Mechanics Grove School
Weekly E-Blast for MG
March 7, 2025
5Essentials Survey
Education in the 2025 statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions. This is your chance to provide input concerning your child’s education. We value your opinions about the operation of Mechanics Grove and our district. Our foyer has a chromebook set-up for parents to complete the survey, if you need access to a device.
The Illinois 5Essentials Surveys are available from Monday, Feb. 24 through Friday, March 28. Please use the following link to complete the survey: 5Essentials Survey. Click HERE for the message from our superintendent, Dr. Myers.
A Note from our EL Teacher
At the start of the year and during the cold winter months we are often stuck inside. If you are looking for resources to help your child learn at home, these are two free websites that have high interest activities for students. The activities are great ways to start discussions with your child. There are also writing and reading activities as well. These sites will help the students learn academic language in English and use that language to answer questions. Discussing what they are doing in their home language will help them solidify the meaning of the words.
Welcome Center new temporary location:
The transfer to our new location is now complete. The new address is 330 N. Ridgemoor Ave. This new space is holding all of our basic needs items such as personal hygiene products, household items, new basic essentials clothes, diapers, school supplies/backpacks, and a limited amount of canned and dried goods. This space will be used to host families in critical need of resources from now until the end of the current school year.
Fuel2Flourish Program Starting 3/21
- English: Join us for a fun family night! Enjoy snacks, raffles, and take-home challenges while learning healthy habits through our Latin culture. Don't miss it! The primary language of the evenings will be Spanish.
- Spanish: Unéte a una noche de diversión en familia! Disfruta de refrigerios, rifas y desafíos para llevar a casa, mientras aprendemos hábitos saludables con nuestra cultura latina. ¡No te lo pierdas! El idioma principal de las veladas será el Español.
- Information/Informacion
Target Skills: Geography and science
Recommended Grade Levels: K-12
Visit this site to explore a Dino Road Trip! Then, let your child explore the site for educational fun.
Target Skills: Reading, Writing, Math
Recommended Grade Levels: K-6
Activities and books to read at home with your child.
This site shares resources and activities you can share with your child to set them up for school success. There are activities for reading and writing to try at home. Visit the free ebook library and click Show all eBooks.
A Note from our Social Worker and Counselor
As the age of technology and social media advances, so does the exposure to content that children should not be exposed to at such an early age. One of the common social/emotional challenges schools are experiencing more is social comparison. Children are comparing themselves to their peers at earlier ages. They are focused on the way they look, materialistic things that peers have that they do not have, and the perspective that everyone’s life is perfect because of what they see on social media. This increase of social comparison has shown an increase in anxiety and depression. Sometimes children do not have healthy coping habits and engage in unhealthy coping habits to deal with the intense emotions they feel. One of these habits is engaging in self-harm.
Self-harm is the purposeful act of inflicting harm to one’s own body without the intent to end one’s life. The purpose of self-harm is typically to reduce overwhelming or intolerable emotions. Children may engage in self-harm to regulate or distract themselves from uncomfortable emotions, to relieve stress, to punish themselves or to seek connection with others. Some of the warning signs include
There are several common warning signs and risk factors to be aware of. Caregivers and pediatricians should look out for the following:
Visible marks such as scratches, cuts or burns that are not clearly explained by typical activities.
Sharp objects or other “tools,” such as razors, found in a child’s room.
Covering up with weather-inappropriate clothing, such as long sleeves in the summer, or refusing to participate in activities that involve fewer clothes, such as swimming.
Worsening symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Regularly isolating for long periods of time.
Knowledge of a friend who engages in self-injurious behaviors.
Caregivers are often unaware of their child’s self-harm behavior. For many caregivers, discovering that their child is engaging in self-harm behaviors can be overwhelming. It’s important to know that there are effective treatments available, and the risk of self-harm can be minimized through open and frequent communication and reducing access to tools frequently used to self-harm. Here are some tips that can be helpful:
Children often avoid discussing self-harm with caregivers out of fear that caregivers will be mad or disappointed. Don’t be afraid to embrace their curiosity and temporarily suspend judgment and consequences.
Open communication between caregivers and children is one of the most effective self-harm management strategies. Schedule regular and frequent times to check in with your child.
Reduce access to means. Remove or lock up items that your child is self-harming with or could use to self-harm.
Seeking help from a mental health provider is critical to help identify and treat the underlying causes of self-harm.
If your child or someone you know is struggling with self-harm behaviors and would like more help, please reach out to Angela Markowicz amarkowicz@d75.org (School Counselor) or Reese Mugerditchian rmugerditchian@d75.org (Social Worker).
A Note from the PTO
Box Tops Update:
This year we have currently fundraised over $600 by families simply scanning their receipts and purchasing items with the Box Tops logo. Each month there are monthly challenges for everyone to opt into to earn extra Box Tops. Fun Fact, even if you did not purchase Box Tops items you can still scan your receipt to be entered to win additional Box Tops. As a reminder families simply need to download the app and either search for District 75 PTO Mundelein or enter code PNKN0SEQ.
Important Dates
3/6- 5th and 8th Grade Band Concert (7:00pm at CSMS)
3/7- Report Cards come home
3/14- Early Release (students dismissed at 11:05am)
3/19- 4th Grade Music Concerts (details came out from Mrs. Oropeza)
3/24-3/28- Spring Break NO SCHOOL
Follow Us....
1. Follow us on our facebook page: Mechanics Grove School
2. Twitter handle @mg75wolves
3. Follow us on our instagram page: mechanicsgroveschool
4. Follow us on TikTok @ principal.be.kind
