Please save the date for Meyer’s Family Fun Night, scheduled for Thursday, January 22nd from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. Meyer staff will lead fun learning activities you can do as a whole family. We hope you can join us!

HAPPY WINTER BREAK! On behalf of the Middleton Staff, we wish you a happy, healthy, and safe Winter Break and a Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing our Middleton Bulldogs back at school on Monday, January 5, 2025.

THANKS FOR ALL THE SWEETS! Many Middleton families surprised us with holiday goodies this week. We appreciate everyone’s thoughtfulness and thoroughly enjoyed the treats.

In this section of The Weekly, you’ll find helpful tips, simple strategies to try at home, and information about the SEL focus areas we’re working on at school. Our goal is to partner with families in nurturing skills like empathy, resilience, and problem-solving—so students feel confident and connected both in the classroom and beyond. We look forward to learning and growing together!

One way we practice responsibility is by helping students learn to manage their feelings, which includes recognizing and naming emotions. This skill supports our 1st–5th graders as they handle classroom challenges, work well with others, and grow confidence in making positive choices. 

A STRATEGY TO PRACTICE: "PAUSE, NAME, CHOOSE"

To help students manage frustration—whether it’s working through a tricky math problem, a disagreement with a friend, or a challenging transition—here is one simple strategy you can try at home:

1. PAUSE
Take a slow breath to give your body and brain a moment to settle.

2. NAME THE FEELING
“I feel frustrated.” “I feel stuck.” “I feel nervous.”
Naming a feeling helps students recognize what is happening inside them.

3. CHOOSE A HELPFUL ACTION. Examples include:

• trying the problem again
• asking for help
• using a classroom calm-down tool
• taking a short break and returning to the task

By practicing these skills each day, our students are building the foundation they need to be thoughtful decision-makers and responsible classmates. We are excited to continue partnering with families as our learners grow in confidence, independence, and resilience!

During STEAM class in 5th grade, students are often challenged to think about how their problem-solving can impact a community. Through engineering, robotics, and 3D printing, students are tasked throughout the year to identify problems to solve within the school community.

This year, Mrs. Anderson was looking for figures to use in a Drama class activity in which 3rd-5th grade students planned out their blocking for a scene. Our 5th grade classes were able to design figures using TinkerCad and 3D print them to help the Drama room. Students each created a fun and unique figure that could be used by all students and make an impact in the drama room!

Students and staff at McCracken had multiple productive weeks leading up to winter break. Our students participated in winter benchmark testing to allow teachers to check in on progress toward meeting academic goals and standards. In addition, our successful winter season of girls’ basketball concluded. Cheerleading tryouts/clinics and boys basketball tryouts will be held the week we return from winter break.

Our Winter Orchestra, 7th/8th grade Choirs, and Symphonic Band concerts were held at Niles North High School this week. Students showcased all they have learned this year with families and visitors and put on a fantastic performance. Our Concert Band also performed last week with the 5th grade band at McCracken. We are extremely proud of all of our talented students!

We are so proud of all 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 Monday, January 5, 2026!

On Monday, January 19th, McCracken will hold the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. 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 inside the school. Students who are volunteering need to complete this permission slip, which they can pick up outside of room 222. The permission slip must be turned in by Friday, January 16th. Bus transportation will not be provided for this event. Laura Williams is the organizer of this event. Please reach out with any questions. Should there be a weather-related incident that would necessitate the cancellation of this event, Ms. Williams would communicate directly with students and families of students who turned in completed permission slips.

Consistent attendance to school is directly linked to higher academic achievement and high school graduation rates. Students can begin to struggle academically when they miss several days of school. Learning continues within the classroom across content areas. Although teachers do their best to help support students catch up when they return, there is no substitute for instruction and learning experiences inside the classroom. Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful, and on track to graduation. We understand students and families experience illness as well as unexpected emergencies, which qualify as excused absences. Please review the difference between excused and unexcused absences and do your best to promote the importance of showing up to school on time each school day with your child.

What can families do to support good attendance?

Promote healthy student behaviors 

• Maintain a regular bedtime and morning routine throughout the week.
• Ensure students eat a good breakfast every morning. McCracken serves breakfast for students beginning at 7:30 a.m. 
• Ensure your children get regular check-ups with their medical provider. 
• Practice thorough handwashing, particularly before and after eating, and after using the restroom. 
• Reinforce the importance of avoiding close contact with individuals who are sick, and not sharing cups and/or utensils with others. 
• If your children seem anxious about going to school, ask teachers or administration, the school nurse, a member of the Student Support Team (SST), and/or your medical provider for advice. 

See additional McCracken Attendance Reminders HERE!

COLD WEATHER IS HERE TO STAY! Please make sure your middle school students are dressed for the weather conditions each school day. Students may need to wait outdoors for a short time during arrival and dismissal and any extracurricular activities. When we experience extreme temperatures with below-zero wind chills in the morning we will bring students into the building starting at 7:30 a.m. (band students enter at 7:00 a.m. on rehearsal days). Students remain in the lobby and Learning Center until the 7:50 a.m. bell rings. Students who participate in extracurricular activities indicate they will take the bus, walk home, or get picked up. Please ensure that you discuss and clearly communicate those transportation plans and arrive promptly to pick up your child, especially during winter weather conditions. Students are not allowed to remain inside the school building after school hours unsupervised.

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. Skokie 73.5 follows the Child Care Weather Watch chart to determine whether the temperature and wind chill are safe for outdoor recess. If the temperature with wind chill feels like 15 degrees or warmer, and conditions outdoors are safe, students will go outside. Thank you 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.

We believe that every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued at school. Creating an inclusive and welcoming environment is essential and includes maintaining learning spaces free from hate speech and bullying. When students feel safe, they are better able to focus on learning, build positive relationships, and thrive academically and socially. Preventive programming is in place at McCracken to support positive peer relationships at school. We have listed a few of these programs HERE and ask for your partnership in reinforcing the importance of kindness, respect, and acceptance at home, helping us to ensure that our school remains a place where all students can feel safe and reach their full potential.

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 here at McCracken! Please access the McCracken Extracurricular Brochure HERE.