The Weekly will be on a break until school resumes on January 8th. Please see below for district and school office hours and availability.
DISTRICT NEWS
SUPERINTENDENT'S GREETING
Dear Skokie73.5 Families,
I hope each of you is enjoying the winter holiday season and looking forward to Winter Break. This issue of The Weekly includes some special highlights from activities over the past week. We hope you enjoy the photos!
As a reminder, Winter Break begins on Monday, December 25th. Classes resume on Monday, January 8, 2024. Please see below for information about district and school office hours and staff availability during Winter Break.
We wish you and your family a wonderful break.
Dr. Zipporah Hightower
WINTER BREAK OFFICE HOURS & AVAILABILITY
All Skokie 73.5 district and school offices will be closed on the following dates:
- Monday, December 25th and Tuesday, December 26th
- Friday, December 29th and Monday, January 1st
District and School office staff will be working remotely on Wednesday, December 27th and Thursday, December 28th and Tuesday, January 2nd through Friday, January 5th to allow space for our Buildings & Grounds Team to work uninterrupted on special projects. During this time, office staff can be reached as follows:
- DISTRICT OFFICE: Call 847-676-8317 or send an email to [email protected].
- MIDDLETON and McCRACKEN: Call the school's main office phone number to leave a message. Staff will check voicemail periodically on remote work days. Messages received when offices are closed will be returned on the next business day.
- MEYER: The office will be closed and staff will not be available until school resumes on Monday, January 8th.
COMMUNITY DIGEST
Watch your home mailbox for the Fall 2023 issue of the Community Digest.
The Community Digest is published three times a year. A print version is sent to the entire Skokie73.5 community by postal mail and an electronic version is archived on our website for easy access from wherever you are, on any device.
STUDENT SERVICES
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) released a new English Learner Family Toolkit. The Toolkit includes six chapters that cover topics related to school enrollment. Each chapter includes an information about family and student rights, questions to ask schools, tips, and resources. The complete English Learner Family Toolkit is available to download HERE.
Check the Niles Township District for Special Education (NTDSE) Parent Events calendar for their January 2024 programs. Registration is required:
- Early Childhood Play “N” Learn
- First Aid Certification
- Legal and Finanical Planning for the Special Needs Family
- Parent Group
GET TO KNOW THE PTO!
Visit district735pto.org and get to know your PTO!
Questions about this calendar or events? Please email [email protected].
DISTRICT DATES
AROUND TOWN
Check the SkokieNews for information and updates from the Village of Skokie.
HAPPY WINTER BREAK! Meyer families, thank you for your partnership and support! The Meyer Staff wishes you a happy, healthy, and safe Winter Break and New Year. We look forward to seeing our Meyer Shining Stars back at school on Monday, January 8, 2024.
MEYER AFTER-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT CLASSES for kindergartners will run from Tuesday, January 30th through Thursday, March 21, 2024. The Enrich MEYER brochure was sent home in backpacks on December 8th. Registration forms are due on Monday, January 15th, and confirmations will be sent by Thursday, January 18th. If you have any questions, please contact our Enrich MEYER Coordinator, Rachel Douglas, at [email protected].
Meyer had another successful MEYER MART on Tuesday, December 19th. Kindergarten students visited the Meyer Mart with their classes, and "purchased" gifts for their assigned families. Thank you to our parent/guardian volunteers who helped with the Meyer Mart, Celezte Franco and Katherine van der Vliet.
We are grateful to everyone who contributed to Coins for Kindness and the Meyer Mart! Everyone made a difference! Special thanks go to parent/guardian volunteers who helped shop for our district families: Odessa Molina, Molly Domingo, Livia Shimabukuro, Nataliya Shahbaz, Katherine van der Vliet, and Melissa Sumulong. Thank you!
With colder weather here, it is very important that Meyer students are DRESSED PROPERLY FOR OUTDOOR WEATHER. We will have recess outdoors, whenever it is not raining or sleeting and it feels like 15 degrees or above with the wind chill. Please send your child in a warm coat, hat, gloves or mittens, and boots, and include snow pants for snowy weather.
Also, please be sure your child has a set of cold-weather emergency clothes in their lockers, in case they get wet while playing outside in the snow. Please place the extra set of clothes in a bag, labeled with your child’s name. Thank you for your help!
KINDERGARTEN MATH ACTIVITY
PRESCHOOL COMMUNITY HELPERS
MEYER DATES
MEYER SUPERSTARS
SPECIAL VISITOR!
Superintendent Hightower visited Ms. Chen's afternoon preschool class for a very special storytime...
Enjoy your winter break! On behalf of Middleton teachers and staff, thank you for your support and partnership. We have had a wonderful first half of the year and look forward to continuing to work with you and your children in 2024!
Have a safe and relaxing winter break. We will see you back bright and early on January 8th!
EnrichMD SESSION 2: We are excited to host our second enrichment session of the year beginning on Monday, February 26, 2024. EnrichMD will run from February 26th through Friday, May 10th. Be on the lookout for the EnrichMD brochure in mid-January!
If you are a parent/guardian and are interested in volunteering to teach an Enrichment course, please contact Stephanie Larenas no later than Wednesday, January 10th at 847-676-8085 or by email at [email protected]. Courses can be anything such as LEGO building, Pokemon card deck play, arts and crafts, etc.
Middleton students and staff enjoyed the most cozy pajama day to wrap up the week before Winter Break. Check these Friday morning photos from Middleton classrooms.
Thank you students for bringing the joy and to teachers for sharing the fun!
MIDDLETON CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS
Middleton hosted the 1st and 2nd Grade Winter Music Concerts on Thursday, December 14th. Students performed a selection of winter-themed songs under the direction of Vocal Music Educator Angela Sylvester. Enjoy these photo highlights!
Additional Middleton grade level concerts are scheduled in January and March. Watch the District Events calendar for dates and times!
GREETINGS FROM THE MIDDLETON GARDEN!
MIDDLETON DATES
COMMUNITY WEEK
YEARBOOK ORDERS
ORDER YOUR 2023-2024 MIDDLETON YEARBOOK! What better way to remember this unique school year? The yearbook costs $20 and is now available for pre-order through the Lifetouch website at ybpay.lifetouch.com. The Yearbook ID Code is 13556524. Tap the flyer for more information!
McCracken students and staff had two busy and productive weeks leading up to WINTER BREAK. Students participated in winter benchmark testing to allow teachers to check in on progress toward meeting academic goals and standards. A successful winter season of girls’ basketball concluded and cheerleading tryouts and clinics were held. Boys basketball tryouts will be held the week we return from winter break. Winter Orchestra, 7th-8th grade Choirs, and Symphonic Band Concerts were held at Niles North High School this week and we celebrated trimester one student accomplishments at our Hornet’s Hive assembly on Friday.
We are so proud of our students' efforts at the beginning of the school year and grateful to our amazing staff for their dedication and commitment to providing an inclusive and rigorous learning environment. Please encourage your students to get involved in the many extracurricular clubs and activities McCracken offers throughout the year. We wish your family a safe and joyous winter break and Happy New Year and look forward to students’ return on January 8th! If your family is interested in visiting Skokie Public Library, they have planned some fun events over winter break.
The McCRACKEN MADE POP UP MARKET is a student-driven fundraising effort inspired by our reading of When Stars are Scattered. Students created handmade items individually and with their extracurricular clubs. The Market featured everything from beaded jewelry to ceramic ornaments for sale and 100% of the proceeds will benefit Refugee Strong, a nonprofit organization that empowers refugees through education.
NILES NORTH CURRICULUM & ACTIVITIES NIGHT IS JANUARY 18, 2024. Parents and families of 8th grade students can learn more about academic and extracurricular programming available to incoming freshmen as they prepare to transition to high school next year. Individualized student packets will be distributed to students and families which will include 2024-2025 freshman course recommendations and PSAT score information. PSAT scores are also available on the College Board website. Please reach out to Niles North High School with any questions related to PSAT scores, counselor appointments, and course recommendations. See this parent/guardian letter from Niles North with more information. Students in 8th grade and their parents/guardian will be expected to participate in counselor appointments on Friday, February 9th at Niles North High School. Please see this flyer for important information about required enrollment documents. Families will receive their individual appointment times from Niles North.
On Monday, January 15th, McCracken will hold the annual MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF SERVICE AND FOOD DRIVE. This is an opportunity for students to honor the legacy of Dr. King by volunteering their time to help our school and community. Participants will complete various service projects in the school and facilitate a food drive to benefit the Niles Township Food Pantry. Donations of non-perishable food items, toiletries, and cleaning products can be dropped off in the circle drive in front of McCracken on January 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Students who are volunteering need to complete a permission slip which they can pick up outside room 222. Bus transportation will not be provided for this event.
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.
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL
Please help us keep our students, staff, families, and visitors safe by following our arrival and dismissal safety reminders.
SPECTATOR GUIDELINES
We are excited to host and participate in Little 9 Conference sporting events! Please review behavior expectations for students, families, and visitors.
McCRACKEN DATES
Bagel & Cream Cheese, Fresh Fruit & Milk
Breakfast Bar, Fresh Fruit & Milk
Yogurt & Graham Crackers, Fresh Fruit & Milk
Cereal Bowl, Fresh Fruit & Milk
Whole Grain Muffin, Fresh Fruit & Milk
Bagel & Cream Cheese, Fresh Fruit & Milk
Breakfast Bar, Fresh Fruit & Milk
Halal meals available on request: Meatball and Rice Bowl, Chicken Sandwich, Cheese Sandwich. Kosher meals available on request: All Beef Hot Dog, Cheese Sandwich. Monthly meal menu at-a-glance is available HERE.
District Priorities
WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT. We will welcome and engage staff, students, families and community members in our schools.
HIRING & RETENTION. We will recruit, hire, and retain a diverse workforce and improve our human resource processes, procedures, and materials.
INFRASTRUCTURE & FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. All financial decisions and investments will meet the needs of our diverse learners and staff and promote academic and social growth. We will provide a safe, inclusive, flexible, and innovative space for teaching, learning, and growing.
TEACHING & LEARNING. All students will engage in learning experiences that are cohesive and articulated across PreK-8, flexibly designed to engage all learners and leading to rigorous outcomes for all. We will be a future-focused, real-world learning environment that is responsive, accessible, and meaningful for all. We will become a model district on the use of data for making instructional, curriculum, and programmatic decisions.
Equity Mission Statement
WE BELIEVE that inclusivity and belonging is the foundation for equity.
ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN, at high achievement levels, when equity is infused into every aspect of education.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE the systemic inequities present in school systems and recognize the impact they continue to have on marginalized communities.
WE COMMIT to teaching, learning, and growing in order to identify and dismantle inequitable systems and to create a community where barriers are removed so that everyone can reach their full potential.
WE BELIEVE that students succeed when they can see themselves represented in our staff, curriculum, opportunities, and our shared environment. We accomplish this through professional development, curriculum revision, community engagement, and systems evaluations.
WE RECOGNIZE the need to teach our students to identify the origins of unjust systems and empower them to use their critical thinking skills and agency to responsibly disrupt the policies and practices that perpetuate inequalities.
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