The Weekly - February 10, 2023

Skokie School District 73.5 celebrates literacy throughout the month of February. Stay tuned to the SD735.org website, Twitter, and Facebook pages to see how you can participate. Please share your enthusiasm and experiences by using the hashtag #LiteracyMonthSD735 on your social media posts!

Our District literacy celebration continues this coming week! The whole District 73.5 community is welcome to participate in the McCracken Scholastic Books Fair. While the students will have an opportunity to visit during the school day, the community can attend the bookfair during conference times:

Thursday, February 16th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Friday, February 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

At McCracken, All School Read Voting enters Round 2! Students and staff: be sure to cast your vote for your favorite book!

Our District’s participation in literature awards continues this week as we highlight the Bluestem Award at Middleton. Our 4th and 5th grade students have been enjoying Bluestem books since February 1st and will continue until March 15th. Students will be eligible to vote in this annual reader's choice award presented to the author of the book chosen most outstanding by Illinois 3rd to 5th graders. For more information about the Bluestem Award visit aisled.org/bluestem.

Also, tune in to the District Board of Education meeting on February 13th to find out what books our Board members are reading!

Our district closed on December 22nd and 23rd in anticipation of the severe weather forecast. By state law, we must make up these 2 attendance days for teachers and students. Student make-up attendance days have been scheduled on March 3rd and June 2nd. Our students' last day of this school for the 2022-2023 school year will now be June 2nd. Our 8th grade students' last day will remain their graduation day. Staff make-up days will be June 2nd and June 5th. The updated at-a-glance school calendar is available on our website.

Skokie School District 73.5 waives school fees for eligible families. A "waiver" means that students will not be charged registration fees, school activity/club fees, or field trip fees. A fee waiver application must be completed to receive a waiver, and only one application is required per year. If you have any questions concerning fee waiver eligibility or the application process please contact Karen Hayes in the Business Office at [email protected] or by phone at 847-676-8317.

The Skokie Park District Summer Camp Guide is now available on the skokieparks.org website! Check the following direct links for more information about programs, registration, and fee assistance:

Summer Camps Information: registration and information forms, policies, procedures, Summer Camp Guide
Fee Assistance Program: eligibility guidelines, how to apply, additional financial assistance resources

► Many IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers will be open one Saturday each month in February, March, April, and May to provide in-person help. Saturday hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and no appointment is required. Check www.irs.gov/saturdayhours for more information and tax preparation options.

7th Grade Camp MacLean Information

Camp MacLean will be here before you know it! The 7th grade team is gearing up for our return to Camp MacLean in Burlington, Wisconsin on May 17th-19th. The purpose of the Camp MacLean trip is to provide our students with an outdoor education experience that promotes both team building and independence. Ms. Fagan handed out hard copies of the interest form through her social studies classes this week and we also sent home an electronic version via email that included the survey and a payment link ($211). Our first parent information night was via Zoom on February 9th. Talk with your student about attending this great trip and complete the survey by April 7th! Reach out to 7th grade teachers or Marty Behm with any questions.

February Spotlight on Success

McCracken students are eligible to earn a wide variety of acknowledgement for their success in school whether remote or in-person! This includes Spotlight on Success, which recognizes students’ academic growth and achievement. Each month, teachers celebrate the many students who have demonstrated academic success in each grade level to honor them for making progress toward learning standards, meeting or extending learning standards, demonstrating great interest in a particular subject area, and/or demonstrating a growth mindset. Students are featured in our morning announcements, receive a certificate in person and by mail, and are delivered a fun incentive by our Ollie Trolley! Congratulations to our February Spotlight on Success recipients!

8th Grade Graduation Pictures
Retakes on March 16th

Our 8th grade students participated in graduation pictures taken on Wednesday, February 1st at McCracken. One photo was taken in a purple graduation gown (provided by Lifetouch) and the other in their chosen dress clothes. When the photos are processed, Lifetouch will then send the proofs to the school to be distributed to students and families. Parents/guardians will have an opportunity to review the pictures and order any preferred photos from the delivered proof package. Payment will be due to Lifetouch when families select their preferred photos online. Picture retakes are scheduled to take place on March 16th only for students who missed picture day or are not satisfied with their original picture. Please see this flyer from Lifetouch for more information.

8th Grade End of the Year Event
Saturday, May 20th

McCracken PTO, in collaboration with parents and staff, will host an 8th grade end of the year event at McCracken Middle School on Saturday, May 20th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Please complete this form if you are interested in helping to plan this fun celebratory event with other 8th grade parents and guardians. We need assistance with decorations, food, games, supervision, fundraising, and more. Thank you in advance for helping to make sure our graduates receive the sendoff they deserve!

Outdoor Recess Weather Reminder

Students participate in outdoor recess throughout the school year, unless there is a significant weather-related or other external factor that necessitates an indoor program. Here at McCracken, we use the Child Care Weather Watch system to determine students’ participation in outdoor recess. This guide uses a combination of temperature and wind speed to calculate year-round weather safety for our students. Thank you, in advance, for helping to ensure that your child is prepared with appropriate outerwear for recess so that they are comfortable during our outdoor programming! Families in need of outerwear for their child should contact administration for additional resources.

Student Arrival and Dismissal Reminders

Please drive slowly and carefully when picking up or dropping off students.
6th Grade parents dropping off by Door 12 should pull all the way over to the curb on the right and quickly and safely allow their child to exit the vehicle so other cars can continue to Circle Drive. Please use your hazards to alert cars behind you.
Please do not make U-turns on East Prairie. Use the McCracken Circle Drive to turn around.
Students cannot cross the Circle Drive in front of cars to get into a vehicle parked on the street. Drivers must pull into the Circle Drive to maintain safety and drop off in the right lane only.
Students must cross the intersection of Crawford and Oakton assisted by our crossing guards for their safety. Students are not allowed to cross East Prairie and Oakton without an adult before or after school.
Please be sure to communicate with your child about their after-school plans before school. Are they walking home, taking the bus, or staying after school for sports or a club?

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 2022 Extracurricular Slideshow (with videos and important links) and Brochure for information, registration links, and the payment link (for a small number of activities).

February 9th & 10th

8th Grade Niles North High School Counselor Appointments

Week of February 13th

McCracken Book Fair

February 13th

Concert Band SuperState Recording Sessions

February 16th

Parent Teacher Conferences

5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

February 17th

Parent Teacher Conferences

8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

No School for Students

February 20th

Presidents' Day

No School / District Closed

March 1st

Choir Concert

7:00 p.m.

McCracken

March 3rd

BuzzBot Robotics Competition

4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Niles West High School

March 16th

8th Grade Picture Retakes

Please check our public calendar on the district website for athletic game times and locations.

Read Across America Week
February 27th — March 3rd

Please join us for a week-long celebration of the joy of reading! On Monday, February 27th, we will kick off our district-wide book drive. Students can drop off gently used books at school all week long. On Thursday, March 2nd, students are invited to dress up as their favorite book character. Please see the calendar below for a full list of events.

Read Across America Week — Monday: Kind Books Day, Tuesday: Caught Reading Day, Wednesday: Guest Reader Day, Thursday: DressUp Day, Friday: Surprise Day!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, February 16th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Friday, February 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. You should have received an email with a link to sign up for a conference time with your child’s teacher. You will have the choice of attending in person or via Zoom. Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions.

If you would like to meet with our Physical Education teacher, Mrs. Borges, she will be available to meet with parents/guardians on Friday, February 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Please contact her through Seesaw or at [email protected] to set up an appointment.

Our Art/Music teacher, Mrs. Castellini, will be available to meet with parents/guardians on Thursday, February 16th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Please contact her through Seesaw or at [email protected] to set up an appointment.