Thank you so much to our Meyer Parent Leaders, who planned and hosted Socktoberfest on Friday, October 27th. The event was a success! We are very grateful to all of our families who volunteered their time at our games, activities, and tables. THANK YOU!

Meyer’s PICTURE RETAKES are scheduled for Thursday, November 9th. If you would like for your child to retake their school picture, please send their Lifetouch picture packet back to school with them on November 9th. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher or the Meyer Office at 847-673-1223.

DRESSING FOR OUTDOOR RECESS. Colder temperatures have arrived! Please send your child to school with appropriate outerwear such as a warm coat, hat, gloves, scarf, winter boots, and snow pants. In general, if it "feels" like 15 degrees or above and it is not raining/snowing, we will go outside for recess. Please see the Child Care Weather Watch chart that we use to guide our decisions.

If there is snow on the ground, students must wear snow boots and snowpants in order to play in the snow. Otherwise, students will need to stay on the paved areas during recess.

WINTER GEAR AND EXTRA CLOTHES. Please make sure students have the appropriate winter gear for school. Hats, gloves, coats, snow pants, and snow boots will all ensure your child has a safe and happy recess!

Now that we've seen some snow and still getting a little bit of rain, please send a spare set of clothing to school with your student. Socks and pants are expecially recommended so students have dry clothing to change into if they get wet while playing outside.

Grab your grown-up and meet us at the McCracken Middle School track to cheer on the MIDDLETON RUNNING CLUB at their 5K on Saturday, November 4th at 9:30 a.m. Check the flyer for details... we hope to see you there!

Students at McCracken participated in RED RIBBON WEEK activities this week. The national theme this year was BE KIND TO YOUR MIND, LIVE DRUG FREE! Our Student Support Team planned special advisory activities for the week to promote a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. We encourage families to start talking to their child at home about this important topic before they get to high school. Please see these parent/guardian resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for more information about how to talk to your children about the dangers of alcohol and drug use.

Rehearsals continue for this year’s musical, INTO THE WOODS, JR. Special thanks to all of our students and our Musical Director, Amy Keipert, for her planning and organization. We would also like to recognize Kate Magnuson as the Musical Producer and Sally Alvarado as the Musical Manager. Tech Crew applications were due last week. We are looking forward to final performances scheduled to take place on Friday, November 10th and Saturday, November 11th! Ticket sales went live on Monday, October 30th All tickets can be purchased through this RevTrak link and are available to purchase online until Thursday, November 9th.

FALL BAND AND CHOIR CONCERTS. Our Symphonic and Concert Bands and McCracken Choirs performed during the month of October to celebrate their hard work and effort during Trimester One. Concert performances were amazing, with a packed audience attended by students’ families and friends. Special thanks to Mr. Chip DeStefano, Mr. Cesar Mendoza, and Ms. Amy Keipert.

PICTURE RETAKES. Students received their Lifetouch pre-ordered fall picture packages last week at school. McCracken’s picture retakes are scheduled for Thursday, November 16th. If you would like for your child to retake their school picture, please send their Lifetouch picture packet back to school with them on November 16th. If you child was absent they make take their picture that day. If you have any questions, please contact the McCracken Office at 847-673-1220.

McCracken students will have the opportunity to attend our FALL HORNET HANGOUT event on Wednesday, November 15th to enjoy music, games, snacks, and activities. Hornet Hangout will take place from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the gymnasium and lobby areas. Students must have a parent permission slip and $2 entrance fee to attend and must remain inside the school building for the entire time. Parents should plan on picking up students at McCracken promptly at 7:00 pm. Permission slips will be shared with students in advisory next week!

OCTOBER SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS. McCracken students are eligible to earn a wide variety of acknowledgements for their accomplishments in school! 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 staff, administration, and our school mascot with our Ollie Trolley! Congratulations to our October Spotlight on Success recipients!

OUTDOOR RECESS WEATHER REMINDERS. 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.