News and information from our district and schools
Scroll to view District updates and news from Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken!
NOVEMBER 22, 2024
The Weekly will take a fall break on Friday, November 29 and return on Friday, December 6.
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DISTRICT UPDATES
DISTRICT & SCHOOL OFFICE HOLIDAY ACCESS
District and School office staff will be working remotely from Monday, November 25 through Wednesday, November 27 to allow space for our Buildings & Grounds and PureBrite cleaning teams to work uninterrupted on preventive maintenance and deep cleaning in our buildings. During this time, office staff can be reached as follows:
- DISTRICT OFFICE: Call 847-676-8317 or send an email to [email protected].
- MEYER, MIDDLETON, McCRACKEN: Call the school's main office phone number to leave a message. Staff will check voicemail periodically on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Messages received Thursday through Sunday will be addressed when school resumes on Monday, December 2.
All District and School offices will be closed for the Thankgiving holiday on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29.
BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS
Beginning December 4, 2024, we will begin the second administration of our benchmark assessments at Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken. You may recall that the first administration took place in September. These assessments capture a clearer picture of our students' skills growth, namely in reading and math. We use the results of these assessments to identify students’ needs, modify our instruction to best meet students’ needs, and connect students with additional supports when needed. At the end of January and into early February, we will mail home summaries of your student’s growth shown on these assessments.
Each school will provide specific information about the assessments used in their classrooms. If you are curious about the different assessments we use in Skokie73.5, why we use them, and what we do with the results, visit the Assessments section of our website at www.sd735.org/cia/assessments.
BOARD OF EDUCATION WORKSHOPS
The public is invited to learn about our instructional programs in a series of three Board of Education workshops:
- Tuesday, December 3, 2024: DATA LITERACY
- Thursday, February 13, 2025: MTSS/RESPONSIVE INSTRUCTION
- Tuesday, April 15, 2025: SPECIAL EDUCATION
Please complete this short Google Form to register for any or all of these informative sessions.
ILLINOIS REPORT CARD
The Illinois Report Card is an annual report released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) that shows how the state, schools, and districts are progressing on educational goals. The Report Card offers a complete picture of student and school performance to inform and empower families and communities as they support their local schools.
The 2023-2024 Illinois Report Card for Skokie School District 73.5, Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken is available at www.illinoisreportcard.com. The current and past years' Report Cards are also available to view and print on our website. If you do not have access to a printer, please call your child's school if you wish to request a print copy of the Illinois Report Card:
- Meyer: 847-673-1223
- Middleton: 847-673-1222
- McCracken: 847-673-1220
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.
GET TO KNOW THE PTO!
Get your Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken gear! Enjoy a limited-time savings of 25% during the holiday sale – there’s something for the entire family! A portion of sales go to the PTO to help fund events, equipment, and wish-list items for our schools. Click below for each school....
Thank you to all who came out to the District 73.5 Family Night with the Chicago Wolves on November 17! It was a great time, and we cheered on the Wolves to win the game!
Visit district735pto.org and get to know your PTO!
Questions about this calendar or events? Please email [email protected].
DISTRICT DATES
AROUND TOWN
Village of Skokie newsletter
Skokie Public Library newsletter
NTDSE Events in the Community newsletter
Meyer will be collecting Coins for Kindness from December 2-10 to benefit District 73.5 families who need extra kindness and support this holiday season. Our Meyer Shining Stars may bring loose change or coins to school for our collection. Please see the FLYER for details.
Meyer Parent Leaders will use the money collected to purchase gifts for our “adopted” families based on their wishlists. Kindergarten classes will “shop” for gifts for our families at the Meyer Mart on Tuesday, December 17 to learn about “needs” and “wants,” and our preschool classes will wrap the presents and create the cards for families. We hope our students will also learn that small acts of kindness can add up to a whole lot when we work together!
PBIS FAMILY CONNECTION: SPACE BUBBLE
When we return from Thanksgiving Break, we will begin working on “personal space bubble” at school.
Our personal space bubble is the imaginary space around our body that makes us feel comfortable when we are close to others. When you are in someone’s personal space it can make you or the other person feel worried, scared, or uncomfortable. We teach that if you want to give a friend or teacher a hug, you should always ask the person if that is okay first. We also teach students that if a friend or teacher says, “No, thank you” that is okay. If a friend lets us know we are too close or in their personal space, we teach students to move back and give more space.
At home, you can talk about personal space. For example, when the family is sitting on the couch, it is okay to let others know: “You are too close, I need more space.”
To help your child learn about this, you can watch this Samsung Kids Personal Space Song together!
PLAYGROUND REMINDERS
This is a friendly reminder that the Meyer Playground is closed during school hours. Please remember that preschool classes do not have early dismissal on Tuesdays, and that we are using our playground until their 2:30 dismissal. We welcome everyone to come play during after-school hours! Thank you for your help in keeping all of our students safe!
AUTHOR VISIT WITH JACOB GRANT
Local author and illustrator Jacob Grant will visit Meyer School on Thursday, December 5. Families may order signed copies of Jacob's books at www.bookedevanston.com/umami or by scanning the QR code on the FLYER. Place your order by Tuesday, December 3 to make sure Jacob can personalize book dedications.
Please contact Meyer Librarian Amy Kelley if you have any questions.
ABC PROJECT
Ms. Mpistolarides and Ms. Lancioni’s kindergarten classrooms participated in an ABC Exchange project with classrooms across the country this fall. Students worked together in their classrooms to create and decorate a letter of the alphabet, which they sent to other kindergarten classes across the country. In return, both classrooms received letters from schools nationwide, forming a full alphabet. This project combined art and literacy while giving students a chance to connect with peers from different parts of the country.
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.
MS. LABARBERA'S CLASSROOM PHONICS ACTIVITY
The Meyer Gratitude Tree is filled with all the many wonderful things in the lives of our students, families, and staff. We are so thankful at Meyer for everyone in our school community. You are what makes Meyer a special place! THANK YOU!
MEYER DATES
MEYER SUPERSTARS
Ms. Mpistolarides' & Ms. Zaccone's Kindergarten Superstars
Ms. Sanfilippo's Morning Preschool Superstars
Author Karla Arenas Valenti is coming to Middleton Elementary on Friday, December 6! She will visit with students in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to share her stories and projects related to her books and Mexican culture.
Families may purchase signed copies of Karla's books for as low as $6.99! Orders are due by Wednesday, December 4 to ensure that Karla can personally dedicate the book to your child. Books will be delivered during the special visit.
If interested, please order at THIS LINK.
SAVE THE DATE: WINTER CLASSROOM CELEBRATION
Middleton Bulldogs will have a Winter Gear Donation Drive during December and a Winter Hot Cocoa celebration in their classrooms on Friday, December 13. See the flyer for details and how to get involved!
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.
PBIS FAMILY CONNECTIONS: RECOGNIZING FEELINGS
At Middleton, one area of teaching we are focusing on is called self-management. We are working on self-management across the day, and especially in the hallways and at recess.
In younger grades, we focus on impulse control: being the boss of our brains and bodies by keeping our hands and feet to ourselves when we have big feelings.
In older grades, we build on this to teach students to express feelings in a socially acceptable manner, like talking to resolve conflict.
One strategy for helping students with self-management is to get better at naming feelings. When kids have more words for naming big feelings, they are less likely to act impulsively. At Middleton, we use the Zones of Regulation to help students identify their feelings. Using a feelings wheel, like this free printable from the Raising an Extraordinary Person website, can help students get better at naming their feelings.
Rehearsals and performances wrapped up last weekend for this year’s musical, Newsies, Jr.! Special thanks to our Musical Director, Ms. Amy Keipert, for her planning and organization. We also recognize Ms. Kate Magnuson as the Musical Producer, Ms. Sally Alvarado as the Musical Manager, and our parent volunteers.
Parent volunteers added the perfect lobby decorations to get our visitors ready for the show and final performances were amazing! Thank you to our student cast and crew for their time and commitment to the musical and to families for supporting their efforts!
SOCIAL JUSTICE CLUB ACTIVISM BOOK CLUB
All McCracken students will have an opportunity to join Social Justice Club for a monthly book club exploring the power of activism from December through May. Students must reserve a spot to join in November and books will be distributed in early December. The book club will meet once per month according to pre-selected dates and students will be expected to read assigned pages. Students were given a form to complete in advisory if interested.
McCRACKEN GARDEN NEWS
Attention community members! The NEW McCracken Garden needs your expertise! Please click MEET A CHANGEMAKER
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
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
Photo courtesy of Ms. Gammeri
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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