The Weekly - March 3, 2023

Teachers, families, and students across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of our schools. 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 one for each school.

Your participation in the parent 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 our official school designation at Middleton and McCracken, which is reported on the yearly Illinois School Report Card. If at least 20 percent of families complete this survey, a supplemental report will be generated for each school and will be publicly available. This will allow us to access your valuable feedback.

The 2023 Caring Hearts Classroom Donation Drive continues through March 17th. Click a link below to see the wish lists from teachers and staff at each school. The lists include items that can be donated to the classroom such as markers, glue sticks, pens, books, games, gift cards, and more.

Meyer
Middleton
McCracken

Teachers continue adding to their lists, so please check back often to see new wishes!

See the Caring Hearts Parent & Guardian Flyer for more information about this year's Drive.

Get hungry! The McCracken Middle School Bands invite us all to dine with Dengeos on Thursday, March 9th. Show the attached flyer or mention McCracken Middle School Bands during payment and Dengeos will donate 20% of the cost of your meal to our district band program.

If you'll be at Dengeos for dinner, stop by McCracken Middle School afterward for the Middleton Beginner Band concerts at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the gym. Scroll down and check the Middleton section of The Weekly for details!

Skokie School District 73.5 waives school fees for eligible families. A "waiver" means that students will not be charged registration fees, school activity/club fees, or field trip fees. A fee waiver application must be completed to receive a waiver, and only one application is required per year. If you have any questions concerning fee waiver eligibility or the application process please contact Karen Hayes in the Business Office at [email protected] or by phone at 847-676-8317.

7th Grade Camp MacLean Information

Camp MacLean will be here before you know it! The 7th grade team is gearing up for our return to Camp MacLean in Burlington, Wisconsin on May 17th-19th. The purpose of the Camp MacLean trip is to provide our students with an outdoor education experience that promotes both team building and independence. Ms. Fagan handed out hard copies of the interest form through her social studies classes this week and we also sent home an electronic version via email that included the survey and a payment link ($211). Our first parent information night was via Zoom on February 9th. Talk with your student about attending this great trip and complete the survey by April 7th! Reach out to 7th grade teachers or Marty Behm with any questions.

8th Grade Graduation Pictures
Retakes on March 16th

Our 8th grade students participated in graduation pictures taken on Wednesday, February 1st at McCracken. One photo was taken in a purple graduation gown (provided by Lifetouch) and the other in their chosen dress clothes. When the photos are processed, Lifetouch will then send the proofs to the school to be distributed to students and families. Parents/guardians will have an opportunity to review the pictures and order any preferred photos from the delivered proof package. Payment will be due to Lifetouch when families select their preferred photos online. Picture retakes are scheduled to take place on March 16th only for students who missed picture day or are not satisfied with their original picture. Please see this flyer from Lifetouch for more information.

8th Grade End of the Year Event
Saturday, May 20th

McCracken PTO, in collaboration with parents and staff, will host an 8th grade end of the year event at McCracken Middle School on Saturday, May 20th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Please complete this form if you are interested in helping to plan this fun celebratory event with other 8th grade parents and guardians. We need assistance with decorations, food, games, supervision, fundraising, and more. Thank you in advance for helping to make sure our graduates receive the sendoff they deserve!

Extracurricular Programming

Here at McCracken, we are proud to offer a variety of student athletic and enrichment programs. These programs allow students to exercise their strengths, tackle areas of growth, and socialize with peers. Be sure to sign up your student for one of our great extracurricular activities clubs or activities! Review the 2022 Extracurricular Slideshow (with videos and important links) and Brochure for information, registration links, and the payment link (for a small number of activities).

Outdoor Recess Weather Reminder

Students participate in outdoor recess throughout the school year, unless there is a significant weather-related or other external factor that necessitates an indoor program. Here at McCracken, we use the Child Care Weather Watch system to determine students’ participation in outdoor recess. This guide uses a combination of temperature and wind speed to calculate year-round weather safety for our students. Thank you, in advance, for helping to ensure that your child is prepared with appropriate outerwear for recess so that they are comfortable during our outdoor programming! Families in need of outerwear for their child should contact administration for additional resources.

Student Arrival and Dismissal Reminders

Please drive slowly and carefully when picking up or dropping off students.
6th Grade parents dropping off by Door 12 should pull all the way over to the curb on the right and quickly and safely allow their child to exit the vehicle so other cars can continue to Circle Drive. Please use your hazards to alert cars behind you.
Please do not make U-turns on East Prairie. Use the McCracken Circle Drive to turn around.
Students cannot cross the Circle Drive in front of cars to get into a vehicle parked on the street. Drivers must pull into the Circle Drive to maintain safety and drop off in the right lane only.
Students must cross the intersection of Crawford and Oakton assisted by our crossing guards for their safety. Students are not allowed to cross East Prairie and Oakton without an adult before or after school.
Please be sure to communicate with your child about their after-school plans before school. Are they walking home, taking the bus, or staying after school for sports or a club?

Congratulations to Our Middleton Artists!

In honor of Youth Arts Month, the Skokie Fine Arts Commission is sponsoring the SOAR (Student Outstanding Artist Recognition) annual student art show at Oakton Community College. The exhibition is open to the public until April 3, 2023. Hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Oakton Community College is located at 7701 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie (enter through Door 21).

Kids Heart Challenge

During the month of March, Middleton Physical Education is teaming up with the American Heart Association to take on the Kids Heart Challenge! This challenge will be held during students' scheduled P.E. times and ALL students will participate. Students will be introduced to various health and wellness topics while participating in activities to learn more about them. Meet the Heart Heroes below and the importance they have!

The program is free! We encourage students to register and take the Kids Heart Challenge! To do this please register on heart.org/KHC. Our goal is to have 75% of students register online! Need help registering, follow these steps.

In addition, there are some optional fundraising opportunities for students. Students who choose to raise money for the Kids Heart Challenge will be given thank you gifts from the American Heart Association. Fundraising can be done online by registering on heart.org/KHC.

For any questions please contact one of the P.E. teachers and they will be happy to help!

Diane McWherter: [email protected]
Katie Chalmers: [email protected]
Tim Peng: [email protected]

Middleton Beginner Band Concerts

It is our pleasure to invite you and your guests to attend the Middleton Beginner Band Concerts on Thursday, March 9th in the McCracken Middle School Gymnasium. With two beginner bands this year, we will be dividing the evening into two separate performances:

6:30 p.m. - 4th Grade Beginner Band
7:30 p.m. - 5th Grade Beginner Band

We expect both concerts to last approximately 45 minutes. We continue to be very thrilled with the overall progress of both Beginner Bands!

Preschool Program 2023-2024

Preschool registration for the 2023-2024 school year opens on Monday, March 6th for District 73.5 residents and on Friday, March 10th for non-residents.

We will be adding two more preschool classrooms to our program for the 2023-2024 school year. One of these new classrooms will have two half-day sections and the other will offer a full-day program.

The Skokie Park District will continue to offer the SPACE Extended Preschool program for half-day students who need a full day of care, as well as the late SPACE section from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m.

If you have neighbors and friends who have children turning 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1, 2023, please help us spread the word!

Caring Hearts Donation Drive

The parent-run Caring Hearts Classroom Donation Drive is back to help the incredible District 73.5 teachers. Show your appreciation and support by fulfilling our teachers’ wish lists for various classroom items such as markers, glue sticks, pens, books, games, gift cards, and more. The drive runs through March 17th. Please see Meyer’s wish lists for possible donation options. Donations can be brought to school, dropped off to the main office, or shipped to the school or teacher. Thank you in advance for your support!