D65 students built community and learned about nature with outdoor activities in honor of Earth Day! At Dewey Elementary, librarian Rebecca Borree coordinated for classes to read the same story and then connect those lessons to an outdoor adventure: time spent beautifying school grounds by picking up trash.

Jennifer Dabul’s kindergarten and Patricia Medina’s third grade students are “Tiger Buddies” this year. Older students helped their younger buddies, making sure their gloves stayed on and finding small bits of trash on school grounds. By the end of their time together, students were hard pressed to find any trash!

At Lincolnwood Elementary, kindergarten classes explored the woods in springtime with a scavenger hunt! With guidance from Perkins Woods volunteers, students observed the rings on tree stumps, looked up for squirrel nests and woodpeckers, found plants growing on the forest floor, and even encountered the deer that live in the woods. After the scavenger hunt, they made wildflower “seed balls” out of recycled paper from their classrooms and seeds. 

Visit the D65 Sustainability webpage to learn more about year-round initiatives toward greener schools.

The annual YEA! (Young Evanston Artists) Festival is quickly approaching! From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 17, Raymond Park will be full of student art from nearly every school in D65, hands-on art-making opportunities, live music performances, and food trucks. All are welcome!

All K-8 students in D65 participate in visual arts, music, and drama classes; depending on the grade/school, students also participate in media arts, instrumental music, and dance.

We are excited to announce the launch of a new and improved Digital Backpack 65! On this platform, families can find all of Evanston’s programming in one place, including after-school programs and summer camps.

How Digital Backpack 65 Can Help You

• Find programs near you – Digital Backpack 65’s explore page allows you to filter opportunities based on your school and ward, making it easier than ever to find programming in your own backyard.
• Explore programs that match interests – With Digital Backpack 65, you can search for programs based on a number of themes, such as “Sports & Wellness” or “Community Engagement & Action.”
• Learn about new programs – The team at Digital Backpack 65 is actively working to find new programming in Evanston so that you don’t have to! On the platform, you can find new programs and those that you may be familiar with all in the same place.

Digital Backpack 65 is a collaboration between District 65 and Northwestern University’s Office of Community Education Partnerships.

Fifth graders across the district have been taking part in an innovative Computer Science program in partnership with Northwestern University using an app called TunePad. This program combines music and coding education and enables our students to think and interact with the world in new ways.

Students have been working very hard on their final projects and are so excited to share their work with the D65 Community. All District 65 families and staff are invited to attend the free showcase of their work. You can expect STEM activities, games, prizes, and live music for the entire family! A live band will perform select students’ songs and add their own twists.

Details:

Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center (1655 Foster St.)

We hope to see your family at this event to support and celebrate the work of these fifth graders! Questions? Please reach out to Melissa Smoler, D65 Head of Computer Science, at smolerm@district65.net.

At District 65, science is an adventure! Our educators spark curiosity with hands-on experiments, real-world connections, and a spirit of discovery. In this video, hear how their creative approaches inspire students to see themselves as scientists — and experience a true "Joy in Learning."