News

Greetings Margaret Mead Community,
 
This week, we will have the privilege to present our mid-year School Improvement Plan reflection to Superintendent DuRoss and members of Cabinet.   It is a great chance to brag about the fantastic work of our Mead Mustangs!  I have included a few of the highlights of my mid-year presentation below:

• In our Academic SIP goal, we celebrated the reading and mathematics growth of our students fall to winter as measured by our winter MAP assessments.  We are so proud of our Mustangs this first half of the school year- our students stepped up and showed that they are capable of exceeding our high expectations of them by doing hard things that push them as young adults.  For the staff, these results are an affirmation that our significant instructional shifts in both reading and math to better know our students as learners truly pushed our students to excel.  These two celebrations are evidence of Mead’s continued efforts to be our Mead Made best self academically every day.    
• In our Whole Child goal, we celebrated our students work during Advocacy time where they grow as social-emotional learners.     
• In our Culture goal, our focus on positive psychology at work has allowed us to continue to evolve our work by growing, defending, and sustaining positive psychology at Mead; in particular, our staff continues to layer in components of Positive Psychology at Work to develop long-term optimism as a school.    

Our School Improvement Plan is the guiding document and a critical part of our continual practice of accountability and celebration to ensure our school is driven by our core values of Fostering Academic Achievement and Creating a Positive Culture that we work to create every day at Mead.  Please read below for more information about these goals.    
 
Fostering Academic Achievement
 
Student Absences:  Please remember to call our Attendance Line (847) 357-6002 each and every day your student is not in attendance at Mead Jr. High.  Please leave a message with your student’s first and last name (please spell the names), ID number, the reason for the absence, and your relation to the student.  It is extremely important to call each day your student does not come to school so we can assure student safety.  
 
Volunteers Needed for Multicultural Event: Each year, the Department of Language and Culture, along with the Schaumburg Park District, presents a Multicultural Event that showcases the diversity represented by the students of District 54. One of the highlights of the event is the opportunity for students and their families to learn about other cultures by playing games, completing crafts, and participating in other activities. We are looking for families who are interested in volunteering to plan and facilitate an activity that represents their culture at this year’s event on Saturday, March 2, 2024. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete an Activity Volunteer Interest Form by January 26, 2024. We will also be hosting an informational meeting on Monday, January 22nd at 3:45 p.m. at Mead Jr. High.
 
Coffee and Conversation: You are invited to join us on February 7, 2024 from 5-6 p.m. as District 54’s Multicultural Parent Advisory Council presents a session for parents on “Supporting Your Student’s Learning at Home“. Join us as we discuss how parents can partner with the schools to help their students continue to grow as learners. We will also explore different strategies and resources for navigating homework and the learning process. To sign up for the session, please contact Barbara Velez (847) 357-5074.

Kindergarten Registration: The countdown to an extraordinary journey has begun! Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open! If you have a child who will be starting kindergarten in August 2024, we encourage you to visit our new Welcome to Kindergarten website and begin registration today. As a current District 54 family, you will register through your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.  If you do not have your login, please contact [email protected]. After completing the online portion of your student’s kindergarten registration, please call our school to make an appointment to turn in necessary documents. If you can, bring your future kindergartner with you, as we have a special surprise for them! District 54 is also asking for your help in spreading the word about kindergarten registration. If you know of a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2024, please encourage the family to register today by visiting the sd54.org/kindergarten website. The sooner students enroll, the sooner District 54 will know how many kindergarten teachers we need to best serve our kindergarten class of 2024-25. 
 
Eighth Grade Student Information: The beginning of the new calendar year brings about an exciting and important time for the eighth grade students at Margaret Mead Junior High.   We look forward to celebrating your student’s eighth grade graduation and want to be sure to highlight pertinent information for your family. Please see below for important information for our graduating Mustangs:

• ALL students who will be participating in the graduation ceremony are required to purchase a gown.  The cost of purchasing the gown this year is $15.00.  The gown purchase is the ONLY required cost associated with the graduation ceremony.  Please note that we do NOT use caps in our ceremony.  Please see below for important gown ordering information:
  1. All eighth grade students have been measured for their graduation gowns during lunch and received a graduation gown order envelope to bring home.   
  2. If you would prefer to use an older siblings graduation gown for this year’s ceremony, please indicate that on the order envelope by checking the appropriate box.  Please note that although this year’s gown will be green, there is no guarantee that the green color of the gown will be an exact match to this year’s green color of the gown. 
  3. To purchase a gown, please check the appropriate box on the order envelope.  The order envelope was due back to the main office at Mead by Friday, January 19—if you have not turned it in yet, please do so ASAP.  It is important that the envelope be completed as this will be the only time that a gown may be purchased.  Please fill out the form printed on the envelope completely and place the $15.00 inside.  CHECKS ARE PREFERRED.  Please make checks payable to Mead Junior High School.  Cash should be the exact amount as change cannot be processed.  
  4. Once ordered, the gowns will be delivered to your student a few days before graduation.   Your student will be able to keep the gown after the ceremony has taken place. 
• Currently, no details are available regarding the day and time of our 2024 graduation ceremony.  We will notify you as soon as the District 54 Board of Education announces the graduation details including date, time, and location. Please contact me if you have any questions about the graduation ceremony.
• District 211 has updated its comprehensive transition guidebook for the high school graduating class of 2027.  The guidebook highlights important information the families of current 8th grade students will want to know.  Each District 211 high school has a unique version of the Class of 2027 Transition Guidebook.  You can locate electronic copies of each high school’s guidebook on the District 211 webpage devoted to incoming freshmen information.  Please contact your student’s prospective high school for more information about the high school transition.    

 
Academic Support:  If your student requires support with mathematics, language arts, science, or social studies or just help with organization, then please see below on various ways that we provide support at Mead to ensure your student’s success.

• The District 54 Infinite Campus Parent Portal provides access for parents and students to information including viewing assignments, attendance, grades, academic schedule, and teacher comments.   If you currently do not have a Parent Portal account, please email [email protected] or you can call our front office at 1-847-357-6000 and our secretaries can assist you.  If you have previously created a Parent Portal account and cannot recall your username or password, then you can reset them yourself from the parent portal by selecting “forgot password”.  You can also pay for optional instructional device insurance and/or milk purchase through your parent portal account.  
• Chromebooks: We use the organizational tools on the Google platform via Chromebook to help develop your student’s organizational skills and learn responsibility. This platform also serves as a communication tool between home and school.  Please remind your student to charge their Chromebook nightly and to bring their power cord with them to school every day.  For more information about Chromebooks, please click here: What is a Chromebook?   In addition, please click on this link: Parent/Community Instructions for Accessing their Child’s Google Calendar for helpful information for you to help your student manage their Google Calendar.  
• Mead Homework Website:   On a daily basis, you can see what assignments your student has to complete and to see when they have upcoming tests/assessments by visiting our Mead homepage and clicking on our Mead Homework Website—you can click on this LINK to begin using it now.  Be sure to bookmark this site to stay up on your student’s assignment list!
• After-School Academic Content Study Halls:  Our language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science teachers will be hosting after-school content study halls that will be open to all students who either need academic support from content specialists or just want a quiet place to study with peers at Mead.  The study hall schedule will be provided to your student soon—we encourage them to take advantage of these opportunities.  Please know that teachers are also available by appointment by emailing your student’s teachers to request extra help either before or after school.  
• Class Work Support Program: If your student has 5 or more missing assignments, then your student will take part in our Class Work Support Program to support their missing assignment completion.  The Class Work Support Program includes some or all of the following:
  1. A Class Work Guide (Mead staff member) may meet with your student to develop a plan to complete their missing assignments for the week. 
  2. An optional Afterschool Class Work Support Study Hall may be required for your student to attend after-school on Monday or Tuesday to provide a protected time afterschool to hold them accountable and support them in completing their missing assignments. 
  3. A daily check-in with a Mead staff member to review a daily homework sheet to support your student’s organization. 
  4. A Class Work Mentor (Mead staff member) may be assigned to them to work with them on organizational skills.   

 
 
Creating a Positive Culture
  
PTA: Please see below for important information from our wonderful PTA:

• The Mead PTA invites any interested families to attend this year’s District 54 PTA Auction on Friday, March 8 at the Belvedere in Elk Grove Village.  The cost of the auction is $40 that covers dinner.  If you are interested, then please email [email protected]
• The Mead PTA is looking for members interested in being a part of the Eighth Grade Dance Committee.  If you are interested, then please email [email protected]
• The Mead PTA is accepting donations of gift cards to use as giveaways for upcoming PTA events.  If you received gift cards for the holidays that you’d be willing to donate to our PTA, then bring them to the Mead front office and we will get them to our PTA.  
• The Mead PTA has set a goal to increase the number of PTA members at Mead this school year.  Please join the Mead PTA by clicking HERE!  
• Please visit our Mead PTA Facebook page for information including how to join the PTA and how to sign up for volunteer opportunities through our PTA. 
• Please join us for our next PTA meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 14 starting at 7:00 pm. 
•  If you are available and interested in volunteering to serve hot lunches to our Mustangs, please click on the link HERE. Hot Lunch is served every Thursday. We have 2 sessions to volunteer: 9:45-11:00 am and 11:30 am-12:15 pm. 
• We are looking for volunteers to serve pizza on Tuesdays to our students. If you are available to volunteer, please sign up by following this LINK

 
Pizza Day Make-Up: Due to last week’s school cancellation on Tuesday, January 16, we have rescheduled the missed Pizza Day for Friday, February 2.  
 
Personal Assessment of Core Competency Survey: District 54 is committed to ensuring not only the academic success of each child, but also their social-emotional wellbeing. Your insight as a parent/guardian is essential in creating the most well-rounded picture of your student’s strengths and opportunities for growth. To gather your perspective, District 54 will send families of students in grades 3-8 an email link for each child to the D54 Social Emotional Learning Survey on Monday, January 8 and will close on Friday, January 26.  Thank you in advance for participating in this survey, as we believe the home-school collaboration is critical to best support your child’s overall well-being. 
 
Girls Volleyball and Wrestling begins this week.  Girls Volleyball plays 1/25 @ Frost, 1/30 vs. Keller, 1/29 vs. Lincoln Prairie, 2/1 @ Eisenhower, 2/6 @ Addams, 2/8 vs. Frost, 2/12 @ Sandburg, 2/13 vs. South, 2/15 @ Keller, 2/20 vs. Addams, 2/22 vs. Eisenhower, and 2/26, 2/27, and 2/29 @ D54 tournament.  Wrestling grapples 1/25 vs. Frost, 1/30 @ Keller, 2/1 vs. Eisenhower, 2/6 vs. Addams, 2/8 @ Frost, 2/15 vs. Keller, 2/20 @ Addams, 2/22 @ Eisenhower, and 2/27 and 2/29 @ D54 tournament.  
 
Mead Dental Clinic: Once again, we are pleased to have the Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists return to Mead Jr High. The dental team will be coming on Monday March 4. They will provide exams, teeth cleaning, fluoride treatment, and sealants. This is an optional one-day service only. You may register your student to participate in the dental clinic by clicking on the link and completing the form in its entirety linked here a https://www.myschooldentist.com/MMSCIL_schsrm At the top next to the Smile phone number there is a drop-down box for English or Spanish. Please complete the form as soon as possible if you would like your student to be seen by the Smile Dental Team on March 4. If you have any questions, feel free to call the Smile Mobile Dentists at 1-800-409-2563.
 
Clubs and Intramural Sports:   Please encourage your child to get involved in these upcoming offerings: Rube Goldberg, Anime Club, Game Club, Yearbook Club, Drama Club, History Fair Club, Club Unify, We Are One Club, Mustang Movement and Meditation, Pride Club, and Mead TV.  Please visit our Clubs and Intramural Sports page on our website for more information and downloadable permission slips for these clubs and intramural sports! 
 
Important upcoming dates: 

• Friday, February 16: Half-day of student attendance (students dismissed at 10:40 am)
• Monday, February 19: No school!
• Friday, February 23: End of second trimester

 
Please visit our Mead JHS Website for the building calendar.  Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and watch our YouTube Channel 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 student’s educational success.
 
Have a great week,  
 
Scott