McKenzie Monitor

Dear Families,

The McKenzie Bernie's Book Bank Drive was a huge success! We appreciate all of the book donations made from our generous families and staff. McKenzie was able to donate nine full crates of books to Bernie's Book Bank. What an amazing accomplishment! The Bernie's Book Bank team is grateful for the support of their mission; to create pathways to success through book ownership and empower children to explore new ideas, gain knowledge, and strengthen reading skills.

An extra special thank you to Leadership Council and McKenzie's Lend a Paw for collecting, organizing, and packing over one thousand donated books. The time and effort put into sorting books was truly appreciated by all.

I continue to be impressed with our staff, students, and families, as we find ways to engage in service learning projects here at McKenzie.

Have a great weekend,

Dana

McKenzie will be holding it's first ever SOLARBRATION on Friday, May 19th to celebrate our new solar panels! Students will be engaging in solar activities throughout their school day and families are invited to celebrate after school on Friday, May 19th from 2:20-3:20 pm. Sign up and more details coming soon!

“Solarbrations” Are Coming!

This month, District 39 schools will be holding “solarbrations” to celebrate the installation of our new solar panels. The panels are the result of a grant received from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, providing educational opportunities and energy to our schools. D39 has a strong commitment to sustainability initiatives and these solar panels also provide a wonderful teaching and learning opportunity for our students, faculty, and staff. We are very proud that all six of our schools now have solar panels! Check your child’s school(s) newsletter for more information on this upcoming celebration.

Student Fees Information

The Board of Education approved student fees for the 2023-24 academic year during its April business meeting last Monday night. With families beginning to look ahead to next year and should you wish to learn more about these fees, we invite you to use the April Committee of the Whole and April Board of Education meetings as resources, as the Board engaged in very informative discussions on this topic. Recordings for both meetings are available on the District 39 YouTube channel. We are grateful to the Board for its guidance as we prepare for a busy end of the 2022-23 school year while also making plans for the fall.

Thank You Jeff Dees!

Wilmette Junior High School 7th Grade Level Administrator Jeff Dees was approved as the new Associate Principal for Curriculum & Instruction at Round Lake High School earlier this week. Mr. Dees’ dedication and passion for educating our students made him a valuable member of our WJHS leadership team and learning community for the past five years and we wish him tremendous success in his new position. He will continue in his current role at WJHS through June 30.

Monday, May 29th

No School - Memorial Day

May 31st and June 1st

McKenzie 4th Grade Outdoor Ed Field Trip and Activities

Friday, June 2nd

McKenzie Field Day

Friday, June 9th

Last Day of School - Early Release

2023-24 PTA Slate

We will vote to approve the following Executive Board Slate for the 2023/2024 PTA at the next PTA meeting on May 12th:

• President - Eric Bertram, Elect - Rachel Gold
• Treasurer - Gretchen Cappiello, Elect - Erika Burkemper
• Secretary - Courtney Radde, Elect - Laura Hess
• Fundraising - Dani Bowden, Elect - Monica Novomisle
• Enrichment - Sara Kennedy, Elect - Becky Burke
• Communications - Ariel Knauff, Elect - Katie Brown
• Room Parents - Alicia Brown, Elect - Kara Hamstra
• WebMaster - Lora Amigo, Elect - Pat Holden
• Parliamentarian - Rob Greenberg
• Diversity & Inclusion - Jeff Toth, Elect - Kim Lieb

Bike to Highcrest

CALLING ALL 4TH GRADERS! Save the Date for the Bike to Highcrest event on Tuesday, May 16th after school. Click HERE for more details. Parents–please complete waiver by May 12.

Order Edukits for next school year!

Order your child's school supplies for the 23-24 school year! EduKits include the supplies approved by our school in one package that will be in your child's classroom on the first day of school. Click HERE to order. Contact Amanda Houde at school-supplies@mckenziepta.com with questions.

Staff Appreciation Week

Staff appreciation week is May 8 - 12 – please watch for emails from your room parent with more information on how you can contribute. We are so grateful to McKenzie’s dedicated staff and need our community’s help to make it a special week!

Read-A-Thon

Read-A-Thon concludes on Sunday, 5/7. By Friday, 5/12, please submit your student's total minutes read HERE. For funds raised, please turn in a one-time donation HERE, or bring a check made out to "McKenzie PTA" to your teacher by Friday, 5/12. Note: You do not need to turn in paper copies of the reading log or donation sheet if you submit them online (preferred). Thank you for your support!

Garden Help Needed!

Two great opportunities to get involved by helping with the Mckenzie Garden!

1) Join the Garden Committee

We are forming a committee to help with ongoing garden maintenance and planning activities for the McKenzie garden. No green thumb necessary! Help is needed this spring and summer and into next school year. Please email katebschmitt@gmail.com if you are interested in helping.

2) Volunteer during recess

The garden is now open for students to visit during their recess on Mondays and Fridays. SIGN UP HERE to help and spend time with your student outside! Volunteers facilitate pre-planned activities or oversee students helping in the garden. No green thumb necessary!

Fun Run May 11!

Save the Date for the annual student Fun Run on May 11 from 3:15 - 4:15 PM. Join us on the blacktop for music, DJ led games, popsicles, and possibly a special appearance from the McKenzie Cheetah! Planners are seeking a volunteer photographer–please reach out to Laura Arnault (Laurameacher@gmail.com) or Nancy Maidenberg (nkmaidenberg@gmail.com).

D39 Educational Foundation

Looking for ideas for Mother’s Day? Kendra Scott and the D39 Educational Foundation are proud to team up and 20% of online proceeds will go to the foundation. Mark your calendar to shop www.kendrascott.com May 5th-7th and use code GIVEBACK-EAIRB!

Appreciation Certificates Available

Looking for an end of year gift to say thank you to a special teacher, staff or administrator? For your $39 donation, the staff member(s) of your choice will be honored with a personalized certificate sent via email and their name posted on our website's virtual Wall of Honor. All donations will benefit our schools by funding the Foundation's Gripp Grant program. Purchase your Appreciation Certificate here.

Variety Show Download/DVD ON SALE NOW!

Take home this year's blockbuster Variety Show "Heard in the Halls"! Thrill your kid as they relive their favorite VS moment. DVD/Download will be available on release date, approx. week of May 22nd. For details & to purchase, go to the Variety Show website HERE.

Learning Commons Volunteers

Sign up now to shelve books in the Learning Commons during your child's library time. It's a great chance to see them during the day.

Cafeteria Sign-up

Click HERE to sign up! There’s a few spots left through the end of the year.

Wilmette Historical Museum and Wilmette Police Department are hosting Joint Open Houses on Sunday, May 7th, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm.

Boy Scout Troop 3 Wilmette invites you to their Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser on Saturday, May 13th, 7:00 am - 12:00 pm at United Trinity Methodist Church, 1024 Lake Avenue. All you can eat! Online tickets are $7 in advance; $10 at the door.

Community House Junior Board presents TREASURE TROT 5K to raise money for the Community House. Open to all ages - run the Green Bay Trail on Saturday, May 13th at 9:00 a.m.

Cub Scout Pack 1 is recruiting! Many fun events scheduled. Learn more at the Rocket Launch Event at St. Joe’s on May 21st at 3:00 p.m. email ZakStambor@gmail.com for more information.

Wilmette Park District seeks residents input and feedback to help create a clear vision for parks, facilities, and recreation to meet the needs of residents for play, health, wellness, open spaces and nature places. Project Parks and Play: Explore the Possibilities. Scan the QR code on the flyer or visit https://berrydunn.mysocialpinpoint.com/wilmetteparkdistrict

Glide to Growth is a non profit organization that aims to provide one-on-one free figure skating lessons to children with disabilities. Ice skating is an excellent therapeutic activity that promotes physical, emotional, and social growth. Contact www.glidetogrowth.com

Wilmette Wings / Chicago Rush North Shore - Learn more about travel soccer with the Wilmette Wings Soccer Club (U7-U12) and Chicago North Shore (U13-U19) and how to register for tryouts in May. www.wilmettewings.com/tryouts OR www.chicagorushnorthshore.com

Wilmette Baseball Association Spring House League registration is open for K-8th grades. www.wilmettebaseball.org

SKATE FOR GIRLS! Learn math through skating for FREE! A free weekend program for middle school girls will be held Saturdays, May 20 - June 10, 9:15 am - 12:15 pm at Centennial Ice Rink.

Oakton College offers STEAM Youth Summer Camp with in-person and virtual options. Virtual courses: June 6 - August 26 and In-Person Courses: June 12 - August 3

Northwestern presents Wildcat Science Camp! Session 1: Insect and Pollinator Behavior July 10-14. Session 2: Engineering Rockets July 24-28. Scholarships available for families with need.

New Trier Township offers a Food Pantry 10am - 4pm weekdays for families that live/work in the township. NT Township also offers Emergency Financial Assistance, Legal Aid Clinic, property tax assistance, social service referrals and other available resources. Go to www.newtriertownship.com for more information.

Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:00-11:00 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Kindergarten

Academic Kindergarten AM: 8:35 - 11:10 am

KEEP39: 11:10 am - 3:15 pm

*Friday: 11:10 am - 2:15 pm

Grades 1 - 4

Monday - Thursday: 8:35 am - 3:15 pm

*Friday: 8:35 am - 2:15 pm

**First bell rings at 8:30 am.

Follow #D39Cheetahs on Twitter to get a glimpse of all of the learning happening at McKenzie!

Email: nasiakod@wilmette39.org
Website: mckenzie.wilmette39.org/
Location: 649 Prairie Avenue, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-512-6300