The Meyer Back-to-School Night will take place on Thursday, September 18th at Meyer School. Your child's classroom teacher will hold a teacher session with important information about the classroom, and the principal, Dr. Helen Wei, will share information about Meyer School in the all-school principal’s session. This is an adults-only event.

We will provide childcare for a limited number of children, age 1 year and older, during the event. Reservations for childcare are required. Please fill out THIS FORM by Friday, September 12th to reserve a spot for your child. Due to staffing and space issues, we are not able to provide childcare during the event for children without a reservation.

Please follow the schedules below:

PRESCHOOL parents/guardians attend 6:00-7:00 p.m.

• 6:00-6:30 Preschool Teacher Sessions (classrooms)
• 6:30-7:00 Principal’s Session (Gym)

KINDERGARTEN parents/guardians attend 6:30-7:30 p.m.  

• 6:30-7:00 Principal’s Session (Gym)
• 7:00-7:30 Kindergarten Teacher Sessions (classrooms)

Please see the FLYER for details. We look forward to seeing you there!

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL REMINDERS: Please remember that if you are dropping off your child in the car lane, do not come down Saint Louis. This causes back ups for other drop-off/pick-up plans. You must enter the drop-off/pick-up lane from Trumbull (while Kimball is under construction) and turn onto Madison from Trumbull.

Cars will be directed to turn through the line and go around if you come down Saint Louis and try to enter the drop off line. 

Thank you for your understanding and help as we work to ensure all students are able to drop off and pick up at school safely and on time!

McCRACKEN BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT is scheduled on Thursday, September 11th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Families will have the opportunity to come to McCracken to view administrative and grade level presentations from advisory and content area teachers. Some of the topics reviewed will include team practices, contact information, curriculum guidelines, grading practices, and academic support available for students at McCracken. Teachers and staff are looking forward to sharing important information with families and forming positive partnerships to support their child’s academic and social and emotional learning and growth. 

This SCHEDULE will be followed during the program. Our evening starts with a 15-minute welcome presentation for all visitors in the gym and then continues with grade level presentations during posted times. There will also be special classes programming information and displays in the MPR and a scrolling video presentation in the McCracken Learning Center. Families can select and attend the sessions that best fit their schedule and child. We hope you enjoy this time to connect with staff and the community while getting comfortable moving around the building!

The PreACT 8/9 will be administered by District 219 on Saturday, November 1st at Niles North High School. Students will be assigned to a morning (8:00-11:30) or afternoon (12:00-3:30) session. In addition to serving as one data source for placing students into 9th grade courses, the PreACT 8/9 helps to identify which skills to nurture and support for continued success through high school and beyond. More importantly, it identifies areas where students excel, allowing students to explore pathways they may not have otherwise considered. 

Individualized test sessions for each student will be sent by Niles North High School to McCracken 8th grade families and shared with building administration and 8th grade teachers so families can plan accordingly. Students will take the test using a Chromebook provided by District 219. McCracken staff work directly with District 219 to ensure any IEP/504/EL testing accommodations are in place for students.

Please reach out to Christine Gonzales, D219 Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, at [email protected] or 847-626-3870 if you have questions or would like additional information. The ACT Website has several resources about the PreACT 8/9. Please review this letter from D219 for additional information.

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 your student up for one of our great extracurricular clubs or activities at McCracken! Review the MC Extracurricular Activities 2025-2026 Slideshow for more information. Updated registration and fee information will be available in mid-September. More information will be shared with families soon!

Remember to check with the nurse to be sure we have a copy of your current physical and athletic permit, which are required for tryouts. Students will not be allowed to participate in tryouts without all of the required forms submitted. School nurses will also accept an Illinois state physical form or sports physical form, both of which are available through a physician. Please review the required health forms on our website’s Health Services page. Payment should be submitted to school offices after tryouts.

McCracken offers an activity bus for our students who participate in after-school activities. Some important notes about our activity bus:

• The activity bus runs every day after school.
• On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the activity bus boards at 3:55 p.m. in the bus alley.
• On Tuesday (early 2:00 p.m. release day), the activity bus boards at 3:00 p.m. in the bus alley.
• The activity bus runs a limited route that will differ from the morning and afternoon routes and stops. Families can view the stops HERE. All students riding the activity bus need to know what stop is the closest and best stop for them. Students should review this route plan with their families before riding the activity bus.
• Many of our clubs/activities end at 3:55 p.m. Some of our activities run beyond 3:55 p.m. and students participating in these activities should not plan to take the activity bus home. Please arrange for alternate transportation home.
• There is an annual $25 Activity Bus Fee for students to ride the activity bus. Payment is due no later than October 15th. Payments can be made through RevTrak. Once the payment has been received, students will receive an activity bus pass.