News and information from our district and schools
MEYER. MIDDLETON. McCRACKEN. Games. Meal Menu.
NOVEMBER 17, 2023
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DISTRICT NEWS
The Weekly will take a Thanksgiving break on November 24th. We'll be back on December 1st.
DISTRICT & SCHOOL OFFICE HOLIDAY ACCESS
Our Skokie73.5 District and School office staff will be working remotely from Monday, November 20th through Wednesday, November 22nd to allow space for our Buildings & Grounds and Technology Teams to work uninterrupted on special projects and upgrades 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].
- MIDDLETON and 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, November 27th.
- MEYER: The office will be closed and staff will not be available until school resumes on Monday, November 27th.
All District and School offices will be closed for the Thankgiving holiday on Thursday, November 23rd and Friday, November 24th.
COFFEE WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT
Dr. Hightower's next Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent is scheduled for Monday, December 4, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the McCracken Multipurpose Room. Click or tap the flyer and then the RSVP link to let us know you're coming.
If your schedule allows, please stay after coffee and join the PTO meeting at 7:00 p.m.
RSVPs for additional dates will open individually in advance of each date. We look forward to seeing you!
STUDENT SERVICES
The Illinois Resource Center (IRC) invites EL families and BPAC members to their upcoming meetings on December 7th and 14th. Snap or tap the QR code to visit the IRC Events page for program registration and contact information.
Join Illinois STAR NET for some NEW events! Check their newsletter for information about upcoming programs, webinars, and workshops happening in December through March.
END OF TRIMESTER INFORMATION
November 17th is the last day of Trimester 1. Report cards will be prepared over the next few weeks and released electronically through the PowerSchool Parent Portal on Wednesday, December 13th. At that time, parents and guardians will receive an email from Skokie73.5 with instructions for how to view their student's report card.
In the meantime, please log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal website at sd735.powerschool.com to make sure your username and password are working. If you need assistance with your account access, please contact the Skokie73.5 Data Office at 847-676-8326.
The video here shows the PowerSchool Parent Portal login screen and how to enter your username and password.
PTO NEWS
The next PTO Regular Meeting is Monday, December 4th at 7:00 p.m., immediately following Dr. Hightower's Coffee with the Superintendent.
The complete PTO Calendar is now available in The Weekly! Scroll the calendar to see what's on the schedule, and click an event for more information or to copy the event to your own calendar.
Visit district735pto.org and get to know your PTO!
Questions about this calendar or events? Please email [email protected].
DISTRICT DATES
AROUND TOWN
Check the SkokieNews for information and updates from the Village of Skokie.
THANKSGIVING SUPPORT
MEYER WILL BE COLLECTING COINS FOR KINDNESS from November 29th through December 13th to benefit Skokie73.5 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. 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 December 19th 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!
WINTER BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS. Every winter, we use formal assessments to gauge student progress in early reading and math skills. This information helps teachers plan lessons and monitor student growth. Assessments are given one-on-one with a teacher. We will begin assessing our Kindergarten students next week, and we will continue with assessments for both PreK-4 and Kindergarten students after winter break. For more information on assessments we use in Skokie73.5 for each grade level, please visit 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.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS to keep our Shining Stars safe...
SAFETY: Please do not to leave children unattended in your car during drop-off and pick-up. We recognize this can be challenging if you have multiple children; however, children need to be supervised at all times for their own safety. Kindergarten families are encouraged to use the Drive-Thru if this is a challenge.
CAR SEATS: By Illinois law, children aged 3-6 years old should still be in forward-facing car seats or booster seats. Children also must ride in the back seat of the car at least through age 12. Please help keep our Shining Stars safe by having them buckle up in a car or booster seat, in the back seat, when riding in a vehicle.
Click or tap the age-specific Car Seat Recommendations for Children chart for important information about choosing the proper car seat for your child.
The Skokie Health Department offers a short-term car seat loaner program for Skokie residents. The "TOTS" (Travel seats Offer Travel Safety) program loans seats at no cost. A $10 deposit is required and will be returned less a $5 cleaning fee when the seat is brought back in good condition. Borrowers are instructed on the proper installation and usage of the seats. Seats can be reserved by calling the Health Department at 847-933-8252.
"FROM PHONICS TO READING" IN KINDERGARTEN
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.
MEYER DATES
SCHOOL SNACKS. As a reminder, students should bring healthy snacks to school. Students should not bring birthday sweet treats of any kind. If they wish to bring a pencil, eraser, or other small token for their classroom friends please contact the classroom teacher for guidance.
Page 26 of the Student/Parent Handbook provides the following guidance:
Healthy Classroom Snacks/Treats
Please use this list as a guide for classroom snacks or treats:
- Vegetables: Carrot or celery sticks, cucumber slices, pea pods, edamame
- Fruit: Single-serve fresh fruits; apple, banana, tangerines, sliced fruit; cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, pineapple, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, dried fruits – raisins, cranberries, apples, apricots, single serving applesauce
- Grains: Pretzels, graham crackers, baked chips, mini bagels
- Protein/Dairy: Hard-boiled egg, low-fat flavored yogurt, string cheese or reduced fat cheese slices
- Examples of Prepared Products: Dole Mixed Fruit Cup, Frito-Lay Baked Lays and Doritos, General Mills Chex Mix, Kellogg’s NutriGrain Bars, Kraft Teddy Grahams, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast Squares
On Friday we celebrated our MIDDLETON FALL FEST. This was our way of reimagining Halloween so that all our students could participate. Fifth grade made a day of it by including their social studies standards to celebrate different cultures with a variety of art projects led by parents and culminating with a cultural feast with foods from around the world. All other grade levels enjoyed fun fall activities. Thank you to all the parents who participated in our fall fest!
Team 2 prepares for "Balloons Over Middleton," a celebration of the puppeteer who invented the helium parade balloon.
Ms. Harris-Ridker's 5th grade class celebrates Fall Festival with a cultural feast of foods from around the world.
Students in the Middleton Library are using our new Class VR (virtual reality goggles) to explore outer space. This is in connection with our outer space research unit, which connects to 5th grade's science curriculum. Students explored the night sky, saw the sun up-close, and then "traveled" deep into the solar system to see space as never before.
MR. PRATT'S STEAM CHALLENGE!
Middleton families are invited to build their best-ever catapult.
- Choose what you want to launch.
- Brainstorm and sketch out ideas together as a family.
- Build the catapult using supplies from around the house.
Check the flyer for more information and inspiration. Participants who send photos or videos of their project to Mr. Pratt by Friday, December 15th might be featured in The Weekly!
GARDEN NEWSLETTER
Learn about Middleton's Pollinator and Gilbert Gardens in the GARDEN NEWSLETTER!
YOUNG AUTHORS!
Mrs. Domingo's 2nd grade students celebrated their first publishing party!
MIDDLETON DATES
In an effort to support the social-emotional (SEL) needs of our students, we have continued our partnership with Paws for Patrick. This non-profit organization connects young people with emotional support animals and therapy dogs. The dogs are trained to provide affection, comfort, and support in various settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, libraries, disaster areas, and other situations where support is needed. Paws for Patrick dogs visited McCracken on Friday, November 10th and spent time with students during their recess period. We hope to arrange for additional visits throughout the 2023-2024 school year. Thank you to Assistant Principal Trevor Dykes for coordinating this partnership at McCracken!
AVID PROGRAM. McCracken continues to partner with administrators at Niles North High School to identify McCracken 8th grade students who would meet the criteria to enroll in the AVID program as incoming freshman next year. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It is a 4-year program with an academic elective class designed to close the achievement gap by preparing students for career and college readiness. Students who met the Niles North AVID criteria were invited to apply for the program, attended an informational pizza lunch, and took part in interviews this week. Parents were also invited to attend an 8th grade AVID informational night at Niles North on November 1st.
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.
ATTENDANCE REMINDERS. Did you know that missing two days of school a month, over the course of a school year, can affect a student's academic success? Please help us make school attendance a priority! If you know that your child will be absent for the day, please call our school nurse, Ms. Warda, at 847-676-8235 by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Please review the McCracken Attendance Reminders for more information about the importance of consistent school attendance and keeping your child engaged in school.
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL
Please help us keep our students, staff, families, and visitors safe by following our arrival and dismissal safety reminders.
SPECTATOR GUIDELINES
We are excited to host and participate in Little 9 Conference sporting events! Please review behavior expectations for students, families, and visitors.
McCRACKEN DATES
Halal meals available on request: Meatball and Rice Bowl, Chicken Sandwich, Cheese Sandwich. Kosher meals available on request: All Beef Hot Dog, Cheese Sandwich.
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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