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The Skokie School Home Scoop
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Dear Skokie Community,
I wanted to touch on the importance of letting our children fail this week. It may sound harsh at first. In fact, as I watched my 19 month old attempt to put a toy elephant into his Little People yellow taxi cab and struggle this weekend, I grappled with this concept myself. While I could have easily taken the toy from him and placed it swiftly into the driver's seat of the cab, I held back. I was thinking of this very topic and its importance. And let me tell you, even on this extremely inconsequential scale, it was challenging to not take over for my child. His frustration and tears tugged at my heart as I watched him. But he eventually got the elephant into that tiny car. And when he did, I could see the sense of accomplishment he felt upon completing this task independently.
Transfer this experience to watching your 5th or 6th grader visually represent a math concept or struggle to revise a piece of writing. The work we are asking students to do is challenging. Sometimes, your child will learn material rather quickly and thrive. Other times, your child will run into an obstacle that feels uncomfortable. You may hear your child complaining, see tears of frustration, or discover that a piece of work has been avoided altogether.
The next time your child is struggling, and your instinct is to jump in and fix the situation, consider holding back and letting your child work through it on his or her own. This article discusses some of the psychology behind this idea, and how letting children fail can help lead to resiliency in the long run.
As educators, we are daily striking the balance of guiding the students and giving them space to independently grapple with challenges. Our goal is to support student confidence and self-efficacy when we do not jump in to provide the answer or the next step with immediacy. While it would be much easier to dictate the next step in the math or suggest a sentence to go into the writing, we recognize that the hard work is in the sense making.
Track and Field for 6th-8th Graders Track and Field is coming to Winnetka this spring! It will be offered for 6-8th graders. Although we will have more information coming soon, including online registration, we wanted to let everyone know that the medical clearance form, or a copy of a current physical (within a year) must be on file in the school before participation will be allowed. The medical clearance form can be found here. If you have any questions, please contact Andy Becker at [email protected]
Take care,
Betty Weir Louis Kotvis
Principal Assistant Principal
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District News
Intense planning is underway, with more specific details forthcoming. Here are the highlights to help families make a decision to choose in-person or remote learning.
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Offer a modified, full-day schedule which includes lunch at school.
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Start time 8:30 am; Dismissal time 2:30 pm
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Lunch is estimated to be 32 minutes
RESPONSE DUE: Friday, March 19
Please complete this form to indicate whether your child will participate in the Modified Full Day model or Remote Learning. In order for our administration to make a variety of logistical preparations for this shift, we ask that you complete the form no later than Friday, March 19. Note that this selection is binding from April 19 through the end of the school year. Please share one submission for each grade 1-6 student in your family.
Per updated health department guidance, children under the age of 18 are NO LONGER exempt if they traveled with adults who have received a negative COVID-19 test. Children who travel to an orange state must provide a negative test result or quarantine for 10 days; we no longer accept/need adult testing results.
Parent Education Opportunities
Winnetka Parents Institute: Structuring Your Student's Time on Devices
Presented by:
Louis Kotvis, Assistant Principal of The Skokie School
Jenn Marshall, Technology Support Coordinator
Matt Boyer, Technology Instructional Specialist
Thursday, March, 18 9:30 a.m.
This Winnetka Parents Institute virtual event will provide pertinent information for parents regarding technology usage for their child. This is the first of a three part series the District is offering this spring. At this first session, the team will discuss the benefits of minimizing screen time, provide strategies and structures that you can do at home to manage screen time and also show you strategies for monitoring your student's devices. 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 Webinar ID: 897 5654 6494 Passcode: 974679 Telephone: 312 626 6799
Access 2020-2021's District Parent Education sessions below:
Parent Education Opportunities
Family Action Network (FAN)
The Alliance for Early Childhood's PANDEMIC PARENTING TOOLS & TIPS: Recognizing Anxiety and Depression in Young Children
April 8 from 7-8 p.m.
No one likes to think of young children as being anxious or depressed and yet, children experience a wide range of emotions. The pandemic has shifted experiences and supports that families are typically able to access. This leaves children and families vulnerable. Young children won't come out and say, "I'm struggling, can you help?" Instead, they act out in challenging ways. Come learn about the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety in young children, and how our own feelings can get stirred up by this topic. We'll talk about healthy vs. unhealthy struggles, and how to support our children so they can grow in their own resilience. Programming facilitated by Molly Pope, I/ECMHC, Parent Coach, and Speaker and Trainer.Register Here to attend live or have the recording emailed to you.
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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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