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The Weekly Masthead

News and information from our district and schools

McCRACKEN. MIDDLETON. MEYER. Dates to Know. Meal Menu.


 DISTRICT NEWS

Get the Message!

PARENTS, GUARDIANS & STAFF! Snap the QR code OR text Y or YES to 67587 to authorize SMS text messages from SD73.5 to your mobile device! You will receive future SMS text messages ONLY if you are a registered parent, guardian, emergency contact, or staff member AND your mobile phone number is already on file in PowerSchool.

Department of Student Services

The next Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee meeting is on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at the Middleton Library. We will review the ACCESS assessment and home based activities to build language. We will also have a guest speaker from the Skokie Public Library. They will join us and share all the wonderful resources available to you. We are also excited to share that we will have a raffle at the end of the meeting where you could win a Target, Starbucks, or Panera gift card!

As part of the Early Head Start Program, the ELL Parent Center has partnered with Metropolitan Family Services to offer Parent-Child classes. Classes will be held once a week for 90 minutes at the ELL Parent Center. Families who participate will receive free diapers every month during the program, educational lessons you can use at home, and a space to interact with other families. Check this flyer for more information and eligibility requirements. 

For any families experiencing homelessness, please reach out to the SD73.5 McKinney-Vento liaison, Angela DeMay, at [email protected]. The District can help with food, temporary housing, clothing and/or utility bills. Visit the Regional Office of Education website for more information.

The following resources might also be helpful for families experiencing difficulties:

The following resources have recently been added to the District 73.5 resource guide:

Around Town

Click an image below for information about upcoming events in and around Skokie....

  • October 23rd: Assyrian American Association of Chicago: Our Assyrian Heritage is Our Identity Lecture
  • November 18th: Toward Health Equity in Skokie
  • Ongoing: South Asians Active Together Research Study

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SD73.5  Priorities

Welcoming Environment. All students, staff, parents, and community members will feel welcome in our District.

Hiring and Retention. Our community's diversity will be represented in our staff and we will create systems to ensure we retain our staff.

Instruction. We will accelerate learning for all students through a strengths-based approach to grow each student from where they are.

SAVE THE DATES!

STRATEGIC PLANNING ROUNDTABLE MEETINGS & TOPICS

Wednesday, October 19th

at Elizabeth Meyer School

Welcoming Environment

Tuesday, October 25th

Hiring and Retention

Wednesday, November 2nd

Acceleration of Learning

Wednesday, November 9th

Fiscal Responsibility & Infrastructure

All meetings will be from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Location to be announced if not listed above.

Tap to learn more about the Strategic Planning process!

PTO News

PTO & STUDENT SERVICES EVENT: Differentiated Learners

Monday, October 17th

6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

McCracken MPR

GUESTS: Director of Student Services Angela DeMay and District EL Coordinator Lyla Nissan

Differentiated learners include students with 504 plans, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), or who are English Language or Multilingual Learners

SAVE THE DATE: Fall Fest

Sunday, November 6th

Interested in planning or helping at the event? Fill out this form.

NOVEMBER PTO MEETING

Monday, November 7th

6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

McCracken MPR

TOPIC: Understanding Test Scores

PTO logo

McCRACKEN NEWS

McCracken Musical Performance

Rehearsals are underway for our 2022 McCracken musical, Mary Poppins Jr.!  Forty-one talented cast members have been rehearsing their scenes and songs since early September.

Mary Poppins Jr. transports us to London in 1910, telling the story of the Banks family and the valuable lessons they learn from their mysterious new nanny.

Performances will be held on Friday, November 11th at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 12th at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Ticket information is coming soon, and a livestream option will also be available. All are welcome to enjoy this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious show!

Therapy Dog Visits

In an effort to better support the SEL needs of our students, we have partnered with an outside organization named Paws for Patrick. This non-profit organization is dedicated to connecting young people with emotional support animals and therapy dogs to support students with their mental health. If you are not familiar, a therapy dog is trained to provide affection, comfort, and support to people in various settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, libraries, disaster areas, etc.

Paws for Patrick provides the opportunity for McCracken students to spend time with a therapy dog during the school day at recess. Our first visit took place on September 22nd and we hope to arrange for additional visits throughout the 2022-2023 school year. Thank you to Ms. Priya Amin for coordinating this partnership at McCracken!

Student Council Fall Hangout

beeOur newly elected Student Council members are busy planning a fun Fall Hangout event for our McCracken Hornets on Friday, October 21st. Students are welcome to attend to enjoy music and a variety of games and activities with peers from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Students must have a signed permission form to attend and are expected to be picked up by a family member or trusted adult promptly at 8:30 p.m. in the Circle Drive. Please review behavior expectations with your student as well as confirm transportation plans. Students are not allowed to walk home after the event for safety. We are looking forward to a fun and safe event with our students!

6th Grade Niles North High School Tutoring

Attention 6th grade students and families! Niles North High School is extending their tutoring program to include 6th grade feeder schools this year. Niles North students will provide tutoring services to students in reading, writing, math, science, and more on Mondays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Please access this Niles North High School flyer to learn more and complete the one-time registration. Thank you to Niles North High School for including our 6th graders in this great program!

Social Media Awareness Reminders

Many of our middle school students are using technology in multiple ways to communicate with peers outside of school. They may be using smartphones and social media apps to communicate with friends. Social media applications have parental controls for monitoring and safety. At times, students at this age may experience peer conflict that may turn into negative interactions online with friends or acquaintances. Negative interactions or cyberbullying that impacts the school environment may result in school-issued consequences. Please monitor your child’s online presence and help to reinforce online safety and kindness in communication. Please see this social media parent letter that was shared with families on September 26th for more information. We look forward to partnering with you to keep our students safe at school!

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).

More from McCracken


STOCK THE STAFF LOUNGE!

Drop off bagged snacks, drinks, K-Cups, tea, hot chocolate packets, candy, mints, and more to the school office throughout the year so we can show staff our support.

Dates to Remember

Monday, October 3rd - Friday, November 18th

Niles North High School Online Registration (current 8th grade)

D219 Parent/Guardian Registration Letter

Tuesday, October 18th
McCracken Middle School

7:00 p.m.

Symphonic and Concert Band Fall Concert

 

Friday, October 21st

Student Council Fall Hangout

7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

 

Friday, October 28th

Institute Day

No school

Tuesday, November 8th

Election Day

No school

Friday, November 11th

Mary Poppins Jr. Musical Performance

7:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 12th

Mary Poppins Jr. Musical Performance

2:00 and 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 23rd - Friday, November 25th

Thanksgiving Break

District closed

MIDDLETON NEWS

Dress for the Weather

It’s getting cold out there! As the temperature drops, please be sure to help your child dress in layers in school. This could include a shirt, sweater, jacket and/or coat. Then students can make the most appropriate decision to stay warm at recess. Soon gloves, mittens, and hats will be helpful. We use the Child Care Weather Watch chart to help us determine our outdoor recesses.

New Email for Front Office

Please use the email address [email protected] for any changes to a child's schedule. This will ensure that both of our front office staff receive your email rather than emailing one of them directly. Thank you!

Niles North Performances

We were fortunate to have Niles North here on October 12th to perform "That's My Story" for our students. This is our first all-school in-person performance since 2019. The students were VERY excited!

More from Middleton


STOCK THE STAFF LOUNGE!

Drop off bagged snacks, drinks, K-Cups, tea, hot chocolate packets, candy, mints, and more to the school office throughout the year so we can show staff our support.

MEYER NEWS

Socktoberfest

Join us for Socktoberfest on Thursday, October 27th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Meyer School to help us celebrate the end of Socktober. Fun activities include:

  • Dance party
  • Arts and crafts
  • Games
  • Face painting
  • Food and drinks

Thank you to the Meyer Parent Leaders for hosting this event!

Meyer Parent Leaders Meeting

Meyer Parent Leaders (MPL) are parents and guardians dedicated to supporting the Meyer school and community by providing opportunities for Meyer families to connect and socialize.

Please join this month's Zoom meeting. All parents/guardians are welcome to join us! We will discuss and finish planning this month’s MPL event, Socktoberfest. 

Thursday, October 20, 2022
7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
The Zoom link will be emailed to Meyer families the day before the meeting.

Meyer Parent Leader Family Meet-Up

Join our Family MeetupWant to meet other Meyer Families? Join the MPL for an outdoor family meet-up!

Saturday, October 22, 2022
10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Meyer School Playground

Coffee and donuts will be available. No RSVP needed, just stop by and join in!

Hispanic Heritage Month

Meyer School celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th through October 15th, during our daily announcements. Every school day we featured a different Latinx or Hispanic American contributor such as Pura Belpré, Oscar de la Renta, Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski, Franklin Chang-Díaz, Gabriela Mistral, Silvestre Revueltas, and Dolores Huerta.

Meyer Moments

More from Meyer


STOCK THE STAFF LOUNGE!

Drop off bagged snacks, drinks, K-Cups, tea, hot chocolate packets, candy, mints, and more to the school office throughout the year so we can show staff our support.

Dates to Remember

October 19th

District Strategic Planning: Welcoming Environment

October 20th

7:00 p.m.

Meyer MPR

Meyer Parent Leaders Meeting

October 22nd

Meyer Parent Leaders Family Meet-up

October 25th

District Strategic Planning: Hiring & Retention

October 27th

6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Meyer Gym

Socktoberfest

October 28th

Institute Day

No school for students

November 2nd

District Strategic Planning: Acceleration of Learning

November 3rd

Picture Retakes

November 8th

Election Day

No school

November 9th

District Strategic Planning: Infrastructure and Fiscal Responsibility

November 16th

District Strategic Planning: Create Goals and Strategies for Initiatives

November 17th

7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Meyer Parent Leaders Meeting

November 19th

Meyer Parent Leaders Family Meet-up

November 22nd

End of Trimester 1

November 23rd - 25th

Thanksgiving Break

No school

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