Dear Second Grade Families,

I’m excited to announce that we will be having a 2nd grade music performance this school year! The theme of the performance will be “Dancing and Singing Through the Decades”. Students will be learning about twentieth century music history during music class while preparing a fun performance for you! Information is below:

When: The grade will be split in two to make sure everyone fits comfortably.

• Monday, January 30th at 9:15 am: Faulkner and Young

• Tuesday, January 31st at 9:15 am: Mooney and Wilutis

Doors will open at 8:45 am. One week prior to your child’s performance, you will receive a family ticket. Please print this ticket or plan to show the email upon arrival at McKenzie. You can print multiple tickets if needed.

Where: McKenzie Auditorium

Attire: Students have the option of dressing up as their favorite decade from the 1930’s through the 1990’s. Some examples include: disco outfits, poodle skirts, “Grease Lightning” look (t-shirt, jeans, greased back hair), neon 1980’s attire. Have fun with it! Just make sure your child can move comfortably because there will be a lot of dancing! If your child wears a costume, make sure they can comfortably wear it for the remainder of the school day.

Other information:

• The performance will be recorded so people who can’t attend can see it. The link will be sent out in the McKenzie Monitor a couple weeks after the performance.

I am SO excited to get back to live performances! Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Anna Tirman

McKenzie Music Teacher

tirmana@wilmette39.org

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! It's been wonderful to welcome our students and staff back to school after winter break. We hope that your families were able to enjoy some time with loved ones this holiday season. As we enter the new year, here at McKenzie we are also starting to prepare for the 2023-2024 school year!

Registration for the 2023-24 school year will open on Monday, Jan. 23. Families will receive an email reminder with additional instructions next week. For returning students, visit the PowerSchool parent portal, click on the registration link and follow the instructions. For students who will be new to D39, visit www.wilmette39.org/enroll for instructions on the new student registration process. We encourage parents with new kindergarten students to enroll as quickly as possible. Additionally, D39 is offering its KEEP39 afternoon enrichment program for kindergarten students. Click here for more information on KEEP39. You can register your child for KEEP39 at the same time that you register for kindergarten. For our youngest students, registration is already open for the Lechner Early Education Program (LEEP) for three-, four-, and five-year-old students. Please visit our website for more information on LEEP.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to register early, as this helps us plan for the following school year!

Have a great weekend,

Dana

It's time to begin thinking about the fourth to fifth grade transition to Highcrest Middle School! Please mark your calendars for our Transition Kickoff Webinar on February 2 at 7:00 PM, where the administrative team from HMS will share general information about Highcrest, need-to-knows about the transition process, and will also help you understand the World Language selection process. The Highcrest team is looking forward to getting to know you and your child better over the coming months!

The webinar will be on Zoom, and the link can be found HERE. We will send it again closer to the date!

Below are the highlights from this month's edition of the Check It Out Newsletter:

• Likewise App - book recommendations
• SEL Spotlight of the Month: Relationship Building books
• @Wilmette Public Library: Winter Reading Book Club for students

Join Us for a Virtual Presentation on KEEP39

Have a child that will be entering kindergarten in the Fall of 2023? Please join our elementary school principals for an informational presentation on our KEEP39 program (Kindergarten Enrichments and Enhancement Program). This presentation will be held virtually via Zoom on January 18 from 6-6:30 pm. Please check your child(ren)’s school newsletter for more information.

Parent Education Opportunities

District 39 and the Family Service Center are hosting a Parent Education event next Wednesday (Jan. 18) titled “Supporting Friendship, Development, and Connection.” Parents can participate in this event virtually via Zoom or in-person at the Mikaelian Education Center. Please click here to register for this event or to learn more about upcoming D39 Education Events. We also invite our families to check out the additional Parent Education events presented by the Family Action Network (FAN). Before winter break, District 39 hosted a Parent Education event titled “Talking with Your Teen About LGBTQ+ Identities.” If you missed that event, you can view the presentation slide deck here. This event was the first of a three-part series, with part two taking place on Wednesday, March 8.

Registration is Open!

The D39 Lechner Early Education Program (LEEP) has opened registration for the 23-24 school year. Starting at three-year olds, we welcome our youngest learner for this half-day program that is specifically designed to prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. Every day is different, and includes structured play, pre-academic instruction, social learning, language-rich environments, and motor skill building activities.

Specifically, we are very proud of the intimate feel and high quality of our program. In addition to our amazing teaching staff and wonderful paraprofessionals, our students have access to speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and more!

However, our true hallmark is the inclusivity of our program. Our classrooms are truly a place where all students are welcomed, individual strengths and differences are celebrated, and each child finds success. Spots are still open and registration is ongoing until classes are filled.

Please call Debra Yasutake, our Early Childhood Coordinator, at 847-512-6463, or visit The Lechner Early Education Program website to download a registration form and learn more about this exceptional District 39 program.

Monday, January 16th

No School ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

January 17th-January 31st

McKenzie Kindness Mission

Wednesday, January 18th

KEEP39 2023-2024 Presentation

January 23rd-27th

RED Week (Respect and Embrace Differences)

McKenzie Annual Benefit

The McKenzie Annual Benefit event, themed FIRE and ICE, will be held on Friday, January 27th, at 7:30pm at Michigan Shores Club. Purchase your tickets HERE!

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS! To help make this evening a success, sign up HERE.

Variety Show Ads

Support our fundraising efforts and place your Variety Show ads. Give your graduating 4th grader a shout out or a personal ad to family and friends, or promote your business! Click HERE to purchase an ad by Feb 3.

Cafeteria Sign-up through the end of the school year

Click HERE to sign up!

McKindness Mission–Register Now!

Students ask friends and family to consider making a donation for our playground via a secured online platform, and the kids pay it forward through Acts of Kindness. Click HERE to check out our new playground and info on how to register.

McKenzie Open Gym

Ready to escape the cold and have the kids run off some energy? Come to Open Gym Nights on Monday, January 23rd and/or Monday, February 13th from 5pm-7pm. All current McKenzie students are welcome to attend with a parent/guardian (this is not a drop off event). Register HERE.

Recycling Volunteers needed!

McKenzie is participating in the Plastic Film Recycling Challenge, and so far this year, Cheetahs have recycled more than 300 lbs. of plastic. The Green Committee is looking for parent volunteers to help with weekly recycling hauls. See Sign Up to learn more!

D39 Foundation College Paddle Night and Family Bingo Night

College Paddle Night: January 28, 2023 from 7-11 pm at A.C. Nielsen Paddle Hut. Tickets are on sale now for $75 per person. All skill levels welcome!

Family Bingo Night: February 10, 2023 from 6-8pm at Highcrest. Tickets are available starting at 10am on January 17th for $15 per person.

Click HERE for tickets and more information.

New Trier Chorus is looking for 4-8 graders to audition for the production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat Auditions will be 5 minutes long and take place on January 13 & 19. Contact Amy Branahl for more information at 847-784-7520.

Wilmette Historical Museum presents MEET THE LINCOLNS on Sunday, February 19 from 2:00-3:00 pm.

Loyola Youth Lacrosse Program is taking registrations for students in Kdg-8th grades. Contqact Greg Sprenzel for more information.

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