Dear Winnetka Families,
As you know, the first weeks of school are spent getting to know our students and assessing them in a variety of ways. Much of this information was shared with you about your child at conferences. In addition, we have a carefully planned system that helps us use this information in thoughtful and proactive ways through our data meetings. Three times a year, teachers in grades 1-4 meet in data meetings with our building Student Support Teams to triangulate the data we have on all students to help plan for student supports and enrichment experiences. Kindergarten participates in these conversations throughout the year, as well. These discussions are always framed by our philosophy and guided by our desire to meet the needs of the whole child. In addition, we use this time to look at data trends throughout an entire cohort to help us determine if we need to adjust our curriculum and/or instruction at a macro level. Further, grade level teams meet with each other regularly to supplement and adjust these instructional plans across the grade level. Each year, we adjust our instruction to support the needs of our current learners. The focus on curriculum is the same, but different areas may receive stronger focus based on the needs of the cohort. For example, this year, we believe a stronger focus on phonemic awareness in first grade would be helpful to all students. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. We know that a student's skill in phonological awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty. Similarly, in second grade, we have determined that a stronger focus on decoding/encoding would be helpful to all students. Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. Encoding is the process of using letter/sound knowledge to write words. Instruction will target these skills at their individual reading levels. This type of data informed, responsive teaching has always been a part of our work and will continue to drive our work going forward as our children learn and grow throughout the school year. Sincerely, Larry Joynt and Julie Pfeffer, Principals, Crow Island School Joshua Swanner, Principal, Greeley School Beth Carmody, Principal, Hubbard Woods School
Dear Greeley Community,
Halloween season is upon us. If you are like me, you are watching the falling snow this morning with a raised eyebrow. We will see if we have a repeat of a snowy Halloween! This week, I wanted to highlight some Halloween happenings. Please see below
Costumes
This year we need to do things a little bit differently. Students may still wear costumes, with proper masks, to school on Friday, October 30. As in previous years, no weapon facsimiles are allowed.
Ghost Walk
Since we are unable to do our traditional ghost walk and dance, we have partnered with the PTO to do a virtual parade using the VidHug app. Students will be able to submit a 3-7 second video from home, allowing them to wear their full costume. A video will be made for each grade level and shown at school. Submissions can be made using the appropriate links below. Participants must submit their video by tomorrow.
Video Tips:
- Allow your child to be in character, with siblings, simply standing still, walking, hollering Happy Halloween... whatever makes them comfortable!
- If their face is covered, have your child reveal their face at some point so their friends will know it's them!
Halloween Ghost Dances
One of the beloved Halloween traditions at Greeley is the ghost dance performed by our students on the playground. While the dances won't be performed on the playground this year, your 1st through 4th grader CAN perform their dance for you at home!
Our KW teachers, Ms. Holmbeck and Mr. Kemnitz, have been busy teaching students in Grades 1 through 4, new dances over the past month as well as reviewing the dances they have learned in previous years. Firsts will be dancing Ghostbusters, seconds are dancing Ghostbusters and reviewing Addams family, thirds are dancing Monster Mash as well as reviewing Ghostbusters and Addams Family, and fourth graders are dancing Monster Mash and reviewing Ghostbusters, Addams Family and Thriller.
Students should come to their last class this week (either Oct. 29th or 30th) in costume to perform their dance. Our KW teachers will record the day!
Please ask your child(ren) to perform for you, grandparents, neighbors and friends - they have worked very hard to learn their dances and every dancer needs an audience!
Sincerely,
Joshua Swanner Principal
DISTRICT NEWS
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 gradel-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.
2020-2021 Calendar
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.
COVID-19 Testing for Symptomatic Individuals--Important Update
Please be aware that the District has received updated guidance from the Illinois School Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health. In order to return to school, the documentation required for symptomatic individuals with a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test is a negative PT-PCR COVID-19 test result OR healthcare provider's note indicating the negative PT-PCR COVID-19 test result. We will not longer be able to accept "rapid" Covid-19 testing results. Please confirm your healthcare provider is able to provide this type of test. Please reference this chart for further information: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/IDPH-COVID19-Exclusion-Decison-Tree.pdf
Weather Preparedness Now that the weather is becoming cooler, we ask that your child comes to school dressed in layers, including warm clothing, so they are comfortable during both outdoor and indoor learning. To increase ventilation in our learning spaces, we will continue to keep windows open in our classrooms, weather permitting.
News from The Alliance for Early Childhood -
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
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