The Bulldog Bulletin

Dear Middleton Families,

Thank you for taking the time to attend our recent parent-teacher conferences and for your continued partnership in your child's education. We know how busy your schedules are, and we truly appreciate the time you spent to meet with us. Having the opportunity to share progress and align on goals for the remainder of the school year is incredibly valuable.

At Middleton, we firmly believe that education is a community effort. Your insights from home help us better understand and support your child in the classroom. Working hand-in-hand, we give our kids the confidence they need to grow and learn. If any questions or thoughts have come up since your meeting, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher. We look forward to building on the great conversations we started!

Warm regards,

Dr. Danielle Moran, Principal

The next Bulldog Bulletin will be sent on October 23rd.

One of the core values of the John Middleton School community is inclusion. As a staff, we consistently share the message that we all have differences, and it is those differences that make our community so special.

The Middleton Student Services Team, along with NTDSE staff, will be visiting classrooms to provide Disability Awareness lessons. These lessons will give students an opportunity to learn, ask questions, and engage in meaningful conversations about how we can include and support all types of learners in our school community.

So far, our third- and fifth-grade classrooms have participated in these lessons. First-, second-, and fourth-grade classrooms will be next to participate. We look forward to continuing these important conversations and helping our students understand that everyone has unique strengths, abilities, and ways of learning, and that everyone deserves to feel included and valued in our school community.

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. Below is a list of our safety drills this year. Please visit the Safety Drills & Preparedness website for more information.

Upcoming Drills:

• Fire Drill: Practicing fire drills helps keep us safe in the event of a real emergency. We are required to have 3 fire evacuation drills per school year. (the next one is with the Skokie Fire Dept. on 10/20/26)
• Lockdown Drill: In the extremely rare case of dangerous threat inside the building, we practice how to keep students safe. The state of Illinois requires this once per year. (10/15/26)
• Severe Weather Drill: Practicing for severe weather helps students be prepared in the case of a tornado or dangerous storm. The state of Illinois requires this once per year. (3/11/27)

• Bus Drill on 8/27/26
• Evacuation Drill on 9/24/26
• Fire Drill #1 on 9/29/26

Here are few fun photos of family engagement, parent involvement, and fun at recess!

Save the date of November 12th! All Middleton families are welcome to join us for an evening of fun and literacy. When you arrive that night, be sure to grab a passport, visit each station, and turn it in at the end of the night for a chance to win a prize!

"Calling all 4th & 5th graders interested in joining the musical!

We will be holding an in-person Info Meeting & Sign-up on Tuesday, November 17th, 2026 @ 6:30pm-7:30pm in the Middleton MPR. **note the updated date**

At the meeting, families will learn more about the experience and sign their students up for the workshops. An adult from the household needs to attend to sign up, and students are welcome as well. Please come prepared knowing your schedule and if your student can attend our mandatory dates, listed here: Musical Participation Information 2027.

If your student was in the show last year, this meeting is not mandatory for your family, although you are certainly welcome to join us to learn more about this year's show, characters, and troupes."

Please note: The McCracken Middle School date has been revised, and the updated date is reflected in the schedule below and on the attached flyer.

Upcoming Schedule:

Meyer Elementary: Friday, Oct 16 | 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM
Middleton Elementary: Friday, Oct 23 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
McCracken Middle School (NEW DATE): Friday, Nov 6 | 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

We look forward to seeing you!
—Dr. Kyle

We invite you to join us as we celebrate student success and discuss the future of our English Language programming!

Student Recognition: Celebrating students who have successfully exited the EL program.
Funding Overview: Presentation by Tina Ewanio, Chief School Business Official, detailing ELL funding.
Community Feedback: An open discussion to share your thoughts and feedback on our programming.

Event Details:
When: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 6-7 pm
Where: McCracken Middle School

PTO Trunk-or-Treat 2026:

The PTO will be hosting our annual Trunk-or-Treat on October 17, 2026 from 1pm-2:30pm. All District families are welcome to this free family-friendly event, held at the Elizabeth Meyer parking lot. Please see flyer below.

If you are interested in decorating your car and handing out candy, please fill out the Google form HERE.

District 73.5 Family Night with the Chicago Wolves: November 15, 2026 at 3pm, Allstate Arena

Everyone is welcome to come cheer on the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena. We will have our own section - same as last year - lower level, center ice. Buy your tickets HERE before noon on November 13th. A portion of the proceeds will go towards future PTO events. See you there!

Join the PTO email list:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciFlbThXOrwnh1_-WX9JvLqn4hfDWSeqw5VBd5xg5oat959w/viewform

Purchase Spirit Wear and Support the PTO! From shirts to hats to mugs and totes, we have many options! The PTO receives a portion of these sales.

Meyer

Middleton

McCracken

Please inform your student’s homeroom teacher of any early dismissal arrangements the night before a planned early dismissal. Teachers may not have access to their email during the school day. Students will not be sent to the office for pick-up until their authorized adult arrives at the front office. Please plan and allow enough time for this process.

Oct. 12: No school (Indigenous People' Day)

Oct. 15: Lockdown drill

Oct. 17: PTO Trunk or Treat at 1:00-2:30pm at Meyer

Oct. 20: Fire drill

Oct. 21-23: 5th grade White Pines trip

Oct. 23: Coffee with the Superintendent at MD, at 8:30-9:30am

Oct. 25: Middleton 3rd-5th grade running club 5K

Oct. 27: Parent Education Series meeting #3

Oct. 30: No school (Teacher Institute Day)

Nov. 3: No school (Election Day)

Nov. 4: Picture re-takes

Nov. 15: PTO Chicago Wolves Game

Nov. 17: Musical Info Meeting & Sign-up meeting in the MPR at 6:30-7:30

Breakfast and Lunch Menu

District Website

Middleton Website

Middleton Welcome Packet

Monthly Calendar and Year-long Calendar

SPACE: before & after school care

Community Bulletin Board

🎒 MORNING ARRIVAL

• 8:15 AM • Grades 1–2 Soft Start
  Early entry for primary classrooms.
• 8:20 AM • General Arrival
  Doors open for all other grades.
• 8:30 AM • Late Bell & Morning Tardy
  All doors close. Check in at front office.

🚌 AFTERNOON DISMISSAL

• 3:00 PM • Standard Dismissal
  Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
• 2:00 PM • Early Release Tuesday
  Weekly staff professional development days.

📝 IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• Be on time. Late arrivals after 8:30am must be signed in by a parent in the front office.
• Safety first. Follow designated drop-off and pick-up lanes.

Click here for an all Staff Directory.

School Office: (847) 673-1222 or mdoffice@sd735.org

Dr. Danielle Moran, Principal: dmoran@sd735.org

Dr. Perry Finch, Asst. Principal: pfinch@sd735.org

Mr. Trevor Dykes, Asst. Principal: tdykes@sd735.org

Sarah Cardenas, Administrative Assistant: scardenas@sd735.org

Heather Rubio, Administrative Assistant: hrubio@sd735.org

Kim Durband, Nurse: kdurband@sd735.org

Sara Shapiro, Enrichment Coordinator: sshapiro@sd735.org

SPACE: (312) 982-1487 or middletonspace@skokieparks.org

IEP/504 contacts:

• For questions related to your child's IEP, please contact your child's case manager.
• For 504 plan related questions, please contact our school psychologist, Marcella Gonzalez: mgonzalez@sd735.org.
• Dr. Kristen Moore, Director of Student Services: kmoore@sd735.org

8300 St Louis Ave, Skokie, IL 60076

(847) 673-1222

https://www.sd735.org/middleton