Greetings and Welcome!

A heartfelt welcome to all of our students and families to a brand new 2022-2023 school year at McCracken Middle School! We are fortunate to continue to serve the students, staff, and families in our wonderfully diverse Skokie 73.5 community! We have had a tremendous start to the school year and are looking forward to a successful year ahead. Go, Hornets!

During our first week of school, students participated in:

• a welcome assembly that highlighted opportunities to participate in our athletic and enrichment programs
• advisory programming that included orientation to our new school year, advisory team building activities, and a review of our student handbook.
• a comprehensive review of social and emotional support services and resources available to students at McCracken.
• PBIS learning stations to practice the "Buzz Behavior" expectations we have throughout our building.

Curriculum Night

We hope you will join us for our Curriculum Night program on Thursday, September 8th at 6:00 p.m. Upon arrival, you will receive a copy of your personalized schedule and locate your child’s advisory class. We will help you find your way! Our schedule includes periods lasting approximately seven minutes so that you may have an opportunity to meet and greet each of your child’s teachers. We are looking forward to connecting with you! Our doors will open at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, September 8th so parents and guardians can sign in and pick up their schedule. This event is for parents and guardians only. The first advisory session will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. so please arrive a little earlier at 5:45 p.m. to allow yourself time to check in and locate your first class. Here is the Curriculum Night Parent/Guardian Letter which will be emailed home to families next week!

Free Oakton Community College "Girls Who Code Club"

Oakton Community College is offering a free VIRTUAL club for Middle Schoolers. The virtual Girls Who Code Club runs from September 13th through December 13th on Tuesdays. For new coders, the session runs from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. For experienced coders, the sessions run from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. On a weekly basis, the students can choose which session they would like to attend or they can attend both sessions. Parents can use this form to register their student.

McCracken Extracurricular Programming

Here at McCracken, we are proud to offer a variety of student athletic and enrichment programs. These programs allow students to exercise their strengths, tackle areas of growth, and socialize with peers. Be sure to sign up your student for one of our great extracurricular activities clubs or activities! Review the Fall 2022 Extracurricular Slideshow (with videos and important links) and Brochure for information, registration links, and the payment link (for a small number of activities).

McCracken Orchestra Program

Are you interested in having your student sign up for the McCracken Orchestra to play violin, viola, cello, or bass? Jennifer Page will present a demonstration at McCracken during grade-level lunch periods on Monday, September 12th. Fill out the 2022-2023 Middle School Orchestra Registration form if your child is interested in registering for Orchestra. Practices begin Thursday, September 22nd.

8th Grade PSAT Assessment Information

• The PSAT 8 assessment for our 8th grade students will be administered at Niles North High School on Saturday, October 1, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (approximate end time)
• All 8th graders planning to enroll at Niles North High School are expected to take the PSAT 8, the first high school level exam in the SAT Suite of Assessments. The PSAT 8 establishes a baseline measurement for college and career readiness as a student enters high school. The exams in the SAT Suite of Assessments measure a student's strength in reading, writing/language, and mathematics. Monitoring these same skills at different grade levels allows students, parents, and educators to monitor a student's progress.
• This assessment is free of charge and given to junior high (middle school) students in the fall of the year prior to high school registration. Results from this test, along with other metrics, will be used for proper 9th grade course placement.
• Please access the Niles North High School PSAT 8/9 - 8th Grade website for additional information.
• If you have any questions, please contact Niles North testing coordinator Marija Markovic at 847-626-2177 or by email at [email protected]. A letter was mailed to families from Niles North High School on August 22, 2022.
• PSAT 8 FAQ Sheet

Arrival & Dismissal Clarification

First Grade Students and Families: As a reminder, when dropping off or picking up 1st grade students, please drive south down Kimball and turn right onto Madison Av. St. Louis Av. is not a drop-off location during regular arrival and dismissal. Please see the map below.

Thank you for your patience in our arrival and dismissal lines. To ensure safety for students and as a courtesy to other community members, please do not drive around cars or drop students off at undesignated areas.

As a reminder, Skokie signage indicates that there are no turns from Central Park Av. heading east down Madison Av. during arrival and dismissal hours. This will ensure students are safe and not crossing the street against the flow of traffic.

Assessment Window

Our 2-week assessment windows allow staff to gather crucial data to support instructional decision making. Our fall benchmark assessment window will run through Friday, September 9th. Students take various assessments that help teachers determine next steps for learning:

• Grades 2-5
  • Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
• Grades 1-5
  • FastBridge CBMmath Automaticity
  • FastBridge CBMreading (fluency)
  • Fountas & Pinnell BAS

If you have any questions, please connect with your child’s teacher.

Student Handbooks

Please read the Student / Parent Handbook thoroughly. You will receive a print copy in the coming weeks. Once you receive it, please sign the form indicating that you have read it and understand the contents of the document. You can turn the form in to your child's classroom teacher. 

5th Grade White Pines Outdoor Education Overnight Trip

We will take our annual overnight trip to Oregon, IL at White Pines Ranch! Students will experience engaging activities such as orienteering with compasses, digging for fossils, hikes, team building, and more! Meals and sleeping accommodations are provided. This year, the trip will be October 19th through 21st. A packet of information was shared with families during the White Pines Information Session before Curriculum Night OR in student backpacks. Please look over the packet and turn in the required forms as soon as possible. All forms and fees are due by October 7th. We look forward to a great trip! If you have any questions, feel free to contact your child’s teacher or Assistant Principal Mrs. Stephanie Larenas, who will also attend the trip.

Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year

We have had a wonderful beginning to the 2022-2023 school year! Meyer staff have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach, providing extra support for all of our classrooms and helping our Shining Stars settle into routines and procedures. We’re off to a great start!

Fall Assessments

Every year in the fall, we use formal assessments to understand students’ early reading and math skills. This information helps teachers plan lessons, identify students who need extra help, and monitor student growth. These assessments are conducted one-on-one with a teacher. We will be assessing our PreK 4 and Kindergarten students in early literacy and math skills, for teaching and learning purposes, September 6th through 16th. For more information about assessments we use in the District for each grade level, please go to sd735.org/cia/assessments. If you have questions about these assessments, please contact your child’s teacher or our school psychologist, Dr. Kristen McCann, at [email protected]. Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Curriculum Night

Meyer families, thank you for joining us for the Meyer Curriculum Night on September 1st. If you were unable to attend the Principal’s session, please see the presentation slides. If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or the Meyer principal, Dr. Helen Wei, at [email protected].

Scholastic Book Fair

In addition to our in-person book fair this past week, Meyer School is also hosting an online Scholastic Book Fair through September 11th. Shop online at scholastic.com/bf/elizabethmeyerschool. Books will be shipped directly to your home. Meyer School will receive a share of the profits to help us buy more books and supplies for the Meyer Library. Thank you for your support!