Mechanics Grove School

Mondays and Fridays are our big school spirit days! We love to see how much blue we can see on these days!

PLEASE VOLUNTEER FOR THE BOOKFAIR!

MG Parents- the fall bookfair is from Oct 16 through Oct 23, This is a great fundraiser for MG and volunteers are needed during the school day and during conferences.

Please sign up here:

https://tinyurl.com/2mx8rsxa

Picture Retake Day is October 15th!

Pictures from picture day will be coming home tomorrow. If your child needs/wants to retake their picture, they will need to just bring the original packet of pictures with them on October 15th.

THE BOOKFAIR IS COMING!

Mechanics Grove Families,

The PTO will host a Scholastic Book Fair fundraiser at Mechanics Grove School from October 16th through October 23rd. The fair will be held in the Discovery Den (library).

Mechanics Grove students will visit the fair during school hours with their class and can make purchases at that time. The fair will also be open for family shopping during student-led conferences on October 16th and 23rd. Forms of payment accepted include: cash, credit cards, personal checks, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and eWallet. Please make checks payable to D75 PTO. eWallet is a convenient cashless payment option and is encouraged for student purchases. Please visit www.scholastic.com/bf/mgwolves for more details and instructions on how to set up an eWallet account for your student.

Purchases can also be made at our online book fair from October 20th through November 2nd. The link for the online fair is, www.scholastic.com/bf/mgwolves . Online book-only orders of $35 or more will not be charged a shipping fee.

The book fair runs on volunteer power. Do you have some free time and want to help?? Please visit the MG book fair volunteer sign up sheet at https://tinyurl.com/2mx8rsxa Want to help but need a different time slot? Please email Pauline Kralj at pkralj@comcast.net

Thank you for supporting our schools and your child’s love of reading.

Sincerely,

Rita Washburn & Pauline Kralj

SING UP HERE FOR YOUR STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE!

Student-Led Conferences

Mechanics Grove School is proud to announce that we are conducting Student-Led Conferences for our Fall conference times. As a Leader in Me school, students are celebrated as leaders regularly. Student-led conferences are a way for students to practice their leadership skills, the 7 habits, and Leading the PACK. Please see below about details that outline the conference in detail.

Definition of Student-Led Conferences

A student-led conference is a conference with parents led by the student. Students lead parents through a discussion of their work and established academic and social goals. The process includes the teacher facilitating several conferences at the same time. The student directs the conversation focused on their work and classroom behavior.

Please note that a student-led conference is NOT a time to discuss new concerns that the teacher or parent has regarding the student. These concerns should be discussed prior to the conference via phone or email. The best thing that a parent/teacher can do is respect the need for the student to lead the conference time.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

SIGN UP HERE FOR YOUR STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE TIME

A Note from our Social Workers

Supporting Independence: Preparing Kids for the Real World

As both parents and educators, our role is not only to keep children safe, supported, and heard—but also to prepare them for the challenges of the real world. Life isn't always easy, and as adults, we know that achieving personal and professional goals requires effort, resilience, and responsible decision-making.

Children need the same preparation. Whether they're getting ready for middle school, high school, college, or entering the workforce someday, the habits and skills they build now will shape their future. One of the best ways to support them is by encouraging independence and responsibility in everyday life.

This means giving them space to try things on their own: helping with household tasks, managing their time, staying organized, practicing self-care, and learning from mistakes. These moments, even small ones, help build confidence, resilience, and reliability. When children learn to trust themselves and take ownership of their actions, they grow into capable, confident individuals ready to take on life's challenges.

One simple but effective way to support your child's independence is by creating a visual weekly schedule at home. A schedule helps children clearly see their responsibilities and builds a habit of following through on tasks. This could be as simple as: hanging a printed schedule in their bedroom, using a whiteboard or chalkboard on the fridge, creating a colorful chart with checkboxes they can mark off, using sticky notes for daily tasks on a wall or mirror, or using digital tools like calendar apps or task apps with reminders.

The goal is to make the schedule visible, consistent, and easy to follow. Include school assignments, chores, personal hygiene, screen time, reading, or any task you want them to manage independently. Over time, this structure helps children take ownership of their time and builds confidence in handling daily routines.

Let’s work together to give our kids the gift of independence—one small step at a time.

A Note from our Specials Teachers

Art

ART CONTEST for all students! If your child is interested in designing the “I voted sticker!” for the Lake County Clerk’s Office, the contest is open from 9/15-10/31. The winner of the K-5th Grade category will receive a $25 gift card! Click on this: ART CONTEST for details!

In addition to the exciting contest, the art room has been filled with creativity as students are learning and applying elements and principles of art like line and pattern. In third grade, students reviewed different types of lines like vertical, horizontal, diagonal, gestural, geometric and organic. They have been creating an abstract drawing incorporating different types of lines and patterns. Now that students have completed their drawings, students will paint them with liquid watercolors. Students have learned specific set up and clean up procedures for a painting class along with proper care and use of painting materials. In the next few weeks, students will be exploring and demonstrating watercolor painting techniques. The fourth grade students learned the concept of composition and spacing as they designed the covers to their large portfolio folders. Students learned how to create bubble or block letters to write their names on their portfolios. Now that students have designed their portfolios, students will use them to store their cut pieces of construction paper for their next project with mask-making. Students reviewed the concept of symmetry and will be constructing an original mask using cut pieces of construction paper. In fifth grade, students are exploring color theory as they review proper mixing and blending techniques with oil pastels. Students finished drawing an original abstract design filled with zentangle patterns and will now color half of their design with blended oil pastels.

Discovery Den

In the Den, we read the book The Dot, about a girl who doubts her artistic abilities. Her teacher gives her a boost of confidence when she frames her drawing of a dot. This leads to more drawing and painting. Ask your student what happened next! We talked about how we all leave a mark or an impact on each other at MG. Each student then colored their own dot, which will be part of a school-wide display. Next up, we are reviewing alpha order, a life skill that is very important in any library!

Please be on the lookout for overdue notices. An email is automatically sent when a book becomes overdue. This week, overdue notices will be printed and sent home as well.

Music

The music room has been full of singing, dancing, composing, and improvising this month! In September, 3rd grade learned the hand game “Double Double” and then created new ways to play the game with a hand drum. 3rd graders also learned new ways to count rhythms, and have been working hard to pass off on a new level of rhythm reading each music class. 3rd Grade also played the game “Apple Tree”, identified the solfege in the song, and played xylophones for the first time while singing the song! 4th Grade performed their compositions for the song “Starting a New Year Together” for their classmates. We also learned about rounds and canons! Can your 4th grader sing you “To Stop the Train” or “Alfred Alligator”? Can they explain how to sing it in a round? 5th Graders learned the song, “Good, Better, Best” this month. They performed the song in a body percussion canon, and then composed 16 beat rhythms and added instruments to fit the original piece of music. 5th Grade is now beginning to prepare for their annual music concert. Parents, please be on the lookout for more information being sent home via backpack and email!

PE

Students are off and running to a fantastic start in PE class! We began the year participating in some fun team building and cooperation lessons, along with aerobic fitness activities to help keep kids healthy and moving. In September we learned about fundamental skills in both kickball and flag football, while focusing on the importance of leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship in sports. Students will continue to practice manipulative movement skills in our upcoming soccer unit such as dribbling, passing, kicking, and trapping. We will also be working towards reaching personal fitness goals in target areas of cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility. In PE students are leading the PACK every day by focusing on habits such as synergizing, being proactive, and thinking win-win.

AI Workshop for all Parents/Guirdians

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We invite you to join us for a virtual presentation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to learn more about how AI platforms, such as ChatGPT and Magic School, the educational AI platform our students use in their classes, can support student learning.

This session is designed for parents/guardians of students of all ages. Whether you are new to AI or you are interested in learning more about how AI can be used to support your students' academic success, this presentation is for you.

Date: Wednesday, October 29
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Zoom (link to follow)

Please see the attached letter for details and a link to RSVP.

Sincerely,

Stacey Gorman, Director of Teaching and Learning , District 120

sgorman@d120.org

A Note from the PTO

Box Tops

Box Tops is going strong and we are well on our way to hitting our goal of $1,000 this school year. October 13th - 19th is National Box Tops Week where every participating Box Top item earns DOUBLE!

MG Spooky Boogie Bash!!!

We are working hard to put on our annual Spooky Boogie Bash on Oct 10th from 6-8pm. We will have a Spooky Carnival for all to enjoy. We would love to have you Volunteer (great for students in need of volunteer hours) or if you are able to donate an item from Amazon Wishlist. You can purchase your pre-sale admission on square here or send in cash or check to MG. If you order via square please include your student's name in the notes.

Volunteers: Can you spare an hour or two? Sign up to volunteer here
Bake Sale: Show off your delicious baking skills! Sign up for our bake sale here
Donations: Help us make this event a blast by contributing items from our Amazon Wish List or by making a monetary donation on our square site.

PTO Meeting

Our October PTO Meeting is on October 15th at 7pm in the MPR at Carl Sandburg. We will have updates from our schools, PTO Board, Committees and at least two grants from our amazing D75 Staff to be presented.

Dine Out

Our next Dine Out will be at Culver's on Tuesday, October 28th. More information will go home once we are closer to the date.

A Note from our Bilingual Parent Advisory

Come celebrate Dia de los Muertos on November 3rd at Mechanics Grove, from 6-7:30pm. There will be light snacks, music, crafts and lots of fun! Save the date in your calendar and reserve your spot HERE.

BPAC MEETING

The Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) is finalizing plans for our district-wide event to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Join them on 10/22, at 11:30, at 470 North Lake Street OR join online at this LINK.

Fall Events at MHS

Friday Night Lights
We are looking forward to welcoming the community back to the MHS Stadium under the lights! These games provide a great opportunity for our younger students to experience the excitement of high school athletics in a safe and spirited environment.

Friday, October 10 - Senior Night for Marching Band, Red Rage Theme - NEON

7:00pm - Varsity Football v. Lake Zurich

Friday, October 17 - Community Night, Red Rage Theme - WHITE OUT

5:00pm - Freshman Football v. Waukegan
7:30pm - Varsity Football v. Waukegan

Red Rage Student Section
Our student fan leaders (“Red Rage”) are promoting themed nights throughout the football season. A t-shirt store is available so students and families can match the game themes and show their Mustang pride.

Community Nights
This fall, we are hosting several special Community Nights to celebrate youth participation and provide a connection to our programs.

Football – Friday, October 17

We will share additional promotional flyers and details with you soon so you can pass them along to your school community.

Safety & Game Day Policies

Unaccompanied minors: Please remind families that all K-8 students must be accompanied and actively supervised by a parent or responsible adult.
Clear bag policy: For the safety of all guests, only clear bags will be permitted inside the stadium.
Online ticketing: All tickets for Friday events must be purchased through GoFan.

Important Dates

10/10- SIP Day- 1/2 Day for Students (Students dismissed at 11:05am)

10/10- Spooky Boogie Bash (6:00-8:00pm at MG)

10/13- NO SCHOOL

10/15- Picture Make Up Day

10/15- PTO Meeting (7:00pm at CSMS)

10/16- Student-Led Conferences (5:00-8:00pm)

10/21- Board of Education Meeting (6:00pm at District Office East)

10/23- NO STUDENT ATTENDANCE

10/23- Student-Led Conferences (12:00-8:00pm)

10/24- NO SCHOOL

10/31- Halloween Parade at MG (2:00pm- more details to come)

Do you want more information about your student?

Text the word YES to 79041 to receive text message notifications from their school. Click here for more information.

Find Information HERE

RevTrack: this document has details. For help with payment and balances, please contact Patty DeLozier, pdelozier@d75.org or 847-949-2700 ext. 2014.
PowerSchool: directions for parent accounts is HERE If you have any questions, contact Diana Solis via email dsolis@d75.org.
Teacher contact info: our staff list is on our WEBSITE.