McKenzie Monitor

Register Now for the 2025-26 Academic Year

Registration remains open for the 2025-26 academic year. Registering your child(ren) now helps us to staff our schools with the correct number of class sections and the very best teachers around! Please help us plan to continue this excellence by completing your registration now.

• ALL students must register, including new and returning students. Additional information regarding returning and new student enrollment is available online.

• Registration for returning students can be completed via the PowerSchool Parent Portal and choose “registration.”

• Registration for our new full-day kindergarten program is open now, as well. Kindergarten registration numbers are crucial to our planning for kindergarten sections and staffing. If you have an incoming kindergartener or know someone who does, please encourage completion of the registration process as soon as possible.

• Registration is also open for our Lechner Early Education Program (LEEP) for three- and four-year-old preschool program.

• The 2025-26 academic year calendar is available online.

Schedule Your Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences

Registration is now open for Spring parent/teacher conferences (March 20-21) for our families with elementary school students. You received an email last Friday with instructions on how to reserve your conference time online. Video conferences are encouraged and set as the default within the registration system; however, requests for in-person conferences can be accommodated.

Parent Education Events

Join us on Wednesday, March 12 at 11 am for District 39’s next Parent Education event titled “Parenting Kids with Big Emotions and Big Behaviors.” Navigating children’s upsets and tantrums are a part of parenthood. You want to support your child’s feelings and not lose your patience, but when they don’t listen or follow the rules, what do you do? This session will equip you with tools to parent with respect. You will learn how to access your calm, how to respond rather than react, and raise children who care and contribute. Come to grow your parenting confidence and create more peace in your family! Registration for this event, which will be held virtually via Zoom, is now open. Please visit our Parent Education webpage for our full schedule of events as well as archived recordings of past events.

District 39 Summer Enrichment Program Registration

Registration for the D39 Summer Enrichment Program is open. This fun and educational program runs from July 2-31 and offers a variety of academic and interest-based courses for students currently in grades K-7. This year, courses for students in grades K-3 will be held at McKenzie Elementary School while programs for students currently in grades 4-7 will be held at Highcrest Middle School. Please view our list of offered courses and visit our D39 Summer Enrichment Program website for more details on this wonderful summer option.

Don’t forget!

• The CSCI Survey is live until 3/28. Make your opinions heard on important issues relating to school culture here.

• Registration is open for current students and rising kindergarteners!

Please join the PTA general meeting on Thursday 3/13 from 8:45am-10am in the school cafeteria. Please provide your ID at the front desk. We look forward to seeing you there!

2025/2026 Executive Board

We are pleased to announce our 2025 / 2026 PTA Executive Board Nominees:

• President: Lorenza Amigo
• President Elect: Kara Hamstra
• Communications: Alex Apatoff
• Communications Elect: Sara Jivden
• Community Building: Kristen Kwasnick
• Community Building Elect: Danielle Ritter
• DEIB: Sonia Dulai
• DEIB Elect: Rachel Gold
• Enrichment: Kim Quigley
• Enrichment Elect: Jerilyn Smith
• Fundraising: Ariel Knauff
• Fundraising Elect: Monica Novomisle
• Parliamentarian: Stephanie Strano
• Room Parent: Katy Khurana
• Room Parent Elect: Julie Pyle
• Secretary: Danielle Ritter
• Secretary Elect: Katy Khurana
• Treasurer: Meghan Miller
• Treasurer Elect: Pam Walton
• Webmaster: Lorenza Amigo

For questions, contact: pres_elect@mckenziepta.com

LOST AND FOUND CORNER!

Please encourage your children to regularly check the Lost and Found located in the cafeteria. You are also welcome to come yourself-- just sign in at the front office before or after school. Items left unclaimed will be cleared out at the end of each month, so it's important to retrieve any missing belongings as soon as possible. Thank you for your help in keeping our school organized!

**New this month!** We now have a virtual lost and found, accessible via the PTA website under "Parent Resources". Please bookmark it and check often! We will try to update photos once every week or two.

BECOME A TRUSTEE WITH D39 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

The D39 Educational Foundation is seeking enthusiastic and committed volunteers to serve on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. Please contact Beth Karnes by Monday, April 7th at boarddev@d39foundation.org for more information.

The cafeteria needs volunteers to help us power through to Spring Break! The SignUpGenius is open through the end of the year, but extra help in the next few weeks would make a big difference—sign up here!

Please join your fellow McKenzie Cheetahs for our Spring Movie Night! Little Giants will be on the big screen to kick off spring, and celebrate the warm weather ahead!

Where: Wilmette Theater
When: March 20th at 12:30 pm
Buy Tickets Here!

PASS39:

Please join us for a PASS39 Connecting Parents gathering on March 11th from 9:30-11:30 AM. This is an informal get-together to collaborate, socialize and support one another. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP for address: pass39@wilmette39.org. Non-school age children welcome - plenty of backyard activities for them.

Pass39 Monthly Parents’ Coffee is on the 2nd Friday of every month from 9:30-11:30am at Panera in The Shops at Old Orchard Place. No RSVP required. Call 312.533.1340 with questions.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Cafeteria Sign-Up for Jan-June 2025 is live: Click HERE to sign up.

Library Sign-Up: HERE.

Sponsor a new library book in honor of your child's birthday! Click HERE for the $20 purchase.

D39 Educational Foundation:

TRIVIA NIGHT IS BACK! Grab your friends and join us for our annual District 39 Educational Foundation Trivia Night on April 5th at the St. Joe’s Gymnasium. Come for the trivia, stay for the socializing. Tables go on sale February 25th at 10:00 a.m.

Act fast, don't miss out on the fun!

Tables for up to 10 adults for $750, limited tables

Doors open at 7pm

BYOB & BYOF (bring your own food)

Theme & costumes encouraged

Prizes for Winners, Best-in-show & Raffle

St. Joseph's School Gym - 1740 Lake Avenue in Wilmette