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Greetings Skokie Community,
Social emotional learning (SEL) is a key element of the Winnetka experience and integral to our students happiness and success in the classroom and in life. This year, we established SEL as a District-wide goal focusing on building a community-wide understanding of Social Emotional Learning and its impact on students. As part of this initiative, we will be featuring a parent corner article from members of our Parent SEL committee.
In thinking about our students' social-emotional needs, we wanted to inform you that MAP testing will occur next week. Depending on your child's teacher, the students will be assessed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday. We recognize that testing brings about different emotions, depending on the child. To help your child prepare for the test, you can ensure that they have a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. Additionally, you might consider asking them how they feel about the testing, as naming emotions is powerful. You can encourage them to try their best, remind them that tests are one of many ways in which teachers assess their learning, and share that the purpose of the test is to inform our teaching.
Warmly,
Betty Weir
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @skokie36
SEL Parent Corner
December 20, 2019
As District 36 embarks on the Social Emotional Learning Initiative, parents are playing an integral role in making this a community-wide effort through participation on the committee and involvement in workshops and meetings. Throughout this year and next, information and resources about SEL and integration in District 36 will continually be updated and made available. One of the ways the SEL message will be communicated and explained to parents is through multiple Winnetka Parent Institute (WPI) events. The first WPI on SEL was held on December 3 at Washburne School and served as a clear and thorough introduction to SEL in District 36. Administrators, teachers, and parents all provided input into the presentation and their own perspectives on the important of SEL. There will be two additional WPI's on SEL in the second half of the 2019-2020 school year. Please take a moment to review the highlights and summary here of the December WPI on SEL. Information from the WPI can be found here:
Video of December 3 WPI
and
Presentation Slides for December 3 WPI
.
SEL has always been an important component of Winnetka's progressive philosophy of educating the whole child. However, as times change and pressures increase on children, the District is taking a more formalized approach and additional steps to ensure, as a District, everyone is using the same language, has the same tools, and has the resources needed to integrate SEL into the school day. District 36 is working with The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (
CASEL
), a nationally known expert organization based in Chicago, to implement a framework for SEL in our schools. A Super Committee of administrators, teachers, staff and parents are working together to begin the journey of integrating SEL into the schools and our community. The District 36 School Board also recently approved a 3 year plan to focus on SEL and make it a part of the curriculum. Notably, New Trier High School has also adopted as part of their planning, a focus and implementation of SEL in the high school setting.
The importance of SEL is becoming overwhelmingly apparent as schools across the country representing all demographics are reporting higher anxiety levels in children and dysregulated behavior due to a variety of different factors. Large corporations are also observing a deficiency in social and emotional skills as they look to expand their workforce with the younger generation. It is becoming increasingly clear that students in high achieving communities are increasingly at risk as noted in a recent
Washington Post article
.
CASEL provides a framework of five key competencies for Social Emotional Learning - Self Awareness, Self Management, Responsible Decision Making, Social Awareness, and Relationship Skills. In the first year of the District's SEL work, the focus will be on the adults in the District - administration, teachers, staff, and the community- learning to understand and improve on these competencies. The following year these learnings will shift to the students. The District, in partnership with CASEL, will be working with the teachers and staff all year and each school has designed their school improvement plans to address the adult piece as well as a student component with the goal of implementation with students next year.
The focus of the first WPI was on the SEL competencies of Self-Management and Self- Awareness. The next two WPI's will focus on the remaining three competencies of Responsible Decision-Making, Social Awareness and Relationship Skills. Please watch your principal's newsletters for the upcoming 2020 Winnetka Parent Institute events on SEL. Additionally, The Family Action Network will be presenting many speakers on SEL in the coming months and their events are free and open to the public. Please click on the
FAN website
for more information about past and future events.. The Winnetka Public Schools Foundation will be hosting the
Carlson Event on January 23, 2020
and will feature SEL speaker, Dr. Matthew Dewar.
The Social Emotional Learning initiative is an ongoing, evolving process in District 36 and parents will play an integral role in the journey and implementation that will ultimately deepen the commitment to educating the whole child.
 CHESS - CHESS - CHESS! A WINTER CHESS SESSION begins January 30, 2020, 3:30-4:30! This chess program will run on Thursdays from January 30th through March 19th, (no class Feb.6 due to early dismissal). Chess-Ed will provide this unique, exciting and dynamic chess instruction which lifts each student to a new level of expertise. We will cover opening theory, middle game tactics, and end game combinations throughout the 7-week program. Plus, studies continue to confirm that students, through chess, develop many life skills for greater academic and lifetime success. The WINTER SESSION will run for 7-weeks at a registration discounted fee of $126.00 through 1/23/20. Register TODAY! Looking forward to seeing your chessenthusiast January 30th. The program is open to all students of all playing levels - novice to advanced. A minimum of 10 students is required for the program to move forward. Register TODAY! Register at: www.skokiemiddlechess.eventbee.com
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Assistant Principal Corner
This week, we continued our third Social Emotional Learning (SEL) theme of the year about
Building Healthy Relationships. Classes talked about popularity this week.
Popularity: The state or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people.
The Lions of Leadership are happy to announce that we will be adding 5th graders into the group next week, and we look forward to having their voices heard as a part of our student leadership!
Thank you and have a great weekend!
Larry Joynt
Assistant Principal
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District News
Online Pre-Registration Open for Kindergarten & New Students for the 2020-2021 School Year
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 or brought to the District Office.
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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 completed and residency documentation is verified. If you have any questions, please contact the District Office at 847-446-9400.
Winter MAP Testing
We are approaching our second testing window for the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test, which will take place between
January 13 - 24, 2020
. Your child's school or teacher will inform you of his or her specific testing dates.
Similar to the fall, all students in Grades 3 - 8 will take one Reading Test and one Math test. MAP is a computer-adaptive test, which means every student receives a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. This provides a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student's learning level. The purpose of the second testing session is to provide teachers with midyear progress data that will help inform their instruction as they move forward into the school year. Student Reports are sent home at the end of the school year with fall to spring growth measures. Additional information on the MAP assessment may be found on our district website at www.winnetka36.org/itl/assessments.
WPI Events
January 30, 2020 (SEL session)
CASEL Competencies: Focus on Social Awareness & Relationship Skills
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 am
The Skokie School Community Room
Join District educators and parents as we explore the key SEL competencies of social awareness and relationship skills and their impact on learning, wellness, and success. Learn how these important competencies strengthen one's ability to understand others, communicate, build relationships, and collaborate as a valued member of a team. This is the second in a series of WPI's workshops that the District is offering this school year focusing on the important District-wide initiative of SEL.
RSVP here
.
Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager: The Developmental Progression of the Middle School Child
February 5, 2020 at 9:30 a.m.
The Skokie School Community Room
Join Principal Weir and Assistant Principal Joynt (The Skokie School) and Principal Fenton and Assistant Principal Horwitz (Carleton Washburne School) for an informational session focusing on the ins and outs of the growing middle school child. We will spend time exploring both the academic and social-emotional needs appropriate to 5th-8th grade children, how they change over that four year span, as well as the neurological changes that contribute to these needs. Parents with current middle schoolers, or soon-to-be middle schoolers, are encouraged to join us for an engaging, encouraging and educational hour together.
RSVP here
.
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
.
WPSF Carlson Event
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/.
Coming Soon:
From The Alliance for Early Childhood:
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Let's Play! Block Building
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Drop-in: 11am-4pm
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Families, Join The Alliance for Early Childhood for our First Annual Block Fest!
We are excited to partner this year with Northern Illinois University to provide a hands-on building extravaganza featuring five different kinds of blocks. Block play provides a natural environment for kids to experiment with early STEAM concepts. Our Community Partner Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED) will be on site as well to support this event.
Intended Age Audience: All ages are welcome.
Parents or caregivers are asked to attend with their children.
Registration is not required. Free and Open to the Public.
From the Volunteer Center:
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Dates to Note
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