On Wednesday, we kicked off Meyer’s Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) with our preschoolers and kindergartners. Meyer Shining Stars follow Mr. Mac rules that help us to Be Safe, Be Kind, and Be Ready. Classrooms may earn a Meyer red paper star, when the class is showing positive behaviors and following classroom and school rules. At the end of each week, we count up the Meyer stars earned in every classroom, and one preschool and one kindergarten classroom earn the Meyer SuperStar to keep in their classrooms for the week.

We are currently practicing “eyes are watching.” You may consider asking your child the following questions:

• Do you have a Star Student bracelet? What does it mean?
• When should you have your eyes watching at school?
• Why is it important to have your eyes watching when your teacher is talking?
• When should you have eyes watching at home?
• Why is it important to have your eyes watching when a grown up at home is telling you something important?
• What does “eyes are watching” look like? Can you show me the motion?

Meyer Fall Enrichment classes for kindergartners will run from September 24 to December 5, 2024. We still have spots available in some classes. Those with low enrollment may be cancelled:

• Yoga For Kids - 14 spots available
• After School Sports and Games - 13 spots available
• iSTEAM: Time Travelers - 3 spots available
• Cheerleading - 12 spots available
• Li’l Masters with Young Rembrandts: Drawing - 7 spots available
• Bitty Ballers Basketball - 8 spots available
• Kiddie Workout -14 spots available
• Amazing Minds - 12 spots available
• Ballet/Hip-Hop Combo: Kaleidoscope Dance - 3 spots available

Click HERE to view the packet and register online by Monday, September 23! For help with registration, please reach out to the Meyer Front Office at [email protected] or Rachel Douglas, Meyer Enrichment Coordinator at [email protected].

During the month of October, Meyer School will celebrate Socktober. We will be collecting new socks to be donated to the Niles Township Clothing Closet. Students can bring in new socks of any size, which will be donated at the end of the month. Last year, we donated over 1,000 pairs of socks!

We want to show our Meyer Shining Stars that even the smallest acts of love, like donating a pair of socks, can make a big difference in the lives of our neighbors, who are in need. We will begin collecting socks on Tuesday, October 1.

Students can also show their support by celebrating Wacky Socks Wednesdays! Get your wacky socks ready to wear on every Wednesday in October!

Meyer is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15. During Meyer’s daily announcements, our Shining Stars learn about an important Latinx American each day. So far, we have learned about artist Carmen Herrera, actor Jesse Corti, scientist Nicole Hernandez Hammer, and athlete Mariano Rivera.

Thank you so much to all the families and staff who attended Middleton’s Back to School Night on Wednesday! This rescheduled and slightly reimagined event is a testament to the flexibility of this community. We are so grateful for all of you!

If you were unable to attend, the administrator’s slides were similar to curriculum night, with a few additions. They can be found here: Middleton Back to School Night slides.

Middleton has collected 600 Pride Paws as a whole school…WOO HOO! Way to continue to grow as Respectful, Responsible, and Ready Bulldogs! We will be having our All School Pajama Party on Monday, September 23! All students are invited to wear pajamas and bring a stuffed animal that fits inside a backpack. Students should wear shoes to school, as we will still have outside recess and P.E. Great job, Bulldogs!

One of the many drills we practice as a school to stay safe is called an Evacuation Drill. In the event of an unsafe situation inside of Middleton or in the immediate vicinity, we may need to evacuate the building. Middleton’s evacuation site is McCracken Middle School. On Wednesday morning, September 25, the whole school will practice walking to McCracken, then walking back.

On Friday, September 27, McCracken will celebrate the All School Read during an end-of-the-day, in-person assembly. The celebration and assembly activities are built around the novel, Holes by Louis Sachar. The students will start in their advisories and engage in a virtual breakout room, requiring them to use their problem-solving and team-building skills. After “busting out,” all students will come to the gymnasium to participate in other activities based around the novel. We will run a modified schedule on this day. Thank you for encouraging your students to read and supporting our All School Read community event!

Last spring, McCracken Middle School submitted recordings for the Symphonic Band and Concert Band to the Foundation for Music Education's annual awards. While the Symphonic Band received the State Award, the 2023-2024 Concert Band earned the National Award for the 2024 Citation of Excellence — placing in the top six of all applying bands. Remarkably, McCracken is the only non-Texas band program (middle or high school) to ever receive this award. Even more impressive, the second bands at these Texas schools are composed of 7th and 8th graders (our Concert Band is made up of mostly 6th graders). Please join us in congratulating band director Mr. Cesar Mendoza on this outstanding achievement and recognition of his incredible work with our students! Visit the McCracken Band website to read more about this prestigious award.

Did you know McCracken has a Latinx student club? Ms. Alvarado sponsors this after-school club at McCracken Middle School. Latinx Club is a space for students to learn about, share, and celebrate Latinx and Hispanic heritage and culture. All students are welcome to join! Meeting dates are shared with students in daily announcements.

BuzzBot Robotics is an after-school academic team for students in all grade levels interested in designing, building, and programming their very own competition robots! Our BuzzBot teams design robots to compete in the Little 9 Competition Robot League. The McCracken BuzzBot coaches, Ms. Repp and Ms. Barrow, will teach students everything they need to know to build a winning robot. Students interested in signing up for the BuzzBot Robotics Team should complete this application, or see Ms. Repp for more information. The deadline for signups is next Friday, September 27.

The Robotics Open House scheduled for Saturday, September 21 has been canceled due to low interest. If you want to learn more about the BuzzBot program, this flyer has important information and dates to consider.