News and information from our district and schools
Scroll to view District updates and news from Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken!
NOVEMBER 1, 2024
Scan the QR code or text YES to 67587 to receive mobile messages from Skokie73.5
DISTRICT UPDATES
BILINGUAL PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC)
The Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) serves as a liaison between Skokie73.5, parents, and the community. All parents of students enrolled in our Bilingual Education Program are invited to become members. The BPAC meets four times a year. The first meeting was held on Wednesday, October 30 via ZOOM. Below are the meeting dates for the 2024-2025 school year:
- Wednesday, November 13, 2024, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Skokie Public Library
- Wednesday, February 5, 2025, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Middleton Elementary School: Assyrian Literacy
- Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at McCracken Middle School: Spanish Literacy
- Wednesday, April 9, 2025, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Meyer School: Urdu Literacy
MESSAGE FROM YOUR SKOKIE 73.5 NURSES
We encourage students' daily attendance at school and understand that, at times, your child may show symptoms of illness. Please refer to this chart on the Health Services web page for a guide to symptoms, illnesses, and how to decide whether your child should go to school.
FACILITIES PLANNING
Skokie School District 73.5 is addressing significant challenges posed by aging facilities that no longer meet our goals and needs. In response, we are developing a long-term facility improvement plan. Please visit the the Facilities & Infrastructure Plan section of our website for more information, background documents, and updates as they are published.
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS
School board candidates can begin petition circulation for the April 1, 2025, Consolidated Election. The first day petitions can be filed is Tuesday, November 12, 2024, and the last day to file is Monday, November 18, 2024.
Tap the calendar or check our Board of Education Announcements for links to the IASB news release, key dates, and more.
GET TO KNOW THE PTO!
Visit district735pto.org and get to know your PTO!
Questions about this calendar or events? Please email [email protected].
AROUND TOWN
Village of Skokie newsletter
Skokie Public Library newsletter
NTDSE Events in the Community newsletter
Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend!
Daylight Saving Time ends on the first Sunday in November. This year, that's November 3. Remember to set your clocks, coffeemakers, and appliances back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night or at 2:00 a.m on Sunday (whichever comes first!).
Are you curious to learn more about Daylight Saving Time? Check out this video from our friends up the street at Skokie Public Library!
DISTRICT DATES
Thank you to all our families who donated pairs of new socks during Socktober. We collected 1,223 pairs of socks to donate to the Niles Township Clothing Closet! We hope our Shining Stars learned that if everyone pitches in, we can really make a difference together. We’re thankful for everyone’s generosity! Special thanks to the Siemens Family for their generous donation of 200 pairs of socks!
Thank you so much to our Meyer Parent Leaders, who planned and hosted Socktoberfest on Thursday, October 24. The event was a success! We are very grateful to all of our families and McCracken students who volunteered to donate supplies, set up, lead games and activities, and clean up. Special thanks to parents/guardians Balikis Davies, Zulaikha Qasim, Jennifer Schuster, Jennifer Ward, Lilia Andreeva, Nicole Brennan, José Pedro Cruz, Lindsey Siemens, Iqra Mehreen, Margaret Page, Melissa Sumulong, Milena Yablonsky, Brian O'Toole, Sarita Molina, Kaitlyn Chenevert, Sumaya Noush, Jenny Ross, and Diane McWherter.
Thank you to all our Meyer families who were able to attend and celebrate Socktober as a community!
FALL CLASSROOM CELEBRATIONS
Meyer Shining Stars will have a fall celebration in their classrooms on Friday, November 22. Your child’s classroom teacher will provide more information about their plans for this celebration as the date approaches. Thank you for your support of our community and for your help in making our district a welcoming and inclusive place!
GRATITUDE TREE
Help us celebrate our gratitude this month, by filling the Meyer Gratitude Tree! Next week, we will send home a leaf-shaped paper with your child, for them to write or draw what your family is thankful for. Please send the leaf back to your child’s teacher throughout the month of November, so that we can include this on our tree! If you need another leaf, please contact your child’s teacher.
PBIS FAMILY CONNECTIONS
This week we are working on “raising your hand” at school. Students raise their hands at school to take turns sharing our thoughts and so we don’t interrupt one another.
At home try having your child rest their hand on your arm to signify they have something to say when you are involved in conversation with someone else. It’s okay to say, “please wait” or “give me a minute to finish talking,” before giving them your attention. You can also place your hand over theirs to show them you see and hear them as a non-verbal gesture. To help your child learn about this, you can watch this Bluey video together!
EMERGENCY CLOTHING FOR FALL WEATHER
At the beginning of the school year, we asked every student to bring a complete spare set of clothing to keep at school in case of an emergency. With cooler weather upon us, the extra clothing in your child’s locker may no longer be warm enough for our current temperatures. Please send extra fall clothing, as needed, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks, and underwear, clearly marked with your child’s name. Thank you!
UNICORN MATH & SCIENCE ACTIVITY WITH MRS. NAHHAS
MEYER DATES
MEYER SUPERSTARS
Ms. Solomon's & Ms. Hallerduff's Kindergarten Superstars
Ms. Chen's Preschool Superstars
PICTURE DISCOUNT!
THIS JUST IN: Lifetouch is offering a 10% discount on school picture orders through July 31, 2025. Use code F202410OFF to receive the discount when placing your order!
Thank you to the families, staff, and students for your efforts and support in making the 2024-2025 5th Grade White Pines trip such a success! Students explored the outdoors, rode horses, and strengthened friendships.
DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER
As we enter November and December, the weather will continue to become colder. Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather, including a hat, gloves, and sufficiently warm coat when appropriate. In addition, having an extra pair of pants and socks at school can be helpful when it gets wet and muddy outside. Thank you!
MIDDLETON PICTURE RETAKES
All Middleton students who were not able to take pictures in October will be able to participate in retakes on Wednesday, November 13. Please complete the form and bring it to school or pre-order using the information below. Families may pre-purchase picture packages online by going to mylifetouch.com and entering the Picture Day ID code EVT737JMK. Students may also bring the provided provided form with payment on the day of Picture Day.
THIS JUST IN: Lifetouch is offering a 10% discount on school picture orders through July 31, 2025. Use code F202410OFF to receive the discount when placing your order!
4th & 5th GRADE MUSICAL: PARENT MEETING
There will be a parent informational meeting for the 4th-5th Grade Middleton Musical on Wednesday November 20 from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Middleton Cafeteria. We hope to see you there! Please see this flyer for more information!
MIDDLETON BIKE SURVEY
The Middleton Bike survey closed at 3:00 p.m. today. Thank you for your input! We will take this feedback into account as we plan next action steps.
Rehearsals continue for this year’s McCracken Musical, Newsies Jr.! Special thanks to all of our students and our Musical Director, Ms. Amy Keipert, for her planning and organization. We also recognize Ms. Kate Magnuson as the Musical Producer and Ms. Sally Alvarado as the Musical Manager. We are looking forward to the final performances scheduled to take place on Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16! Ticket sales went live on October 28. All tickets can be purchased through this Vanco Events link and are available to purchase online until Thursday, November 14.
FUTURES UNLIMITED
Oakton College’s Futures Unlimited is an annual daylong program that introduces 8th grade female and gender-expansive students to the world of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) – inspiring them to explore new interests and pursue their passions. Students participate in several hands-on labs and sessions throughout the day of the December 17 field trip and lunch is provided. Students were provided with a signup form that was due today, November 1. Students who opted to participate, along with McCracken staff, will attend the field trip to Oakton on December 17.
HORNET HANGOUT
Get excited for McCracken's FALL HORNET HANGOUT! We'll get together on November 8 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for the McCracken Hornet Hangout with the theme "Under The Stars." We'll have games, snacks, music, and dancing in the McCracken gym and hallways. All McCracken students are welcome to attend! Admission is $2 per student and we'll hand out mandatory permission slips through student advisory classrooms beginning the week before the Hangout.
PICTURE RETAKES
All McCracken students who were not able to take pictures on October 3 can participate in retakes on Thursday, November 14. Please complete the form and bring it to school or pre-order using the information below. Families may pre-purchase picture packages online at mylifetouch.com and enter the Picture Day ID code EVTNQ3SBZ. Students may also bring the provided form with payment on the day of Picture Day. Please click HERE for the RETAKE DAY flyer and QR code.
THIS JUST IN: Lifetouch is offering a 10% discount on school picture orders through July 31, 2025. Use code F202410OFF to receive the discount when placing your order!
8th GRADE INFORMATION
SAVE THE DATES! 8th Grade Class of 2025 Events
- PSAT Assessment: Saturday, October 26
- Graduation Pictures: Thursday, January 30, 2025
- 8th Grade End of Year Celebration: Friday, May 16, 2025
- 8th Grade Graduation: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Families will receive more specific communication about graduation events in December
McCRACKEN DATES
McCRACKEN GAMES
District Priorities
WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT. We will welcome and engage staff, students, families and community members in our schools.
HIRING & RETENTION. We will recruit, hire, and retain a diverse workforce and improve our human resource processes, procedures, and materials.
INFRASTRUCTURE & FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. All financial decisions and investments will meet the needs of our diverse learners and staff and promote academic and social growth. We will provide a safe, inclusive, flexible, and innovative space for teaching, learning, and growing.
TEACHING & LEARNING. All students will engage in learning experiences that are cohesive and articulated across PreK-8, flexibly designed to engage all learners and leading to rigorous outcomes for all. We will be a future-focused, real-world learning environment that is responsive, accessible, and meaningful for all. We will become a model district on the use of data for making instructional, curriculum, and programmatic decisions.
Equity Mission Statement
WE BELIEVE that inclusivity and belonging is the foundation for equity.
ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN, at high achievement levels, when equity is infused into every aspect of education.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE the systemic inequities present in school systems and recognize the impact they continue to have on marginalized communities.
WE COMMIT to teaching, learning, and growing in order to identify and dismantle inequitable systems and to create a community where barriers are removed so that everyone can reach their full potential.
WE BELIEVE that students succeed when they can see themselves represented in our staff, curriculum, opportunities, and our shared environment. We accomplish this through professional development, curriculum revision, community engagement, and systems evaluations.
WE RECOGNIZE the need to teach our students to identify the origins of unjust systems and empower them to use their critical thinking skills and agency to responsibly disrupt the policies and practices that perpetuate inequalities.
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.