Thank you for your partnership in supporting our Meyer Shining Stars, and for attending Parent-Teacher Conferences this past week. If you were unable to meet with your child’s teacher, please contact them to set up a time to connect. Communication is key, and we want to work together to create a positive learning experience for your child!

OCTOBER is SOCK-tober! During the month of October, Meyer School will celebrate Socktober. We will be collecting new socks to be donated to the Niles Township Clothing Closet. Students can bring in new socks of any size, which will be donated at the end of the month. Last year, we donated over 1,000 pairs of socks!

We want to show our Meyer Shining Stars that even the smallest acts of love, like donating a pair of socks, can make a big difference in the lives of our neighbors in need. 

Students can also show their support by celebrating Wacky Socks Wednesdays and wearing wacky socks every Wednesday in October.

October is recognized as bullying prevention month. Monday, October 2nd was also the World Day of Bullying Prevention. We encouraged students and staff to wear blue that day to help us to "Stomp out bullying" at McCracken. In addition, we provided students with an opportunity to create and submit bullying prevention posters during all of our recess periods. Families can also access bullying resources online through our district website. Bullying behavior is aggressive and includes an imbalance of power and is repeated. According to stopbullying.gov, bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Some students at this age experience peer conflict that does not rise to the level of bullying, but does require adult intervention and restorative measures to support positive interactions.

Bullying and harassment can happen in person and online. Many of our middle school students are using technology in multiple ways to communicate with peers outside of school. They may be using smartphones and social media apps to communicate with friends. Social media applications have parental controls for monitoring and safety. At times, students at this age may experience peer conflict that may turn into negative interactions online with friends or acquaintances. Negative interactions or cyberbullying that impacts the school environment may result in school issued consequences. Please monitor your child’s online presence and help to reinforce online safety and kindness in communication. We look forward to partnering with you to keep our students safe at school!

McCRACKEN PJAMMIN FUNDRAISER. Students and staff are encouraged to rock their pajamas on October 13th to support childhood cancer in memory of former graduate, Griffin Maks. Ms. Bethany Fagan is organizing this fundraiser with the help of McCracken students. Check this FLYER for more information about how families can support our fundraiser and donate to the American Childhood Cancer Organization.

Skokie73.5 hosted PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES in person or virtually on Thursday, October 5th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Friday, October 6th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. McCracken students were encouraged to participate in these conferences as a means for self-reflection, progress monitoring, and goal setting. Thank you to families for joining us during fall conferences. PowerSchool is available to families and students to monitor academic progress throughout each trimester. We encourage parents and guardians to reach out to individual teachers throughout the year to communicate any updates and/or ask questions they may have about academic progress. We are so thankful to parents and guardians for their continued partnership!

ATTENDANCE REMINDERS. Did you know that missing two days of school a month, over the course of a school year, can affect a student's academic success? Please help us make school attendance a priority! If you know that your child will be absent for the day, please call our school nurse, Ms. Warda, at 847-676-8235 by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Please review the McCracken Attendance Reminders for more information about the importance of consistent school attendance and keeping your child engaged in school.

NILES NORTH FEEDER GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM. Niles North is very excited to announce that they will have Jr. Viking Girls Basketball team(s) this winter! All girls in grades 5-8 interested in playing on the feeder team should scan the QR code on the flyer available in the McCracken office, on the daily announcements slide, or complete this form. The cost is $100-150 for registration. Students, parents, and guardians can reach out to Coach Leah Czuhajewski  at [email protected] with any questions.