Meadowbrook Star News 8/15/25

Hello Meadowbrook Families!

It was great to meet many of our new parents last night at our new family welcome meeting! We have had more than 30 new students register this summer and we're excited to welcome everyone to our community.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for Meet the Teacher on Tuesday. First through 5th grade students are welcome to drop in any time between 1:30-2:30 and kindergarteners should have already received appointment times from their teachers. Thanks to our amazing PTO for organizing school supplies and spirit wear orders to be ready for Meet the Teacher.

Our staff will be spending Monday and Tuesday learning together, collaborating on procedures, and preparing for the arrival of students. We're excited to kick off a great year at Meadowbrook!

As a reminder, look for these weekly updates on Friday mornings to read the latest news from Meadowbrook and feel free to follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram to enjoy a window into our awesome school! Please take a moment to read through the important information below and enjoy this last weekend of summer break!

Warmly,

Ginny

New Family Orientation Meeting Slides

Thanks to all families who joined for our new family welcome meeting last night. For those who were unable to attend, I've attached a copy of the slide deck below. Please feel free to reach out with any questions!

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New Family Orientation Meeting Fall 2025.pdf

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Important Safety Information

Construction traffic will run through our parking lot and onto the K-2 (east) blacktop. Trucks and equipment will be passing through between 7:00-8:00am. It is imperative for children’s safety that students DO NOT arrive at school before 8:10am. Our staff will begin supervision duty at 8:10am and the gate for the construction traffic will close at that time. If students are walking or biking to school, please ensure that they do not arrive before 8:10am as we cannot ensure their safety prior to our supervision starting, especially with the construction equipment moving through the parking lot.

During dismissal, if you pick your child up by car, please do not arrive in our parking lot until after 3:00pm. The parking lot will be closed off with cones until 3:00pm so our construction traffic can exit prior to dismissal. Please refer to the new traffic procedures (sent previously) for staging traffic to ensure we don’t back up onto Waukegan Road.

Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

Students will arrive/depart school in the following areas. Please check with your child's teacher for any specific questions about arrival and dismissal. Please note:

Students riding bikes can park them at the racks on the West/Red playground or by the racks in the front of the building by the flagpole to the east of the main entrance. There will not be bike racks on the East/Blue playground.
Students being picked up by car will be dismissed via the front door as the cars pull through the front lot. Please see previous messaged about carline procedures.

Be a Good Neighbor!

As a reminder, as you're queuing for the carline at dismissal, please avoid parking in front of the driveway entrances of our neighbors on the streets around school. As well, our neighbors on Shagbark would like to remind others that the cul-de-sac should not be used as a regular drop-off/pick-up site for students. This will be especially important as our construction project progresses. Thanks for being thoughtful about others in our community!

Curriculum Night repeat

This year, Curriculum Night will take place on September 3rd. This is an event for parents/caregivers to come to school to hear more about what children will be learning throughout the year. Classroom teachers will give the same presentation twice, once from 6:30-6:55 and again from 7-7:25. Other teachers (e.g., P.E., art, music, Spanish, STEM, gifted/talented, interventionists, etc.) will be available for parent drop-ins between 6:00-7:00. We hope to see you all there!

New Traffic Pattern for Dismissal repeat

In past years, dismissal at Meadowbrook has been challenging. Traffic had often backed up onto Waukegan Road and multiple safety issues were observed. With the guidance of the Northbrook Police Department, we are changing our procedures for this year. For the safety of our children, PLEASE cooperate with this traffic plan. Here's a link to the following directions with two maps, one showing the traffic flow for the school parking lot, and the other demonstrating how to safely stage the pickup line.

There will be TWO lanes of cars entering the parking lot: Lane 1 (left side) and Lane 2 (right side).

Cars entering from westbound Walters should utilize Lane 2 by making a hard right turn.
Parents coming from eastbound Walters or Orchard Lane should use Lane 1 by making a slight left into the lot.

The two lanes will merge into one near the front door, allowing cars to exit the school lot smoothly. PLEASE TAKE TURNS merging at the sign and direction of staff!

There will be a new flow for cars waiting in the pickup line.

If drivers see the line backing up to the intersection on westbound Walters at Waukegan, they should proceed southbound on Breesway Lane, stage on Elm Ave, then enter Orchard Lane and Lane 1.

Please review these other important safety considerations:

“Buses Only” are allowed in the second entrance after dismissal.
Parking is not allowed in any campus parking spots during pickup.
Parents picking up children early should enter the “Buses Only” entrance prior to 3:15 and exit in the same way.
Please stay off your cell phones while in the pick up lane so you can participate in a quick and safe process.

Emergency Drill Information repeat

During the first weeks of school, we will complete several of the required emergency drills so students and staff can practice procedures. As required, we will complete a lockdown drill with the support of the Northbrook Police Department. Parents who elect to opt their child out of the lockdown drill should notify Dr. Hiltz by filling out this form by 8/25.

Krieger, D28 Facility Dog repeat

As many of you know, this year Meadowbrook will be the main home of District 28's Facility Dog, Krieger. Krieger has worked at Greenbriar since 2020 and is a certified facility dog trained by Canines 4 Comfort. A few important notes about Krieger...

Krieger is always on a leash with one of his handlers when he moves around the building.
Before students can interact with Krieger, parents need to complete an online permission form. The link will be shared in a separate email.
Krieger will be visiting classrooms by request of teachers and will work with individual students as needed, again with parent permission.
If your child is afraid of dogs, don't worry! Krieger is good at helping kids become more comfortable with dogs and we will not force children who are uncomfortable to interact with him.
Krieger is a Golden Doodle and has hair instead of fur. This often helps people who are allergic to pet dander. That said, no dog is completely hypoallergenic. If your child has an allergy and you have concerns about their interaction with Krieger, please reach out to our nurse, Pam Streeter (pstreeter@northbrook28.net) to make us aware.
Follow Krieger's Instagram here!

Meadowbrook Building Plan Website

Each week we'll be providing an update on the construction process for our new gym as well as any news on the upcoming work for our new building. Information will also be posted on the District 28 website at the "Meadowbrook Building Plan" link above--feel free to check there for photos and update as well.

Our construction fencing is up and includes a gate that will remain locked during arrival and dismissal times and whenever vehicles are not accessing the site.
Both our east/blue blacktop and playground spaces will be available for use this year. We will close the playground area during the days when we have higher construction traffic coming and going, to ensure student safety.
We will officially "break ground" on our gym this morning--look for photos on our Facebook and Instagram feeds!

Show your creativity and celebrate the start of the 2025-26 school year with us! Share your first day of school photos by sending them to Samantha Scheinman, Director of Communications & Community Relations, at sscheinman@northbrook28.net. If you're posting to Instagram, be sure to use the hashtag #D28FIRSTDAY25

Families in grades K-8 should send in their photos by 6 p.m. on August 20. Families of Young Explorer students should send in their photos by 6 p.m. on August 21. The winner will be featured on our Facebook and Instagram social media channels on Friday, August 22!

Meadowbrook PTO Website

Meadowbrooklet!

Please review this year's “Meadowbrooklet” — this back-to-school guide walks you through a typical school day and contains links to get involved.

Marla's Lunch

Ordering for Marla's Lunch is open and you can place orders now. Ordering has closed for the first week of school, but you can find the info you need to order and sample menus here for future weeks.

PTO Newsletter

Our monthly PTO Newsletter is sent out on the second Monday of every month.

PTO Meetings

The PTO meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month. Please join us for our first PTO meeting on September 10th at 9:30 in the staff lounge. You can also join us via Zoom at this link: https://northbrook28-net.zoom.us/j/83074635789?pwd=oE9SuuEHSktrOinyj5KryV8j4Z7L1X.1

Stay connected with us on Facebook - MeadowbrookPTODistrict28

And on Instagram - d28.meadowbrookpto

Subscribe to the Meadowbrook calendar at this link!

August 19: Meet the Teacher

August 20: First day of school, full day 8:30-3:30

August 26: Beginning Band and Orchestra parent meeting @ 6pm @ NBJH

August 27: Principal Coffee/Chat @ 9:30 @ Meadowbrook

August 29: Krieger's birthday!

August 29: Half Day, Dismissal at 12:00

September 1: NO SCHOOL

September 2: Fall assessment window opens (teachers will share specific dates)

September 3: Curriculum Night (6-6:25: specials teachers available; 6:30-6:55: first session; 7:00-7:35: second session)

September 11: First PTO Pizza Day

September 11: Back to School Social @ 5:30-7PM- Sensory Friendly Time from 5-5:30

September 12: School-wide Spirit Day: Favorite Sports Team

September 18: Picture Day

September 23: NO SCHOOL

District 28 invites local non-profit organizations and community government agencies to promote events for families and children. Each week, some event are highlighted in the newsletter. View the complete list of events on the Virtual Backpack web page. To submit an event, please email the web-friendly flier to Samantha Scheinman, Communications Director. All fliers are subject to approval.