Mechanics Grove School

Leadership Day at MG

Leadership Day is a special day at MG for students and staff. We have community leaders coming to visit our school and learn about all that we do with leadership and our culture. We are asking students to please "dress to impress" on April 21st for this special event. If that is difficult then we ask for students to wear their Lead the PACK blue shirt. Thank you!

A Note from our Reading Teachers

For the month of April, we would like to focus on celebrating diversity and the joy of reading in multiple languages. Families who share books, stories, and traditions at home with their students help all students see language as a tool for success in school and beyond.

Many of our students in our bilingual program learn to read in Spanish, in addition to English, and we consider this to be such a superpower! As is, here are a few tidbits to foster reading for your bilingual student.

Encourage your child to select a book in a language they know and spend 10–15 minutes reading together.
Support reading in both languages your child knows. Allow your child to pick books, comics, or articles in either language—choice builds motivation.
Short, daily reading sessions (even 10–15 minutes) in each language help build fluency and confidence.
Share one favorite story in your family’s language at dinner or bedtime.
If English is the only language spoken in your home, consider expanding your student’s reading library with books from various cultures.

We are thankful for your continued partnership and for the ways you support literacy and cultural strengths at home. Your encouragement helps students feel proud of their languages and more confident in school.

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK!

See the flyer below to order your child a yearbook today!

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!

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 9 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.

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

3rd Grade Parent Orientation Meeting

If you have a 2nd grade child or know someone who does... then 3rd Grade Parent orientation is the place to be!

Mechanics Grove Elementary school

6:00pm on Tuesday, April 14th

This is a time to learn about MG! DON’T MISS THIS EVENT!

A Note from the Specials Teachers

PE:

In PE, students are staying active, learning new skills and getting to go back outside with spring on the horizon! We have been participating in a variety of sports and differentiating every day. In lacrosse, students are working on the skills of passing, catching, and shooting, while also working towards their fitness goals. During frisbee, students are practicing throwing and catching techniques, as well as learning strategies for team play and quick decision-making. In volleyball, they’re focusing on serving, bumping, setting, and enhancing their teamwork on the court. Finally in racket sports, students get to try a variety of games such as floor ball, badminton, pickleball, ping pong, and air hockey! Students are working on their hand-eye coordination, footwork, and strategic play. Each activity is not only helping them build physical skills but also fostering sportsmanship, collaboration, and a love for staying active! Have you made summer plans yet? Mr. F and Mr. G will be offering a summer sports camp here at MG! Details and sign up info are in the link! MG Summer Sports Camp 2026

Art:

In art, students have been working hard to create some amazing projects! The 5th grade students put the finishing touches on their ceiling tiles. Installation of tiles should be happening within the next few weeks! Our next highly anticipated sewing project is underway. Students have been brainstorming their original designs to draw, cut, sew and stuff. So exciting! The fourth grade students are almost done painting their backgrounds for their “animals in their habitats” watercolor landscape designs. Next steps are to draw and paint their animals and attach them to their background. The third graders just finished up their amazing robot collage designs. Each one is so unique and creative! Next up is a mixed media oil pastel and watercolor Van Gogh inspired flower still life.

Music:

In music class, students from all grade levels have been using their creativity in new and exciting ways! 3rd Grade is working hard on their concert based on the book, “Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave” by Jessica Hirsche. Students are fine tuning their instrument parts, composing new sections of songs, and working to get each piece of their concert performance ready! Make sure to mark your calendars for April, 29th, 2026! Please see the flier or email sent home for additional information. 4th Grade performed their concert “Sing It Silly” just before spring break. We are so proud of their hard work! We are now diving back into recorder playing and are in the process of learning the pitches “High D” and “Low E”. These pitches will allow students to play a variety of new songs! 5th Grade is finishing up a unit on Music in the Movies. Students analyzed how music can affect the mood of a scene, and then discovered how Foley Artists use sound production to add sound effects into movies. 5th Graders chose from three different short movie clips, and added their own sound effects using their voices and instruments from the music room. Students are recording their final projects this week.

Discovery Den:

Along with the weekly book checkouts, there is a lot of activity in the Discovery Den. Fifth grade read the book #Goldilocks, a fractured fairy tale that teaches students to realize that likes on posts are not the same as having friends and to think before posting. Fourth graders are working on book review slides. Each student is making a slide that gives a short summary and review of a favorite book. The slides will be displayed on the TV in the Den to help other students choose books that might interest them. Third grade has been learning to use the online catalog (OPAC) to determine what books the Discovery Den has and if the books are checked out or available. After these activities finish, all three grade levels will start working on poetry.

Mark your calendars! The next bookfair is May 6 - 12.

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!

Lake County Stallions

New this year from the Lake County Stallions is the CheerAbilities team “Shining Stallion,” a unified, adaptive cheer program specifically designed for athletes of all abilities in 2nd through 8th grade. Their mission is to ensure every child has the opportunity to shine on the big stage, build confidence, and experience the joy of being part of a team.

Ages: 5–14 years old
Grades: Kindergarten–8th Grade
Open to ALL boys & girls

REGISTER AT: https://lcstallions.sportngin.com/register/form/167823202

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!

Camp Duncan Lou Malnati's Pizza Card Fundraiser (Flyer Attached)

We’re excited to officially kick off our Lou Malnati’s Pizza Card Fundraiser! This fundraiser helps support our current 4th-grade students so they can attend Camp Duncan next year—for FREE.

Goal: Each 4th-grade student is asked to sell 15 pizza cards at $16 each to cover the full cost of camp.

Incentive: The class that sells the most pizza cards will win a special visit from Tropical Chill!

Sales Dates: April 1 – April 14
Order Online Only:
https://d75-pto.square.site/product/camp-duncan-pizza-fundraiser/KL5TBT7R65UOPBHP4ZUVISUH?cs=true

Don’t have (or know) a 4th grader? You can still purchase pizza cards and have them sent home with your student or pick them up. Every purchase helps support a student and brings them one step closer to attending Camp Duncan at no cost.

Important Dates

4/10- Early Release (School Improvement Planning Day)- students dismissed at 11:05am

4/14- Incoming 3rd Grade Parent Orientation (6:00pm)

4/15- PTO Meeting (7:00pm at CSMS)

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

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

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

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

5/25- 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.