Mechanics Grove School

Mechanics Grove Legacy Award

Leadership day was a HUGE success. Our young leaders had many opportunities to show their leadership skills and also learn about many community leaders' leadership roles in their careers as well. Our school was invited last spring to apply for a very special award from Franklin Covey, the company for The Leader in Me.

This award is the highest honor that a Leader in Me school can obtain.

It acknowledges a school that is a global example of excellence in leadership, culture, and academics.

In order to bring it into perspective…

There are over 8,000 Leader in Me Schools in the world (70 countries).

Just over 700 schools have Lighthouse status like us.

The Legacy Award has been given to only 27 schools in the entire world, and only one other school in Illinois.

During Leadership Day on Tuesday, we had three representatives here from Franklin Covey to visit in person to learn about our school and all of the reasons that we were invited to apply for the Legacy Award. Hopefully soon we will be celebrating this honorable accomplishment!

D75 Cultural Celebration

We invite all families to attend our D75 Cultural Celebration on Friday, May 1st at 6:00 PM at Carl Sandburg Middle School. Families can reserve a table to represent their home culture or attend to learn about the multiculturalism of our community. Please RSVP using this google form: D75 Cultural Celebration Google Form

Invitamos a todas las familias a nuestra Celebración Cultural D75 el viernes 1 de mayo a las 18:00 en la Escuela Intermedia Carl Sandburg. Pueden reservar una mesa para representar su cultura o asistir para aprender sobre la multiculturalidad de nuestra comunidad. Por favor, confirmen su asistencia utilizando este formulario de Google: Formulario de Google para la Celebración Cultural D75.

Families and staff are welcome to participate as learners if they would prefer not to reserve a table. PreK-5 classroom teachers will receive copies of the attached invitation to send with students.

Highlights for this year will include:

Tamales & Paletas (Mexican popsicles)
Passports for students as they "travel the world"
A performance by the Mariachi Club
Additional student performances

Questions, please contact me or the Parent Coordinators: Cassandra Lopez or Melissa Yonkelowitz.

REGISTER SOON FOR EARLY BIRD PRICES!

Early bird registration discount $25.00 per child with completed ONLINE registration, proof of residency and payment due by May 1, 2026.

Registration information can be found here.

Questions? Contact Patty DeLozier, Registrar

D75 Student Registration pdelozier@d75.org

SUPERHERO DAY!

On April 28th, we’ll be joining Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago in celebrating Superhero Day! We are excited to take part in the spirit of the day by hosting a schoolwide dress-up day.

This special day is designed to honor children who are bravely fighting illnesses, and we’re also using it as an opportunity to celebrate and support the incredible strength of our own students who navigate a wide range of abilities—both visible and invisible—each and every day.

Staff and students are invited to dress as their favorite superheroes as we build empathy, celebrate resilience, and remind our students that their unique strengths are something to be proud of.

English Language Learners Teacher Update

It is finally getting warmer! Time to get outside and enjoy our Chicago weather! Some great activities and conversation starters for Spring are:

Plan and plant a garden - This is a great science and discussion activity. How do you care for the plants? What recipes can you make? There is science vocabulary like sow, sprout, bloom and blossom to discuss.
Learn about Butterflies - butterflies are fun to watch and lead to artwork (drawing and painting) as well as great vocabulary like symmetry and flutter!
Sports - You can connect with your child through any sport and sports discussion. Spring is just better because you can get back outside to do it.

The more conversations your child has with you, the better their vocabulary becomes! Spend Spring learning something new to the whole family.

Project Challenge Update

What are some ways to practice the multiplication and division facts?

Now that chrome books are not going home with 4th grade students (this will be the case for 5th graders next year), families will need to think of creative ways to help support students learning the multiplication and division facts. It is a state standard that by the end of third grade students need to have the basic multiplication facts (0-12) memorized. If the facts are not memorized, students struggle with multi-digit multiplication, fractions, and multi-digit division. Flashcards are the easiest way to practice. Playing a game with dice and/or cards might be more engaging for students and is easy to set up. A simple game of War uses a deck of cards; each player flips two cards and multiplies them. The highest product wins and that player gets all of the cards. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins the game. Another game is Memory Match. This is a memory game to match multiplication expressions with their products. Expressions (5x8) is on one card and the product (40) is on another. Cards are placed face down in random places. If a match is made, keep the cards. Index cards work great for this game. Another take on this would be to match the multiplication expression with the related division expression (fact families). Memorizing the facts just takes practice. Even if it’s in the car, out on walk, or just before bed, the extra 5 minutes helps. The more practice students get, the better their fluency. Here are some free websites to check out: multiplication.com mathmammoth.com

Save the Date

Celebration of Leadership & Learning

May 12, 2026 5:30pm-7:00pm

Roll into Summer with a night of leadership and learning. Visit your child’s classroom to view leadership binders and classwork. You will also learn some new math games, take a trip with a story character, and plant your own seeds! There will be a book swap (bring a book to swap), book fair, art fair, and other fun activities. Save the date to celebrate the amazing leadership and learning at MG!

PTO Board Nominations Open

Interested in getting involved? PTO Executive Board nominations are now open. Each position is voted on yearly. Any parent, guardian, or D75 staff member may nominate themselves for a position on the D75 PTO Board, provided they will be part of D75 during the 2026–2027 school year.

Nomination Deadline: May 12 at 9 PM
Voting: May 13 at our final PTO meeting

Nomination Link: https://forms.gle/xpp45FFBZXggZhqn8

Have questions? Email mundelein75pto@gmail.com (Subject: Nominations).

Fuel2Flourish Family Nights – All D75 Families Welcome!

District 75’s Bilingual Parent Advisory Council (BPAC), in collaboration with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), invites families to participate in Fuel2Flourish!

Join us for three engaging evenings focused on healthy habits, family wellness, and celebrating Latino culture. This program is designed for the whole family and includes interactive activities, learning, and opportunities to connect with other families in our community. The primary language of the sessions will be Spanish, and all families are welcome! Please RSVP using the QR code on the flyer attached below. We hope you can join us for this fun and meaningful experience!

OLYMPIC DAY at MG

The school year is almost over and time really has flown by. With the school year ending that can only mean one thing, OLYMPIC DAY!

This year Olympic Day is Wednesday, May 20th (rain date May 21st) and MG needs volunteers to help make the event a success. Any family member who is 18 years old or older can help out.

If you sign up for both AM and PM, your lunch break will be from 11:00am-11:40am.

Please make sure when signing up that MG has your ID scanned into the system from this school year. Please come before Olympic Day to have your ID scanned if it is not already in the system this year. You can email mgoffice@d75.org to check if you have a current scanned ID.

Remember to dress appropriately and don’t forget that sunscreen!

Thank you, MG Staff

OLYMPIC DAY SIGN UP- SIGN UP HERE

SPORTS SUMMER CAMP AT MG

Hi everyone! This is Mr. F, one of the PE teachers at MG. If you’re looking for a fun and active way for your child to spend part of the summer, Mr. G and I are excited to once again offer our annual Summer Sports Camp this June.

The camp is open to incoming 3rd graders and current 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade MG students and will run from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on June 8–11, 15–18, and 22–25 (no Fridays), for a total of 12 days filled with sports, games, and activity. The cost is a one-time fee of $150, payable by cash or check to MG Summer Sports Camp.

If you’re interested in signing up, please take a look at THIS FLYER, which includes a QR code for easy registration. We hope to see your kids there for a great summer experience!

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 (Flyers Attached)

A new month means a new chance to earn money for our school through Box Tops for Education — plus monthly bonus opportunities!
It’s easy:
Buy participating products
Scan your receipt in the Box Tops app
Earn funds for our school
Want to double the impact? Donate those same items to our Welcome Center to support local families. That’s two wins with one purchase!
Download the app, opt in for the Monthly Bonus, and start scanning today.
View the participating product list here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FcgSIFxaxXJ431NrCFfcbxzCsK7e4vOp/view
Thank you for supporting our school and community!

Important Dates

4/28- Carl Sandburg Stage Grand Opening (5:30pm at CSMS)

4/28- SUPERHERO DAY

4/29- 3rd Grade Music Concerts (6:00pm and 7:00pm)

4/30- STAR testing (MATH)

5/1- STAR Testing (English Reading)

5/1- D75 Cultural Fair (6:00-8:0pm at CSMS)

5/4- STAR Testing (Spanish Reading for Dual Language classes only)

5/12- Celebration of Leadership and Learning: Summer Kick Off Open House (5:30-7:00pm)- This is an event for ALL MG students and families

5/13- PTO Meeting (7:00pm at CSMS)

5/20- MG Olympic Day

5/21- MG Olympic Day Raindate

5/22- Fifth Grade Farewell Tunnel (join out front in the bus lanes)- 1:45pm

5/25- NO SCHOOL

5/26- Last Day of School (students dismissed at 11:05am)

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.