Welcome to Middle School North!

Welcome to the 2024 - 2025 school year! We hope you are enjoying the summer, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, August 19th. Included in this letter is information that will be helpful to you and your child in preparing for the first day of school.

Everyone at Hawthorn District 73 is looking forward to a positive and successful year of learning. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the upcoming school year, please feel free to contact us at any time.

We look forward to seeing you and your child soon!

Go Eagles!

Katie Waggoner

Principal

waggonerk@hawthorn73.org

Kimberly Porzel

Assistant Principal

porzelk@hawthorn73.org

The Parent Portal in PowerSchool will open on August 8th so families can view student schedules and teacher assignments. Transportation information for students riding buses and school fees will also be available at that time.

The Hawthorn Student Handbook is available online and answers many common questions families may have.

The 2024-2025 At A Glance Calendar is your best resource for attendance days.

As a reminder, school start and end times are posted on our website. Doors will open at 7:25 a.m., with classes beginning at 7:35 a.m. Students will be dismissed on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 2:35 p.m. On Wednesdays beginning August 21, students will be dismissed at 1:50 p.m.

Supply lists for each grade level are available on the Hawthorn website at www.hawthorn73.org/families/school-supply-lists.

Our supply drop-off day is Friday, August 16th.

6th Grade Orientation & Supply Drop - Off is 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

7th Grade Supply Drop - Off is 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

8th Grade Supply Drop - Off is 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

The district partners with Quest Food Service Management company to provide breakfast and lunch to students. Menus will be posted on our website and displayed in the schools. LINQ Connect is available to add funds to your students meal account. Information on registering and navigating LINQ Connect can also be found on our website.

Breakfast and lunch prices are based on free, reduced or paid status. If you feel you may qualify, please visit LINQ Connect to apply. Lunch is $3.50, and Breakfast is $1.50. Ala carte items are available to Middle School students. If you need assistance with the lunch application process, please email Gaby Cervantes, District Family Liaison, at cervantesg@hawthorn73.org or call 847-990-4245.

School office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If your child will be absent from school, please let us know by using the Report an Absence form on the website, calling the office at 847-990-4400 or by sending an email to msn-attend@hawthorn73.org. Please include any symptoms your child may be experiencing if they are absent because of an illness.

BrightArrow is a mass communication tool that reflects our commitment to keeping you informed in the most efficient and reliable manner possible. BrightArrow enables us to send emails, text messages, and make calls to registered parents, guardians, and emergency contacts when necessary. To ensure important messages are not sent to your email’s spam folder, please add no-reply@hawthorn73.org to your contacts or “safe senders” list.

Additionally, we kindly ask that you save 847-973-5958 in your phone contacts as “Hawthorn District 73” to prevent these calls from displaying as spam. To receive text message notifications, we need all PowerSchool-listed parents, guardians, and registered emergency contacts to opt-in. Please complete this process by texting the word “Yes” to 87569 from the cell phone numbers registered in PowerSchool.

Please ensure your students' device is fully charged and ready to go before the first day of school! Instructions can be found here. If your student is new to the district, devices will be distributed during the first week of school.

Illinois law requires physical examinations for students first entering pre-school, kindergarten, and sixth grade and for new enrollees from outside the State of Illinois. A copy of the health examination report, signed by a physician and dated within the past 12 months, must be on record with the District. If your child plans to try out for one of our athletic teams, per School Board Policy, current physicals are required of all students to be on file before tryouts or participation in any interscholastic sport. Please note that physical examinations are good for one year from the exam date. If you have any questions about your child’s physical or other health requirements, please see our Physical Exams and Health Forms page or contact our school nurse at 847-990-4514.

Fall Athletics get started right away! It's a great opportunity to be involved and show your school spirit! Check out this information from our Athletic Director to have all your questions answered.

The Hawthorn PTO is an invaluable and vital part of our school, and I urge you to take an active role. More information about getting involved can be found on the PTO website. Additionally, the PTO now has a year-round link for purchasing spiritwear!

We are excited to welcome the following certified staff members to our team at Middle North:

• Allie Walger - 6th Grade Math
• Allie Pappas - 6th Grade Math
• Colin Alexander - 7th Grade ELA
• Eric Ross - 7th Grade Math
• Jessica Baum - 8th Grade Math
• Adriana Martinez - Music
• Sarah Groebe - Spanish
• Ana-Maria Dreptu - Special Education
• Claire Jones - Special Education
• Paige Kapitan - School Psychologist

• August 16 - Supply Drop-offs (see schedule above)
  
• August 19 - First Day of School
  
• August 22 - Annual Test of the Emergency Notification System
• August 23 - Picture Day
• September 2- Non-Attendance Day
• September 5 - Curriculum/Back-to-School Night (parents & students), 6 p.m.
• October 15 - Immunization and Physicals Due