PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES will be held on Thursday, October 9th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Friday, October 10th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. We are looking forward to connecting with families about your children and their learning!

• An “October Parent-Teacher Conference” email was sent to all district families with dates and a link to more information. Please check your inbox or our website for that email.
• If your child is in ELP, a separate message was sent on Thursday, September 25th to schedule conferences with Dr. Acevedo.

Middleton Art Teacher Ms. Beatrice and our Middleton Bulldogs have been hard at work crafting a beautiful art installation for the hallway near the main entrance. 

“Together” is how we do things at Middleton, and this wonderful community effort is an example of the beauty that we can make when we work together! Great job, Bulldogs, and THANK YOU Ms. Beatrice for all you do!

During recess, Bulldogs are working together to resolve peer conflict. Peer conflict is a normal part of childhood, and in elementary school, children are learning the skills needed to navigate conflict with friends. In addition to our recess supervisors, Middleton staff are also outside to support students as needed when conflict comes up naturally during play. Here is the visual strategy teachers at Middleton use to help students use their words to talk to each other when conflict happens. You might try using this at home when disagreements happen!

STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS took place at McCracken Middle School during the week of September 29th. Student candidates in grades 6-8 were encouraged to run for positions on Student Council, including president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. Students can also serve as student council grade level representatives in this important student leadership group. Candidates worked diligently to create fun campaign posters, slides, and virtual speeches.

All students and staff were able to view the speeches and vote for their preferred candidates, exercising their right to participate in the election process! We are so proud of all participating candidates and final winners! Thank you to Hannah Mosher for her sponsorship of our McCracken Student Council!

We appreciate all of the support our families provide to our McCracken student-athletes, coaching staff, and referees throughout the school year. Participation in a variety of extracurricular programming fosters improved academic and social skills such as time management, leadership, and teamwork.  In order to run a productive, positive, and safe athletic program, our families must follow the Little 9 Township parent/guardian expectations. Those guidelines are outlined below.

• SUPPORT: Encourage positive behavior and sportsmanship both at home and during games/practices. When attending a game both at McCracken and away, parents and guardians are expected to follow Little 9 Conference spectator guidelines.
• COMMUNICATION: Address any concerns or issues with the coach or school administration in a respectful and timely manner.
• MODEL BEHAVIOR: Demonstrate good sportsmanship and respect for all involved in the sport. Negative interactions with referees, supervisors, coaches, players, and spectators will not be tolerated.
• ATTENDANCE: Ensure that your child attends practices and games as scheduled. Inform the coach in advance if your child will be absent from a practice or game.
• ENCOURAGE: Support your child’s efforts to balance academics and athletics. Please remember that middle school athletics are for development of skills and social interaction with their peers.

On September 27th, eight McCracken students participated in the Illinois-ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) Jr. Honors Chorus at Bradley University in Peoria. These students were selected by audition in August. Under the direction of McCracken Vocal Music Teacher Amy Keipert, the students prepared three songs in advance for the festival. One, a Malaysian song, featured a complicated body percussion. The second song, a jazz piece, challenged the students to learn how to improvise scat singing.

Our McCracken students were among 120 middle school singers from throughout Illinois. Together, they rehearsed and performed under the direction of Illinois Central College choral professor Dr. Julie Clemens.

Congratulations to the students and Ms. Keipert for their performance!

Teachers look forward to connecting with families about their child’s learning and growth during Parent Teacher Conferences in October! Families have the opportunity to conference with teachers over Zoom or in person on October 9th and 10th. Due to the number of students that McCracken teachers serve, the conference time constraints do not allow enough appointment slots to schedule every family for all classes. In an effort to distribute appointments equitably among middle school families, McCracken uses the following process to increase access to conferences with middle school teachers:

• Families were invited to schedule up to three appointments with McCracken teachers when registration opened at 7:00 a.m. on SEPTEMBER 25th.
• The appointment limit was removed on SEPTEMBER 28th. Families can sign up for additional conferences with available teachers until registration closes on OCTOBER 7th at 3:00 p.m.
• Families are encouraged to use PowerSchool as a resource to check academic progress and prioritize the specific classes they are most interested in connecting with a teacher to discuss. It is not mandatory to connect with each teacher during conferences in middle school.
• Conferences are twice a year in October and February. Families are encouraged to reach out throughout the school year with any questions related to their child’s performance.

McCracken's Cross Country team completed in their final meet of the season! The team completed in three separate meets and watched as over half our team placed in the top 20 for their respective heats. During our last meet, several students placed in their heats, including Lachlan G. (1st place) and Ellie R. (4th place). Congratulations to all our runners on a fantastic season!