Greetings Margaret Mead Community,

We are so proud of our 2019-20 Mustangs—they have arrived this school year fully embracing our new “Mead Made” culture! Thanks to you for readying them for a strong start to the year. Please read below for two updates:

•This year, we are encouraging our Mustangs with bus passes to take the bus home from school daily. We want to ensure that our students arrive home safely every day and the bus is often the safest way from them to travel. This is particularly important on Wednesdays during our early release time. We do understand that there may be circumstances where our students may be getting a ride or are choosing to walk home. If there are no special circumstances, please join us in encouraging them take the bus home. Please know that if your child is avoiding the bus ride due to concerns, then please contact me directly so we can address the concern.

•Our wonderful PTA wants me to remind you that the last day to submit PTA Hot Lunch order forms is tomorrow Friday, August 23. Please click this link Mead PTA Hot Lunch Fall 2019 to place your order and have your child bring the check in with the signed Parent Permission form and turn it in to the office.

We look forward to ending a wonderful first week with our Mustangs tomorrow!

Scott

Greetings Margaret Mead Community,

Welcome to the 2019-20 school year!  Over the past few weeks, the dedicated Mead staff has worked hard to prepare our school for the arrival of our students.   We are excited to meet our new Mustangs on Monday and welcome back our 8^th grade students on Tuesday.   We know that your child is prepared for what is sure to be a highly successful year at Margaret Mead Junior High School.  Our staff has been hard at work these past few weeks preparing the school and their classrooms and spending a significant amount of time improving their professional skills for the arrival of your children.  We are ready!  This email is to provide you with a preview of next week’s back-to-school events:

FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL

• Monday, August 19 is “Move Into Mead”, a special day devoted to ONLY the incoming seventh graders. We will be running a special bell schedule on this day where students will get to practice opening their lockers, travel through their class schedules, and learn about life at Mead.   Please ensure that your student brings the following on this day:
  • Lunch
  • Class schedule
  • School supplies (students are welcome to bring their school supplies on this day—they will be able to put their supplies in to their hallway locker during 1^st period)

• On Tuesday, August 20 the eighth grade students will join the seventh grade students as we host our “We Are One Day”.  Students will learn what our expectations are of them in different locations throughout the school.  Please ensure that your student brings the following on this day:
  • Lunch
  • Class schedule
  • School supplies

• Starting the first week of school, your child will attend their Advocacy classes creating classroom agreements, discussing ownership, learning about the principles of positive psychology, and engaging in a lesson on mindful awareness as part of the District 54 Social Emotional Learning curriculum.

• On Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22, our students will be participating in Digital Citizenship lessons in their language arts, social studies, and science classes in preparation for their Chromebook training the following week.

• On Friday, August 23, our students will be issued their Chromebooks.  Please note that your child will not start using their Chromebooks for classwork until Tuesday, August 27.

• On Monday, August 26, our students will be trained on how to use their Chromebooks.  On Monday, August 26, students will be required to start bringing their Chromebooks with them from class to class and home.

During the first days of school, we will be reviewing with the students a number of school rules.  Please take a moment to talk with your child about key points found in the Mead Parent-Student Handbook that you received on Information Day.  You can also find the Mead Parent-Student Handbook on our Mead homepage.

USE OF WATER BOTTLES IN CLASSROOMS

Students are allowed to bring a water bottle with them to school and are allowed to bring water bottles with them throughout the day, including in classrooms.  Please ensure your child’s water bottle has a secure lid and is transparent or semi-transparent to allow us to see the beverage inside the water bottle. Student beverages are limited to water. No juice, soft drinks, or other beverages are to be consumed outside of the cafeteria or at times outside of the designated lunch period.  If you have any questions regarding water bottles and/or snacks in classrooms, please contact our school nurse, Linda Barr at 847-357-6016.

GIRLS BASKETBALL and BOYS/GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Our junior high school fall sports season kicks off next week.  Girls’ basketball holds try-outs Thursday, August 22.  Boys & Girls Cross Country hosts an informational meeting after school on Thursday, August 22 from 2:15-4:00 pm.  We encourage your child to participate in sports and represent Mead as a Mustang “student-athlete”.  If your child plans to participate, per School Board Policy, current physicals are required of all students to be on file and the “Agreement to Participate” form detailing District 54’s head injury policy must be signed by both student-athlete and parent prior to try-outs and/or participation in any inter-scholastic sport.  If you have any additional questions about your child’s physical, please contact our school nurse.

SCHOOL HOURS

Mead school hours are 7:38 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. with the first bell ringing at 7:30.  Please note:  Beginning Wednesday, August 21, every Wednesday is designated for staff development.  Students are dismissed 30 minutes early on Wednesdays (1:45 p.m.).

OFFICE HOURS

Mead school office hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Remember that our student absence line (847-357-6002) is available 24 hours a day. Please call by 7:00 a.m. if your child will be absent from school.  In the event that you need to contact your child at school, please feel free to contact our main office (847-357-6000) between the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM.  Also, students are able to use the student phone located in the main office to contact parents.  With staff permission, classroom phones are also available for students to use.

STUDENT PICK UP/DROP OFF

The following are procedures which have been established because student safety is our primary concern.  We understand that some procedures may inconvenience you, but as stated above, safety is our primary concern.

• There is no adult supervision prior to the 7:30 a.m. bell.  Therefore, students should arrive at school no earlier than 7:25 a.m. (unless coming early with an authorized morning pass provided by a teacher).
• Students being dropped off by car on Biesterfield or walking to school will assemble by the main entrance, door 1, until the 7:30 a.m. bell.  Please be careful where you park and drop off your children.  Parking too close to a crosswalk can restrict pedestrian visibility and result in a ticket.  All students should exit cars from the passenger side of the car only.  All students should cross the street only at the crosswalk.
• On dangerously cold winter days, students who arrive before the 7:30 a.m. bell will be let into the school immediately upon arrival before the 7:30 a.m. bell.  In case of extreme snow, students will need to be dropped off at the crosswalk in order to safely enter the building.  Cars cannot block the driveway to let students off.
• Students taking a bus will be kept on their bus until the 7:30 a.m. bell after which they are to come directly into the school either through main entrance door 1.
• State law requires bus drivers to use their stop signs when children are entering and leaving the bus.  Driving through the stop sign can result in a ticket.  This also holds true when students are exiting buses in the Mead parking lot.  No cars should be moving when the buses are loading and unloading students in the Mead parking lot.
• For safety reasons when buses are present, the Mead parking lot is CLOSED for car drop off during arrival 7:15-7:35 and for car pick up during dismissal 2:00-2:20 p.m.

Student safety is our top concern.  By following all posted signs and driving regulations we can keep our children safe and help you avoid unnecessary tickets.  The police do patrol our area and they do issue tickets.  The entire Mead staff appreciates your patience and cooperation as we strive to provide a safe environment for our students.

BUSING

If your child is eligible to ride a bus to and from school, then the District 54 Transportation Department will mail your child’s bus pass to your home before school begins.  If your child rides the bus to and from school, please note the following procedures:

• All students riding a bus are required to show their bus pass upon boarding the bus.  If a student loses their bus pass, a replacement bus pass may be acquired in the main office.
• If your child is assigned a bus, please encourage them to take the bus home after school for safety reasons.
• For students who choose to stay after school hours for sports and/or clubs, we do run an activity bus that will take your child home.  The bus begins loading students at 3:50 and departs Mead at 4:00.  Please encourage your child to take advantage of the activity bus and stay at Mead for our great extra-curricular offerings.

UPCOMING EVENTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

There are a number of upcoming events and announcements that should be noted:

• Wednesday, August 21 Accelerated math parent night in the Mead gymnasium.  Information about this evening was attached to your child’s schedule that you picked up at yesterday’s Information Day.  Please note that students are encouraged to attend this evening with their parents.  For more information, please see the start times below and/or contact the main office if you have any questions about this evening.
  • Math 715 Accelerated Pre-Algebra @ 5:30 pm
  • Math 930  Accelerated Algebra @ 6:00 pm
  • Math 830 Geometry @ 6:30
• Wednesday, September 11 Please see attached letter for information about our upcoming Curriculum Night.
• Thursday, August 29 is Picture Day.

Please visit our Mead JHS Website for the building calendar.  Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay updated with the latest news and information about the great things happening at Mead.  As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your continued support and commitment to ensuring your child’s educational success.

Have a nice weekend and we look forward to the arrival of your child next week!

Scott

If your student plans to try out for one of our athletic teams and/or participate in intramurals, an approved and current physical is required to be on file prior to try-outs or any participation in an inter-scholastic/intramural sport per Board Policy. All new students entering our district must present proof of immunizations and a health examination prior to the first day of attendance. Please note that physicals are good for one year from the date of the exam. If you have additional questions about your child’s physical, please contact our school nurse.

Interscholastic Sports Permission form

Safety for our students and staff is a top priority.  As a reminder, traffic needs to enter the Mead parking lot from Biesterfield and exit out to Gibson. Our parking lot is CLOSED for student drop off during arrival 7:15-7:35 and for student pick up during dismissal 2:00-2:20 p.m.  Please be careful where you park and drop off your children.  Parking too close to a crosswalk can restrict pedestrian visibility and result in a ticket.  All students should exit cars from the passenger side of the car only.  All students should cross the street only at the crosswalks at the corners of Biesterfield and Gibson.   State law requires bus drivers to use their stop signs when children are entering and leaving the bus.  Driving through the stop sign can result in a ticket.  This also holds true when students are exiting buses in the parking lot.  No cars should be moving when the buses are loading and unloading students in the Mead parking lot. Thanks for your attention to these guidelines as we work to keep Mead students safe.