McCracken Hornet Highlights

Thank you to the many school community members who joined us at our McCracken Back to School Night event on Wednesday, September 9th. The purpose of this event was to welcome our school community, form positive partnerships, and share important information with our families. We have included a link to the MC Back to School Digital Presentations below. Please review the presentation and access the individual links that include resources and specific details about academic and extracurricular programming. We look forward to an amazing school year with students and families!

Grade Level Presentations:

6th Grade Back to School Presentation

7th Grade Back to School Presentation

8th Grade Back to School Presentation

Niles North Orchestra students under the direction of Jennifer Page and Eliza Stubbs performed for McCracken students and staff on Thursday, September 10th. It was a beautiful performance that included former McCracken graduates. Students can be involved in multiple activities throughout the year. Families interested in registering for orchestra should use the QR code below and contact Eliza Stubbs, Director of Orchestra at elistu@d219.org.

We’re very excited to announce the activities that students are participating in around our All School Read novel, Refugee by Alan Gratz. McCracken staff developed cross-curricular lessons over the summer designed around Refugee that are currently being taught in their classes. Additionally, our students will get the opportunity to sit in on a livestream with Alan Gratz on Thursday, September 24th. This livestream will include a question and answer session with the best-selling author!

Please see below for a list of important school dates and events:

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Caregivers Roundtable ~ Wednesday, September 16th (Skokie Public Library at 6pm)

• School & Family Success Team Meeting ~ Tuesday, September 22nd

• Symphonic Band Student Performance at Middleton ~ September 23rd

• PT Conference Registration Opens ~ September 23rd (10:00 a.m.)

• MC families can select up to three(3) appointments to support increased access to conferences
• Registration limits will be removed on 9/26 - families can sign up for additional conferences if available

• School Evacuation Drill ~ Friday, September 25th

• School Fire Drill ~ Monday, September 28th

• Fall Picture Day ~ Thursday, October 1st

• Symphonic & Concert Band Concert ~ October 6th at 7p.m.

• PT Conference Registration Closes ~ October 7th

• Parent Teacher Conferences ~ Oct 8th (5pm-8pm) & October 9th (8am-12pm) No School for students on October 9th

• Indigenous Peoples Day ~ Monday, October 12th - No School

ACCESS The Skokie 73.5 Public Calendar HERE for ALL upcoming events/athletic games!

Please check emails from Mr. De Stefano and Mr. Mendoza regularly for band updates throughout the year.

Join fellow community members for a parent-to-parent conversation for families with children who have a disability, 504 plan, IEP, or other special needs.

• When: Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• Where: Skokie Public Library (Radmacher Room)
• Contact: 735spedparents@gmail.com
• RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSetGJ2nB27qRkrRY-Tgon-2uyTA8kDmZpH7Iai3sXqhgSwkkg/viewform

The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families is of the utmost importance. In order to maintain a safe environment for our children to study and learn, it is necessary that we practice our emergency and crisis response plan by having drills designed to practice our procedures. These plans are reviewed yearly with the Skokie Police and Fire Departments and are in

accordance with the State of Illinois School Safety Drill Act. We will be conducting various drills throughout the school year. Teachers will discuss and prepare students for the drills.

Helping Our Schools Stay Prepared

A safe school community is a prepared school community. Throughout the year, our students and staff practice safety drills so they know what to do in the event of an emergency.

Families can visit our School Safety webpage to learn about the different drills conducted in our schools, how we prepare students, what to expect throughout the year, and how families can help reinforce emergency preparedness at home.

View More Information About Upcoming School Drills

We are so excited to once again be able to offer a full array of after-school programming for our students this fall. Our staff has put together a wide variety of engaging options for our students to choose from. Students and parents are encouraged to review our McCracken Extracurricular Presentation and consult the McCracken After-School Program Brochure for more class information and payment options (when applicable). Our athletic teams are both off to great starts, too, with 6th grade, JV, and varsity squads for girls volleyball and JV and varsity teams for boys soccer.

If you’re a parent or guardian, make sure to review the Parent-Student Agreement for MC Athletic Teams form with your student-athlete. If your child is selected for an athletic team, this agreement must be signed and returned to the coach.

Also, all students participating in athletic and extracurricular activities need to complete our dismissal form procedures. This provides our coaches and sponsors with accurate information about transportation needs after the activity has ended. Students requiring supervision for parent/guardian pickup must arrive on time.

We love our fans, too! For students interested in attending McCracken athletic events to cheer on their classmates, please review the Little Nine Conference Spectator Expectations. We're excited to see your students get involved here at McCracken!

McCracken Activity Bus

McCracken offers an activity bus for our students who participate in our after-school activities. Some important notes about our activity bus:

• The activity bus runs after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

• The activity bus boards at 3:55 p.m. in the bus alley.

• The activity bus runs a limited route that will differ from the routes and stops that our morning and afternoon buses run. Families can view the route stops HERE. All students riding the activity bus need to know what stop is the closest and best stop for them. Students should review this route plan with their families before riding the activity bus.

• You do not need to be registered for the regular bus to ride the activity bus.

• Many of our clubs/ activities end at 3:55 p.m. Some of our activities run beyond 3:55 p.m. and students participating in these activities should not plan to take the activity bus home. Please help your student arrange for alternate transportation home for any activities that run after 4:00 p.m.

• Activity Bus Fees: there is an annual $25 fee for all students to ride the optional activity bus. Payment is due no later than October 16th. Payments can be made through RevTrak. Once the payment has been received, students will receive an activity bus pass.

Please help us to keep our students, staff, families and visitors safe by following our arrival and dismissal procedures. Parents and guardians who drive their student(s) to or from school must use the Circle Drive off of East Prairie Road.

• Students being dropped off or picked up by vehicle before or after school use the McCracken Circle Drive located on East Prairie Road by the main entrance (Door 1) at the front of the building. (6th grade students enter at Door 12 near the bike racks)

• Drivers must enter the Circle Drive traveling south on East Prairie Road.

• Drivers may NOT turn left into the Circle Drive from East Prairie Road heading north. Please enter turning right traveling south only!

• The Drive-Thru is right lane only for pick up and drop off. Do not park in the Drive-Thru lane. The left lane is not for pick up or drop off.

• Students are NOT permitted to cross the street to meet a parent or family member unless crossing at Warren Street with a crossing guard. The driver must enter the Circle Drive and pick up the student from the front entrance to ensure safety.

*Please be aware of upcoming construction on Oakton Street from East Prairie Road to McCormick Boulevard scheduled to begin on or around August 17th. We recommend avoiding Oakton ST during arrival and dismissal.

• In the morning, students have the option to enter the building between 7:30 and 7:40 a.m. through the main entrance (Door 1) to purchase breakfast in the cafeteria or report to the Learning Center to work quietly on assignments.
• Students are discouraged from arriving prior to 7:30 a.m. unless they have a scheduled activity to attend. Outside student supervision begins at 7:30 a.m.
• At 7:50 a.m., the first bell rings and all students may enter the building and go to their lockers and proceed to their Advisory class.
• School starts promptly at 8:00 a.m. Students are expected to be in their advisory class by 8:00 a.m. Students entering after this time will be marked tardy.
• In the afternoon, students are dismissed at 2:57 p.m. except for Tuesdays, when they are dismissed at 1:57 p.m.
• The Learning Center is open after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:00 until 3:55 p.m. for students who want to work quietly on assignments.

Please remind your student to check in with you after school about any extracurricular activities they are planning to participate in at McCracken. We have a wide variety of clubs and activities for students to choose from throughout the school year. Middle School students are expected to communicate their plans with families and caregivers and arrange for their specific transportation plan. Students have the option to walk, ride the Activity Bus, and/or get picked up depending on the timing of the activity and comfort level of our families. Please communicate and confirm this plan with your child to arrange for safe passage home after school.

Students are NOT permitted to use their cell phone or other personal electronic devices during the school day. Phones must be away for the day stored in lockers or bookbags and kept out of sight and silent until the end of the school day. Students who are observed violating this policy will turn in their phone to staff to be held in the school office until the end of the school day. After the second incident, the cell phone will need to be picked up by a parent/guardian. Three or more violations may result in an individualized cell phone plan including cell phones kept in the office all day for a specified period of time. Students are allowed to use wired headphones or earbuds only when directed by staff in the classroom. Wireless Airpods are NOT permitted during the school day. The school is not responsible for personal items. We discourage students from bringing these items to school.

Regular attendance and on-time arrival to class are important to student academic and social emotional success in school! Please continue to support your child in attending each class on-time throughout the school day. This will lead to continued increases in student growth and learning throughout the year. In the event that your child is ill and needs to be absent, please remember to call our absence line by 8:00 a.m. at 847-676-8235 or enter absence in PowerSchool. Families may sign in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal account to record their child’s absence! There is more information about this process in the Attendance Monitor Parent/Guardian Guide on the website. Families are discouraged from taking extended vacations on scheduled school days as these are considered unexcused absences and will have a negative impact on learning. Families must contact the nurse and administration to discuss any planned extended absences. Attendance is mandatory and is reported to the State of Illinois. Please access the website for Health Services information and contact the school nurse with any questions. Thank you for your partnership!

• Early Dismissals

• Parents or guardians that need to pick up their student early from school for an appointment should contact the school office or nurse to provide the day and time of the early dismissal. This will help us to plan for the student’s departure in an organized manner. Please contact the school office by calling (847) 673-1220. Parents/guardians or emergency contacts only must enter the school building office to sign out the student for any early dismissals.

On September 8, 2026, the Board of Education approved an amendment to the Student Handbook addressing the use of electric personal transportation devices at all Skokie School District 73.5 buildings.

To support the safety of all students and pedestrians on and around our campuses, please note the following guidelines:

• Students must walk their bikes on school property and park and lock them in designated bike racks.
• The school is not responsible for lost or damaged bicycles.
• Students must follow all bicycle safety rules and are required by Skokie ordinance to wear helmets.
• Students may not bring electric-powered personal transportation devices (e.g., E-Bikes, E-Scooters, etc.) on school property.

Please note the following items are not permitted to be ridden on school property during school hours:

• Bicycles
• Skateboards
• Scooters (manual or electric)
• Roller skates
• Heelys (shoes with wheels)
• In-line skates
• Other electric-powered personal transportation devices (e.g., E-Bikes, E-Scooters).

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and respectful environment for all students during arrival, dismissal, and throughout the school day.

The Parents still make the difference!® (Middle School Edition) is a monthly publication by The Parent Institute designed to give families practical ideas and strategies to support their middle schoolers.

September Edition Core Focus Areas:

• Daily Attendance & Routine

• Student Independence & Learning Habits

• School Counselor Support

• Effective Math Study Habits

• Social Media Risk Management

• Sustaining Parental Involvement

• Student Motivation & Future Goals

Click HERE to access the September Family Issue

Important Links:

• McCracken Daily Bell Schedule

• McCracken Parent/Guardian Information Packet

• McCracken Back to School Events Flyer

• Supply Lists

• Attendance Reminders/Technology Tips

• 6th Grade Transition FAQ

• McCracken Middle School Website

• Student/Family Handbook

• PowerSchool Parent Portal

• McCracken Safe Walking Route