Mechanics Grove School

February is Black History Month

Black History Month is observed in February primarily because it coincides with the birthdays of two men who were instrumental in the fight for freedom and equality for Black Americans: Abraham Lincoln (born February 12) and Frederick Douglass (celebrated on February 14).

Erin Jackson (Olympic Speed Skater)

Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics, winning the 500-meter speed skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. A former inline skater, she made history again in 2026 by becoming the first Black woman to carry the U.S. flag at the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Surprise Letter for Your Child

On Friday, February 20th you will receive an envelope with your child's name on it. We are asking everyone to use the letter template included and write your child a note to encourage their effort and hard work on the upcoming IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness). Please write the note, seal the envelope, and then send it back to school. THANK YOU!

MG Welcomes Author Aaron Reynolds

Author Aaron Reynolds, best know for his Creepy Carrots, Creepy Crayon and Creepy Underwear books, will be visiting MG and Washington schools on March 2. Mr. Reynolds will talk with students about his career as an author and discuss his books, including his newest release, Unsettling Salad. Next week, students will be receiving information about getting a books signed by Mr. Reynolds. An order form will be sent home to purchase a book to be signed, or students can bring in a book from home to be signed. We look forward to the visit from this funny, creative, talented author!

NOTE: An updated order form is below as there was an issue with the one sent home.

The Best Family Leader in Me Night Ever!

Come join us for an exciting night of food, raffles, student organized math games, and so much more!

5Essentials Parent Survey

You received a special email about our 5Essentials survey yesterday. We are hopeful that all families will participate in the survey in order to help us better understand our strengths and areas for growth.

To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ Reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.

Front Office Communication

Need to report an absence? Change your child's transportation? Or, get your child a message?

Email the office at mgoffice@d75.org.

Multiple people will receive your message, and you'll receive a confirmation once the message has been read. We kindly ask that any same day needs are emailed before 1pm. If it is after 1pm, please call the office at (847) 949-2712.

A Note from our Specials Teachers

PE

We’ve had a great stretch in PE and wanted to share some exciting updates with you! Our Kids Heart Challenge event was a huge success. As a school, we raised almost $2,000 to support heart disease research and awareness. Thank you so much for your generosity and support. Our students showed amazing effort, teamwork, and “heart” throughout the event. In PE, we started our popular volleyball unit. Along with traditional volleyball skills, students were introduced to fun and engaging adaptations such as Nitro Ball and Nuk’em. These games help build confidence, teamwork, and fundamental volleyball skills in an inclusive and enjoyable way. Looking ahead, we are excited to begin our racquet sports unit soon and hopefully get back outside with warmer weather approaching. Lastly, our Human Growth and Development lessons will begin in early March, with age-appropriate lessons designed to support student learning and understanding.

Discovery Den

There are a variety of activities happening in the Discovery Day. Third grade is practicing using the table of contents, index and glossary in non-fiction books. Once they are done reviewing these parts of a non-fiction book, they will do a research activity using various books about countries. Fourth grade learned about digital footprints and what the students are and aren’t in control of online. Now, we are reading the Aaron Reynolds’ book Troubling Tonsils, in preparation for his visit next month. This is a silly, creepy story about a young marmot who wants to take his tonsils to school for show and tell! Fifth grade has been studying Superbowl commercials, both recent and older and identifying what advertising techniques are used to attract customers to products. They have really enjoyed many of these commercials, especially Heinz 57 and Doritos!

Music

It has been a great month in the music room! 3rd Grade began January by learning about the Chinese New Year with a song called, “Xin Nian Kuai Le”. They learned about the traditions and celebrations of Lunar New Year while creating a xylophone accompaniment for the song. 3rd Grade is now preparing for their concert based on the book, “Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave.” Over the next two months, students will be hard at work composing, singing, and playing instruments to create a concert that reflects all they have learned in the music room this year. Make sure to mark your calendars for April, 29th, 2026! Since January, 4th Graders have been preparing for their concert, “Sing It Silly”. The concert will feature a collection of silly songs, tongue twisters, jokes, and riddles. We can’t wait to present our concert to our friends and families on March 18th, 2026! 5th Grade started 2026 with a drumming unit, using our tubano drums. Students learned several drumming techniques and games, and incorporated other small percussion instruments such as agogo bells, shekeres, and claves. 5th grade began February by beginning a unit on Jazz and The Blues. Students learned the history of The Blues, and then performed the 12 Bar Blues on xylophones. This week, students analyzed the form of Blues lyrics, and are now writing their own Blues lyrics. We can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Art

In art class, students are continuing to explore new media and materials. In fifth grade, students are working in groups to create their ceiling tiles. Students learned how to use the grid method to draw their designs and will begin to color them next week using chalk pastels. In fourth grade, students are studying the concept of foreground and background while designing an “animal in its habitat”-themed watercolor painting. The third grade students are learning about the design principles of unity and repetition while creating their original robots made out of cut construction paper. Each week I’m impressed with the amount of creative energy happening in the art room!

A Note from our Multilingual Teacher

Create the Need - If there is a need to use a language, then children will use it. Creating that need is key. For bilingual parents this can sometimes be a struggle, especially for the parent speaking the minority language. If your child knows you speak a second language, they may realize they don’t “need” to speak their native or second language for you to understand them. Create expectations for your children and help them know which language to speak and when. Students have set routines at school to help them know what the expectations are in their classroom. One example for home is to set an expectation that your family only speaks your native language during dinner time. This shows your child what to expect and creates a routine. Consistency is key with creating a need.

Below are examples of ways to get children speaking:

Family Discussions and Dinner Conversations - Regular, structured family discussions during dinner can significantly enhance a child’s oracy skills. These discussions can be about daily events or important family matters. The key is to ensure that each family member, including the children, gets a turn to speak and listen.

Reading Aloud and Listening to Audiobooks - Reading aloud to children and encouraging them to read aloud offers dual benefits: it builds oracy and improves reading skills. Listening to audiobooks also introduces children to fluent, expressive language, increasing their listening skills and vocabulary.

Playing Language-Based Games - Play games that involve word uses, such as Scrabble, storytelling dice, or charades. These games not only build vocabulary but also enhance quick thinking and articulation.

Girls on the Run at MG

4th and 5th grade girls - are you ready to show the world how friendly, smart, talented and sporty you are? Join our amazing coaches for a new season of Girls on the Run! Girls on the Run® is an after school program in which we will meet as a team to become stronger emotionally, mentally and physically! At each practice, we will have important discussions and do fun activities about girl power, empowerment, problem solving skills and leadership qualities. We will also do some physical activity, like running, power walking, stretching, playing games and working out in order to train for our ultimate goal...which is to run a 5K in Chicago in May! If you’re interested, please see the attached flyer below to register and start your own Girls on the Run journey! Contact Mrs. Frank (kfrank@d75.org) with any further questions.

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!

PIZZA THROWDOWN

Please join the D75 STEAM Foundation on Thursday March 5th at 5:30pm in the MPR at CSMS for our 7th annual Pizza Throwdown! We will have plenty of local pizza establishments donating their delicious pizzas as we once again raise funds for the D75 STEAM Foundation. Tickets are available now by either going to the website listed or scanning our QR code. We can't wait to see everyone on the 5th!

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)

We're getting closer to reaching our Box Tops goal of $1,000.00!

If you haven't yet, you can still download the Box Tops for Education App and start earning for our schools today!

How to Start Earning:

Go to your app store and download the Box Tops for Education App
Look for District 75 PTO Mundelein (enter code PNKN0SEQ) for bonus earnings
Scan a receipt that includes any Box Top eligible item.
Have family and friends near and far join.

Don't forget to opt-in for our monthly bonus opportunities! Watch the Box Tops (and $$) quickly add up for our schools as you scan.

February PTO Meeting

Our February 18th PTO Meeting is canceled, and we will send an update detailing the PTO's recent activities.

March Madness (Letter Attached)

The Mundelein District 75 PTO is excited to host our 6th Annual March Madness Fundraiser! What is March Madness you ask, it is a month long raffle!

How can you help?! We're looking for District 75 families who own or work with local businesses--or community members who may be interested--in donating a gift card, certificate, item, or sponsorship. Even small donations make a big impact, and raffle items are always a hit with our families! If you are interested in donating, please contact our team at d75mmcommittee@gmail.com. More information can be found in the attached letter and here.

Important Dates

2/24- School Board Meeting (6:00pm at District Office)

2/25- Leader in Me Family Night (5:15pm at MG)

3/4- 5th and 6th Grade Band Concert (6:30pm at CSMS)

3/6- Report Cards come home

3/11- PTO Meeting (7:00pm at CSMS)

3/13- Early Release (School Improvement Planning Day)- 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.