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The Skokie School Home Scoop
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Dear Skokie Community,
I hope you and your family have had a chance to savor the beauty that is around us in the form of fall foliage. Last year, we were all surprised to receive the season's first snow on Halloween. This year, we are faced with a different challenge impacting one of the children's favorite holidays. Our goal at Skokie is to make Halloween special for the students, while continuing to prioritize health and safety.
What Should I Expect This Friday, October 30th? -
Students may wear a costume to school.
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Students should be able to independently use the restroom in their costumes.
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Please keep any weapons or weapon look-a-likes at home.
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Student faces should still be visible and each child should wear a face mask for safety. (Please no costume masks over the face mask.)
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Students will learn through some Halloween themed activities during class and there will be a virtual all-school assembly from 11-11:30/3:00-3:30.
Curricular Updates At Skokie Our teachers have been working hard to bring the students a high quality curricular experience in all areas. Take a look at the various learning experiences students are in the midst of: -
Our 5th and 6th graders received brand new vocabulary workbooks at the end of last week. The students' remote work will soon begin to incorporate word work within these materials.
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Our 5th graders are embarking on a social studies and informational writing unit called "Changemakers," which focuses on people throughout history who have worked to make a difference. The team created a fantastic website full of resources that provide information on a variety of historical changemakers. Students will practice their notetaking skills to gather information about the changemakers they choose to study and write about.
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Our 6th graders have started their fiction writing unit. They are in the midst of drafting fictional stories. Students will work towards using the challenge their character goes through in the story to teach their readers an important life lesson. They will be drafting a bit of their stories each day at home.
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Our 5th grade math teachers have put together a collection of "skill review pages." This review incorporates prior grade-level knowledge and skills which will strengthen access to current grade-level content.
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In math, our 6th graders are preparing for their unit assessment on area and surface area. Each lesson daily includes a distributed practice set that is assigned during academic independent remote time. These support students in understanding and synthesizing unit concepts and skills.
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In science, our 5th graders will continue with their mini lakes as they explore the concept of evaporation. Our 6th graders will be applying their claim, evidence, and reasoning skills as they begin looking at the Earth's four spheres, namely the geosphere.
Health and Safety Reminder We are very grateful that our schools have been able to remain in person since the onset of the school year. We want to continue in-person learning going as long as possible. It is essential that everyone follows our health and safety procedures. If you have any doubts as to whether your child is well enough to send to school, please err on the side of caution and contact our nurse. We are happy to take the time to talk you through the process.
Take care,
Betty Weir Louis Kotvis
Principal Assistant Principal
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District News
Planning for Second Trimester: Please Complete this Commitment Form by 10/28
While we still have about four weeks of learning in Trimester 1, the District is now planning for Trimester 2 (November 23 - February 19). A critical component in our planning is knowing how many grade-level students to accommodate for in our in-person hybrid or full remote model. The District remains committed to offering families a choice between the two models, but please note that you are committing to this choice for the duration of the Trimester. We are unable to accommodate changes mid-trimester to ensure our educational programming, staffing, and quarantine protocols can be upheld as designed.
Bringing Materials Home from School
Please be sure to keep school supply materials together, in a safe location in your home. These will be used during our remote lessons. Musical instruments and other school items may contain small parts not suitable around toddlers.
Independent Work
Teachers collaborate to determine what work is best suited for the remote period of the day. Examples of best practices include the application of academic knowledge, skill practice (word study, math facts, spelling, etc.), technology applications, learning extensions, constructive play, and integrating activities that have connections to in-person learning.
As part of our hybrid schedule, students are expected to complete between
60 and 90 minutes of asynchronous independent work. In order to calibrate the appropriate amount of student work, teachers will be specifying estimated time expectations for independent work activities for the next two weeks (Oct. 26-Nov. 6).
This information will be shared in Schoology and any parent and student communications used by your teacher. If you find that your child is consistently working less or more than the recommended minutes, please reach out to your teacher. The refinements to the asynchronous remote work will serve to strengthen partnership between teacher and parent and improve the overall experience of the hybrid schedule.
Please note that the most current version of the
Travel Restrictions Update
It is important to note that Indiana, Ohio, and several other states have recently been added to the Suburban Cook County Travel Quarantine list. If your family has visited any states on this list for more than 24 hours, you need to follow the Cook County Department of Public Health travel guidance and 14-day quarantine protocols. This applies to all families regardless of whether you stayed in a private home or what your activities were limited to within that state. Please reference this information from the Cook County Department of Public Health.
News from The Alliance for Early Childhood
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Pandemic Parenting: Tools and Tips, December 3, 7-7:45pm Register Here
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Pandemic Parenting: Tools and Tips, February 18, 7-7:45pm Register Here
Additionally, families are invited to participate in Let's Play! 2020-2021 Ongoing Community Programs. Upcoming events are as follows:
Family Action Network Events
Family Action Network, FAN, hosts a series of parent sessions with renowned authors, educators, and experts. See FAN's fall schedule here
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Replies to this email will be sent directly to Betty Weir. Please note that unsubscribing from this email will unsubscribe from all Winnetka School emails.
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