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Dear Winnetka Families,
We have much to be grateful for as we head into this Thanksgiving season. We are thankful for our curious and kind students who love to learn. We are thankful for our supportive parents and families who ensure that their children are at school ready to learn each day and support our teachers and our classrooms in countless ways. We appreciate our PTOs that enrich the experience of our students each and every day in countless ways. In addition, our Winnetka Public Schools Foundation generously supports us so we can dream bigger and achieve more. Finally, we are grateful to be a part of a community of educators who are passionate about their work, dedicated to the children and the craft of teaching, and invested in creating the best possible learning environment and opportunities for each and every child.
We wish all of our families a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.
Sincerely,
Beth Carmody, Hubbard Woods
Julie Pfeffer, Crow Island
Joshua Swanner, Greeley
GREELEY NEWS
Dear Greeley Families,
This past Thursday and Friday, our 4th grade students embarked on their overnight stay at Snake Road. This tradition affords students the opportunity to develop team-building skills, challenge themselves mentally and physically, and simply spend extended time with one another.
With this experience and the end of 2019 in mind, I encourage you to ask your child(ren):
What challenges will you overcome before the end of the year? How can your family and friends help?
Sincerely,
Joshua Swanner
Principal
HOLIDAY ABSENCES
If your travel plans at Thanksgiving or Winter Break call for your child(ren) to miss school days, please either email or call Mrs. Jenner to let her know. It is helpful for us to know of absences in advance for our attendance records. Thank you!
GREELEY'S SPECIAL MUSIC EVENTS:
With the holiday season upon us, it seems like a good time to talk about ALL of the special music programs and performances that occur within our school building throughout the year. Please read through each description and mark your calendars accordingly.
WINTER SHARING:
The Winter Sharing (also known as the Winter Sing) is a special time when our school comes together as a community to sing songs, share music, view authentic student artwork, and celebrate children's creativity through The Arts. The programs occur during the day and are a casual, fun family event.
Greeley's auditorium has limited seating, therefore families are assigned a specific program time. This year's schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, December 18th
- 9:00 AM - Families who have a last name that begins with letters A - K
- 1:00 PM - Families who have a last name that begins with letters L - Z
YOUNG COMPOSERS:
Children in grades 1 - 4 may volunteer to write their own song during recess time. Students can work by themselves or with one or two other children in their class. Parent volunteers also help during rehearsal times, as the creative process can be busy, noisy, and a bit messy!
Songs are shared differently, depending on the age of the child.
The first and second graders share their songs for their parents, teacher/s, and peers during music class in the music room. After each song is performed, the "audience" provides compliments or questions and the performer/s have an opportunity to reflect on their work and its process. These informal Sharings are called "Junior Composers."
The third and fourth graders perform their songs for parents and the entire school community in the formal setting of the auditorium.
This year's schedule is as follows:
- January 16 - Groups are finalized and rehearsals begin
- February 21 at 1:00 PM - Fourth Grade concert for school & parents
- March 13 at 9:00 AM - Third Grade concert for school & parents
- Junior Composers Sharing times also occur in March and are scheduled when students have finished and are ready to perform.
SPRING SINGS:
The first through fourth graders culminate their arts experiences in our annual Spring Sing concerts. These concerts occur in the evening and are divided by age groups. The concert theme, choreography, instrumentation, artwork, and song choices are all a culmination of student ideas and choices.
This year's schedule is as follows:
- April 23 at 7:00 PM - Grades 1 & 2
- May 13 at 7:00 PM - Grades 3 & 4
CHORUS:
Greeley fourth graders may volunteer to be part of our school chorus. Chorus meets once per week and rehearsals are held before school.
DISTRICT NEWS
WPI Opportunities
Social Emotional Learning: An Introduction
Focus on the CASEL competencies of Self-Awareness and Self Management
December 3, 2019
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 am
The Skokie School Community Room
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Join District Educators and parents for this informational session on the importance of SEL and the key competencies of self-awareness and self management. This is the first in a series of WPI's workshops that the District will offer this school year focusing on this important District-wide initiative.
RSVP here
.
Hour of Code
December 4, 2019
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Crow Island School MakerSpace, 1112 Willow Road
December 3-9 is Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek), an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in computer science. CSEdWeek is held in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer
Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
(December 9, 1906). Each year, millions of people participate in #HourofCode, the largest learning event in history, to promote the importance of Computer Science Education. We encourage families and community members of all ages to join us as our students guide various coding and technology activities as part of the international event #HourofCode.
RSVP here
.
From Washburne to New Trier:
A D36 Parent's Guide to the New Trier Transition
December 5, 2019
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Paul Waechtler, Principal at the New Trier High School Freshman
Campus, and Lori Worth, 8th Grade Transition Faculty, will discuss the New Trier freshman placement process and the efforts made to ensure a smooth transition to high school. A Q & A will provide an opportunity for parents to learn more about how to best support their child(ren) as they prepare for their New Trier experience.
RSVP here
.
The Winnetka Public Schools welcomes students that will be new to the District in the 2020-2021 school year to begin registration. Incoming kindergarteners (five-years-old on or before September 1, 2020), and all new students entering grades 1-8 are eligible to enroll.
The new student registration process is completed in three steps:
-
Complete new student pre-registration forms online beginning December 6, 2019.
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Provide proof of residency.
Click here
to view the list of documents that will meet these requirements. For your convenience residency documents may be uploaded during online registration.
-
Visit the District Office to provide a certified copy of your child(ren)'s birth certificate and a parent photo ID and complete the paper portion of registration.
Children will not be considered enrolled until both the online and paper portion of registration has been complete and residency documentation is verified. If you have any questions, please contact the District Office at 847-446-9400.
Recommendation Form Protocol
Throughout the school year, our teachers and administrators may be asked to complete a recommendation form for families considering private schools or summer programs. As each institution's forms vary in the nature of information requested, we have moved to a common form that our Winnetka teachers and administrators will complete for submission to any authorized outside educational institution. Upon request for a feedback form, Winnetka staff will respond within ten business days. In the interest of maintaining appropriate confidentiality and consistency, our District employees will only complete this form, which may be attached to a student's application to any outside educational institution. You may find the form by
clicking here
.
Learners
Our annual District magazine,
Learners
, was mailed to all homes in Winnetka this month. To read Learners,
click here
.
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/
From The Alliance for Early Childhood:
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Dates to Remember
EARLY DISMISSAL EVERY MONDAY
2:45
(GRADES 1 - 4, KINDER EXTENDED PLAY)
Tuesday, Nov. 26
No Sports after school
(3rd graders)
WEDNESDAY- FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 27-29
THANKSGIVING BREAK
tuesday, dec. 3
last sports after school - session 1
(3rd graders)
wednesday, dec. 4
last sports after
school - session 1
(4th graders)
FRIDAY, DEC. 6
GREELEY SPIRIT DAY
BOOK FAIR
TUESDAY, DEC. 10
2:00 - 5:00
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11
9:00 - 5:30
THURSDAY, DEC. 12
wednesday, dec. 18
winter sings
9:00 a.m. - A-K
1:00 p.m. - L-Z
thursday, dec. 19
june birthday lunch
with mr. swanner
(grades 1-4)
friday, dec. 20
december birthday lunch with
mr. swanner
(grades 1 - 4)
friday, dec. 20
last day before
winter break
monday, jan. 6, 2020
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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.
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