Meadowbrook Star News 11/07/25

Hello Meadowbrook Families!

We are holding onto this awesome weather as long as we can and enjoying outdoor recess and sunshine! Thanks to all of our parents who volunteered for PTO Pizza Day yesterday. It's always a highlight for our students. Another highlight of our week is usually the Friday Dance Party that plays on morning announcements every Friday morning. You can check out our morning announcements here if you want to join in on the fun!

We are thrilled with the plans for the new Meadowbrook School and we're on track to break ground this spring. Take a look at the renderings below to get an idea of the new facade. More interior details will be coming in January as the project goes out to bid. A committee of teachers will also be testing out some sample furniture in the coming months as we think through how to create the best learning environments for our students. Stay tuned for more details!

We'll have our monthly PTO meeting next Wednesday at 9:30 in the Meadowbrook staff lounge and we also invite parents and caregivers to join via Zoom. On Tuesday, we'll have our very first Stuffy Sleepover which is a fundraiser for the PTO. We're going to have some fun with the stuffies that get to spend the night at Meadowbrook Tuesday night! See more details for how your child's stuffy can join in on the fun in the PTO update below. Have a great weekend!

Warmly,

Ginny

Parents of students in 4th through 8th grade will receive reports from last year's spring IL Assessment of Readiness (IAR) today via email. Parents of students currently in 6th grade who took the IL Science Assessment (ISA) last year as 5th graders will also receive reports today. Assessment scoring has changed this year so please be sure to read the informational letter that will accompany the reports.

As part of our normal assessment procedures, students in 3rd and 5th grades will complete the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) on December 8-10. The test is given in three parts including the verbal section, the quantitative section, and the non-verbal section. There is no need to prepare students for this test beyond what we typically recommend to parents including making sure students get a good night's rest and eat a healthy breakfast. Click here to learn more about the test.

We're excited to offer a new club for all grade levels called the Nature Saving Program. Its goal is to save and protect nature and to educate people about why this is so important! Students will focus on plants that are pollinators and plant them to winterize and plant in the spring, participate in environmental clean ups, learn about recycling and composting, and other topics related to the environment & conservation.

The club will meet from 3:30-4:30 on the following dates:11/11, 12/2, 12/16, 1/6, 1/20, 2/3/, 2/17, 3/3, 3/31, 4/14, 4/28/, 5/12, 5/26. To sign up your child, visit this link. Enrollment will be first come, first served.

As the weather cools, we'd like to remind families about our procedures for winter recess.

• Students will go outside when it is 10 degrees or warmer according to the "feels like" temp on weather.com.
• Once there is snow on the ground, students will be required to wear boots, snow pants and a coat if playing in the snow. Students without the appropriate gear will play on the blacktop spaces.
• Except for snow gear, teachers will not require students to wear coats, hats, gloves, etc. Teachers will encourage students to bring layers outside for recess but will not force students to wear coats, etc. Please discuss your expectations with your child.

We are excited to present our Winter Sing and Art Show on Wednesday, December 17th, and Thursday, December 18th in the large gym. The art show will be displayed in the front hallway as you walk into the school. There will be time before and after the winter sing to stop and view the art show. You won’t want to miss it! Below are the dates and times for each grade level performance.

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

10:00 a.m. First Grade

2:00 p.m. Third Grade

Thursday, December 18, 2025

10:00 a.m. Second Grade

2:00 p.m. Fourth Grade

Please note, this year we are asking that parents NOT pull siblings who attend Meadowbrook out of class to watch the performances. This is difficult to manage and disruptive to our students. To ensure siblings can watch one another, performances will be live streamed on the Meadowbrook YouTube channel and students will also be attending some of the dress rehearsals. We appreciate your cooperation!

In case you missed it, earlier this week, the district shared exterior schematic design renderings of the new Meadowbrook School. You can check out the photos below. Stay tuned for the interior renderings! In the meantime, construction on the new gymnasium continues and is still on track to be completed this spring. This week, we took to the skies to give you a bird's-eye view of the construction. Click here to check it out!

Projected Construction Timeline

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

Are you seeking a nurturing and engaging early childhood program (ages 2-5) for your little one? Come enjoy a cup of coffee and donuts while you meet the caring staff from District 28's Young Explorers Program! See how the program inspires young minds through fun and education at a FREE community play date on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Westmoor School, which houses the program.

The annual D28 Faculty Recital will feature performances by our band, choir, and orchestra staff members, with guest appearances by other musically talented staff members! This FREE recital is open to the community. It will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. in the small gym at NBJH.

GBN invites District 28 families to its winter play, Peter and the Starcatcher, playing Nov. 13-15 at the Sheely Center for the Performing Arts. Peter and the Starcatcher is a comedic and fantastical play that serves as a prequel to Peter Pan, explaining how the orphan boy became Peter Pan and how Captain Hook became his nemesis. The story follows the boy and a girl named Molly as they embark on an adventure involving magical starstuff, pirates, and a faraway island. Reviews praise the show's imaginative humor, energy, and creative storytelling. Appropriate for all ages. Click here to purchase tickets!

The temperatures are dropping, and it’s warm coat weather. For more than a decade, the Rotary of Northbrook has been helping our communities stay warm during the winter with its annual "Coat Off Your Back" collection drive. The coat drive will provide winter coats for infants, children, teens, and adults via multiple outlets serving people in need, from the homeless to veterans, displaced families, and the elderly. You can drop off your donation at the donation bin located at the front of our school.

Your stuffy will:
🌙 Have exclusive after-hours access to the school
📚 Go on secret adventures with their fuzzy friends
📸 Be featured in special photos so you can see all the fun!

Send your stuffy for a night they’ll never forget! TO REGISTER: Log in→For Sale→Scroll to “Meadowbrook Stuffy Sleepover Fundraiser.”

Attention 5th Grade Parents: We need your Meadowbrook photos for the 5th Grade Yearbook & Slideshow! Help us create these special keepsakes for our students by submitting your photos through Thursday, Nov. 13th. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Questions? Please reach out to the Yearbook/Slideshow Committee at MBStars2026@gmail.com.

The Winter Sing and Art Show is fast approaching! We need your help mounting students' artwork and artist statements to be displayed during the show. Volunteers will help mount students' artwork on black backgrounds, attach the artist statements, and label the back of each piece with the student’s name and class code. Two volunteers are needed per time slot per day, during the week of Dec. 1st-5th.

Please help us showcase their beautiful creations! To sign up for available time slots: Log in→Volunteer→Scroll to “Winter Art Show Prep.”

And please see the attached flyer for more details about the show.

The Music Parents’ Club still needs board members for the 2025-2026 season! MPC meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 12p. You do not have to attend all meetings to be on the board. We need representatives from Band, Orchestra and Choir! Reach out to Tamara Reese at oiler02@gmail.com for more information.

Stay connected with us on Facebook - MeadowbrookPTODistrict28

And on Instagram - d28.meadowbrookpto

Subscribe to the Meadowbrook calendar at this link!

November 10: NB28 Children's Choir Concert @ 7pm @ Greenbriar (Gleo and Something More)

November 11: NB28 Children's Choir Concert @ 6pm @ Greenbriar (Singers)

November 11: NB28 Children's Choir Concert @ 7pm @ Greenbriar (Laetus)

November 12: PTO meeting @ 9:30 (and via Zoom)

November 13: D28 Faculty Recital @ 7pm @ NBJH

November 14: Last day of trimester 1

November 14: Spirit Day: Crazy Sock Day!

November 18: Junior Band & Concert Band Concert @ 7pm @ NBJH

November 19: Culture Fest @ 5:30-7:30

November 20: PTO Pizza Day

November 21: Husky Pack meeting!

November 21: NB28CC Something More at Illuminate Northbrook @ Village Green

November 24-28: Thanksgiving holiday, NO SCHOOL for students

December 2-3: Book Fair!

December 2: Board of Education meeting @ 7pm

December 3: Beginning and Philharmonic Orchestra concert @ 7pm

December 4: Cadet, String and Chamber Orchestra concert @ 7pm

December 5: First trimester progress reports shared with families via email

District 28 invites local non-profit organizations and community government agencies to promote events for families and children. You can view the complete list of events on the district's Virtual Backpack web page. To submit an event, please email a PDF flier to Samantha Scheinman, Director of Communications & Community Relations, at sscheinman@northbrook28.net. All fliers are subject to approval.