Dear Crow Island Families,
We had a fantastic first week back at Crow Island. We ended our time together on Friday with a back to school assembly where we waved "hello" to our kindergarten students, met new staff, met new students, and closed with our school song! We are looking forward to a full week with students as we settle into the new school year.
This week we will start to assess students through our fall benchmark assessments in grades kindergarten through fourth grade. This is an opportunity for our staff to look for trends and make instructional decisions. As a reminder, universal screener assessment are completed in the fall, winter, and spring of each year at each grade level. During Go to School Night we will share more about our communication plan to ensure parents are in the loop on how students are doing both academically and through social emotional learning.
Have a great week!
Luke Livingston
Principal
- Monday, September 11: Fall Universal Screener Assessments Start
- Tuesday, September 19: 3rd & 4th Grade MAP Test Reading
- Wednesday, September 20: 3rd & 4th Grade MAP Test Math
- Wednesday, September 20: Go to School Night 6:00 - 7:30pm
- Monday, September 25: No School - Yom Kippur
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Portrait of an Educator:
Winnetka 36 has developed a Portrait of a Graduate and Portrait of an Educator to help define our work and outcomes. You can find the video outlining more about the Portrait of an Educator here: Portrait of an Educator in Winnetka.
Heath Form Reminder from Nurse Hahn:
If you have a kindergartener or a 2nd grader you need to turn in your health forms to Nurse Hahn. You can bring in hard copies, email them to Nurse Hahn or use the links below to submit:
3rd & 4th Grade After School Sports:
Coach Sweene and Coach Mendoza are hosting after school sports again this year for 3rd and 4th graders. Registration will open on Tuesday, September 12th at 9am and you can access on the district store: District Web Store.
Transportation Safety
In order to prevent traffic-related incidents from occurring in our community, it is important to be vigilant as a bike rider, pedestrian, or driver when traveling through town. Our principals review bike and pedestrian safety practices with students at the start of the school year. We ask that you also take a moment to review the following information with your family:
Illinois law prohibits the use of cell phones or other electronic devices while driving in a school zone, even if it's hands free. It is dangerous and is enforced as a moving violation by the police.
Please do not use pick up and drop off time to check texts, etc. This potentially endangers others.
Please remind your students that they should not be using cell phones or other electronic devices while biking.
Crossing guards are present at busier intersections near our schools to assist with safety. Please respect the authority of the crossing guards and follow their directions
Please talk to children to ensure that they understand the importance of using caution and following all traffic signals.
Note that there are not stop signs at every intersection, especially on Oak and Elm Streets, which are heavily used thoroughfares to Crow Island, Skokie, and Washburne.
We STRONGLY recommend that all students who bike, skateboard, or scooter to school wear a helmet, regardless of age.
Students should bike on the sidewalk wherever possible, and be respectful to pedestrians. Also, children are expected to walk their bikes through crosswalks and while traveling in Winnetka business districts.
When riding on sidewalks, students should be cautious approaching driveways to be sure there is not a vehicle exiting.
In order to prevent theft or damage, please encourage your child to securely lock their bike to the bike racks available at school.
Each elementary school also has specific traffic procedures and parking restrictions that are enforced by police. We encourage you to review these procedures and contact your building administrator if you are unclear.
The speed limit in our school zones is 20 miles per hour during school days. For the safety of all, please follow the posted speed limit.
Recommended safe routes to each neighborhood school are as follows:
2023/2024 Calendar
Fall 2023 Safety Bulletin
The Winnetka Public Schools, Village, Police, and Fire Departments work to proactively refine safety practices on an ongoing basis. We are grateful for our collaborative partnership, and have worked together to compile a Fall Edition of our Safety Bulletin as we begin the 23/24 school year. You’ll find general information on a variety of safety-related topics and resources to support the safety of our entire community.
Winnetka Parents Institute
The District offers regular sessions for families to learn more about a variety of topics. Please view the fall schedule here, and mark your calendar for this upcoming event in September:
“The Winnetka Experience: Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and Progressive Education”
September 20, 2023
Time: 9:30AM
Location: Washburne RC
Interested:
Jeff Knapp (Assistant Superintendent of Professional Learning and HR) and Beth Carmody (Principal at Hubbard Woods School) will present on the Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of an Educator, and the impact that these along with Progressive Education have with students and staff to help drive the Winnetka Public Schools District 36 as a local and national leader in talent development. A panel discussion of Winnetka teachers will bring to life how Progressive Education is displayed across our schools.
Fall Benchmarking
Benchmark assessments are valuable tools that provide a snapshot of student progress at a point in time. These assessments help teachers to identify areas where students are excelling and where they may need additional support. They can also inform instructional decisions by providing data that can be used to tailor teaching to meet each student's unique needs and strengths. Benchmark assessments are an important component of progressive education, which recognizes that students learn in different ways and at different rates. By using benchmark assessments to inform instruction, teachers can provide a more individualized approach to learning that supports each student's academic growth and personal development.
This year students in Grades K-8 will participate in academic benchmark assessments of literacy and math starting September 11. There are three platforms the district utilizes to gather student learning information; aimswebPlus, mCLASS, and NWEA MAP. Specific information about assessments, including how parents will receive their child’s results, will be shared at Go To School Night.
Panorama SEL Survey
The Panorama Student SEL Survey will be administered in grades K-8 this week as part of our District-wide goal to support SEL for all students. The survey will provide data to help inform our efforts to support the well-being of all students. The survey focuses on five areas: sense of belonging, engagement, emotion regulation, positive and negative feelings, and supportive relationships.
Monthly Observances:
As part of Winnetka School District 36’s ongoing commitment to equity by fostering connection and belonging, the District will take time each month to recognize the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds. The goal of these monthly observances is to provide resources and support for teachers in order to bring awareness and appreciation to the diverse population of students in our community. Observances will look different at all schools and even at different grade levels. Some activities might include art, music, book studies, research projects, sharing cultural holidays and celebrations, and other school activities. As materials are developed for these observances, we will make them accessible.
September 15- October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
October: Disability Awareness
November: Native American Heritage
December: Human Rights
January: MLK Jr. Day
February: Black History
March - April 15: Women’s History Month
April 15-May 15: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage
May 15 - June 13: Jewish American Heritage
Want to monitor your child's school device at home? Set up the JAMF Parent App!
If your student brings their school device home (grades 4-8), consider setting up the JAMF Parent App! The JAMF Parent app will allow you to allow & restrict apps, enable an app lock, set device and location rules, etc. All you need is the JAMF Parent App on your device (Apple/Android) and your student's iPad in front of you. Follow the instructions in this brief tutorial from JAMF on how to set it up and interact with the platform. Additional resources can be found here.
Introducing The Winnetka Public Schools App
Download the District’s app by searching “The Winnetka Public Schools” on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The app will serve as a convenient way to report absences, view and manage your school calendars, and see at-a-glance District news.
Follow us on Social Media!
Please follow the District via the following social media platforms in order to see day-to-day happenings and more.
Facebook and Twitter: @Winnetka36
Instagram: @WinnetkaPublicSchools
