergarten
-
1st graders who attended D36 Kindergarten with an older sibling who attends Crow Island
Students that will not be given phase-in consideration are as follows:
Community members are invited to attend the following upcoming School Board meeting:
October 22, 2019
7:15 p.m. at Greeley School
School Board Meeting
The School Board will approve the plan for Redistricting 2020. New attendance boundaries and "phase in" accommodations will be approved at this meeting.
A Traffic/Pedestrian Request from The Winnetka Police
Working in collaboration with the Winnetka Police Department, we are addressing specific concerns regarding the traffic/pedestrian impact of the Streetscape Project in the West Elm Business District.
We strongly encourage pedestrians and bicyclists to consider alternative routes to avoid the road construction and lack of normal sidewalk accessibility at Elm Street and Chestnut Street. If traveling from the east, recommendations include detouring north or south on Green Bay Road one block to Oak Street or Spruce Street. Pedestrians and bicyclists may utilize the sidewalks on either street westbound to Birch Street, which are much clearer of any related construction concerns. Traveling from the west, recommendations include utilizing Birch Street in either direction to Oak Street or Spruce Street to avoid the construction when traveling east. The Winnetka Police Department is increasing their presence to assist with crossings of pedestrians and bicyclists at Elm Street and Chestnut Street.
Officials at the Winnetka Police Department have expressed confidence that with your cooperation during this period of inconvenience, the use of these alternative routes create the safest travel conditions possible. The Village anticipates the substantial construction of the Streetscape Project will be completed by October 18th.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month - Learn about the District's Prevention Plan
In 2015, The District piloted its Bullying Response and Prevention Plan in accordance with School Board Policy 7:180. The Plan creates processes and mechanisms for identifying, reporting, investigating, and responding to bullying behavior and school violence. To assist with identifying bullying behavior, common terminology and definitions were introduced in grades K-8 to highlight the differences between mean, rude and bullying behavior and provide consistency as students move through the District. We invite you to incorporate this vocabulary as well and continue this discussion at home.
Click here to view.
From the Alliance for Early Childhood:
Family Action Network:
Family Action Network (FAN) is a 501(c)(3) organization that curates a high-quality speaker series each academic year. All FAN programs are free and open to the public. To view a calendar of upcoming events, visit the FAN website:
https://www.familyactionnetwork.net/
.
|
|
Replies to this email will be sent directly to Julie Pfeffer. If you would like to other family members to receive the Crow Island School Update please hit reply. Please note that by adding names to the Crow Island School Update mailing list you are not updating any other mailing lists including your child's emergency contact information. Please also note that unsubscribing from this email will unsubscribe from all Winnetka school emails. Please contact Lindy Schmidt, Crow Island School secretary, to make changes to your child's records or if you have questions about other email lists.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Dates to Remember
Tuesday, October 8
No After School Sports - 3rd Grade today
Wednesday, October 9
No School - Yom Kippur
Thursday, October 10
7:45am, Morning Strings
Tuesday, October 15
3:15pm - 4:00pm, After School Sports - 3rd Grade
3:15pm - 4:00pm, First day of Crazy 8's Math Club - 3rd & 4th Grades
Wednesday, October 16
8:00am, 4th Grade Chorus
3:15pm - 4:00pm, After School Sports - 4th Grade
Thursday, October 17
7:45am, Morning Strings
Early dismissal @ 11:25am
No School - PM
Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 18
No School -
Parent Teacher Conferences
Mon-Fri, October 21-25
Community Outreach - Food Drive "Make A Difference Day"
Tuesday, October 22
7:15pm, School Board Meeting @ Greeley School
Thursday, October 24
Picture Retakes
Thursday, October 31
1:00pm, Halloween Ghost Walk - Parents, please gather on the front lawn to watch the parade
Friday, November 1
No School - Institute Day
Monday, November 25
Community Outreach - Showers of Gratitude begins
Wed-Fri, November 27-29
No School - Thanksgiving Break
|
|
The Winnetka Public Schools community empowers every student to flourish in an innovative, experiential environment. We support and challenge all learners to actively engage in continual growth and achievement to make a meaningful difference in the world.
|
|
|
