Meadowbrook Star News 8/8/25

Hello Meadowbrook Families!

I hope you all have had amazing summers so far! We have been busy at Meadowbrook getting our building ready for students to return on August 19th for Meet the Teacher (details below) and then on August 20th for our first day of school (8:30-3:30). We are excited to see everyone and hear about all of your summer adventures!

As a reminder, parents will receive students' classroom assignments this afternoon via email. Teachers spent a great deal of time in the spring and summer working on creating balanced, effective classroom assignments for each grade level by discussing every student's individual needs. We like to remind families that, especially in elementary school, each year is an opportunity to develop new friendships!

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! I'm so excited to get to know all of you and your children as we start the year. For now, please take a moment to read through the important information below and enjoy this last week of summer break!

Warmly,

Ginny

Students and a parent or caregiver are invited to visit our school to "Meet the Teacher" on Tuesday, August 19th. Kindergarten students will receive an invite from their classroom teachers and 1st through 5th grade students are invited to drop in between 1:30-2:30. If you ordered school supplies for your child, they will be waiting for you in your child's classroom.

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!

Please make every effort to send students to school each day, arriving on time by 8:25 so your child can experience a smooth start to the day. Here's a description of the health guidelines for when to keep students home if they are ill:

• Please keep your child at home if he/she has a fever and/or the onset of an upper respiratory infection. If your child has had a fever, keep him/her home until fever-free for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing agent. Similar health and safety measures should be applied if your child has vomited. If your child has an undiagnosed rash, consult with your physician before sending your child to school. To prevent the spread of infections, please teach your child to cover his or her mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

For each trimester, parents of students with a pattern of excessive absences will be contacted by the principal and/or social worker. We know that the continuity and consistency of strong attendance has a positive cumulative effect on learning.

If your child will be absent, please alert the office via phone or email as listed below.

• (847) 498-7940
• mbattendance@northbrook28.net

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.

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!

The Village and Northbrook Police Department asked schools to share the latest news about e-bike and e-scooter regulations for our community. If you or your child has an electric bike or scooter, please read the attached information.

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.

• Construction is underway at Meadowbrook! This summer, our team ran pipes to draw water through the building to provide access for our new gym space. Students will see some new piping in the ceilings of the hallways as they walk down the 4th/5th hallway.
• Our construction fencing will go up on 8/10. Part of the primary (east) playground's blacktop will be blocked off for construction vehicles to access the work site behind the building.
• Safety is our number one priority! Staff members will be spending time reviewing new procedures and expectations to prepare for students to arrive and navigate the new playground/blacktop restrictions. We're increasing our morning and afternoon supervision to support students as well.
• We'll be having a groundbreaking ceremony prior to the start of school as the outside work on our new gym space officially gets underway!

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

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

We encourage our students to wear Meadowbrook spirit wear every Friday and we have designated special spirit days throughout the year (see calendar below). Throughout the year, we'll have opportunities to stock up on Meadowbrook gear!

Subscribe to the Meadowbrook calendar at this link!

August 14: New family orientation meeting, 6:00-7:00pm @ Meadowbrook

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 @ 6pm

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.