News and information from our district and schools
MEYER. MIDDLETON. McCRACKEN. Games. Meal Menu.
MARCH 15, 2024
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DISTRICT NEWS
ZOOM SAFELY!
Safety is the District's top priority for our students, staff, and families. Please note the following excerpt from a new Illinois law that bans video calls while driving. The law went into effect on January 1, 2024.
- A person may not operate a motor vehicle on a roadway while using an electronic communication device to watch or stream video, participate in any video conferencing application, or access any social media site.
- An "electronic communication device" means a hand-held wireless telephone, hand-held personal digital assistant, tablet, or a portable or mobile computer, but does not include a global positioning system or navigation system or a device that is physically or electronically integrated into the motor vehicle.
Visit the Illinois General Assembly website for complete details in the full text of House Bill 2431.
EQUITY SURVEY
The Skokie73.5 Equity Committe needs YOU! Please complete a short Equity Committee Survey–eight questions with Google Translate options. Your responses will help guide the Committee's work for the 2024-2025 school year: https://bit.ly/735EquitySurvey
Teachers, families, and students across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the annual 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of our schools.
The Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey will be administered through March 29, 2024. Your participation in the 5Essentials survey will help us better understand our schools and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. The State of Illinois now uses the results of the survey to determine the official school designation for Middleton and McCracken, which is reported on the yearly Illinois School Report Card.
Our 5Essentials Parent Survey is currently at 7 percent participation. Please help us reach 20 percent, which will qualify the District to receive a parent report that contains YOUR valuable feedback.
To take the survey please visit survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois and click the "Parent Survey" to begin. There are 21 questions and the survey should take approximately 10 minutes. If you have children in multiple buildings please complete the survey for each school.
SUMMER SCHOOL
SUMMER SCHOOL. Summer is right around the corner, and it is time to begin thinking about summer school! Summer school will run from Tuesday, June 4th to Thursday, June 27th (there will be no summer school on Wednesday, June 19th in observance of Juneteenth). Classes will meet Monday through Thursday; there will be no classes on Fridays.
The daily schedule for summer school is as follows:
- 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. — English Language Arts
- 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. — Mathematics
Summer school enrollment is determined by invitation. Families of invited students should expect to receive summer school mailings beginning the week of March 18th. Bus transportation information will be provided at a later date.
PARENT UNIVERSITY IS NEXT WEEK! The topic is Social and Emotional Learning: Bullying versus social conflict, dealing with big feelings and problem-solving, making and keeping friends.
- For parents of Meyer students, the training will be held in the Meyer Library at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 18th.
- For parents of Middleton and McCracken students, the training will be held in the Middleton Library at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20th.
We look forward to seeing you!
The Illinois Resource Center, in cooperation with the Illinois State Board of Education-Multilingual Department, will present present the Eighteenth Annual Statewide Summit for Bilingual Parents: A Conference for Members of Bilingual Parent Advisory Councils (BPACs) and Parents of English Learners (ELs). This in-person event is on Saturday, May 4th at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center. If you would like to attend, please contact Lyla Nissan at [email protected].
SPRING BREAK OFFICE AVAILABILITY
All Skokie73.5 district and school offices will be closed during spring break. Staff will be working remotely from Monday, March 25th through Friday, March 29th 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].
- MEYER: The office will be closed and staff will not be available until school resumes on Monday, April 1st.
- MIDDLETON: Staff will check voicemail periodically on remote work days. Messages received when offices are closed will be returned on the next business day.
- McCRACKEN: Messages received when offices are closed will be returned as soon as possible.
CELEBRATE YOUTH ART MONTH! Artwork by students from Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken is on exhibit through Sunday, March 31st at the 2024 Student Outstanding Artist Recognition (SOAR).
WHERE: Oakton College, 7701 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie. Park in the lot closest to Lincoln Avenue and enter through Door 21 (SE part of the building).
WHEN: Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Thank you to our fine arts educators for their work with students and the SOAR exhibit: Mrs. Castellini at Meyer, Ms. Beatrice at Middleton, and Mr. MacBeth at McCracken.
Learn more about SOAR on the Village of Skokie website. We hope you can stop by to enjoy the art!
GET TO KNOW THE PTO!
WE NEED YOU! The PTO is looking for new board members for the 2024-2025 school year! To learn more, please e-mail the PTO at [email protected].
The PTO invites us all to TASTE OF 73.5 on Sunday, April 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at McCracken Middle School.
Click or tap the flyer for more information on the PTO website!
The Skokie73.5 community is invited to share their heritage, culinary expertise, and celebrate our diversity. Sign up here: forms.gle/XWAUp1Qi45Knh7Vp6.
Email [email protected] if you would like to help plan the event. Meetings will be held on Zoom. Check the PTO website for dates.
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.
Scroll the Skokie Public Library Newsletter for information about library events and services for all ages and abilities.
Please join this month's MEYER PARENT LEADERS Zoom meeting to talk about the Meyer End-of-the-Year Bash. All parents/guardians are welcome!
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 (NEW DATE!)
7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
The Zoom link will be sent to Meyer families through Seesaw the day before the meeting.
Preschool students participated in a MAKERSPACE ACTIVITY last week as a part of their unit on fairy tales. After listening to the Three Little Pigs fairy tale, students worked in small groups to build one solid house that the Big Bad Wolf couldn’t blow down. Mrs. Kelley put the houses to the test with the Big Bad Wolf hair dryer!
Congratulations to our Meyer artists who have their artwork displayed at this year's SOAR ART EXHIBIT. Thank you to Mrs. Castellini for her hard work with our Meyer Shining Stars. We hope you can stop by to admire all the wonderful artwork from Meyer and all the other participating Skokie schools!
Scroll UP or check the Village of Skokie website for exhibit location and hours!
PARENT UNIVERSITY: Early Childhood Session is next week! The topic is Social and Emotional Learning.
Ms. Saibert, Mrs. Nahhas, and Mrs. Douglas will lead an early childhood session for Meyer parents/guardians on Monday, March 18th at 5:00 p.m. in the Meyer Library. During this workshop, parents/guardians will learn how to help children identify their emotions and apply strategies to cope with their feelings. The presenters will also show you how to create a calm down corner at home. Please enter through the Meyer Library door by the parking lot. We hope to see you there! Check the flyer for details!
A session for parents/guardians of Middleton and McCracken students will be held on Wednesday, March 20th at 5:00 p.m. in the Middleton Library. Scroll UP for information.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for the 2024-2025 school year will begin for students who are NEW to Meyer on Monday, March 18th. Current preschool students who are RETURNING for kindergarten next year will not need to complete any forms. Please watch for an email sent on Tuesday, March 12th from Joann Eisenstein with next steps.
PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION & SCREENING 2024-2025. Preschool registration for the 2024-2025 school year has begun! For more information about our program, please see our PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE SLIDESHOW.
We are offering preschool developmental screenings for the 2024-2025 school year on Monday, April 15th and Tuesday, April 16th for Skokie73.5 families only. If you are interested in having your child considered for the Discount Preschool Tuition Program, or if you have concerns about your preschool-aged child’s development, please click HERE or scan the QR code to sign up for a screening appointment.
MEYER SUPERSTARS
Kindergarten Superstars
Preschool Superstars
Our 5Essentials Parent Survey participation is currently 7 percent. Please share your feedback and help us reach 20 percent by March 29th to qualify the District for a parent report that contains YOUR valuable feedback.
Tap through to survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois and click "Parent Survey" to begin.
THANK YOU to all who participated in the CARING HEARTS CLASSROOM DONATION DRIVE! If you still have items to bring in, please drop them off with the teacher or at the school office by Wednesday, March 20th.
MEYER DATES
SPECIAL EVENT: Meyer + Middleton Author Visits!
Meyer AND Middleton will host in-school visits with award-winning author Cozbi Cabrera on Friday, April 12th! Cabrera will visit with Meyer students in the morning and then head over to Middleton to visit with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students.
Cabrera is a 2021 Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Book Awards honoree. Her picture books include Me & Mama, My Hair is a Garden, Chef Edna, and Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks.
Families can order signed copies of Cabrera's books from local seller Booked Evanston at 10% off the list price (some as low as $10). Order books at www.bookedevanston.com/cozbi-cabrera and they will be delivered during the author visit. Orders are due by Friday, April 5th.
Enjoy Herm’s Palace (eat-in or takeout) anytime on Wednesday, March 20th and Herm’s will donate a portion of the cost of your order to Middleton’s musical, James and the Giant Peach, Jr. Bring in this flyer or just mention Middleton when ordering your food. Anybody can help out—share this with your friends and family!
YEARBOOK ORDERS
IT'S TIME TO 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. Orders may be placed online through the Lifetouch website at ybpay.lifetouch.com. The Yearbook ID Code is 13556524. Check the flyer for more information!
Our 5Essentials Parent Survey participation is currently 7 percent. Please share your feedback and help us reach 20 percent by March 29th to qualify the District for a parent report that contains YOUR valuable feedback.
Tap through to survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois and click "Parent Survey" to begin.
THANK YOU to all who participated in the CARING HEARTS CLASSROOM DONATION DRIVE! If you took a Middleton donation slip or have items to bring in, please drop them off with the teacher or at the school office by Wednesday, March 20th.
GARDEN NEWSLETTER
Bulldog Garden News
Issue #3 ~ March 2024
Read it HERE
MIDDLETON DATES
We're thrilled by the incredible dedication shown by all Robotics teams this year at the LITTLE 9 BUZZBOT ROBOTICS COMPETITION! The McCracken BuzzBot Robotics Team hosted six other schools and their teams in the McCracken gymnasium last Thursday, March 7th, for the Little 9 Robotics Tournament. Thirty-one teams competed, including seven teams from McCracken.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the BuzzBots for their exceptional preparation and performance, and gratitude to Lisa Repp and Anastasia Barrow for their coaching efforts this season. Special recognition goes to McCracken 3 for securing a top 8 placement and McCracken 2 for their top 10 finish. Across the board, the teams represented McCracken admirably, engaging in insightful discussions about strategy, making modifications, and fostering collaboration. We are so proud of our engineers!
The McCracken ALL SCHOOL READ COMMITTEE presented the final two books to families in the McCracken Library Monday evening. We officially opened the polls for the final round of voting this week. We welcome all students, staff, and families to participate in the voting process. The links to two student-made presentations and the voting form are available in the All School Read section of the McCracken Library website. Ms. Gammeri is also connecting with the Middleton librarian to provide an opportunity for 5th grade students to vote in the final round as well! The final All School Read voting results will be shared after spring break!
8th GRADE PARENT/GUARDIAN GRADUATION CEREMONY/EVENTS COMMUNICATION. Please see the message below from the 8th grade parent committee about our end-of-the-year celebration:
The 2023-2024 McCRACKEN YEARBOOK is now on sale. The yearbook staff is working so hard to create a fun and unique book for our students. The cost of the yearbook is $20. Students will receive an order form from their advisor during the week of March 4th. Orders can be placed online:
- ybpay.lifetouch.com
- Yearbook ID Code: 13556324
- Orders are due by Monday, April 1st
Order your yearbook TODAY!
CAMP MacLEAN SAVE THE DATE! McCracken 7th graders will take our annual 3-day trip to Camp MacLean in Burlington, Wisconsin from Wednesday, May 15th through Friday, May 17th. The purpose of the Camp MacLean trip is to provide our students with an outdoor education experience that promotes both team building and independence. It is our goal that all 7th grade students attend this important trip.
Parents and guardians should complete this digital form by Friday, April 5th to indicate their student's interest in attending Camp MacLean OR complete and return the print form passed out in Bethany Fagan’s social studies class for students to bring home. If you have already made the decision for your student to attend, you can make payment online HERE!
We will share additional information with families about this trip soon. Ms. Fagan and Mr. Behm will host an informational night on Wednesday, April 3rd. Get excited for Camp MacLean 2024!
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.
Our 5Essentials Parent Survey participation is currently 7 percent. Please share your feedback and help us reach 20 percent by March 29th to qualify the District for a parent report that contains YOUR valuable feedback.
Tap through to survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois and click "Parent Survey" to begin.
THANK YOU to all who participated in the CARING HEARTS CLASSROOM DONATION DRIVE! If you still have items to bring in, please drop them off with the teacher or at the school office by Wednesday, March 20th.
Arrival & Dismissal
Please help us keep our students, staff, families, and visitors safe by following our arrival and dismissal safety reminders.
McCRACKEN DATES
Spectator Guidelines
We are excited to host and participate in Little 9 Conference sporting events! Please review behavior expectations for students, families, and visitors.
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, Cheese Sandwich. Kosher meals available on request: All Beef Hot Dog, Cheese Sandwich. Due to supply chain delays, Halal chicken sandwich is temporarily unavailable. 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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