October 2020

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


Dear Parents, Staff, and Community Members,

We have sent you many emails about our plans and guidelines for this unique school year.  Thank you for reading and listening along the way.  It is important that we consistently remind ourselves of the why behind all of this intense planning and work...delivering the best educational experience to our students.  As it is harder to get a glimpse into schools this year, we wanted to show you our "why" in this short slideshow.  Enjoy!

The Winnetka Public Schools: Fall Highlights 2020
The Winnetka Public Schools: Fall Highlights 2020

At this point in October, we have gleaned enough experience to be wiser and more precise in our educational delivery than we were when we opened our doors on August 27.  We are living out true experiential learning with a continuous improvement mindset.  With that in mind, we wanted to share these updates:

  • Survey Results
    • We had over 1,000 students and parents take the recent survey, along with over 250 staff.  Please access the summary of the results here.
    • We use this data to target areas to refine and to celebrate.  Overall, there was much satisfaction with the start of this school year and with engagement with in-person learning.  We also know we have room to improve in areas, such as with the remote asynchronous portion of the day. We will continue to refine our approach using this data to help us target improvement efforts.  There will be a presentation at the School Board meeting addressing our plans.
    • Another survey will be administered this winter so we can monitor the impact of our improvement efforts.
Finally, we want to share our deep appreciation to our teachers and parents for their partnership with our recent parent-teacher conferences.  We learned that the virtual option allowed more parents to join the conferences this year, a silver lining.  I also want to recognize that next week is National Principals week -  we appreciate our incredible principals who consistently put students first and serve as supportive leaders to our staff and parents.  You have done a remarkable job at a difficult time.

Sincerely,

Dr. Trisha Kocanda
Superintendent







Board Meeting Announcement

The School Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 20 at Carleton Washburne School in the Resource Center (515 Hibbard Road in Winnetka) and via Zoom. The Regular Meeting is at 7:15 p.m. and includes the following presentation on the agenda:
 
School Year 2020-2021 Progress and Planning
 
Public seating is limited to 12 seats to adhere to social distancing requirements. Seating for the public is on a first-come, first-served basis. All guests must wear a face mask and social distance inside the meeting room. Any individuals who arrive after the room is full will need to join remotely. No overflow seating will be available.
Public comment for the meeting will occur both in person and also by email. Those joining remotely and wishing to make public comments should email board@winnetka36.org prior to 6:55 p.m. on October 20 and note if they want the email message read at the meeting. Please note, the Board will be following policy and limit public comment to three minutes.

To participate via Zoom:


Passcode: 36Wins36

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 958 1638 8663
Passcode: 438360

Travel Restrictions Update

It is important to note that Indiana has recently been added to the Suburban Cook County Travel Quarantine list. If your family has visited any states on this list for more than 24 hours, you need to follow the Cook County Department of Public Health travel guidance and 14-day quarantine protocols. This applies to all families regardless of whether you stayed in a private home or what your activities were limited to within that state.  Please reference this guidance from the Cook County Department of of Public Health.  
COVID-19 Testing for Symptomatic Individuals--Important Update!

Please be aware that the District has received updated guidance from the Illinois School Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health. In order to return to school, the documentation required for symptomatic individuals with a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test is a negative PT-PCR COVID-19 test result OR healthcare provider's note indicating the negative PT-PCR COVID-19 test result. We will not longer be able to accept "rapid" Covid-19 testing results. Please confirm your healthcare provider is able to provide this type of test. Please reference this chart for further information.
National Bullying Prevention Month

October is National Bullying Prevention month and while creating safe environments where all of our students feel included, respected, and valued is of utmost importance to us always, we make sure to take the time to revisit these anti-bullying efforts each October. Unity Day is held on October 21st and in celebration of Unity Day the District will be participating in a Unity Spirit Week. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring the Winnetka community together against bullying, and unite us in kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. We hope that this can become a tradition that we continue to build upon and celebrate each year. 

Crisis Go--A Friendly Reminder

Thank you for taking time each day to complete this certification process. This week's metrics included a drop in daily compliance rates.  We understand that sometimes it may slip your mind with all you are balancing. Please note that when Crisis Go is not completed it does impact the instructional time your child receives because they need to go through the certification process at school. Some parents have found success with setting a daily alarm as reminder. We appreciate your help!
News from The Alliance for Early Childhood

Please access the 2020-2021 Parent Program Flyer to view information on these upcoming events:
  • Pandemic Parenting: Tools and Tips, December 3, 7-7:45pm Register Here
  • Pandemic Parenting: Tools and Tips, February 18,  7-7:45pm Register Here
Additionally, families are invited to participate in Let's Play! 2020-2021 Ongoing Community Programs. Upcoming events are as follows:
  • Let's Play! Fort Building, Crow Island Woods, November 7 and November 8, 10am-4pm. Registration is required.  Register Here. 
  • Let's Play! Winter Woods Exploration, Crow Island Woods, February 20, 10am-4pm
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In This Issue

Important Dates


In the District...

 
 











Learning continues to take place both in-person and remotely. We appreciate our school community's positivity in the midst of our "new normal."
   

 Family Action Network features an annual series of free events with renowned speakers, authors, 
and leaders. 




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