Dear Skokie Families,

This week, I had the honor and pleasure of presenting to both our School Board and members of The Winnetka Public Schools Foundation respectively.  The presentation centered on the growing outcomes of our building-wide schedule pilot as well as our expanding MakerSpace and its influence on STEAM integration throughout our school.  I have written about our scheduling project several times this year; however, I've included a visual reference of the day at a glance below to get a sense of how the day is broken up given this current model.   The intent of taking on a schedule pilot was to experiment with ways in which we can afford our students more learning opportunities that incorporate service, social-emotional learning, inquiry and hands-on application of learned skills.  

 

Scanning the image above is a lot to digest upon first glance, but the key areas to point out are the RtI/Skills period and the additional use of the afternoon advisory period: Enrichment and Inquiry (or "Passion Period" as we initially called it last year when first floating the idea).  By adjusting our instructional periods by two minutes, we were able to gain an additional period of instruction in which all students requiring the intervention of a math or reading specialist could receive specialized support without forfeiting an arts class (Skills Period).  In addition, students remaining in the classroom at that time could benefit from their own specialized support form their teacher.  At this time, teachers are using this period for reteaching, small group support, executive function practice or extension of material.  Earlier this year, I shared the following data illustrating the number of students we are reaching in interventional support due to this new schedule model:

 

While there are still aspects of the current model that we are looking to make modifications to (the pilot continues through the remainder of this school year) in order to reach the most optimal model for all, we are seeing great benefit through the lived experience of thinking differently about how our day can be best utilized.  The Enrichment & Inquiry time during afternoon advisory has been used in a variety of different ways across the building in order to provide students with the opportunity to seek out learning based on their interests.  There is much I could say about this period, but as I pondered how to best capture the impact of this time and share it with our board members and foundation supporters, I thought the best picture could be painted through the lens of our students--please take a moment to view the video below that was previously shared at the presentations this week.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

If you have a sixth grader, ask them about their thoughts on this year's schedule versus last year's--how has their experience felt different this year?  What do they like about being afforded the time to explore and inquire in a topic of their choice?  If you have a fifth grader, ask them about the ways in which their advisory has taken advantage of the Enrichment & Inquiry period.  Where do their learning interests fall?  How have they taken risks as a learner to find out more about a topic of their choosing?

As a school leader, I am grateful for the support of our community, and the investment that our staff has made in exploring new ways to best reach our students.  I look forward to continuing to share more with you as the year goes on.  Enjoy the time with your families this weekend!

Most Sincerely,

Kelly Tess

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