Meadowbrook Star News 9/5/25

Hello Meadowbrook Families!

Thanks to everyone who attended our Curriculum Night presentations on Wednesday. We know these first weeks of school are very busy and we appreciate you making time to learn more about your student's school days.

We've made some progress on our new gym! Check out the time lapse video below to see the work that has been completed. We'll be sharing details with students on morning announcements and talking more about what's coming next as the construction crew begins work on our footing next week.

As we look toward next week, we have our first PTO meeting of the year on Wednesday, 9/10 at 9:30am in our staff lounge. All are welcome to attend! We'll be opening a Zoom link for anyone who would like to join remotely. We're also looking forward to picture day on Thursday, 9/11, as well as our Back to School Social that night at 6pm. Friday, 9/12, is our first special spirit wear day and we are encouraging students to rep their favorite sports team. They may see me in some maize and blue for my favorite Michigan Wolverines!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

Ginny

• Parents can download the FirstView 1.0 app from their website: First Student App. You will need our district code L9A9N, your student's ID number (can be found on the bus
  pass), and your child's last name. This app is free and designed to give parents, caregivers, and school staff real-time visibility and updates on student transportation.
• Our front office is staffed until 4:00 p.m. If you have questions or concerns after 4:00 p.m., we encourage you to contact First Student Dispatch directly at (847) 724-7200 and press "1" for Dispatch. Dispatch is able to track all buses in real-time and can assist with route updates, delays, or location-related inquiries.

If your student's after school plans have to change, please let the office know by 2pm at the latest. We understand emergencies may arise, but in order to get all of the after school plans to each classroom, we need to have them by 2pm, please.

If you're interested in seeing our Meadowbrook morning announcements, please check out our YouTube channel. Our 5th graders will be taking over announcements toward the end of this month and will be featuring students and staff across the building.

Our fall assessment window opened this week. Students in kindergarten and first grade will work with teachers to complete the AIMSWeb+ early literacy and early numeracy assessments. These are useful assessments as teachers begin to understand the students as learners and develop plans for differentiating the curriculum for individual student needs.

Students in 2nd through 5th grade will take the NWEA MAP assessment in reading and math. Teachers will share specific dates/times when their class will be taking the assessments. MAP is a nationally normed, adaptive, digital assessment that students will take on their iPads. It is untimed. Parents will receive students' MAP score reports after the window closes and district norms are determined.

Standardized assessments are one point of data that help teachers to better understand how to support students. Classroom work and curricular assessments as well as teacher observations are all important data points as well. For more information about all of the assessments District 28 uses, please visit the district's website here.

With the rise in popularity Apple watches, we have all been tasked with learning the best ways to manage this ever-present technology in school. We certainly understand the convenience of being able to connect with children during after school hours and, as with cell phones, many students are able to manage the technology appropriately, refrain from using it during school hours, and/or keep it on silent. Unfortunately, we have also had a number of instances of inappropriate use such as calling and texting during the school day.

As parents, caregivers, and teachers, it is our responsibility to help students learn to manage technology appropriately. If you choose to provide your child with a smart watch, please have a conversation about expectations for non-use during the school day. If your child needs to reach you or another caregiver, he or she should come to the nurse or front office to get support. We also ask that parents refrain from texting or calling their children during school hours for any reason. If you need to reach your child regarding after school plans or an emergency, please contact the office and we will either deliver the message or bring the child to the office to talk with you. Please ensure your child's watch and/or phone are set to "school mode" from 8:30-3:30.

If we see that a student is using a smart watch to communicate throughout the school day, we will ask the student put the watch in their locker or to turn in the watch to a staff member. Repeated warnings may result in holding the watch in the office for parents to pick up at the end of the school day. Here's a link to the District 28 acceptable use policy for electronic devices. We appreciate your support.

See the attachment below for details about Meadowbrook's Picture Day on September 18th!

Construction on our new gymnasium is in full swing! Excavation continued this week and we have a short time-lapse video that captures all of the action. Click the video link above to check it out! Next week, our team will be working on the footing for the new building and students will see concrete work begin!

Projected Construction Timeline

• August 2025: Meadowbrook gymnasium construction begins
• March 2026: Meadowbrook gymnasium completed & construction of the new Meadowbrook School begins
• August 2027: New Meadowbrook School completed
  
  

Construction areas will be enclosed and separated from students, staff, and daily school activities during the construction projects.

Stay connected with us on Facebook - MeadowbrookPTODistrict28

And on Instagram - d28.meadowbrookpto

We hope to see you next Thursday! Now, ask yourself a few questions:

• Want 4 front row seats at this year’s Winter Sing? Enter for your chance to win that and much, much more (including some amazing Grand Prize 2nd Chance Raffle Baskets) in our Teacher Experience Raffle! You’ll get one free ticket in your child’s red folder next week - Increase your chances of winning by buying tickets!

• Can you lend an extra hand? We still need volunteers.

• Need more details? Find it all HERE!

Have 10 minutes to spare twice a month? The Birthday Sign Committee needs more volunteers in the following neighborhoods: Downtown, Midway, Shermer/Dundee, Voltz and Sunset Ridge. This committee is low commitment (~2 sign runs per month) and a great way to get involved. If we cannot find more volunteers, we risk not running the program - Let’s keep this tradition alive with YOUR help! Log in on our website, click on the”Volunteer” Tab, then “Volunteer for Committees,” and scroll down to “Birthday Signs.”

Looking to get involved in your child’s school experience or just curious about what the PTO is up to? Please join us for our first PTO meeting on September 10th at 9:30am in the staff lounge. You can also join us via Zoom at this link.

• 9/8 - Look for a dedicated email with the PTO Monthly Newsletter
• 9/8 - Fall Spiritwear Sale Begins
• 9/17 - Shake Shack Fundraiser

Subscribe to the Meadowbrook calendar at this link!

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

September 26: Husky Pack kick-off meeting

October 2: NO SCHOOL

October 8: Erin's Law presentations

October 8: PTO Meeting @ 9:30am, staff lounger or join via Zoom

October 9: PTO Pizza Day

October 15: Parent-teacher conferences 4:30-7:30

October 16: Parent-teacher conferences 1:00-8:00

October 17: 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.