News and information from our district and schools
Scroll to view District updates and news from Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken!
NOVEMBER 8, 2024
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DISTRICT UPDATES
NATIONAL STEM/STEAM DAY
National STEM/STEAM Day was founded in 2015 as a way to inspire and encourage students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math. Today, November 8, we recognize our Skokie73.5 educators for bringing STEAM activities into our learning spaces. From robots, 3D printing, and coding in the classroom to makerspace activities in the library and robotics teams in the community, our educators are laying a foundation and creating opportunities for students of all ages to get excited about STEAM and pursue their interests. Please join us in celebrating our staff on this STEM/STEAM Day!
STUDENT SERVICES
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 next meeting is on Wednesday, November 13 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Skokie Public Library.
NTDSE invites parents to connect with other families whose children receive special education services at NTDSE or one of their member districts. The next meeting of the NTDSE Parent Group is on Tuesday, November 12 from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. and childcare is available. The topic is Processing Your Child’s Diagnosis/Sharing Your Child’s Diagnosis with Them. Sign up HERE. Additional meeting dates are available on this flyer.
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!
In-person at McCracken or online via Google Meet: meet.google.com/syn-ujom-mov
The PTO invites us all to a Chicago Wolves hockey game on Sunday, November 17 at 3:00 p.m. Buy tickets HERE.
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
DISTRICT DATES
Last Friday, kindergartners had an in-school field trip with Emily Oaks Nature Center. Kindergartners have been learning about the life cycle of plants, and Emily Oaks’s very own Ms. Cassie showed kindergarten students how to “plant” pumpkin seeds to create a pumpkin patch. At the end, all students received a small pumpkin to take home.
GRATITUDE TREE
Help us celebrate our gratitude this month, by filling the Meyer Gratitude Tree!
This week, we sent home a leaf-shaped paper with your child. As a family, write or draw what you are thankful for on the leaf and send it back to school with your child by Monday, November 18 so that we can include this on our tree!
If you need another leaf, please contact your child’s teacher.
PBIS FAMILY CONNECTIONS
Next week we will begin working on “body is calm” at school. When our bodies are calm, we keep our hands and feet to ourselves, our body is still, and our voice is quiet. When our bodies are calm, we are in the green zone and ready to learn!
At home, discuss what times it is expected to have a calm body; perhaps at the dinner table, reading a book before bedtime, while coloring a picture, or at the grocery store, library, or restaurant. Practice having a calm body during one of those activities. It’s okay to start small with 1-2 minutes and then try for longer amounts of time. Put on your own calming music to help your child practice having a calm body!
KINDERGARTEN VISION & HEARING SCREENINGS
The Meyer school nurse, Mrs. Katie Orleans, will be conducting hearing and vision screenings for all kindergarten students on Friday, November 15. Parents will be notified only if results require a follow up with an outside healthcare professional.
DRESSING FOR OUTDOOR RECESS
As we head into colder temperatures, please send students to school in a jacket and appropriate outerwear for outdoor recess.
You may also want to start to gather appropriate outerwear for the winter, such as a warm coat, hat, gloves, scarf, winter boots, and snow pants.
As long as it is not raining, we will go outside for recess. In general, if it “feels” like 15 degrees or above and it is not raining/snowing, we will go outside. Please see the Child Care Weather Watch chart that we use to guide our decisions.
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!
MEYER DATES
MEYER SUPERSTARS
Ms. LaBarbera's Kindergarten Superstars
Ms. Saibert's Preschool Superstars
Middleton students engaged in a voting experience at school on Wednesday, November 6. Last week, students registered to vote with their name, grade, and teacher. This week, students received a Middleton Voter’s Registration Card, and then they went to the cafeteria to vote for our next Pride Paw Incentive. Students voted for a Pajama Day, which we celebrated TODAY, Friday, November 8! It was wonderful to see students experience the process of exercising their right to vote as a part of a community. Thank you to Ms. Scherer and Mrs. Monak for their help organizing this day!
MIDDLETON LOST & FOUND
It’s that time of year when the Lost and Found at Middleton begins to grow… your child’s belongings miss them! Please take a look through this Lost & Found Photo Slideshow and send your child to pick up lost items. All Lost and Found items will be donated before Winter Break in December!
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.
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!
WHO'S THAT TEACHER?!
Middleton 5th Grade teacher Abby Harris-Ridker (left) and McCracken 6th Grade Science teacher Carrie Eccleston (right) were on the road this week! They traveled to the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) fall conference in New Orleans. Their trip was packed with sessions, workshops, and professional learning opportunities. They even met up with Skokie73.5 parent Emily Matthews, who works for NSTA.
Thank you, Ms. Harris-Ridker and Ms. Eccleston, for checking in with us from afar and sharing a photo!
MIDDLETON DATES
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!
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 online through this Vanco Events link until Thursday, November 14.
Attention community members! The NEW McCracken Garden needs your expertise! Please click 
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.
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!
VAPING INFORMATION & RESOURCES FOR McCRACKEN FAMILIES
In its work to address the vaping epidemic, the Skokie Health Department cites a U.S. Surgeon General alert about a drastic increase in vaping among high school students. Their website describes vaping as "the act of inhaling an aerosol produced by heating a liquid that contains nicotine, flavorings, heavy metals, and other harmful products." Nicotine is highly addictive and can cause permanent damage to a person’s lungs as well as harm brain development in adolescents. Middle school and high school students are at a higher risk for using these dangerous products. Kids may get access to these products from older relatives and friends and these devices may look like a small USB flash drive, pen, highlighter, or other item. Students caught vaping on school property or being in possession of vape products are subject to serious disciplinary consequences according to Board Policy. Talk to your child about the dangers of vaping and access the resources below for more information.
- Village of Skokie Vaping Website
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Smoking and Tobacco Use
- Vaping: What Parents Should Know from KidsHealth
E-cigarette use among U.S. youth
Current use of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches among U.S. middle and high school students in 2024.
McCRACKEN SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING CORNER
Students will be covering bullying topics in their extended advisory classes this month using our Second Step Social and Emotional Learning curriculum. Students learn how to recognize bullying and harrassment, stand up safely to bullying, and respond appropriately to harassment. Families can access the scope and sequence of the bullying and harassment unit HERE which includes the lesson themes, CASEL Core Competencies, title, and objectives. In addition, there is a family letter which provides grade level specific information about the upcoming bullying unit below.
8th GRADE INFORMATION
8th Grade PSAT Update
We received information from Niles North High School regarding accessing PSAT scores on CollegeBoard. The information and resources are included below. Individual student scores should be available via the College Board website as of Thursday, November 7. While the score itself is important, what is more important are the insights provided. The scores help students identify subareas within each content in which they are excelling, as well as areas in which they may practice and improve. The report will also provide students with a list of careers they may be interested in based on their strengths. It's a great way for students to begin thinking about what career pathway they may want to pursue! Please access the links below for more information.
- HERE is detailed information about how to read the score report
- How to Create a CollegeBoard Account
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.
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