Meadowbrook Star News 9/12/25

Hello Meadowbrook Families!

Thanks to our awesome PTO and volunteers for organizing such a fun Back to School Social last night! We lucked out with the weather and it was great to see our community have a chance to come together for some fun. It was also amazing to see so many parents joining for our first PTO meeting this week. Special shout out to the 20+ people who made time to join via Zoom. We're working on improving our Zoom set up for future meetings to continue to encourage this participation. Our students have been hard at work this week as we've been digging into our content and completing our fall assessments. Our first PTO Pizza Day was a nice treat this week as well!

As a reminder, our school day begins at 8:30am. Students arriving after 8:30 are considered tardy. Parents, please park along the front curb and walk your children into the office to sign them in on the iPad in the office if they’re arriving after 8:30. Please do not let your child walk or ride their bike to school late without an adult. We understand that this is a new procedure this year as we work to align with district expectations. If your child is struggling to get to school in the morning, please reach out to his or her teacher and we would be happy to troubleshoot. We truly appreciate your cooperation with these new procedures.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Go Bears!

Warmly,

Ginny

Per state requirement, we will be providing age-appropriate presentations to all students about sexual abuse prevention on October 8th. We will be using the same presenter, Victor Pacini, who has presented in District 28 for many years. Please click here for more information.

As a reminder, our construction crews will continue work on 9/23 and 10/2 when school is not in session. Please do not allow your children to play on the Meadowbrook school grounds unsupervised during these days. There will be construction trucks entering and exiting the property throughout both days and there will not be school supervision. Please also remind students who bike around the village on their own to stay off of Meadowbrook property during those days.

Is your first or second grader interested in learning how to play chess? Have them come to the new Beginner’s Chess Club where they can learn everything they need to know to start playing chess. Ms. Elzaurdia, one of our special education assistants, will start with the assumption that students have never played a game before and do not know how the pieces move. They will slowly move through basic information like the names of the pieces, how the pieces move, and how much each piece is worth. Toward the end of the club, the students will be paired with different players each week to play supervised, full length games when they are ready. The class will be focused on learning at each child’s own pace and having fun. If you have any further questions please contact Ms. Elzaurdia at delzaurdia@northbrook28.net. The class will be limited to the first eight students who sign up. Please sign up here.

• Parents can download the FirstView 1.0 app from their website: First Student App. You will need our district code L9A9N, your student's ID number (can be found on the bus
  pass), and your child's last name. This app is free and designed to give parents, caregivers, and school staff real-time visibility and updates on student transportation.
• Our front office is staffed until 4:00 p.m. If you have questions or concerns after 4:00 p.m., we encourage you to contact First Student Dispatch directly at (847) 724-7200 and press "1" for Dispatch. Dispatch is able to track all buses in real-time and can assist with route updates, delays, or location-related inquiries.

If your student's after school plans have to change, please let the office know by 2pm at the latest. We understand emergencies may arise, but in order to get all of the after school plans to each classroom, we need to have them by 2pm, please.

If you're interested in seeing our Meadowbrook morning announcements, please check out our YouTube channel. Our 5th graders will be taking over announcements toward the end of this month and will be featuring students and staff across the building.

See the attachment below for details about Meadowbrook's Picture Day on September 18th!

Construction on our new gymnasium is in full swing! Over the past couple of weeks crews have been excavating and digging. Next up, they'll pour the foundation. Click the link above to check out our latest time-lapse video.

Projected Construction Timeline

• August 2025: Meadowbrook gymnasium construction begins
• March 2026: Meadowbrook gymnasium completed & construction of the new Meadowbrook School begins
• August 2027: New Meadowbrook School completed
  
  

Construction areas are enclosed and separated from students, staff, and daily school activities.

This year, teachers for Grades 3-8 have implemented a new Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program called Wayfinder. Wayfinder focuses on six Core Skills: Self-Awareness, Adaptability, Empathy, Collaboration, Agency, and Purpose.

Three times a year, students in grades 3–8 will take a benchmark assessment called Waypoints. The assessment takes about 20 minutes and provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their social emotional growth. It is not graded and does not affect your child’s academic record. Instead, it provides teachers, counselors, and administrators with valuable insights into our students’ strengths and priorities for our instruction. The results guide staff in tailoring our social emotional learning program to what our students need. For more information about Wayfinder, please click here.

Make your student’s big day extra special with our super cute yard signs:
Full-Service setup is just $30 - or try our brand-new Self-Service option for only $15! Log in to our website, tap the “For Sale” tab, and scroll down to “Meadowbrook MB Birthday Signs” to make those birthdays pop! 🎂

Now through September 21, it’s time to gear up and show off your Meadowbrook pride in style! We’ve got fresh new designs, many starring our favorite furry mascot—our Husky, Star! From snuggly hoodies to playful tees and cool accessories, there's something for everyone. Click HERE to shop early and snag your faves!

Join us for a Fundraising Event at Shake Shack (560 Waukegan Rd., Deerfield) on Wednesday, September 17th from 10:30 am - 9:30 pm. Mention “Meadowbrook PTO Fundraiser” at the register or drive-thru before you order,

or use promo code DONATE on the Shack App, web, or kiosk at checkout - and they'll donate 25% back to our PTO! So slurp that shake knowing you’re doing some good!

THANK YOU to Sara Downing & Katie Siegel & the awesome raffle planning team of Effie Liosatos, Tammy Rosengarten, Ellie Chicoski & Aimee Trottier for planning last night’s Back-to-School Social! They couldn’t have put on this awesome event without a dedicated team of volunteers: Kathryn Mazzarella, Liz Cummins, Kaitlin West, Kate Sweas, Betsy Kivetz, Megan Watters, Katie Roberts, Delphine Turco, Daya Levin, Kiel Loysen, Ying Wang, Suzanne Turover, Kara Glassman, Lisa Kosnik, Alexandra Delis, Whitney Peluse, Maria Scott, Daya Levin & Kristin Samuels. From selling raffle tickets and serving ice cream, to keeping an eye on the inflatable and tackling setup and cleanup, many hands made light work!

A special round of applause to our incredible teachers for donating their time and creativity to the always-popular Teacher Experience Raffle — the kids (and parents!) love it!

And last but definitely not least, THANK YOU to our generous sponsors and vendors - 4 Sure Entertainment, Inc., Bach to Rock, Blondin’s Bouncin’ Inflatables, Culver’s, Hi-Five Sports Zone & Little Louie’s - and community partners who contributed to our Grand Second Chance Raffle Baskets — Aesthetics Temple, Bach to Rock, Basu, Bean Bar, Candy Glam Maison, Carolyn Lorraine Salon, The Claim Company, Graeter's, Lazy Dog, Little Louie's & Tips Tailored Nails. Your support helps make our events extra special and supports our Meadowbrook community in a big way!

Read our latest monthly newsletter HERE.

Stay connected with us on Facebook - MeadowbrookPTODistrict28

And on Instagram - d28.meadowbrookpto

Subscribe to the Meadowbrook calendar at this link!

September 18: Picture Day

September 23: NO SCHOOL

September 26: Husky Pack kick-off meeting

October 2: NO SCHOOL

October 8: Erin's Law presentations

October 8: PTO Meeting @ 9:30am, staff lounge or join via Zoom

October 9: PTO Pizza Day

October 15: Parent-teacher conferences 4:30-7:30

October 16: Half Day- Noon Dismissal Parent-teacher conferences 1:00-8:00

October 17: NO SCHOOL

October 23: PTO Pizza Day

October 24: Picture Retakes

October 24: Husky Pack meeting

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.