t was a great end to our Month of Happiness here at Mead. Staff and students played a fun game of dodgeball after school yesterday, and we continued to make the habits of happiness a regular part of our days. We look forward to celebrating and continuing with our positive habits and mindsets when we return from our break. On behalf of the Mead staff, we hope that you have a safe, restful, and relaxing spring break. Please enjoy the time with family and friends. See you in April!!

Mr. Szwed and Mrs. Carey

Please read below for the latest news, reminders and updates from Mead Jr. High and School District 54.
You can also visit our website to keep up on Mead activities and events: https://mead.sd54.org/.

Mead at a Glance
3/23-31: Spring Break
4/1: Happiness Day
4/2: No School
4/8: VB vs, Keller 3PM
4/10-4/18: IAR Testing (formerly PARCC – see below)
4/15: VB vs. Frost 3PM
4/16: Track vs. Addams @ Ike 3PM
4/18: Board Meeting  – Art Showcase 6:00
4/26: 6^th Grade Welcome to Mead Night
5/10: Moms and Positive Female Role Model Breakfast 7AM
5/17: 8^th Grade Dance 6:30-8:30 PM

Graduation Picture Order Info
For the parents who filled out the ONLINE order form: Pictures will be ready to view on Friday, March 22nd before 10 PM. For those who filled out the Non-Online Prepaid order form, please disregard.

To view your images simply go to www.visionsphotographyinc.com  and click on the green arrow or the link below that says “Click here to view your pictures” in the lower left corner of the home page. Once there, you will see a box that says “Mead.” Click that to get into your school’s folder.

Inside your school’s online folder your child’s folder will be listed under their first name and last initial, or if you have multiple children it may be under your last name. The password needed to view your pictures is the last 4 digits of the phone number that was written on your child’s ONLINE order form. If there was no phone number written on the order form, the password is 0000. Only you and whomever you share this password with will be able to view your child’s photographs. 

Online Ordering Deadline: Monday, March 25th at 10:00 PM

If you have any questions, please reach out to Visions Photography directly.
(847) 524-9605 or VisionsPhotography@nullsbcglobal.net.
Note: This email will be sent as a stand-alone email as well.

IAR State Testing
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (formerly PARCC) will be administered to all students at Mead beginning on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 and will conclude by April 18. During this testing window, we will be running a modified schedule on testing days. These schedules are forthcoming and will be made available via the Mead website. Students will complete testing on the Chromebooks, so it is important to remind your student to charge his/her device each night. In the meantime, we ask that you are considerate of these dates in the scheduling of appointments for your children during the school day. Please click here for more information and to view the parent letter.

Earbuds and Headphones
Please check with your child to make sure they have earbuds or headphones.  If not, consider buying a pair during the upcoming week. Headphones/earbuds are a necessary tool for learning. In additional, they will be needed when students take the upcoming IAR assessments.

8th Grade Graduation and Missing Assignments
Graduation fees were due at the end of February.  Fees cover the cost of the graduation gown and student medallion. If you have not yet paid your child’s graduation fees, please do so as soon as possible. The envelopes for money collection went home via conference envelopes over the last week. Extra graduation fee envelopes are available in the Mead front office.

Additionally, the District has set the date for graduation. Graduation will be on Thursday, May 30, 2019. More information regarding times and location will be available in the coming weeks.

NOTE: Per School Board policy, eighth grade students will not be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony if he/she has any missing assignments during this trimester.  Now that the graduation date is set, we will soon be sending home more detailed information about specific check-in dates for students. In the meantime, please help us by visiting the parent portal frequently and talking to your child about the importance of doing all homework. We want to ensure that all students are able to participate in the year-end celebrations and graduation ceremony. Thank you for your support.

Welcome to Mead Night – Incoming 7th Grade Students
Current sixth grade students who will be attending Mead in the fall are cordially invited to attend Welcome to Mead Night on Friday, April 26, 2019, from 6:00 to 7:30 P.M.  On this night, students will have an opportunity to meet students from other feeder schools, listen to music, play games, hear about Mead’s clubs and activities, and be given a guided tour by a staff member and one of our current students.  Students can ask our Mead staff and students any questions they may have about Mead Junior High School and what to expect this fall.

There is no cost to attend this event. This event will be well chaperoned and is only for our incoming 7th graders. All transportation arrangements must be made in advance.  Students are expected to be picked up promptly at 7:30 P.M. In order to attend, students must have the ticket signed with permission from a parent/guardian. Tickets were distributed to students at their respective elementary schools. Students cannot participate in this activity without signed permission. We look forward to meeting our newest Mustangs!

District 54 Summer Band and Orchestra
Registration for District 54’s Summer Band and Orchestra program has begun!  Students who have completed fifth, sixth, or seventh grade and have had lessons on their instrument in the District 54 instrumental music program for at least one school year are eligible to enroll.  Summer Band and Orchestra will take place July 8-25 (Mondays-Thursdays) at Addams Junior High School.  Registration forms are available from any instrumental music teacher or at sd54.org/resources/instrumental-music.  If you have questions, please contact the band/orchestra teacher at your school or call 847-357-5138.

Registration for 2019-2020 School Year
Registration for the 2019/2020 year will be available through the parent portal starting Monday, April 1, 2019.

If you do not have a parent portal account, you should have received an email on March 15 with instructions and a link to do so.

Beginning this year, the district is contracting with a third-party vendor to automatically verify student address information. If your residency is verified electronically, you will not need to submit any additional paperwork to certify that you live within the district’s boundaries. To verify residency, the vendor will use a parent’s name and address to crosscheck the information against electronic databases from other organizations, such as utility companies.

We anticipate most addresses will be verified electronically. If we cannot verify your address electronically, we will send you a letter detailing what additional information you will need to provide in order to register your child for the upcoming school year.

PTA News
STC Scholarships
Schaumburg Township Council of PTAs (STC) offers scholarships for summer programs and camps to District 54 students currently in kindergarten through seventh grade who wish to broaden their education, talents and experiences.

To apply, submit the online application form or the printable application form and send all required documentation to the office by no later than Monday, April 1.  All required documentation should be placed in a sealed envelope, labeled STC Elementary Scholarship Application. Please do not staple/tape/paperclip anything together. If you have any questions about the process, please contact us at meadpta@nullgmail.com.

Dance Committee
The parent committee for the 8th grade dance is now forming. If you are interested, please send an email to the Mead PTA at meadpta@nullgmail.com. We mainly need parent volunteers to assist with decorations. This opportunity is open to both 7th and 8th grade parents.

Career Day – Presenters Wanted
Take Your Work to School Day! Mead is hosting a Career Day for all 8th grade students on Friday, May 17, 2019. This is an opportunity for Mead students to learn about various career paths and explore the opportunities that await them in the near future. The success of the day depends on the number of volunteers willing to share their experiences with our students. If you would like to present, please contact Natalie Amos (847-357-6030, natalieamos@nullsd54.org) or Kimberly Porzel (847-357-6024, kimberlyporzel@nullsd54.org) to sign up!

New Dental Requirement for 9th Grade Students
Starting with the 2019-2020 school year, all 9th grade students are required to show proof of a dental exam within the past 18 months.   The IDPH Dental Form is attached.

The Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists will be available to Mead Junior High School students in April. The Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists provide exams, teeth cleaning and fluoride treatment.  The exam by the Smile Dentists will fulfill the 9th grade dental requirement.  Please complete the application form found here and return to the school nurse.  Please contact the school nurse at 847-357-6016 if you have any questions.

Summer Camp Registration – “Summer of 54”
What did you do over your summer?  This fall, through the “Summer of 54” camp opportunities, your answer could be: “I learned how to play lacrosse, used the design process to create and design, and/or created different forms of art using digital and non-digital mediums.  The goal of the “Summer of 54” is to provide students opportunities to be active, while enhancing their creative and innovative spirt.  Camp opportunities offer:

• A range of fun camps for a variety of interests for students in 1st through 8th grade
• Courses with hands-on, project-based curricula
• Instruction by District 54 teachers in a positive environment
• An opportunity to conduct experiments using tools, equipment and technology used within the real-world

Registration for the “Summer of 54” camp offerings, including a camp t-shirt, opens on Monday, March 25th and closes on Friday, April 19th.  Digital registration is available within Parent Portal and can be accessed through the following link – Summer Registration. Also available is the summer camp brochure: Summer of 54 – 2019 Camp Brochure.

District 54 Education Foundation 2019 Memorial Grant Applications
The District 54 Education Foundation proudly offers memorial grants for District 54 students to cultivate an academic, cultural or athletic interest. The grants are intended for children from families facing extenuating financial circumstances. 

Applications for 2019 Memorial Grants are due Friday, May 3 to the child’s school social worker. Click the link below for the application and additional information.

English application

Beca Conmemorativa del 2019 de la Fundación de Educación del Distrito 54
La Fundación de Educación del Distrito 54 ofrece orgullosamente subsidios conmemorativos para que los estudiantes del Distrito 54 cultiven un interés académico, cultural o deportivo. Las subvenciones están destinadas a niños de familias que enfrentan circunstancias financieras extenuantes.

Las solicitudes para las Becas Conmemorativas 2019 deben entregarse el viernes 3 de mayo al trabajador social de la escuela del niño. Haga clic en los enlace a continuación para obtener más información.

Aplicacion en español

Spanish Speech Contest
MacArthur School will host the annual District 54 Spanish Language Speech Contest on May 2. District 54 students in third through eighth grade are eligible to participate in this event. Contestants will be divided into two categories: Native speakers and Spanish as a second language. The application deadline is April 12. Click here to access the online application. If you have questions, contact Lucrecia Temoczuk at LucreciaTemoczuk@nullsd54.org or (847) 357-6666.

La Escuela MacArthur tendrá el Concurso Anual de Oratoria en Español del Distrito 54 el 2 de mayo. Los estudiantes del Distrito 54 en tercero a octavo grado son elegibles para participar en este evento. Los concursantes se dividirán en dos categorías: hispanohablantes  y español como segundo idioma. La fecha límite para la solicitud es el 12 de abril. Haga clic aquí para acceder a la solicitud en línea. Si tiene preguntas, comuníquese con Lucrecia Temoczuk en LucreciaTemoczuk@nullsd54.org  o (847) 357-6666.