Carleton Washburne 
Monday Memo
March 8, 2021
 



Washburne Families,

Today is the first day of our third Trimester. We want to thank our families, students and staff who have all come together to get us to this point. It has been a bumpy ride at times, but we are encouraged when we think back to the start of the year and how much progress we have made.  Our extended day schedule begins next Monday,  and we are confident that we are moving in the right direction and are set up to finish the year strong. Please take a moment to review the following updates, as well as our Extended Day at-a-Glance document, as we prepare for Monday, March 15th.

Entrance/Exit Procedures
As we welcome all in-person students back to Washburne in one group, we want to remind families of our entrance procedures, as they are essential to the success of this model:
  • All students will need to have their Crisis Go check-in completed prior to arriving on campus.  Crisis Go should be completed by parents no later than 8:00 AM. This is especially important as we shift to our extended day where all students will be arriving in the morning.
  • As we have been doing all year, students will line up six feet apart prior to being let in to the building.  Students should not be dropped off or arrive on our campus prior to 8:15 AM.
  • Most entrance locations will remain the same or will be in close proximity to the entrances that students have been using all year.  Parents can view an updated map of our entrance locations using this link. We will be using these new entrances this week in preparation for the extended day schedule on March 15th. 
Office Hours
Beginning the week of March 15th, each team will be hosting office hours for students during the remote part of the day.  These will take place at:
  • 2:00 PM for Team Imagine and Electric, and 
  • 2:30 PM for Team Possibility and Discover.  
Office Hours will take place remotely via Zoom, and teachers will share all necessary links with students through Schoology.  

Live-Streaming Update  
As we increase the amount of time that students are in our building and look to a full return in the fall, we anticipate that short-term streaming will be a relic of the pandemic but not a permanent shift in the way we approach instruction.  While the rationale for streaming when a student would potentially miss 10 days of instruction is very clear, the benefits of streaming for a day or two are much more limited.  From a social emotional standpoint, we also need to reinforce the message that it is okay to miss a couple days of school. As in typical years, students will have access to missed work and can access teachers as needed; our new office hours will help with this, too. We will be sharing more specific information on short-term streaming later this week.

Award-Winning Author Assembly
The Winnetka Public Schools District is happy to share that award-winning author Jason Reynolds will be speaking to the students of Skokie and Washburne via a virtual assembly on Thursday, March 11th at 2:45 PM. Mr. Reynolds is the author of many engaging titles for young adults, and many of our students have enjoyed reading his works this year or in the past.  Students will have the opportunity to hear about Mr. Reynolds's experiences as a writer and ask questions as part of his presentation.  More information about his numerous accomplishments, awards, and background can be found by  clicking this link. 
 
Additionally, copies of Mr. Reynolds's works can be ordered directly from The Book Stall by using the following link.  Each book purchased will include an autographed bookplate from Mr. Reynolds while supplies last. 

Washburne Class of 2021 
Call for Baby Pictures
Before we know it, our eighth graders will graduate from Washburne! So it's time to pull out those baby pictures which is a long-standing tradition!

These pictures will be displayed at school during the month of May. They will also appear at the Graduation Ceremony and/or video alongside your child's graduation photo.

Please provide one digital photo of your child (aged birth to 2 years.) This photo can be casual or formal, black and white or color, the choice is yours (or theirs!).
  • Photos should be a jpeg format.
  • Digital photos need to be submitted in the original resolution, at least 1MB preferred.
  • If you are scanning a printed photo, please set your scanner to at least 300 dpi or at least 1200 x 1800 pixels.
  • Deadline to submit photos is Friday April 9th (the Friday after Spring break.)
Submit your photo to;   washburnebabypictures2021@gmail.com 
with your child's name or nickname (as you wish it to appear in the video) in the subject line. We will reply to confirm submission.

If you can't provide a digital photo, please reach out to us at washburnebabypictures2021@gmail.com and we can make alternative arrangements.
Questions? 

March Hybrid Calendar
Please see this link to view Washburne's hybrid calendar for March.

Take Care and Be Well,

Dr. Andrew Fenton                 Ben Horwitz
Principal                                   Assistant Principal

DISTRICT NEWS
In this year like no other, we have successfully implemented a sustainable hybrid learning model.  We were able to endure through the most challenging viral peaks and are now looking to expand the in-person experience for the last quarter of the year.  This will propel us into fall 2021...with visions of a far more "typical" year.  Here are highlights of what we are planning for and expecting as we kick off the 2021-2022 school year with the appropriate health/safety mitigations:
  • Return to typical school day and hours, including Extended Day Kindergarten
  • Lunch available on-campus
  • Extra-curricular activities, including clubs and sports
  • After school care 
Note that this list is not exhaustive and we look forward to being able to continue to explore options to enhance our students' learning experience and social emotional care. Our work this spring with extending our school day will better prepare our students, staff, and families for our vision for fall 2021.  Aligned with our Winnetka values, we will continue putting our student experience at the forefront of our planning decisions. 

 
Additionally, the Draft 2021-2022 Calendar was presented to the School Board this week prior to adoption at the March 23 Board Meeting. This draft mirrors previous years' calendar models; however, it does include no school the week of Thanksgiving. 

Nearby Covid-19 PCR Testing Option
 If you are in need of a PCR test, there is a local option offering daily appointments.  Northshore Clinical Labs offers free PCR COVID-19 testing at a mass testing site at Flick Park's Pool Field House (3600 Glenview Road, Glenview, Illinois) for any staff, student, or family member. 

Please view this link to register for a test. Should you have any questions or have accessibility needs, please contact Northshore Clinical Labs at (773) 570-6510, or email northshorelabresults@gmail.com

Note that this is the same organization with which the Township is partnering for post-spring break testing. 


The Alliance for Early Childhood's NEW Let's Play! Guide
Let's Play! is The Alliance for Early Childhood's ongoing community program, inviting families to engage and interact with their children in child-directed, creative, free play. We have put together a program that is aligned to current state guidelines in order to host you and your family safely this year for outdoors events.  Check out our digital 2020-2021 Let's Play! Guide  to see our calendar of events and registration details.

Erin's Law
Beginning in March, building social workers will implement state-mandated sexual abuse prevention education during one 20-30 minute session in each classroom. Parents have the option to opt their children out of the program as they deem appropriate, and must do so by March 8. For more detailed information about Erin's Law and curriculum content, or to find the opt-out form, please refer to the
Erin's Law page of the District website or contact your school's social workers, Barb Caines, Teri Frigo, Jen Kaplan and Ellie Hotchkiss.

 
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.  






Monday, March 8th
Start of Trimester 3

Wednesday, March 10
Special BOE meeting at 6:00pm

Monday, March 15th
Start of Extended Day Schedule - All Students attend at 8:30am 

Tuesday, March 23rd
Regular BOE meeting at 7:15pm

Saturday, March 27th - Sunday, April 4th
Spring Break - No School


                                                        
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