Washburne Families,
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The image above perfectly describes the anticipation and joy with which we welcome our students to stay for a full day tomorrow including in-person related studies and kinetic wellness for the first time this year. This beautiful rainbow also reflects the gratitude we want to share with our Washbunre teaching staff as we begin Teacher Appreciation Week. I want to personally thank our staff for the grace, flexibility, and resilience they have demonstrated throughout this year. A huge thank you in advance to our Washburne PTO that has organized a number of special ways to say thank you to our staff.
In anticipation of this full day schedule, we wanted to get this newsletter out to you on Sunday evening with some helpful reminders for the longer day.
We hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine this week, and we look forward to seeing our students tomorrow.
Take Care and Be Well,
Dr. Andrew Fenton Ben Horwitz
Principal Assistant Principal
IAR Testing This Week
Washburne students will take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Students will complete two tests each day, one in math and one in language arts. Please make sure that your child brings his/her iPad and headphones throughout the week. Additionally, students are not allowed to have electronic devices on them while they test, including wearable devices such as Apple Watches. Please do not have your students bring devices such as these to school.
Elective Course Requests
7th graders and their families are now able to enter elective course requests in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please refer to the email sent last week from Mr. Horwitz with specific details about how to enter course requests. The PowerSchool Parent Portal can be accessed using this link. Please reach out to Mr. Horwitz if you have any questions. Requests should be entered by Wednesday, May 19th.
Virtual Assembly - May 7th
We are happy to share that Washburne alum and historical author Catherine Katz will be speaking to students through a virtual assembly on Friday. Catherine is the author of The Daughters of Yalta and credits much of her early enthusiasm for history to her experiences in the Winnetka Public Schools District. Our students will get to hear about Catherine's journey from Winnetka student to published author as well as the importance of studying history.
Washburne Team Structure for 2021-22
As we look forward and make plans for the fall, we want to share with you that Washburne will be moving from 4 to 5 academic teams. We are thankful for the addition of two core classroom teachers that will enable us to have consistent teaming across the building, and keep class sizes at an optimal level with 5 teams of 4 teachers. As we make this transition, we are cognizant of the many challenges and changes our 7th graders have taken on this year, and are committed to working with families to create a smooth transition to 8th grade in the fall. We will share 8th grade team and advisory placements with families the week of May 17th. Every effort will be made to keep advisory placements familiar and ensure continuity for our students as we transition back to a full day schedule in the fall.
Washburne School Supply Kits 2021-22
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Bridge Forward Plan to the 2021-2022 School Year: Updates from the Departments of Innovation, Teaching and Learning (ITL) and Student Services (SS)
Weekly updates on the Bridge Forward plan to the 2021-2022 school year are now shared by the Departments of Innovation, Teaching and Learning and Student Services. These updates highlight key areas that matter to our community as we move forward from the past year of the pandemic. This week's update is dedicated to Early Grade Literacy Instruction & Support.
Winnetka Parents Institute Opportunities:
Developing Digital Citizenship
Thursday, May 6, 2021 @ 9:30 a.m.
Presented by:
Louis Kotvis, Assistant Principal of The Skokie School
Jenn Marshall, Technology Support Coordinator
Matt Boyer, Technology Instructional Specialist
This Winnetka Parents Institute virtual event will provide pertinent information for parents regarding technology usage for their child. This is the second of a three part series the District is offering this spring. At this second session the team will provide a brief breakdown of how families can help develop digital citizenship with their children. At the end of the session there will be a Q and A session where the team will answer questions regarding this topic. The session will be recorded and posted on our website for those unable to attend.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Passcode: Tech36
An Evening with Dr. Catherine Sanderson
Sponsored by The Winnetka Public Schools Foundation
Thursday, May 13 at 7:00 pm
We invite our school community to a special end-of-the-year session with Dr. Catherine Sanderson (author of The Positive Shift and Why We Act). She will share strategies that will improve our mindset to help us raise well-adjusted children, and live a happier, healthier life. Dr. Sanderson is the Chair of Psychology at Amherst College. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Stanford University, and holds both masters and doctoral degrees in psychology from Princeton University.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Passcode: we36
Or Telephone:
312.626.6799
Webinar ID: 854 3820 1143
Passcode: 260984
Opportunity to Help Support Patients & Families at Lurie Children's
Since 2019, our students have helped raise over $59,000 through an annual dance marathon to support Lurie Children's. This year, students can again get involved by participating in Move for Kids, a virtual event from May 14th-16th where families commit to moving for the kids at Lurie Children's! To participate, you can register your family or your child at this link.
Once registered, you will receive your own personal fundraising page that you can share out leading up to the event. The weekend of the event, you choose how to participate: you can walk, run, cycle, swim-whatever gets you moving. Youth participants need to fundraise $50 to receive an event t-shirt that will be mailed directly. We hope you'll join us as we raise funds and awareness for Lurie Children's!
Adventures in Learning Animal Care Opportunity
ATTENTION all lovers of rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, reptiles, birds and other small animals! Winnetka's Adventures in Learning/Animal Care Class is back this summer. If your child's small animal is due for a brief break this summer, please email Anna at animal.care.adventures@gmail.com. If it is time to pass your pet on to another loving family, we can also try to arrange adoptions.
From The Winnetka Park District:
Website Redesign Survey
The Winnetka Park District is asking for patron input on the redesign of their website. Please take five minutes to complete an online survey to help the Park District gauge ease of use and overall perceptions of the new proposed layout of the website. The survey closes Thursday, 5/13 at 8pm. Click here to take the survey.
Family Action Network (FAN)
Parent Education Opportunities
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Replies to this email will be sent directly to Andrew Fenton. Please note that unsubscribing from this email will unsubscribe from all Winnetka School emails.
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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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Upcoming Dates
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Monday, May 3rd
Full day of Student Attendance in-person 8:30am-3:30pm w/ Lunch on Campus Begins
Wednesday, June 2nd
Last day of attendance for 8th Grade students
Thursday, June 3rd
8th Grade Graduation
Friday, June 4th
Last day of School
(for K-7th Grade)
Tuesday, May 25th
BOE meeting at 7:15pm
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