Maple Marquee
December 22, 2023
District 30 Winter Sing
It is always a joy to have Wescott, Willowbrook and Maple students join together under one roof for our Winter Sing tradition. Click below for highlights!
Thank You Mustang Family
Thank you all for contributing to what has been an incredible start to the school year! We have enjoyed wonderful Maple traditions and brought creativity to our learning environment thanks to our dedicated teachers and families' collective commitment to serving our Maple students. Thank you for your collaboration and communication throughout these first four months. Your partnership has been monumental in our success, and we are truly grateful for all you do.
It is my honor to work with the Maple students, staff, and community members on a daily basis, and I look forward to continuing to team with you to ensure that each student receives the best possible educational experiences coupled with consistent social-emotional support.
I hope you have a restful and safe winter break and a very happy New Year filled with time for family and friends. I wish you all the best for a pleasant start to your 2024, and I look forward to seeing all of our Maple Mustangs back and ready to learn in January.
Take care, and be well!
Sam Kurtz
Upcoming events
Monday, January 8
- School resumes
Tuesday, January 9
Wednesday, January 10
- Ice Cream Day
Thursday, January 11
- Incoming Freshman Curriculum night at Glenbrook North 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Friday, January 12
- Half Day School Improvement, Student dismissal 11:35 a.m.
Trimester 1 Mustang Award Winners
Congratulations!
Maple School’s MUSTANG AWARDS are presented to students at all grade levels each trimester, as part of our recognition of students’ positive contributions to our learning community. The teachers all work together to select students each trimester. Mustang Award recipients are students who exemplify the pillars of Character Counts: Respect, Fairness, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Caring, and Citizenship.
6 Grade: Maya Lee, Lexie Rozenberg, Avery Sigler, Dalia Myszak, Nicholas Wiseman, Joseph Pinarkyil
7 Grade: Abigail Chua, Zoe Hermann, Walker Steck, Sarah Tanzif, Albert Xu
8 Grade: Elyse Mehaffey, Jackson Chen, Ana Sinelnikov, Eleanor Stickler Thun, Morgan Harenberg, Yohana Smith
6th-grade winners
(Click any photo to enlarge)
7th-grade winners
8th-grade winners
Be a part of our Strategic Plan!
Today is deadline for Plan Team interest
Your are invited to participate in our Strategic Plan process that starts in January. Anyone interested in being part of the Plan Team can fill out an interest form by the end of business today, Dec. 22
The Plan Team will be a diverse group of people that will include representatives from groups across our district community, including students, staff, parents, community members, PTO, school and district leadership, and members of the Board of Education. The Plan Team's primary responsibility is to develop an analysis of district strengths and opportunities, a Preferred Future Statement, and a Draft Strategic Plan during the following meeting dates:
January 16, 4-6 p.m. - Orientation (virtual)
February 1, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Data retreat (in person)
March 18, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Vision retreat (in person)
April 16, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Setting direction (in person)
May 7, 8-10 a.m. - Plan review (virtual)
It is important that those who volunteer for this team can commit to all meetings. Thank you to all who have already expressed interest! Community voices are essential to this process, and there will be additional opportunities to share your feedback for those who are unable to be a part of the team. Stay tuned to our District 30 communications!
Help your child navigate life online
District 30 parents, guardians and caregivers are invited to learn from Devorah Heitner, Ph.D., as she discusses her new book “Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World” at 6:30 p.m. January 30 at Maple School. Discover how to help tweens and teens navigate boundaries, identity, privacy, and reputation in their digital world. Heitner shows that by focusing on character, we can support our kids to be authentically themselves. Click here or below to register.
See highlights from the Maple Winter Concert
Click to see (and hear!) our talented Maple Band, Choir and Orchestra perform their 2023 Winter Concert! We are so proud of these Mustangs for their talent and all the practice they put into this phenomenal show, and we thank Mrs. Pantich, Mrs. Yoo and Mr. Pittman for their extraordinary leadership!
GBN Incoming Freshman Art Contest & Exhibit
Glenbrook North High School held their second annual Incoming Freshman Art Contest and Exhibit last Tuesday. The media included Digital, Mixed, Painting, Photography, Drawing, and 3D, with the entries being only 5 X 7 inches. Maple School participants included Danyal Ali,Carly Franklin, Sadie Gorovits, Morgan Harenberg, Riley Hirsch, Evelyn Strickler-Thun, and Katlyn Zima. Congratulations to Sadie on her win for Best Entry in Drawing/Painting!
World Language selection process
For incoming 6th-graders
The Maple World Language Teachers are excited to be visiting the 5th-grade classrooms at Willowbrook on Thursday, January 18 from 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and Wescott on Friday, January 19, from 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Mini-lessons and presentations will be given about the French and Mandarin classes offered at Maple School. Questions about Maple’s Spanish program will also be answered during this time.
The Google Form that has been used in the past for language selection has been a huge success. The World Language Department intends to continue to use a Google Form for this data. The Google Form will be pushed out to parents electronically via email on Friday, January 19 for both elementary schools. The deadline for the language selection is Friday, January 26.
Volleybash 2024 is coming!
Save the date: Friday, February 2
Get ready for the PTO Volley-Bash! This is our 8th year of this fun all-student activity!
This awesome event sponsored by both the PTO and Athletic Department provides all Maple students with an opportunity to participate in a fun, supervised, after-school volleyball “competition.” It is strictly a “FUN-raiser;” no volleyball experience is necessary.
When school resumes in January, your Maple student will receive information (sign-up links, etc.) via their Maple email. For $20 they can sign up to either “play” or participate as a “fan” – both options include pizza, drink and a giveaway. As a parent/guardian, please encourage your student to be a part of this event– they do not have to be an avid volleyball player!
Last year, nearly 200 students participated in Volley-Bash! We aim to make this year's the best one yet! Stay tuned for more Volley-Bash information when students return in January.
Take a look at our Virtual Backpack
Winter break opportunity for students
Former Maple student Sahithi Medikondla, currently a GBN student, will be facilitating a 5 day JMA: Medical Biotechnology program December 26-30. See the flyer in our Virtual Backpack (scroll to the bottom) for more information and be sure to register your spot for this awesome program.
Scholastic Bowl
Does your child like trivia?
If so, Maple School’s Scholastic Bowl team might be a perfect opportunity to learn, compete, and have fun! Scholastic Bowl offers two weekly practices as well as five inter-school matches. Practices start at the end of January and run through April.
We will have an informational student meeting on Wednesday, January 17 in room 206 after school. All students are welcome to participate with practices and/or matches.
If you have further questions, encourage your child to contact either Mrs. Stannard or Mrs. Rathge.
Do you speak another language?
We need your expertise!
To celebrate Maple’s diversity and offer a visual reminder that we all belong in the Mustang herd, Maple is engaging in an art installation to represent the variety of languages spoken in our community. If you speak any of the languages below, please consider emailing Sam Kurtz (skurtz@district30.org) with the preferred way to communicate the phrase/idea “You Belong” in that language. If this idea does not translate directly into your spoken language, please send a phrase that captures this meaning (e.g. You belong here). Thank you to those who have already helped us with other languages!
Albanian/Tosk
Albanian/Gheg
Assyrian (Syriac/Aramaic)
Bengali
Bulgarian
Chaldean
Ilocano
Kannada (Kanarese)
Malayalam
Marathi
Mongolian
Panjabi (Punjabi)
Swedish
Tamil
Telugu (Telegu) Thai
Urdu
Vietnamese
In your email to to Mr. Kurtz, please indicate:
The name of the language you speak at home
The “You Belong” message in the native letters or characters of that language
Your collaboration in this effort will help ensure that our celebration accurately reflects the many beautiful cultures that make Maple so special. Thank you for your help in celebrating our Maple herd!
Enter by December 31!
Reminders for return to school on Jan. 8
Don't forget to order your yearbook
Yearbooks are memories from cover to cover
Don't lose the chance to order your 2023-24 Maple School Yearbook. Click on the button below to purchase your book directly through Jostens.
PTO News
Committee Chair Opportunities for 7th Grade Parents
The Maple PTO is looking for 7th-grade parents to fill the Career Day and 8th-Grade Graduation Reception Committee Co-Chair positions. Please click below to view the signup which includes a brief description of each position. We also need a School Supplies Committee Chair which can be filled by a 6th- or 7th-grade parent. If you have any questions about chairing a committee, please email maplepto@district30.org. Thank you!
Special Lunch Thank you and Ordering Reminder
Thank you for participating in this week's Special Lunch! We hope your student enjoyed their lunch from Viccino's Pizza & Pasta. Thank You to our Special Lunch volunteers Jenny Klein, Katie Shin, Carina Sarbaugh, Kathy Sikaras, and Amy Grace for helping Special Lunch service go smoothly. You can order lunch for the entire year or each month. Orders/modifications can be made up to noon on Tuesday, the week prior to each Special Lunch.
For the January 17 Special Lunch from Corner Bakery, please order by noon on Tuesday, January 9. Special Lunch registration and ordering information can be found by clicking here.
Ice Cream Day - Wednesday, January 10
Ice Cream Wednesday takes place the second Wednesday of the month from September through May. The next Ice Cream Day is January 10. As part of PTO registration, you had the option to prepay for Ice Cream for the year. If you prepaid, your child will receive a frozen novelty of their choice on Wednesday. If you did not prepay during registration, your child can bring $2.00 to school. Thank you.
GBN Choir Camp starts Jan. 20
Great expectations at Maple
At Maple School, we are committed to providing our students with the skills they need to succeed not only in high school but also beyond. Developing strong executive functioning skills is crucial for their continued success.
We are providing students with helpful "reminders" to assist them in developing habits such as timeliness, preparing for class, being "TRRFCC" students (Trustworthy, Respectful, Responsible, Fair, Citizenship, and Caring), and following school expectations. Here is a copy of the classroom expectations we uphold across grade levels.
While we are striving to reinforce these practices during school hours, we understand that fostering these skills requires collaboration and communication between home and school. Thank you for your ongoing partnership, and we look forward to working together for the benefit of our students.
Parent Portal information
Parent and Student Portal
Grades, attendances, and assignments are now viewable in the Parent and Student Portals. Click here to for a guide on how to view detailed information on the Grades & Assignments page.
Parent Access Codes for Schoology (Grades 3-8)
If you want access to your child’s Schoology to view their activity, your Parent Access Code and instructions are located on the Parent Portal website. Click Forms in the left navigation, then click Student Information for the 2023-2024 School Year.
Homework grids
You may access your students homework through these links.
Learn about community events!
Want to know what's going on around the community? District 30 uses a "Virtual Backpack" to share community information while saving paper, costs, and lightening the loads our students bring home. Please click the button below to view upcoming Community Events.
Maple School
Main Office: 847-400-8900
Health Office: 847-400-8908Location: 2370 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Website: district30.org/maple