On TUESDAY, MARCH 17th, all Skokie School District 73.5 schools will be used as election polling places, and the buildings will be open to the public. As a result, all district students will have remote learning. Your child’s classroom teacher sent home a hard copy of the Choice Board of activities in your child’s backpack. Please feel free to share photos of your activities with your child’s classroom teacher through Seesaw, although this is not required. All Meyer staff members will be available to respond to questions via Seesaw and/or email throughout the day on March 17th. You can expect an immediate response from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. Feel free to reach out with any questions!

We have many items in the MEYER LOST AND FOUND! If you see any items that belong to you, please contact the Meyer Office at 847-673-1223 or [email protected], and we will send the item home with your child. Any remaining items will be donated to Goodwill over Spring Break.

Meyer continued Friendship Day playtimes last week. Preschool and Kindergarten classes were paired up for a combined playtime to promote kindness, taking turns, sharing toys, and being kind to one another.

An informance is a way to inform parents of what a typical music class is like. It is similar to a performance in that there is an audience, but instead of rehearsing set pieces, the students demonstrate what they do during music class. The setting is smaller and more intimate than a larger performance. Parents/guardians see first-hand how their child experiences music at Meyer School! Each student may invite up to 2 guests to attend, as seating is limited.

Middleton Bulldogs had our Champs Trimester 2 assembly today, March 13th! We started by reviewing our Bulldog Expectations, followed by a “Do you know your teachers?” game, and then staff versus student "Minute to Win it" games! Students who earned Pride Paws for being respectful, responsible, and ready these past weeks had the option to enter their pride paw in a drawing to be selected to represent students in the Minute to Win it challenges. We had a great time celebrating our accomplishments in Trimester 2. Watch for photos in next week’s Weekly!

March is underway, and so is Middleton School’s March Madness Book Bracket! All classes are reading the books featured in this challenge, selected by our Middleton librarian, Ms. Glaser. Each week, classes read two of the books and vote for their favorite. Last week, we kicked off the book tournament by reading The Yellow Bus by Loren Long and That’s Not My Name by Anoosha Syed. That’s Not My Name was the winner! This week we read How to Grow a Family Tree by Bea Birdsong and Broken by X. Fang. Students will vote by today, and we’ll announce the winner on Monday! We can’t wait to see which book WINS the Middleton March Madness Book Bracket!

At Middleton Elementary, students have worked all year on Being Respectful, Being Responsible, and Being Ready. An important part of being a member of a community is recognizing our own emotions. This week, students may notice two helpful tools posted throughout the halls at Middleton: the Zones of Regulation and an Emotion Wheel. These visuals help children recognize what they’re feeling, find the words to name emotions, and choose strategies to manage big feelings in a safe, respectful way.

McCRACKEN MUSIC UPDATES! The 8th Grade Singers traveled to Northwestern to work with a class of music education students. The Northwestern students rehearsed with our choir, and then our students received a tour of Northwestern's gorgeous music facilities before enjoying a pizza lunch on their way back to school. The students and professors at Northwestern were really impressed by our singers' beautiful vocal tone and their responsiveness to coaching in their sessions! We are very proud of them.

The 7th Grade Singers, 8th Grade Singers, Hornet Harmony, and Symphonic Band also performed at the IGSMA Organization Contest this past weekend. All four groups earned Division 1 ratings, which qualifies them for the State competition in April! Congratulations to all of our talented musicians and directors!

Our 7th grade students and 7th grade teacher chaperons will be making their annual trip to Camp MacLean in Burlington, Wisconsin this spring from MAY 13th-15th! The purpose of the Camp MacLean trip is to provide our students with an outdoor educational experience that promotes both team-building and independence. It is our goal that all 7th grade students attend this important trip! Registration is officially open! If your student is planning on attending, please complete the registration form linked HERE that includes parent/guardian contact information, medical forms, and payment information for the $236 fee. All registration and payments are due by APRIL 17, 2026. If you have any questions regarding financial assistance, please contact Gay Kanda at [email protected] or 847-676-8459.

McCracken Student Council invites all students to the Spring Hornet Hangout! Students will be transported to Paris with our Springtime in Paris theme. The hangout will take place on FRIDAY, MARCH 20th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the McCracken Gym. Students present in school for at least half of the school day may attend the Hangout. Please remember that students are expected to adhere to all school rules and policies when attending any school-sponsored functions. Students are allowed to bring cell phones, but they may only be used for photos during the Hangout. Videos or social media posts are not allowed during the hangout. In order to enter the hangout, students must arrive at 5:30 p.m. and leave promptly at 7:00 p.m. There will be snacks, drinks, and pizza for sale! Everything will be $1 or $2. Admission is $3 at the door (everything is cash only). Students must have a plan for how they will get home, which includes a ride home with a parent/guardian, family member, or another known adult. For safety reasons, students are not permitted to walk home from this evening event. All students must submit a SIGNED PERMISSION SLIP upon entry to the event.

Due to the scheduled elections, all Skokie School District 73.5 students will participate in e-Learning on TUESDAY, MARCH 17th. McCracken Middle School students are expected to attend advisory on Zoom at 8:00 a.m. Teachers will take attendance and review the McCracken remote learning schedule and expectations for the day. McCracken students and families can expect to receive grade level reminder emails with teacher links and resources on the evening of MONDAY, MARCH 16th and the morning of TUESDAY, MARCH 17th.

Spring Break is two weeks away, and we are supporting all of our McCracken Middle School students in consistently following school-wide academic and behavior expectations. Students who do not receive behavior referrals between MARCH 10th and MARCH 27th will be entered into a raffle to win fun prizes, which will be distributed at our Hornet Hive PBIS Student Assembly on FRIDAY, MARCH 27th! Thank you for reinforcing the importance of students displaying respectful, responsible, and ready behaviors at school and during school-sponsored events.

In an effort to support the SEL needs of our students, we have continued our partnership with an outside organization named PAWS FOR PATRICK. This organization provides the opportunity for students to spend time with a therapy dog during their recess period during the school day. If you are not familiar, a therapy dog is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people in various settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, schools, libraries, disaster areas, etc. PAWS FOR PATRICK is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting young people with emotional support animals and therapy dogs in order to support students with their mental health. Students who expressed interest and completed the form will participate in these special visits on MONDAY, MARCH 16th. Thank you to our Student Support Team for coordinating this opportunity at McCracken!

The McCracken Social Justice Club has been busy with their McCracken Market fundraisers! Students held a used book sale in March and are preparing for a handmade craft sale in APRIL. Proceeds will help the club support our community through partnerships with three local organizations: The Niles Township Food Pantry, District 73.5 Community Safe Passage & Mutual Aid, and Connections for the Homeless. Any students who would like to be involved are encouraged to connect with Mrs. Gammeri. Stay tuned for more McCracken Market updates!

The SD73.5 PTO and 8th Grade Parent Committee will be hosting an 8th Grade End of the Year Celebration on FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at McCracken.

To make the end-of-year festivities memorable for every student, we’re inviting our parent community to partner with the SD73.5 PTO and 8th Grade Parent Committee in one (or more!) meaningful ways. See this letter from the PTO for more details!

The McCracken 8th grade Class of 2026 families recently received communication regarding graduation activities and events. We hope families and students were able to attend the Niles North Curriculum Night event. Please watch for further communication from both McCracken Middle School and Niles North High School throughout the school year. Below you will see a link to a copy of the letter we sent home and some important dates and events.

REMINDER: Please submit the required information and orders for your child's graduation this year. If you have already completed the registration, you may disregard. This information was due by FEBRUARY 26, 2026. (Click here to submit).

► 8th GRADE GRADUATION PARENT/GUARDIAN LETTER JANUARY 2026

Upcoming 8th Grade Important Dates

• PTO Portillo’s 8th Grade Fundraiser ~ THURSDAY, MARCH 19th
• PTO Panera 8th Grade Fundraiser ~ THURSDAY, APRIL 16th
• 8th Grade End of the Year Celebration ~ FRIDAY, MAY 22nd from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• McCracken 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony ~ THURSDAY, MAY 28th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Niles North High School. We expect the ceremony to start promptly at 6:00 p.m. and last approximately 1–1 1/2 hours.