Greetings Skokie Families,
The 2019-20 school year is approaching, so I wanted to take a moment to reach out and share several important pieces of information as we look to next year. It is with great excitement that we anticipate welcoming your children into our classrooms to provide them with a memorable year full of learning in fifth and sixth grade. We are anxious to hear about their adventures this summer and begin building our learning communities here at Skokie.
Morning Advisory and Social Emotional Learning
A central focus of our work at Skokie this upcoming year will be our advisory time in the mornings. We have slightly shifted our schedule for this upcoming year so that students will be engaged in exploring topics related to social-emotional learning from 8:25-8:45 a.m. on Tuesdays-Fridays. While Winnetka Public Schools as a district and Skokie as a school have always held social-emotional learning as a cornerstone of the progressive education we provide students, we are looking to enhance the work we do in this area through providing a common language and understanding of a variety of SEL related topics.
Each month, we will be focusing on a theme that supports our students' unique needs as fifth and sixth graders. We will kick off the year with a focus on
Establishing A Sense of Belonging
, as some students settle into a new school and all students acclimate to new classroom communities. A central priority for our Skokie educators is to foster a community of learners in which students feel safe and comfortable taking risks, both in their academic endeavors as well as their social interactions with peers. Please keep your eyes open for common language we will be establishing across the school in my weekly Home Scoop newsletter that goes home on Fridays.
In addition to allocating this important time at the beginning of the day, we will also be partnering together across the building to ensure students have ample support with their advisory learning experiences. Each advisory will have three educators partnering together to support the students. For example, your child's math and science teacher might be collaborating with a KW teacher and a special education teacher in order to plan and lead advisory time. These advisory teams will support students in forming stronger connections with multiple educators in our building, as well as reinforce the use of the common language and concepts we focus on across the school building.
Important Upcoming Dates
- Skokie School Tour: If you would like to tour the school with your child prior to the start of the school year, we will be hosting tours on Friday, August 16 at 1 p.m. and Tuesday, August 20 at 10 a.m. Please meet in the front lobby.
- Meet and Greet with New Skokie and Washburne Administrators: Tuesday, August 20, 4:00-5:15 p.m., Skokie School Lobby
- New Family Ice Cream Social: Wednesday, August 21 at 6:30 p.m., Skokie Cafeteria- for families new to the District
- Teacher Meet and Greet: Tuesday, August 27 from 2:30-3:30 p.m., followed by Popsicles on the Playground
- First Day of School: Wednesday, August 28,Half Day- 8:25-11:50 a.m.
- Go to School Night: Thursday, September 5 at 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (doors will open at 6:15...the night will begin in your child's advisor's classroom promptly at 6:30)
On a personal note, I just want to thank you for your support as I am away on maternity leave. Many of you have reached out with kind sentiments, which I greatly appreciate. While I am away, please do not hesitate to reach out to Pat Kritzman who will be our acting principal in my absence. I am very much looking forward to reuniting with The Skokie School community upon my return in early fall.
Warm regards,
Betty Weir
Principal
The Skokie School
