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DISTRICT NEWS
SUPERINTENDENT'S GREETING
As we prepare to close the final chapter on another school year, the Skokie73.5 Administrative team extends a THANK YOU to our teachers, paraprofessionals, staff, and community members for your support all year. We sincerely thank everyone who participated in the district's Strategic Planning process and mentored new staff over the year. We appreciate you and your commitment to ensuring our students are successful in and out of the classroom.
Dr. Zipporah Hightower
REPORT CARD INFORMATION
Trimester 3 report card notifications will be emailed to parents/guardians on Friday, June 7th at 12:00 p.m. Please watch your inbox and text messages for an email from your child's school with more information, including instructions for How to View Report Cards Online.
For assistance with language translation or interpretation of your child's report card, please contact Lyla Nissan at 847-676-8210 or by email at [email protected].
SUMMER EBT/SUN BUCKS
Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) or "SUN Bucks" is a federally funded program that provides grocery-buying benefits to low-income families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer. The Summer EBT is a one-time, $120 per eligible student benefit for summer 2024 administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Check the SUN Bucks Fact Sheet for information (también disponible en español) or visit the IDHS Summer EBT webpage.
During the summer months, families in need of meals can also call 800-359-2163, text “FOOD" (or “COMIDA") to 304-304, or view the USDA online map at https://arcg.is/1XGCnj to find nearby meal sites not located at their school that are open to all children and youth age 18 and younger.
SCHOOLKIDZ SUPPLY KITS FOR 2024-2025
The Caring Hearts Classroom Grants Committee invites all Skokie73.5 families to pre-order school supplies for the 2024-2025 school year. All proceeds from purchases of SchoolKidz supply kits will be returned back to the Caring Hearts Classroom Grants Committee to support classroom projects, equipment, class trips, and other specialty educational items.
Orders are open for students entering Preschool through 5th grade until Friday, June 14, 2024. Ordering is open for students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grade through Friday, June 7, 2024. Late orders cannot be accepted. Click or tap a button below to view the lists and more information.
The school supply kit you order for your student(s) will be individually packaged and waiting for your child in their classroom on the first day of school
GET TO KNOW THE PTO!
The FINAL Regular PTO MEETING of the school year is Monday, June 3rd from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in person in the McCracken MPR and online at Google Meet.
Elections for PTO Board members will be held at this meeting. Please contact the PTO at [email protected] if you are interested in being a Board member for the 2024-2025 school year.
Join the online meeting: meet.google.com/rhn-boip-vym
View the Agenda: district735pto.org/meetings
Visit district735pto.org and get to know your PTO!
Questions about this calendar or events? Please email [email protected].
AROUND TOWN
The Village of Skokie newsletter is now called The Scoop! Check it and subscribe to receive weekly news right to your inbox.
Scroll the Skokie Public Library May/June Newsletter for information about library events and services for all ages and abilities.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
THANK YOU, MEYER FAMILIES, for all your support during this school year! The Meyer Shining Stars have grown in many ways this year, and we are so thankful for your partnership with us. We hope you have a wonderful summer and that you are able to find some time for family and fun!
THANK YOU, MEYER PARENT LEADERS (MPL), for supporting Meyer students, families, and staff all year long! The MPL has brought us so many fun family events this year, including Socktoberfest, Movie Night, and the End-of-the-Year Bash! The Meyer Parent Leaders also helped with Meyer Mart, Staff Appreciation, and Story Night. Many thanks to Odessa Molina for leading the group, and to all of the many volunteers who have helped to make the events a success!
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL RESOURCES
As we approach the end of the school year, Meyer’s Student Support Services team would shares a list of SOCIAL EMOTIONAL RESOURCES that your child can access over the summer. These resources can help to support your child's continued social/emotional growth through engaging activities, and the community agencies listed may benefit your family. Please click HERE to view the social/emotional resources.
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
Meyer’s EARLY BIRD program provides before-school care to preschool and kindergarten students from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. every school-day morning. Early Bird registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open! For more information, including cost and logistics of the program, please see the FLYER.
ON TO KINDERGARTEN
Incoming kindergarten parents/guardians attended On to Kindergarten on Thursday, May 23rd to learn more about our Kindergarten program, meet staff, see some classrooms, and get to know one another. For parents/guardians who were not able to attend, please see the PRESENTATION SLIDES for more information about our kindergarten program.
JUMPSTART KINDERGARTEN
Registration for our JUMPSTART KINDERGARTEN program is now open to incoming Kindergarten families. This program provides incoming kindergarten students with the opportunity to practice routines, develop social skills, meet new friends, and begin a review of skills directly before the school year begins. Students may attend ONE of two half-day sessions on August 12th through August 16th from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. OR 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. Spots are limited. Please see this FLYER for details and the link to register.
PBIS END-OF-YEAR CELEBRATION DANCE PARTY
MEYER SUPERSTARS
Kindergarten Superstars
Preschool Superstars
MEYER DATES
We’ve had such a great year! Thank you for constant support and collaboration throughout the year. We have seen a ton of growth and progress in our students and we can’t wait to see all they bring to Middleton in the fall! Have an amazing summer!
5th GRADE FAREWELL
THE MIDDLETON GARDENS NEED YOU!
- Sunday, June 9th
- Saturday, June 29th
- Sunday, July 14th
- Saturday, July 27th
- Sunday, August 4th
- Saturday, August 17th
- Friday, June 7th
- Friday, June 28th
- Friday, July 12th
- Monday, July 22nd
WATCH YOUR INBOX!
- Trimester 3 report card notifications will be emailed to parents/guardians on Friday, June 7th
- Fall intervention qualification letters will be emailed by Wednesday, June 5th
- ELP qualification letters will be mailed home over summer break
- Principal Welcome Letter will be mailed in August
TEACHER FEATURE
Congratulations to Middleton 5th grade teacher Anne Lowery for her feature in the Newsela Educator Spotlight! Read all about it HERE.
MIDDLETON DATES
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE McCRACKEN GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024! We celebrated the accomplishments of the McCracken Graduating Class of 2024 in many ways over the last few weeks. Our special 8th grade end-of-the-year celebration was highly attended by many students, parents, and staff. All of our staff and students joined together as a school community to say a final heartfelt goodbye during the 8th grade Clap Out held at dismissal on our graduates’ last full day of school. The graduation ceremony took place on Tuesday, May 28th at Niles North High School. It has been a tremendous pleasure to watch students learn and grow during their time at McCracken Middle School. We are proud to celebrate the many achievements of our students who excelled academically, athletically, socially, and emotionally and look forward to their accomplishments in the future as they transition to high school.
McCRACKEN STAFF RETIREMENT
MR. MARK PETRIKO is retiring after 33 years of dedicated service to McCracken Middle School as a Physical Education teacher and beloved coach. During his time at McCracken he has served over 4,000 students teaching Physical Education, Experiential Education, Health, Fitness, Geography, and Statistics. Mr. Petriko’s work with the physical education program has truly transformed our PE programming, implementing our Experiential Education program with Gus Pausz, a former Art teacher. At the time the program started, McCracken was the only middle school in Illinois with a rock climbing wall and high ropes course. Throughout his years at McCracken, Mr. Petriko has coached over 100 athletic teams, sometimes coaching four teams a year, both boys and girls teams, and achieving many tournament titles and numerous undefeated seasons along the way. We wish Mr. Petriko an amazing retirement!
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (6th & 7th GRADE)
McCracken students who consistently exhibit respectful, responsible, and ready behaviors are able to fully participate in our end of the year activities. Our 6th and 7th grade students participated in Field Day activities outdoors during the morning on Friday, May 31st, our last day of school. Students were placed in groups and rotated through fun team building activities. Our students also attended a Hornet’s Hive Assembly to celebrate Trimester 3 accomplishments and watched a special dance performance.
McCRACKEN DATES
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR 2024-2025
First day of school
All School Summer Read: Holes by Louis Sachar (incoming 6th-8th grade)
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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