January 2017

The Winnetka Wire
Monthly News from The Winnetka Public Schools
Superintendent's Message


"Life's most persistent and urgent question is,
'What are you doing for others?'"  
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


Dear Parents, Staff, and Community Members,

When we launched our Shared Vision last year, it was intended to serve as an aspirational compass for our District. With a commitment to "making a meaningful difference in the world," there may be no better opportunity to authentically live our vision than by honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  A champion for equity and peace, Dr. King's life's work inspired our students and staff to create an amazing day of learning.

On Monday, our community came together to celebrate the National Day of Service on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Some highlights of the day included:

  • Skokie and Washburne students heard a powerful message from Mawi Asgedom, who spent his early childhood in a refugee camp in Sudan, came to the Chicago area with his family, and eventually went on to graduate from Harvard University. Mawi shared his personal story and encouraged our students to be difference-makers by including others and serving in their communities in the spirit of Dr. King.
  • Students at all schools participated in an array of projects to benefit over 15 non-profit organizations, from making blankets and cards for young patients at Lurie Children's Hospital, to collecting books and designing bookmarks for other children, to decorating and packaging welcome bags for refugee children. These experiences urged students to think beyond themselves.
  • At the end of the day, it was powerful to hear students' reflections, such as "Dr. King, and our school, want to help people get their needs met;" "We are better together. No one will take joy out of you;" "Everyone matters;" "What can we do to make the world a better place, maybe even one person at a time?"

Thank you to our staff, students, and families who organized this learning-focused tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Enjoy this brief video of the day's activities:


I look forward to continuing to live out our Shared Vision as a school community; together WE are able to make a meaningful difference that extends beyond ourselves.


Sinc erely,  
 
Trisha Kocanda
Superintendent
 

Board Meeting Preview

The next School Board Regular Meeting will be held Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at Hubbard Woods School.

There will be a Work Session at 5:00 p.m. to discuss the Enrollment Balancing Project Board Advisory Committee recommendation, followed by the Regular Meeting at 7:15 p.m.  Agenda highlights include the following presentation:

1. Reading Curriculum Redesign Part II


Enrollment Balancing Project

A recap from the January 17, 2017, Board Advisory Committee Meeting is now available on the Enrollment Balancing Project website:

The Board Advisory Committee voted to recommend Model 1 (All Crow Island Kindergarten students attend another District school) to the School Board for approval. The Committee will share this recommendation with the School Board at a 5:00 p.m. Work Session at its Meeting on January 24, 2017, at Hubbard Woods School. The Board will vote on this recommendation at its February 21, 2017, Regular Meeting.

If this option is approved by the School Board, Crow Island Kindergarteners will be welcomed at Hubbard Woods and Greeley Schools for the 2017-2018 school year. This short-term option is expected to be in place for one or two years while the long-term enrollment balancing solution is being addressed.





Reading: The Home-School Connection for Younger Readers
Featuring Brianna Parlitsis Teachers College, Columbia University
Friday, January 20, 2017
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 pm
Greeley School Auditorium
Targeted for parents of kindergarten, first, and second graders
How can I help support my child's reading at each level? How can I best help my students move up reading levels, with high comprehension? This workshop will help you to consider the books your children are reading and the ways you can support their decoding, fluency and comprehension of these texts. You will learn about the typical ways that texts become more complicated and the ways that readers' thinking needs to become increasingly sophisticated, as well. You'll also learn about ways you can support your child's progress through authentic conversations at home. The event is facilitated by District 36 staff and features guest speaker , Brianna Parlitsis, Staff Developer, at the Teachers College, Columbia University. To RSVP, please click here.


New Trier Township Family Engagement Night
Screenagers: Growing up in the Digital Age
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Misner Auditorium, Central School, 620 Greenwood Avenue, Glenco e
New Trier Township schools invite parents AND students grades 5 - 12 to join in a Family Engagement Night to view clips from Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age. This is the first feature documentary to explore the science behind screen-time, how it affects young people's development and offers practical ways to set boundaries and find balance. We will be sharing clips from this film, listening to a panel of local teens, parents, and a social worker from Glencoe Family Services as they talk about the ups and downs of their digital lives, and engaging with our children on the challenges we face in our own lives with technology.


Parents as First Teachers: How to Cultivate the Whole Child
Thursday, February 9, 2017
7:00 p.m.
Carleton Washburne School, Little Theater
Family Action Network presents Parents as First Teachers: How to Cultivate the Whole Child , an opportunity to learn about best practices for supporting your child's creativity, persistence, resilience, and emotional engagement. The discussion is moderated by Superintendent Trisha Kocanda and Liza Sullivan, Executive Director of The Alliance for Early Childhood and FAN's Early Childhood Chair Panelists including Judy Harris Helm, Founder of Best Practices, Inc.; Amanda Moreno, Assistant Professor at Erikson Institute; Laura Reischel, Arts and Cultural Engagement Specialist at Chicago Children's Museum; Jennifer Rosina, President of Kid Links Unlimited, Inc.; and Hedda Sharapan, PNC Senior Fellow at The Fred Rogers Center.


Reading: The Home-School Connection for Younger Readers
Featuring Emily Butler Smith Teachers College, Columbia University
Friday, March 3, 2017
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Hubbard Woods School
Targeted for parents of students in grades three through five
How do I know if my child is 'getting it?' How can I support upper grade reading development at home? This workshop will help you to consider the books your children are reading and the ways you can support their comprehension of these texts. You will learn about the typical ways that texts become more complicated and the ways that readers' thinking needs to become increasingly sophisticated, as well. You'll also learn about ways you can support your child's progress through authentic conversations at home. The event is facilitated by District 36 staff and features guest speaker Emily Butler Smith, Associate Director for Professional Development , at the Teachers College, Columbia University. To RSVP, please click here.   


   
Kazunori Hokura (Washburne Class of '94), is video editor for "NHK World TV," an international news channel on NHK, Japan's largest broadcasting organization, headquartered in Tokyo. He fondly recalls his Winnetka Experience as a middle school student in District 36 and the supportive Winnetka community.

Kazunori at the NHK headquarters in Tokyo.
When the Hokura family moved to Winnetka from Japan, Kazunori says neighbors hosted a welcome party and classmates in his neighborhood helped him prepare for school. As a Washburne student, he remembers the excitement of going to work with his father during "Shadow Day." During a school assembly, he was fascinated by a drum solo and has been playing the drums ever since. His interests in the arts continued as he progressed through New Trier and into adulthood. Upon graduating from New Trier, Kazunori attended Musashi University, where he majored in European and American literature.

Kazunori encourages aspiring journalists to "try to be a good listener to the opinions of others, even if you cannot agree with them. I believe a journalist should always be a learner of new things." The District is proud of the difference he is making in the world through his work in journalism.




Tinkering is an opportunity for children to explore the world around them by using creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills. Learn some ideas on how to encourage tinkering at home from experts in this blog post.


In the News

Read Superintendent Kocanda's Year-in-Review in The Winnetka Current here . In December, The Winnetka Current featured a cover story on a D36 student who is using his talents to make a meaningful difference in the world by raising money to help cancer patients.  Winnetka Living highlighted Crow Island School's
newly restored clock in its January issue and this week The Winnetka Current  shared photos of Washburne students making a difference over the holiday season.














Winnetka Wire Logo
In This Issue
 
Links
 
 
   
 

Important Dates


Board Meeting
January 24, 2017
7:15 p.m.
Hubbard Woods School

No School
Conference Reporting Day
February 9-10, 2017

No School
Institute Day
February 20, 2017

Board Meeting
February 21, 2017
7:15 p.m.
Crow Island School

Board Meeting
March 21, 2017
7:15 p.m.
Crow Island School



Winter in 
District 36...
 

Greeley first grade students explore life in the Arctic during their annual study.

Middle school 
students participate in 
Futures Unlimited, an 
opportunity for girls to 
explore careers in Science, Mathematics, Technology, 
and Engineering.

Crow Island students promote kindness.

The hallways of Hubbard Woods are adorned with cheerful winter art by students.

MLK DAY IN D36



Hubbard Woods students create activity books for hospital patients.


Greeley students led a march through their school to celebrate peace.

Crow Island students designed and assembled welcome kits for refugee children.



Students at  The Skokie School engaged in projects to benefit over 10 non-profit organizations.


Washburne students made blankets for patients at Lurie Children's Hospital and wrote letters to refugees.

From the Archives...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks at the Winnetka Village Green in 1965. Washburne  students 
were instrumental in 
raising funds for a historic marker (installed in 2007) that commemorates the site. Photo credit: 
John McDonough



If you missed it...

Videos for most Winnetka Parent Institute events are available on the website.

Principals Kanne and Tess hosted two sessions of "Not Quite Little Kid, Not Quite Teenager: The Developmental Progression of the Middle School Child,"
focusing on
the academic
and
social-emotional needs appropriate to 5th-8th grade children, how they change over that four year span, as well as the neurological changes that contribute to these needs.

Watch here:




FAN

For a schedule of events presented by Family Action Network (FAN) click here.



Follow 
The Winnetka 
Public Schools 
on Social Media

To see photos of school events and activities, 
read articles on 
topics of interest, 
and more,  
connect  with District 36 
on social media by 
clicking on the icons 
at the bottom of 
the newsletter.




The TREX Plastic Film Challenge runs now through April 15, 2017. Each year all schools participate in this program to collect plastic bags and wrap, which are recycled and made into alternate wood products.
Collection bins are 
now in our schools.
School communities that collect the most plastic will be announced on 
Earth Day, April 22.


The Winnetka Public Schools community empowers every student 
to flourish in an innovativeexperiential environment. 
We support and challenge all learners
 to actively engage in their continual growth and achievement 
to make a meaningful difference in the world.

 
The Winnetka Public Schools
847-446-9400

Like us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter    View on Instagram    View our videos on YouTube    Find us on Google+      

 

Please note: Unsubscribing will remove you from all Winnetka school emails.