Crow Island Parent Newsletter
October 25, 2021
Dear Crow Island Families,
We had a great Unity Week at Crow Island with a lot of participation from staff and students. During the week students engaged in daily activities around teamwork and kindness. The week ended with a school-wide assembly to sing Happy Birthday to the Crow statue who turned 50 years old on Friday!
As we move from one exciting week, we are entering another week of fun! On Friday, we have our annual costume parade, ghost walk, and classroom celebrations with our room parents. We know that the Halloween memories that students create are an important part of childhood and we can’t wait to make this year extra spooktacular!
Lastly, please take a few minutes to complete a survey around conferences so we can use your feedback to inform future experiences. You can complete the survey here: this brief survey.
Stay well,
Luke
- Friday, October 29th ~ Halloween at Crow
- Monday, November 1st ~ Non-Attendance Day for Students
- Thursday, November 11th ~ Parent Engagement: Crow Data Conversation 5:30pm
- Thursday, November 18th ~ PTO Executive Board Meeting 9:30am
- Monday, November 22nd - 26th ~ Thanksgiving Break No School
Bike Safety Update from Principal and PTO:
Student safety and well-being continues to be a high priority for The Winnetka Public Schools. This includes students’ travel to and from our schools each day. Earlier this fall, the Village of Winnetka, our Central PTO, district administrators, and students partnered to develop a multi-layered plan for improving bike and pedestrian safety. This includes bolstering awareness and furthering students’ understanding of bike procedures and protocols.
This week, Skokie and Washburne students learned more about bike safety, including a student-created bike safety pledge (and video). These materials will also be shared with families of students in grades 5-8. A pledge for elementary students and families will be made available prior to the spring riding season, alongside materials such as recommended bike and walking routes developed in conjunction with the Village. The PTO also plans to promote safe driving practices for parents who transport children to and from school.
Additionally, all three elementary schools will host a bike safety event for second graders this spring. Typically managed by each individual school in the past, this event will now provide students a common experience and language throughout the district. It is our belief that a cohesive, district-wide approach will most effectively raise awareness and promote student safety.
Families can expect more information on the elementary pledge and spring event later this year. As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership in ensuring our students’ safety both in and outside of our schools.
~ Principal Livingston & Kelly Azim PTO President
Halloween at Crow Island:
We will be celebrating Halloween at Crow Island on Friday, October 29th. You can learn more about Halloween here: Halloween at Crow
We encourage families to participate in the following: 1pm ~ Costume Parade (circle drive and 1st grade playground location). Followed by the calling for the ghost of Crow Island for 1st - 4th grade families.
In addition, students can bring their costumes to school to change for the costume parade.
They will have time to change into costumes before the costume parade and ghost walk. Please follow the guidelines around costumes:
No fake blood or weapons
Keep the costumes school friendly (nothing too scary)
No masks
Keep in mind students are putting this on by themselves so keep it simple.
Symptoms Process - From the Nurse
Parent Engagement: How We Use Assessment Data at School
At Crow Island, we collect many data points around academic and social emotional learning. Join Mr. Livingston and School Psychologist Dana Ruecker for a conversation around how academic and social emotional data is collected and used at the school level. This is an opportunity for parents to learn more and get their questions answered.
- Date: November 11
- Time: 5:45pm
- Location: Crow School
- RSVP here: How We Use Assessment Data
A reminder email will be sent as we get closer to the event date/time.
Phones/Smart Watches Reminders:
This is a reminder about smart phones and watches at school. While they are permitted to ensure students can safely walk or bike home after school, we also want to make sure we are adhering to the following guidelines:
Phones are to be kept on silent or off and put in student lockers during the day. They can come out of bags after dismissal as students leave school.
Watches can be worn for the purpose of telling time but should be put into airplane mode and the wifi access turned off while they are in school.
Students are not to call, text, or message their family members during the school day. If students need to reach a member of their family, they can use one of the phones in the main office.
If students have a hard time following these procedures the following will happen:
Students will be prompted to put the device away in their locker.
If it happens a second time, the student will be prompted to hand over the device to the staff member who will turn it into the main office. Parents will be called to come pick-up the device.
Feedback Wanted! Post-Conference Survey for Parents Closes TODAY.
Parents, please complete this brief survey to share your feedback on your recent conference experience. The survey will be open through Monday, October 25. We appreciate your input!
District 36 Launches Strategic Plan 2020-2021
On October 19, the School Board approved the District’s Strategic Plan. For further information on the plan, please read this letter from Superintendent Kocanda and School Board President Livingston.
Parent Education Sessions from District Partner Family Action Network (FAN):
For upcoming events, access FAN’s website here.
From our Partners at The Alliance for Early Childhood:
We are excited to share with you The Alliance's Fall/Winter 2021 Newsletter to learn more about the organization’s offerings to families.
Contact Us
Email: lindyschmidt@winnetka36.org
Website: https://www.winnetka36.org/crowisland
Location: 1112 Willow Road Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847)-446-0353
Twitter: @CrowIslandD36