Meadowbrook Star News

Good afternoon, Meadowbrook Families.

It was a great week to be a Meadowbrook Star! The sun was shining and great learning was happening. If you haven't already, please sign up for a Parent/Teacher Conference slot. More information is located in the next section.

Principal Eck and I are looking forward to our first Family Engagement book study taking place later this month and delving into our learning with you. See the details below.

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." - Tony Robbins

Choose a safe and fun weekend!

See you Monday,

Ericka

Parent Teacher conferences will be held on October 16th from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and on October 17th from 1 to 8 p.m. Families have the option of in-person or virtual conferences.

Families will receive an email from Data Specialist Lisa Brown on October 1 with login information and a link to conference signup. Conference scheduling begins October 4th and closes October 14th.

For more information, visit our Parent Teacher Conferences webpage.

Your PTO is organizing a Book Drive for Bernie's Book Bin from October 7 - October 23. Please donate your gently used children's books, aged birth to 6th grade, into the bins in the hallway past the office, or send them in with your children to drop off. Two out of three children have no books of their own. Bernie's Book Bin helps children succeed through book ownership.

*Please no workbooks, textbooks or reference material.

This book drive strategically aligns with our Fall Book Fair! More information to come.

We're excited to offer three opportunities for parents and caregivers to come together around topics of interest to our District 28 community. District administrators will facilitate conversations around the following books/topics:

• Discussion around Yardsticks by Chip Wood: October 23, 6:00-7:00 @ Meadowbrook
• Discussion around The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: January 22, 6:00-7:00 @ NBJH
• Discussion around Young Explorers' podcast series: The Power of Play: May 14, 6:00-7:00 @ Westmoor.

Please join us for any or all of the above discussions by RSVPing here. The first 20 registrants for the Yardsticks and The Anxious Generation discussions will receive a copy of the text. Please see this flier for additional information.

Northbrook D28’s schools are between 58 and 75 years old, and the district faces a number of challenges related to aging facilities. A Facilities Master Plan completed last winter identified nearly $80 million in building needs related to accessibility, safety and security, maintenance and updates that support how students learn and what they need to be prepared for high school.

Ensuring students have modern, accessible and safe schools is the focus of Building Tomorrow Together, an initiative launched this fall to help plan for the future of D28 schools.

Building Tomorrow Together is a community-led effort to bring the entire Northbrook community together to develop goals and priorities to improve D28 schools. Led by a team of community volunteers, Building Tomorrow Together consists of a series of community engagement workshops, building tours and an online community survey.

All D28 community members are encouraged to learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing Northbrook schools and help develop solutions that will move the district forward.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS OCT. 14 & 28

Building Tomorrow Together community engagement workshops will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Mondays, Oct. 14 and 28, in the Northbrook Junior High School Large Gym, 1475 Maple Avenue.

During the community engagement workshops, community members will learn about D28’s educational programs, facilities and finances and participate in interactive work activities to help identify the community’s priorities for the future of its schools. Results from Building Tomorrow Together will be included in recommendations that will be presented to the Board of Education in December.

Everyone is encouraged to participate in Building Tomorrow Together. Registration is not required, but RSVPing will be helpful for planning. For more information, visit Northbrook28.net/BTTD28 or contact Terry Ryan, Communications Director, at 847-504-3404 or tryan@northbrook28.net.

1st & 4th grade buddy class project.

October 7 - 23

• Bernie's Book Drive

October 10

• Pizza Day

• Anderson Book Fair

October 16 & 17

• Parent Teacher Conferences
• 16th: 4:30 - 7:30
• 17th: Half Day - Noon Dismissal
• Conferences 1 - 8pm

• No School

October 19

Chicago Fire Home Game - District-wide PTO Outing

October 22

• Board of Education Meeting, 7pm, HOH

October 23

• Picture Retake Day
• Family Engagement Book Discussion: Yardsticks, 6pm, Meadowbrook School Library

October 24

• Pizza Day

Mark Your Calendars for Important Events!

You can also visit Meadowbrook.northbrook28.net calendar to add these events to your personal device.

Simplify! Download Our Mobile App

The Northbrook District 28 mobile app gives you all the popular website links and staff directories on one place. Select the schools to follow for news updates, including the weekly newsletters, right in the mobile app feed. No need to hunt through your email inbox. Sync school, lunch, music and athletic calendars to your device, or simply tap to access the calendars in the app. Download the app today!

Link to Apple App Store | Link to Google Play

The District 28 Music Parents Club 68th Annual Wreath & Coffee Sale is LIVE and runs through 11/1/24! Our children are so lucky to be part of the D28 Award-winning music program and we ask all musicians to participate. If you would prefer not to participate in the sale, we ask each family to consider making a flat donation so the Music Parents Club can continue to do great work in providing the music directors what they need to sculpt our children into musicians! We appreciate the support of all D28 Music Families.

This year, as in the past, we will be selling high-quality Wisconsin Wreaths in a variety of sizes, Papa Nicholas Coffee, See’s Candy, D28MPC Spirit wear and more. **NEW THIS YEAR, participants will earn a raffle ticket for every $50 sold to be entered to win one of our amazing prizes, including Amazon Gift Cards, a Nintendo Switch, Apple Ipods and an Apple Ipad.

SHOP or DONATE | Go to d28musicparentsclub.square.site to start shopping or make a donation to Music Parents Club! Be sure to type your musician's name to give them credit toward the raffle.

VOLUNTEER | We are looking for volunteers to help with the distribution of the Wreaths and Coffee and Candy on November 22nd and 23rd. If you are available and can sign up for a 2-hour slot, we would appreciate your help. Click here to Volunteer

QUESTIONS | Call or text Cari Raymond Stoneburner 847-602-7004 or email d28mpc@gmail.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Children's Book Drive (Oct 8 - Oct 22) &

The Anderson Book Fair (Oct 14 - Oct 17)

We’re excited to announce two amazing opportunities this month to foster a love of reading and support our school community!

First, we will be hosting the Anderson Book Fair! This is your chance to explore a wide variety of books, including those recommended by our very own teachers. Students will visit the fair as a class and create wish lists to share with parents, making it easy for you to see what captures their interest. By purchasing from the fair, not only are you enhancing your child's reading experience, but you're also supporting our teachers - as the proceeds go towards buying books for their classrooms.

In addition to the fair, we are launching a Book Drive in partnership with Bernie's Book Bank to bring the joy of reading to children who don’t have access to books. We're asking for donations of new or gently used books, which can be dropped off in collection bins inside the school starting on October 8th. Your contributions will help ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the magic of books.

As author Emilie Buchwald once said, *"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."* By participating in these efforts, you’re not just supporting our school - you’re helping create lifelong readers and learners.

Chicago Fire FC x District 28

Oct 19, 2024 - 5:00 PM

Soldier Field

Join us for a District 28-wide School Night at Soldier Field! Cheer on the Chicago Fire as they take on Nashville SC in an exciting evening of soccer. Click here to see the flier or buy tickets now!

SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERNATIONAL FAIR

Nov 20, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sensory Friendly)

We are thrilled to announce that the Meadowbrook International Fair is coming up on November 20th, and we’re looking for families to help make this night unforgettable by registering as a host country! The deadline to register for hosting a table is Monday, October 21st.

This is your chance to share your culture and traditions with our school community by hosting a table. Meadowbrook is a beautiful melting pot of diverse cultures, and this event celebrates our unique backgrounds through food, language, art, music, and traditional dance. It’s a fantastic way to bring your heritage to life and foster connections with fellow families.

Attendees will also get to enjoy this vibrant journey with a **souvenir suitcase** to collect treasures as they “travel the world” without leaving school grounds.

Register to Host a Country:
https://www.meadowbrookpto.com/pto/members/documents/International%20Fair%20-%20Host%20Country%20Register.pdf

REMINDERS

5TH GRADE YEARBOOK: WE NEED PHOTOS

Attention 5th-grade parents/caregivers: Please help us create amazing keepsakes for our students, including all their cherished photos! We need your Meadowbrook Memories!

• 1 (Baby Photo) and 1 (Current photo). Please see this flier on how to submit your photo:

• Complete the “About Me” form: https://forms.gle/NFqTqtE7p6pBY6GY6

• Pay the 5th Grade Fees. This fee helps us cover the cost for the yearbook, our 5th Graders’ first NBJH merch and the 5th Grade ceremony and breakfast in June.
  
  

UPCOMING EVENTS

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Help us pull off an epic Parent’s Night Out! If you’ve got good vibes, love a good time, and want to create an unforgettable evening for our Meadowbrook parents, we want YOU! Whether you’re full of wild ideas, love picking out decorations, or just enjoy making things happen, we need your help to make this night AMAZING! No experience required (but event planning would help!) — just a love for fun and a community spirit!

Volunteer Roles:

• Theme & Decor (Who doesn’t love a good theme?!)

• Auction Item Collection (Got connections? Help us gather some awesome items!)

• Coordination & Logistics (If you’re a checklist master, we need you!)

Please email Kate Sweas for more info.

LUNCH

• Order hot lunches from Marla's Lunch (sourced from various local restaurants). New to Marla’s Lunch, click here to see how you can create an account.

• Pizza Day - Pizza Day is twice a month! Please note that pizza slices cannot be purchased on Pizza Day. You may order pizza for upcoming and future Pizza Days in advance when the ordering system is open. All orders must be placed by Thursday at 11 p.m. the week before each Pizza Day to participate. Click here to learn more.

Stay Connected with Us on Social Media!

https://www.facebook.com/MeadowbrookPTODistrict28

District 28 invites local non-profit organizations and community government agencies to promote events for families and children. Each week, some event are highlighted in the newsletter. View the complete list of events on the Virtual Backpack web page. To submit an event, please email the web-friendly flier to Terry Ryan, Communications Director. All fliers are subject to approval.

Looking for more information on making tough talks easier with your kids? This fall, Glenview Northbrook Coalition for Youth is presenting three webinar events, helping parents and caregivers with tools to navigate these conversations and learn current information.

• 10.10.2024 | noon | Youth Mental Health and Substance Use -

In this webinar, Dr. Aaron Weiner will provide an overview of the current state of teen mental health and substance use trends, with an emphasis on nicotine vaping, alcohol, semi-synthetic THC derivatives (e.g., Delta-8 THC), and how these substances impact the developing body and mind.

click to register

Sign Up For Spring Baseball

Registration for Northbrook Action Baseball Spring 2025 Season Now Open for boys & girls pre school thru 2nd grade. Visit our website for Online Registration & more information Season starts end of April thru June

www.Northbrookactionbaseball.org