Mechanics Grove School

Welcome back to school! This week has been a great week of readjusting, reviewing procedures, and getting back into the learning groove. Thank you to our families for helping our students get back into their good school habits such as getting to bed early, eating breakfast at home or school, and reading every night.

We look forward to a wonderful second half of our school year!

Morning Drop Off at MG

In order to keep all students and families safe and so that morning drop off goes as smoothly as possible, we have some guidelines in place. We ask that all families follow these guidelines.

1. Be sure you pull ALL THE WAY UP in the drop off line whenever possible.

2. Parents MUST stay in their car and students exit on the curb side.

3. When exiting the parking lot, cars should be turning right only.

4. All students need to be dropped off by 8:02am. School begins at 8:05am.

Thank you

A Note from our EL (English Learner) Teacher

In the cold winter months, we often are home more which means we cook a lot more. One way to engage your child in language activities is to have them create your shopping list in both English and your home language. Then they can go to the store with you and shop for the items. This allows them to use both expressive (writing and thinking of words) and receptive language (reading words on the shelves). The more the students are able to write and speak in English and in their home language, the easier it will become for them. Once you are home, have them read recipes and cook together as a family. There are great vocabulary words that are automatically used when cooking (types of measurements, lengths of time etc). The best way is to have your child read you the directions and then check your work to make sure you have done the measuring correctly.

The first week of February, EL students at MG will participate in the ACCESS for ELLS Proficiency Test. The ACCESS is a required assessment that provides a standardized measurement of academic language proficiency for English Language Learner (ELL) students throughout the state of Illinois. The test assesses the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This information allows us to monitor individual ELL student’s progress on an annual basis. The test is completed on Chromebooks, though the third grade students will do their writing portion on paper. To help your child do their best, please make sure that they are rested, eat a good breakfast, and that their Chromebooks are charged (4th and 5th grade). We look forward to seeing all of the students' English growth! They will do an amazing job!

A Note from our Specials Teachers

PE:

Our basketball unit is off to a slam-dunk start! Students have been learning about how the game is played, while practicing fundamental skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting. Our favorite game so far has been Hot Spot Shooting and Spelling where students get to practice shooting hoops, and spelling vocabulary words at the same time! Students are also working towards meeting all of their Healthy Fitness Zone goals with various fun fitness activities each week. As always we are focusing on habits such as synergizing, being proactive, and thinking win-win. Lastly, our Kids Heart Challenge fundraiser will be starting in January! This fun and inspiring event encourages students to learn about heart health while raising awareness and funds for the American Heart Association. Throughout the challenge kids engage in heart-pumping activities as we promote the importance of staying active. This is a great way for students to support a meaningful cause, improve their physical fitness, and have fun together while making a positive impact on heart health in our community!

Art

The MG building is coming alive with displays of amazing finished artworks from all students! Every student should feel proud of the time, energy and effort they put forth into completing their amazing pieces! Currently, the third grade students have taken a quick break from their printmaking project to create an air-dried clay project to take home before winter break. They are learning proper clay handbuilding techniques and using their painting skills to complete the projects. The fourth grade students have completed their construction paper masks and are working on a winter object stained-glass inspired oil pastel project. Students drew their designs and are now using their knowledge of color theory as they experiment with mixing and blending the oil pastels before applying it to their final design. The fifth grade students are working on a whimsical winter watercolor landscape. Students sketched an original winter village and are learning about wet-on-wet watercolor techniques as they practice “shading” with paint. I am excited to see such creativity, artistry and craftsmanship as students continue to explore, problem-solve, and experiment with different artistic techniques and processes!

Music

We’ve been busy in the music room this month! 3rd Grade spent the month of November discovering a new rhythmic concept called 16th Notes. We have learned how to read these rhythms, and are using a song called, “Piccadilly Circle” to compose our own 16th Note rhythms. 4th Grade began learning how to play the Recorder this month! So far, we have learned proper hand position, and the pitches “A” and “C”. Students are moving on to learning how to improvise with these two pitches using a song called “Extra! Extra!” Overall, it’s been a great first half of the school year, and we are looking forward to continueing to let students’ creativity shine in 2026!

DD

All of the classes heard the story Balloons Over Broadway before Thanksgiving. It tells the history of the Tony Sarg, the balloonist who helped start the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Students have been creating their own balloons and some also worked on making a city street. The city will be a backdrop for a video of all the balloons. Recording of the video is in progress and once complete it will be shared for all to see.

Have you heard that Dog Man and Greg Heffley are on vacation? Every week, students receive clues about what famous locations these favorite characters are visiting. So far, the students have discovered that Dog Man has been at the Statue of Liberty and that Greg has been at the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China. These favorite characters will be back on the shelves of the Discovery Den after the holiday break!

Our District is Hiring Paraprofessionals and Guest Teachers

Please visit the district website for more information on how to join our amazing D75 Team!

A Note from our PTO

BOX TOPS:

We are blown away by all the scanning and earning our D75 Community has done. We are just past the halfway point in raising $1,000 in Box Tops this school year! If you haven't downloaded the Box Tops For Education App yet, you can still do it! Simply go to your app store and download the Box Tops for Education App, enter code PNKN0SEQ (District 75 PTO Mundelein), scan a receipt with a Box Top eligible item, and you'll start earning for our schools! There are monthly bonus opportunities, don't forget to opt in! Once you start scanning, watch the Box Tops (and $$) add up for our schools!

PTO Meeting:

Please join the PTO January 14th at 7pm in the MPR at Carl Sandburg for our January Meeting. All D75 Families and Staff are invited.

Important Dates

1/13- Tuesday After School Clubs, School Board Meeting (6:00pm at District Office)

1/14- PTO Meeting (7:00pm at CSMS)

1/15- Thursday After School Clubs

1/16- School Improvement Day- Early Dismissal (students dismissed at 11:05am)

1/19- NO SCHOOL

1/20-Tuesday After School Clubs

1/22- Thursday After School Clubs

1/27- Tuesday After School Clubs

1/29- Thursday After School Clubs

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Teacher contact info: our staff list is on our WEBSITE.