Mechanics Grove School
Weekly Wolf Update
October 9th, 2026
Shakira
Want to help with the Spooky Boogie Bash?
Join us for our DĂa de los Muertos Celebration
Save the Date! Join us on November 2, 6 - 7:30pm for our annual DĂa de los Muertos celebration hosted by Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee!
Enjoy fun family activities, pan de muerto, y chocolate , and so much more!
Families are welcome to bring a photo of a loved one who has passed to add to our community ofrenda as we honor and remember those who remain in our hearts.
Don’t miss our raffle featuring Mundelein Park District passes, a Julio’s Tacos gift card, and more exciting prizes!
We look forward to coming together to celebrate our roots, culture, and our beautiful multilingual and multicultural community.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Halloween/Fall Celebration at MG
Halloween/Fall will be celebrated at MG on Friday, October 30th. If a student wishes to dress up in a costume they must BRING the costume to school. Students are not allowed to wear the costume to school in the morning. All students must be able to put on and take off their costume independently.
Masks are allowed. Anything weapon-like is not allowed.
There are not classroom parties on this day. If parents would like to view the parade, it will begin at 2:00pm and run along the front bus lane as well as across the blacktop by the playground. There is no need to enter the building. We will come outside for the parade and pass by everyone.
Please Note: If your family does not celebrate Halloween, please email your child's teacher to inform him/her. Your child will be supervised by a staff member duirng the parade and will then join the class immediately following the parade back in their classroom.
A Note from our Specials Teachers
PE
We are off to an exciting start in PE this year! Our students have jumped right in with great energy, teamwork, and enthusiasm. We’ve started the year by building connections and confidence through fun icebreaker games, developing movement skills through kickball, and we’ll soon be transitioning into flag football. It has been great to see students working together, learning new skills, challenging themselves, and most importantly, having fun while staying active! To help ensure that all students have a safe, respectful, and successful experience in PE, we are introducing a PE Student Contract for Accountability. This contract outlines clear expectations and encourages students to take ownership of their behavior, effort, attitude, and sportsmanship. We will continue to build student leaders, promote teamwork and positive character, and encourage healthy, active lifestyles!
Art
We’ve had a great start to the year in art class! Students have been very attentive and respectful as we have been learning rules and procedures while creating a relief sculpture focusing on different types of lines made with construction paper strips. We’ve discussed how students are responsible for using kind words and actions as they share, take care of art materials, stay engaged, and try their best. I am looking forward to having fun and building relationships as we dive into our grade level projects. Students will learn about art concepts, experiment with different art materials and have many opportunities to express their unique abilities and creativity.
Music
We have had an amazing start to the school year in music! In just a few short weeks, students have been singing, moving, playing, composing, and improvising. In the music room, Students are active participants in music making, and are encouraged to explore their own musical ideas. 3rd Grade spent the first few music classes composing rhythms to the book “All Are Welcome”. 3rd Grade is currently working on adding hand drums to the song, “Double Double”, as well as reviewing the solfege, “Do, Mi, So, La” through the song “Apple Tree”. 4th Grade just finished up the song, “Starting a New Year Together”. They composed body percussion patterns and added instruments such as hand drums, cabasas, triangles, and guiros. 5th Grade began the year by learning the song, “Autumn Leaves”. Students added xylophones, and composed their own autumn rhythms that were added to the song. Overall, it has been an amazing start to the year. I am looking forward to seeing what else this year will bring!
Discovery Den
We jumped right back into library activities here in the Discovery Den with previewing some new series that arrived over the summer. Grades 4 and 5 have been practicing alphabetical order and third graders started a scavenger hunt to learn where books are located in the Den. In addition, the students have been voting on a name for our new Discovery Den mascot. The final results should be in next week! Book checkout has also started and students are so excited to be able to select books. Please note that there is an automatic email that goes out the day a book becomes overdue, which is usually the day after their book check out. Students can return these overdue books directly to the Den or keep them until their next library day and put them on the book return cart. I’m looking forward to a year of fun activities in the Den.
A Note from our Multilingual Teacher
Happy Fall! Our extra long Summer gave our English Language Learners an amazing opportunity to use their home language for 99 days. We are now back to working on their academic English! I have heard some wonderful vocabulary already this year, and I am excited to use all of the students’ summer experiences to work on their writing and speaking skills.
Easy Ways to Help at Home
Talk in Any Language: Ask your child to tell you about their day. Speaking, reading, and writing in your home language helps them build strong English skills!
Read 20 Minutes: Have your child read out loud to you every night. They can read books, comic books, or online articles.
Math in the Kitchen: Cook together! Have your child help you measure ingredients to practice math and fractions.
Interactive Reading: Read a comic book or graphic novel together. Take turns reading the speech bubbles or ask them to predict what will happen in the next panel.
Graphic Organizers: After reading a short story, have them draw a simple timeline or a "story map" showing the beginning, middle, and end.
Family Message Board: Hang a small whiteboard or notepad on the fridge. Write short notes to them (e.g., "Have a great day! What do you want for dinner?") and encourage them to write back.
Digital Suggestion Box
Linked below in the section titled "Helpful Links and Information" is a new feature called our digital suggestion box. Parents and families are an important part of our learning community and we want to hear from you! The form that is linked is completely anonymous and you can share celebrations, suggestions, and feedback. You can answer only the questions that apply to you.
On a regular basis, our school leadership team will review the entries and use the feedback in the most meaningful way possible.
Every Day Counts: Building Our Dream Team Together!
Attendance Matters
At MG we consider our students to be the heart of a championship team. Just like any great team, every single player matters. When one teammate is missing, the whole group feels it. As our students navigate these crucial upper-elementary years, building a foundation of consistent school attendance is the single most powerful strategy we have to unlock their potential.
Third through fifth grade is a period of massive academic and social development. This is where reading to learn takes center stage, math concepts become more abstract, and deep peer friendships solidify. When students miss a day, they do not just miss assignments; they miss the collaborative discussions, hands-on science experiments, and social connections that make learning stick.
The data strongly supports what we see in the classrooms every day. In a peer-reviewed study published by Bahar and Auletto (2025) in the Northwestern Collaborative for Applied Research in Education, researchers analyzed data from over 66,000 elementary students. The study conclusively found that attendance rates are a strong and consistent predictor of academic growth in both math and reading. Simply put: showing up is the catalyst for growth.
We know that life happens—illnesses occur, and family emergencies arise. However, our goal as an attendance team is to partner with you to make every regular school day count. Let's look at attendance not as a chore, but as a shared daily celebration of learning. Thank you for being our most valuable partners. Together, we are coaching this amazing student body toward a bright, successful future!
PTO Updates
PTO Meeting
Join us for our October PTO Meeting on October 14 at 7:00 PM in the Carl Sandburg MPR! We’ll share school and PTO updates, discuss upcoming events and committees, and continue organizing our PTO Board and committees for the year. All D75 families are welcome—we’d love to see you there!
PTO Dine Out – October 15
Join us at Julio’s Tacos on Thursday, October 15, from 4–8 PM!
20% of all sales will be donated to the PTO!
The PTO will also be selling delicious churros from 5–6:30 PM. Churros are cash only:
1 for $2
2 for $4
3 for $5
100% of churro profits will go directly to the PTO!
We hope to see you there and thank you for supporting D75 PTO!
D75 PTO Discount Cards – $20
Save while supporting D75! Our 2026–2027 Discount Card features 26 local businesses and is valid through September 1, 2027.
Purchase Your Discount Card(s) Here!
Learn more about the Discount Card
Box Tops for Education
October is a great month to earn Box Tops for D75! National Box Tops Week is October 12–18, and families can also participate in the October Monthly Challenge for opportunities to earn extra Box Tops.
If you haven't already, download the Box Tops app, search for District 75 PTO Mundelein, and use code PNKN0SEQ.
October Box Tops English Flyer
October Box Tops Spanish Flyer
Want to Get Involved with D75 PTO?
The D75 PTO is always looking for families who would like to help with events, fundraisers, committees, and more! Complete our short Volunteer Interest Form and let us know how you'd like to get involved.
D75 PTO-Sponsored Events
Our 2026–2027 PTO-sponsored events are now listed on our website. Mark your calendars and join us throughout the year!
Staff Celebration
Upcoming Dates/Events
10/9- BratFest (5:00-7:00pm at CSMS)
10/12- NO SCHOOL
10/14- PTO Meeting (7:00pm at CSMS)
10/16- PTO Spooky Boogie Bash (6:00-8:00pm at MG)
10/20- School Board of Education Meeting (6:00pm at District Office)
10/22 and 12/23- 5th Grade Camp Duncan Trip- NO BAND LESSONS/REHEARSAL
10/27- Picture Retake Day
10/30- Halloween Parade at MG (2:00pm)
Helpful Links and Information
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.
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.
Leave us a Note in our Digital Suggestion Box
Mechanics Grove Website
Check out our school website!
Community Events
Learn more about what's happening in our community!
Social Media
Follow us on our facebook page: Mechanics Grove School
Follow us on TikTok @principal.be.kind
