Carleton Washburne
Monday Memo - May 2, 2022
Washburne Families,
We wanted to kick off the newsletter this week with a big thank you to our hardworking staff as we begin teacher appreciation week. Their grace, flexibility and resiliency throughout the past two years has been nothing short of remarkable. I continue to be amazed each week as I walk through our halls and in our classrooms and see all the amazing learning and collaboration that is happening each day at Washburne. A huge thank you in advance to our Washburne PTO that has organized a number of special ways to say thank you to our staff.
Although the weather isn’t fully cooperating, a number of our Washburne students have been braving the cold and riding their bikes to school. As the sidewalks get more crowded with bicycles, please help us reinforce safe bike riding practices and remind our students of the safety pledge.
May will be a busy month at Washburne and we couldn’t be more excited to bring back many end of year activities that were postponed or altered the past two years. Please check out the upcoming events at the end of this newsletter to find some important dates.
Thank you as always for your support and partnership.
Take Care and Be Well,
Andrew Fenton & Ben Horwitz
Washburne Principal & Assistant Principal
Window to Washburne
8th grade students read Shakespearean plays each year, but thanks to some outside help, students in Ms. Bertacchi’s class are bringing Macbeth to life. Over the last several weeks, Mr. Kevin Long, a professor at Harper College and actor with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, has been working with our students to help them better comprehend how Shakespeare’s words are meant to be read and performed. Students have selected different scenes from Macbeth and received coaching from Mr. Long and Ms. Bertacchi about how to best act out their parts. While we had to take a pause for a few years due to the pandemic, Mr. Long has been supporting students at Washburne for many years thanks to our Artist in Residence program, which is supported by the Winnetka Public Schools Foundation.
Kudos to Ms. Bertacchi, Mr. Long, and the WPSF for helping our students bring forth outstanding performances of this play.
What's Happening in Related Studies
Kinetic Wellness students are currently rotating through a variety of experiences. Our north gym has been transformed into a gymnastics center. 8th graders collaborated with their peers to create group floor routines, while 7th graders worked at performing different stunts and challenges using their bodies and gravity. We also took some time to learn the correct rules of Table Tennis, and competed in class tournaments. We had the champions of each class face off for a Tournament of Champions! We also continued to do some games/activities that includes Tchukball, electric cricket, tininkling, and squash.
We are looking forward to our upcoming units of track and field, Wiffleball, and our Ninja Warrior Course!
7th Grade Sexual Health Education Unit
Please CLICK here to read the message that was shared with all 7th grade families earlier today regarding the upcoming sexual health unit.
8th Grade Graduation Tickets Available This Wednesday, May 4th
Washburne 8th grade graduation ticketing will go live on Wednesday May 4th at 10:00 am!
You will receive an email from the Skokie/Washburne PTO on Wednesday May 4th with a link to select your graduation ceremony tickets (up to 4 tickets are included in the graduation fee). The forthcoming email will include all information and specifics regarding ticketing.
If you did not receive the WASHBURNE 8TH GRADE GRADUATION 2022 email from the PTO last week, please reach out to washburnegraduation2022@gmail.com.
Washburne Graduation 2022 To-do’s Checklist:
Pay $100 graduation fee by April 22nd : https://skokiewashburne36pto.org/graduation/
Submit one baby photo with child’s preferred full name as the subject line by April 22nd: washburnebabyphotos2022@gmail.com
Sign up to volunteer if you are able: Click Here to Volunteer
MAP Testing- Grades 3-8
Our third testing window for the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test is between May 9- May 20th. At Washburne, students will be testing on Wednesday, May 11th and Tuesday, May 17th.
All students in Grades 3 - 8 will take one Reading Test and one Math test. MAP is a computer-adaptive test, which means every student receives a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. This provides a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level. The purpose of the third testing session is to provide an overview of a student’s growth and achievement for the school year. Your child’s MAP Progress Report will be sent out on Friday, June 3rd.
Information regarding MAP can also be found on the District website at winnetka36.org/Page/334. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact your principal or ITL Director Barry Rodgers.
Attention 7th Grade Families: Electives for 2022-2023
Now is the time for 7th grade students and families to select electives for the 2022-2023 school year. Parents can now make elective requests for students in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please follow these steps to enter requests:
1) All elective requests will be entered online through the PowerSchool parent portal. You can access the site at this address:
http://winnetka36.powerschool.com/public
2) If you do not remember your login information, please click the "forgot username or password" button. You can also email: parentportal@winnetka36.org for help.
3) When you log in, click on class registration in the left-hand menu.
4) Once you are in the class registration area of PowerSchool, follow the instructions for each section. Clicking on the pencil icon will allow you to select requests for each area.
5) Students with an IEP should select Learning Strategies for next year, and they will select three (3) elective courses and three (3) alternate selections. Students taking either Spanish or French this year will select three (3) elective courses and three (3) alternate selections in addition to their language. Students who do not currently have an IEP and do not take Spanish/French will select six (6) elective courses and three (3) alternate selections.
6) When you have completed the process, you will see a checkmark for each section. Make sure that you click the submit button at the bottom to finalize the process.
All elective requests should be entered into Powerschool by Friday, May 6th. Please note that course requests are not first come, first served. Please use this course description guide to assist you as you make your selections.
2021-22 Washburne Yearbooks
The student designed Washburne 2021-22 Yearbooks are available for purchase.
Order your Washburne Yearbooks via the district web store by clicking this link.
"Please make sure you check to see if you already purchased this item before doing so. If you are unsure, feel free to email our bookkeeper Amy Huisel at amyhuisel@winnetka36.org and she will be more than happy to check for you."
Yearbooks will be delivered to students the final week of school.
Please reach out to Amy Gabbert amygabbert@winnetka36.org with any questions.
District News
2022-2023 Online Registration for New and Returning Students is Now Open
Please register early! Parents are asked to complete registration at their earliest convenience to help inform planning for the 2022-2023 school year.
Bike Safety Initiatives
As we enjoy more spring-like weather, more students will be riding bikes and walking to school. The District and Winnetka Police Department recently sent this letter to our school community on Bike Safety efforts.
In the letter, we shared information on safety pledges for students, safe route maps for each elementary school, and noted we are reintroducing the elementary “Bike Rodeo” event for second grade, hosted collaboratively with Scout Troop 20, Green Bay Cycles, and our school PTOs on the following dates:
Greeley: Wed, 5/4, 4:00pm (5/5 rain date)
Hubbard Woods: Wed, 5/11, 4:00pm (5/12 rain date)
Crow Island: Wed, 5/18, 4:00pm (5/19 rain date). The Winnetka Police will be present at this particular event for community engagement and photo opportunities.
At this event, second grade students will learn basic guidance about proper bike and helmet use. If your family is unable to attend the event at your child(ren)’s home school, you are welcome to attend another event.
Animal Care Opportunity
Parent Education Sessions from District Partner Family Action Network (FAN):
For upcoming events, access FAN’s website here.
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, May 3: Spring Orchestra Concert @ Skokie Auditorium 7:00pm
Thursday, May 5: Spring Band Concert @ CW Gym 7:30pm
Tuesday, May 24: Board of Education Meeting @ 7:15pm
Thursday, May 26: Cival War Day
Friday, May 27: CW Awards Assembly
Friday, May 27: Half Day AM - 11:50am early dismissal
Monday, May 30: No School - Memorial Day
Thursday, June 2: Washburne Field Day
Tuesday, June 7: 8th Grade Graduation @ Gaffney Auditorium NT Winnetka Campus