Mechanics Grove School

Jenna Ortega is the third Latina to be nominated for an Emmy in a Lead Actress category.

Jenna Ortega, 22, is a Hispanic actor of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent who is widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s wildly successful series Wednesday. She is only the third Latina leading actress to be nominated for an Emmy.

Born and raised in California, Ortega began acting from a young age and has since appeared in several TV shows and movies including Disney’s Stuck in the Middle and the rebooted Scream franchise. In 2024, she starred in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Ortega has been vocal about where her family comes from and her pride in her roots. In a 2016 essay for PopSugar, she described how some of her family had migrated into the United States for better opportunities and how when she started acting, “it was hard” because there weren’t many roles she fit into. Ortega also noted that she’s seen an increasing number of Latinas in leading roles more recently but knows there’s still room for improvement “There are not as many Hispanic leading ladies out there as I would like, but I want to help change that in the future,” she wrote. Eight years later, she’s well on her way to doing just that.

Student-Led Conferences

Mechanics Grove School is proud to announce that we are conducting Student-Led Conferences for our Fall conference times. As a Leader in Me school, students are celebrated as leaders regularly. Student-led conferences are a way for students to practice their leadership skills, the 7 habits, and Leading the PACK. Please see below about details that outline the conference in detail.

Definition of Student-Led Conferences

A student-led conference is a conference with parents led by the student. Students lead parents through a discussion of their work and established academic and social goals. The process includes the teacher facilitating several conferences at the same time. The student directs the conversation focused on their work and classroom behavior.

Philosophy and Purpose of Student-Led Conferences

The process of communicating the progress of students to parents must involve students in a meaningful way. For a discussion of student work to be relevant, accurate and complete, students need to be meaningfully engaged in the process. Having students lead a conference with parents is a way to maximize their involvement. The involvement of students in the conferencing process promotes three elements essential to improving student performance in school:

· Relevance; why we are teaching what we are teaching to students

· Responsibility; making the student more responsible for learning

· Reporting to parents how students are progressing in learning

Roles and Responsibilities of Student-Led Conferences

Successful student-led conferences require changes in the roles that teacher, student and parent have played in traditional parent conferencing.

Teacher Role: To organize the conference environment and to guarantee success. This includes guiding portfolio collection and training students and setting up the conference spaces. The teacher becomes a guide and observer of the conferencing process.

Student Role: Through all stages of the student-led conference process (preparation, implementation and evaluation) the student becomes the key participant. The student becomes responsible for working with the teacher to identify strengths, identifying learning needs and collecting evidence to validate learning. The student practices self-reflection.

Parent Role: Parents become partners in learning when students lead a conference. The opportunity for parents to have one-to-one time with their child focused on learning and achievement is important to the conferencing process. The parents role is to listen.

Please note that a student-led conference is NOT a time to discuss new concerns that the teacher or parent has regarding the student. These concerns should be discussed prior to the conference via phone or email. The best thing that a parent/teacher can do is respect the need for the student to lead the conference time.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

SIGN UP HERE FOR YOUR STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE TIME

Information from our teacher of English Learners

Use your native language

It has been proven that students who have strong first-language skills can develop their second-language skills more easily, due to language transfer. One of the best ways you can support your child’s learning at home is to use your native language.

Read stories
Sing songs
Cook together
Tell stories
Engage in conversations (talk about the school day, the world around them, etc.)

2. Foster a language-rich environment

This just means that you read different kinds of stories, and use language a lot in your home. Play games that require thinking and discussion, go to the library, discuss your day, etc. In fact, Fremont library has many different classes for both students and adults and most of them are free!

3. Encourage good homework habits

You don’t need to be fluent in English to show your children that you value their academic success. One of the ways to do this is by creating good homework habits. Some ideas are:

Make homework part of a daily routine
Create a designated space for schoolwork to be done
Put away screens until homework is finished
Always emphasize progress over perfection

Borrowing a Chromebook

4th and 5th Grade students are expected to bring their fully charged chromebook to school EVERY DAY. Students are only allowed to borrow a chromebook loaner THREE TIMES in a year. We know that this is a new routine for our 4th and 5th grade students so we ask for your partnership in helping your child set up a successful routine to charge and pack their chromebook each day. Thank you very much.

Mundelein Fire Department Open House

The Mundelein Fire Department is hosting an Open House on September 28th. See the flyer and schedule below.

MHS Student Tutors

MHS student tutors will host Tutor Time at Fremont Public Library once-a-month from 6-7 pm starting Wed., Sept 10. English and Spanish-speaking tutors will be available to help students of all ages. Please see the flyers below.

The District’s Final Budget Is Now Available
The Mundelein Elementary School District 75 final annual budget has been posted and is available for public viewing.
You can access it here: Business Office Page on the Mundelein Elementary School District Website.

A Note from Mrs. Sheedy (Project Challenge)

What is Project Challenge?

Project challenge is a math enrichment program for students who already have a good understanding of the math skills taught in a particular unit. It is a pull-out program where a small group of students work together to solve challenging tasks. These tasks relate to what is being taught in the classroom. STAR testing, teacher observations, and teacher recommendations determine participation. If your child qualified, you should have received an email from me last week. Please remember that this is a flexible program. Students enter and exit based on their individual needs, test scores, teacher observations, and STAR data history. Students see me for 30 minutes, twice a week. All students will work on challenging, yet engaging tasks relating to concepts/standards for that particular math unit. Fourth and fifth grade students will join my Google Classroom by the end of the month. There are puzzles, games, and other activities that will challenge them at home. Third graders will get the activities sent home. I’m looking forward to a fantastic year in project challenge.

A Note from the PTO

Spooky Boogie Bash:

Spooky Boogie Bash is creeping up on October 10th! To conjure an evening of ghoulish fun and frights, the PTO needs a few good ghouls to help us plan. Please email mg@mundelein75pto.com or fill out this Form to offer your creative juices.

Box Tops (flyer attached)

Forget the scissors, download the app and enter code PNKN0SEQ (District 75 PTO Mundelein), scan a receipt with a Box Top eligible item, and you'll earn 50 Bonus Box Tops, a $5 value! There are monthly bonus opportunities too, so watch the Box Tops (and $$) add up for our schools! Last year we raised $801.70 and we are hoping to crush that this year.

Discount Cards (order form attached)

Discount Cards are still available for purchase! Cards are $20 Cash or Check (made out to D75 PTO) or $21 online. D75 PTO Square Discount Card Link Questions on Discount Cards can be sent to mundelein75pto@gmail.com.

Dine Outs

We have a Dine Out planned on September 25th at Julio's Tacos from 10am-8pm. See the flyer below.

Bilingual Parent Advisory Council (BPAC)

District 75 has established a Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC). A BPAC is a state-required committee when a district or school has a bilingual education program, including a Dual Language program. The purpose of this state required committee is to help facilitate communication between the bilingual parents and the district and to provide opportunities to discuss/provide input on the Dual Language and Multilingual programs. This district-wide committee is composed of families and community members whose children are enrolled in the Dual Language or Multilingual Programs, D75 teachers, Parent Coordinators from each school, and the Director of Linguistic Programs.

The BPAC meets regularly beyond the required four times per year. BPAC plans for family engagement, family education, and cultural events to support the multilingual community. The group creates specific goals each year based on identified family needs, discusses multilingual programs by building, suggests additional topics for upcoming parent education programs and reviews the district’s annual TBE/TPI application.

Please consider joining our BPAC and attending the meetings.

BPAC MEETINGS

Fall Events at MHS

Friday Night Lights
We are looking forward to welcoming the community back to the MHS Stadium under the lights! These games provide a great opportunity for our younger students to experience the excitement of high school athletics in a safe and spirited environment.

Friday, October 10 - Senior Night for Marching Band, Red Rage Theme - NEON

7:00pm - Varsity Football v. Lake Zurich

Friday, October 17 - Community Night, Red Rage Theme - WHITE OUT

5:00pm - Freshman Football v. Waukegan
7:30pm - Varsity Football v. Waukegan

Red Rage Student Section
Our student fan leaders (“Red Rage”) are promoting themed nights throughout the football season. A t-shirt store is available so students and families can match the game themes and show their Mustang pride.

Community Nights
This fall, we are hosting several special Community Nights to celebrate youth participation and provide a connection to our programs:

Boys Soccer – Thursday, September 25 (community cookout flyer attached)
Football – Friday, October 17

We will share additional promotional flyers and details with you soon so you can pass them along to your school community.

Safety & Game Day Policies

Unaccompanied minors: Please remind families that all K-8 students must be accompanied and actively supervised by a parent or responsible adult.
Clear bag policy: For the safety of all guests, only clear bags will be permitted inside the stadium.
Online ticketing: All tickets for Friday events must be purchased through GoFan.

Important Dates

9/25- Dine out at Julio's Tacos (all day)

9/30 and 10/1- 5th Grade Camp Duncan Trip

10/2- NO SCHOOL

10/10- SIP Day- 1/2 Day for Students (Students dismissed at 11:05am)

10/10- Spooky Boogie Bash (6:00-8:00pm at MG)

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.

Find Information HERE

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.