Welcome to the last memo of the year. We wanted to take a moment to thank our Washburne families for your collaboration and support throughout this year. It truly has been a team effort. It has been wonderful to celebrate with our students, staff and families over the past few days as we held our annual awards assembly, participated in a sun-filled field day, and our 8th graders launched rockets.

Last week’s Field Day was an awesome example of how our community works together to create a memorable experience for students. A huge thank you to our KW staff for coordinating and our parent volunteers for helping run the field events. Our students had a great time as evidenced by the pictures below.

With the warmer weather comes the return of many Washburne students riding their bikes to and from school. We love that our students are able to do this, yet we need to work together to ensure the safety of all of our students and families. To help with this, we have provided these daily reminders to our students and ask that you would reinforce the following:

• any motorized scooter or bike must be walked while on school grounds

• being respectful to pedestrians while riding on the sidewalk

• wearing a helmet while riding a bike, skateboard or scooter

• understanding the importance of following all traffic signals

• taking a minute to check the tires, brakes, and quick release features of your bike before riding home, and

• walking bikes through crosswalks.

Please take a moment to read through a number of end-of-year reminders included in this memo, and, as a reminder, Friday June 9th is the last day of school with an 11:50am dismissal.

7th Grade families, we will be sharing an update on our schedule later this week, and we look forward to seeing you again in August; 8th Grade families, we can’t wait to celebrate the Class of 2023 with you on Tuesday; and to all of our families, we wish you a safe, healthy and wonderful summer holiday.

Take Care and Be Well,

Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz

Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal

At Washburne, all 8th grade student iPads were collected on Friday, June 2nd. 7th grade student iPads will be collected for the summer on Thursday, June 8th. iPads will be returned to students who might need them for Adventures in Learning or Extended School Year.

Trimester 3 report cards will be available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal on Tuesday, June 13th. You can see step-by-step directions for how to access report cards using this link.

If you have any questions, please reach out to parentportal@winnetka36.org.

All rising 6th , 7th and 8th grade families! The PTO and the KW teams at Skokie and Washburne are excited to announce a new partnership. This year, we will be ordering KW uniforms through New Trier High School’s One Stop Trev Shop! The One Stop Trev Shop is an innovative job training/life skills program for New Trier’s Transition Program students. Please CLICK HERE for more information on how to order your KW uniform.

Please note:

• Putting in your order as soon as possible really helps our friends at One Stop Trev Shop!

• Once you place your order, you will receive an email letting you know that your items are ready for pick up. Once your order is ready, please pick up your order from the Glencoe shop by June 2nd. For orders that are ready after June 2nd (or if you are unable to pick up by that date), there will be a pick-up table staffed by students at the Trevian Way entrance of the New Trier East campus.

If you have any questions, please reach out to beckysanderson@hotmail.com

It is time to order your school supply kits for the 2023-24 school year. The deadline for ordering is July 1st. Supply kits will be delivered to your home two weeks before the start of school in August. CLICK HERE to order.

We are excited to celebrate our 8th graders tomorrow at the Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony. Please CLICK HERE for a graduation reminder checklist.

• Tuesday, June 6th @ 7:00pm - Graduation Ceremony at the Gaffney Auditorium / New Trier East Campus

• Doors will open at 6:30pm

• After the ceremony students will be transported by bus to the Washburne Gymnasium for a Class of 2023 party

• Party ends at 10:00pm and parents are asked to pick up 8th graders at this time. (Pick up is by the Washburne gym off of Elm Street)

If you have any questions about the graduation ceremony or party, please email washburnegraduation2023@gmail.com.

Welcome to Window to Washburne! Each week, we will be highlighting some of the learning taking place in our classrooms.

8th grade students are wrapping up their time at Washburne with a variety of end-of-year projects. This past week, students on Team Discover and Team Electric presented their final projects. Students chose different areas of interest and presented their projects to both classmates and parents. Some students created fundraisers or how-to-guides for new students, while others helped out at our elementary schools and worked with younger students. On Team Possibility, students were debating current issues, ranging from A.I to the breeding of pitbulls. Students prepared for weeks by conducting research and creating their speeches.

Kudos to all of our teachers and our 8th grade students for ending the year on a high note.

This summer marks the third edition of “One Book, One Campus” between Skokie and Washburne schools. The goal of this project is to foster our community of readers between the two campuses, while also modeling the joy of reading with students and families. This year, the selected title is Alone by Megan E. Freeman, an award-winning novel in verse about a young girl’s attempt to survive alone in challenging circumstances. All of our incoming fifth through eighth-grade students will receive this book and are asked to read it over the summer. We invite students to read it individually or make it a family read aloud.

Additionally, here are some questions that you can use to jump start a family discussion on the novel.

1. After the power goes out and Maddie’s cell phone stops working, she says, “It’s weird / not having a device / to turn to / with every urge / to text someone / go somewhere / know something.” How does having a cell phone impact your life? What are some advantages or disadvantages of not having a device? Do you think there are any benefits to being disconnected?

2. After gathering library books Maddie says, “We load up our treasure and head for home.” Why are the books so valuable to her? Are there any books that have been treasures to you in your life? What are they, and why are they important?

3. Maddie’s only companion during her time alone is a dog named George. Why do you think Maddie takes George in, even though it’s extra work to find food for him? What do you think humans gain from sharing their lives with cats, dogs, and other animals? How have pets impacted your life or the lives of friends and family members?

Parents can see the monthly menus in our cafeteria by clicking HERE. Please feel free to use this menu to plan out your child’s meals.

All student devices will be collected by the last day of school in order to take inventory. Devices will be available to students in ESY and Adventures as needed and then recollected on the final day for maintenance and updating in preparation for next school year. Thank you for your help and understanding.

Registration for the 2023-2024 school year is now open for all students (returning and pre-registered). Email notification was sent to the primary contact on record with the District March 17, 2023. Additionally, families will receive notification via regular mail. Contained within the notification is a unique “snapcode” that parents will need to login. Please phone 847-446-9400, with any questions. Additional information and login to the portal can be found on the District website.

Episode #7: Tips on Supporting Young Readers & Preventing the Summer Slide

Dr. Kelly Tess, Superintendents, speaks to middle school reading specialists Sheri Johnston and Suzanne Savard about how to best foster childrens’ literacy during the summer months. Along with summer reading recommendations, they provide tips on what may support your child to grow in confidence in their reading skills–whether they are an avid or reluctant reader. You may be surprised by how simple and natural supporting your child’s literacy during summer break can be.

Listen here:

Apple Podcast

Amazon

Spotify

iHeart Radio

Google

Winnetka Voices is a podcast hosted by The Winnetka Public Schools, featuring candid conversations on issues relevant to education and shared resources to support our students and families.

ATTENTION all rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, reptiles, birds and other small animals! Winnetka's Adventures in Learning - Animal Care Class is looking for small animal volunteers to help our students learn about their care. 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.

Let’s Play! Nature Exploration

Monday, June 5, 9:30am-11:30am, Erickson Woods, 1651 Willow Rd, Winnetka

Join The Alliance for Early Childhood and Community Partners, BackYard Nature Center and Cook County Forest Preserves, to engage in creative, imaginative, and child-directed, outdoor free-play as a family.

Intended Age Audience: All ages are welcome.

To register, click here.

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

Monday, June 5th: Last Day of Attendance for 8th Grade

Tuesday, June 6th: 8th Grade Graduation 7:00pm @ Gaffney Auditorium

Friday, June 9th: Last Day of School 11:50am Student Dismissal

Tuesday, June 13th: School Board Meeting 7:15pm @ Washburne Resource Center