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Dear Winnetka Families,
We look forward to a festive week leading up to our Winter Break. Seeing our families in school as we celebrate is always joyous. All of our schools will be participating in Winter Sings this week. It is a special time for our communities to gather together and enjoy each other's company. Many parents take photos and videos at these events. Please be mindful when sharing your footage that many families have different beliefs about having pictures of their children posted online. Sharing privately or in person is always a good option.
Winter break provides us with time to enjoy the holidays as well as time to relax and recharge. We hope you find time to play as a family outside, read books, see movies, enjoy delicious meals, and spend time with family and friends. We wish everyone a safe and happy break, peaceful holidays, and a wonderful new year. We look forward to seeing you all back in school on January 6, 2020.
Sincerely,
Beth Carmody, Hubbard Woods
Julie Pfeffer, Crow Island
Joshua Swanner, Greeley
GREELEY NEWS
Dear Greeley Families,
Winter Break is nearly here. This past weekend, I shared many of my plans for family fun with my four year old. His response caught me slightly off-guard: "Geez, Dada, I have things I want to do too!" I can say something here about children saying the "darndest" things, but I am confident you all have experienced that with your children.
Rather, I want to share that I have come to the realization that my son was absolutely right. His busy father gets to spend two uninterrupted weeks with him, and nearly every day was already planned out! Where is the time to just be? Where is the time for me to join him in sustained play? Most importantly, where is his agency in creating a plan? I certainly do not share this anecdote to preach. I clearly fell a bit short due to my desire to be the Master of Itinerary (even when the intention was good).
When I notice the executive functioning needs of children in 2019, my son included, I am reminded that they need practice in dreaming up something to do and listing the steps to do it. Please join me in setting aside some time for your children to make a plan for a day or even a short activity over Winter Break. This week's questions are:
What is one thing you wish to do over Winter Break? What are the steps you or our family need to take to make that happen?
These steps could be looking up a museum's holiday hours or planning a round trip train ride downtown. Maybe a child just wishes to paint a photo, and the steps they need to think through involve materials and cleanup. Either way, I would wager most children "have things they want to do too." Let's see what they can come up with and how they can exercise the brain in planning it out.
Wishing you all a wonderful Winter Break,
Joshua Swanner
Principal
CHECK IN FOR THE WINTER SHARING: We will be checking all of our guests in, in the front lobby, as they arrive for the Winter Sharing. Please allow extra time for this process.
The Winter Sharing (also known as the Winter Sing) is a time when our community comes together to share music. The children perform festive, wintry songs and everyone offers up their voices and sings a few songs together. The atmosphere is casual and fun, and enables all of us to take a moment in the midst of our busy schedules to relax and enjoy music together.
When is it?
These programs will occur on Wednesday, December 18th
* Families whose last name begins with the letters A-K will attend their Winter Sharing at 9:00 AM
* Families with last names that begin with the letters L-Z will enjoy their program at 1:00 PM
Arrival time:
The doors will open twenty minutes before each program begins.
This year's format:
* Parents should pick up their child from his/her classroom and find a seat in the auditorium.
* The program will begin with a few sing along songs before the children are called to the stage to perform.
What should I do if I can't come to the program?
If you cannot attend, please arrange for a grandparent, aunt, uncle, babysitter or family friend to accompany your child. If no one is available, please let your child's teacher know and he/she will sit with your child during the program.
Questions or Concerns:
Please contact Mrs. Jenner if you have any questions or concerns.
Book Fair Update
Greeley Parents,
Thank you for supporting this year's Book Fair. As a result of your generosity we were able to raise over $6,000 for the RC. The earnings don't have to stop there... you can shop
abcfairs.com all year long and Greeley School will get 45% back.
Happy Reading!
Emily Heinlein & Emilee Wolfe
Book Fair Co-Chairs
LOST and FOUND
As you come into Greeley this week, please check the Lost and Found tables in the front hall. Many thanks to Amy Miller who washed each item of clothing and made sure every item with a name identifying it, was returned to its owner. Everything else is waiting to be claimed! This is a good time to remind everyone to put your child's name in anything he/she can take off!
CLARIFICATION: This is for KINDERGARTEN bus riders only. This does not apply to bus riders in Grades 1 -4. We are sorry for any confusion.
Online Pre-Registration Open for Kindergarten & New Students for the 2020-2021 School Year
Pre-registration for Kindergarten and students new to The Winnetka Public Schools in 2020-2021 is now open on the District website and by clicking here
. Children who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2020, are eligible to enroll.
The new student registration process is completed in three steps:
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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
.
Recommendation Form Protocol
Throughout the school year, our teachers and administrators may be asked to complete a
commendation 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.
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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