McCracken • Middleton • Meyer Community Digest

Building a foundation for learning, leadership and life Winter 2017

Dates to Japanese students’ visit remember shows the power of music See http://calendar.sd735.org for a full listing of events. Music is often described as a universal lan- rehearsals and sessions when the two bands Feb. 27—Choir Concert, guage, and the truth of that statement seemed switched directors, there was no language barri- 7 p.m., McCracken Middle evident when the Tamagawa Academy Wind er. “Communication was not an issue,” De Stefa- School, 8000 East Prairie Rd. Orchestra from Japan spent three days in resi- no said, “although I have to admit that their di- March 3—Institute Day. No dence at McCracken Middle School in mid- rector’s English is a lot better than my Japanese.” school. December. The two bands played a “Friendship Con- March 6—Pulaski Day. No Tamagawa Academy is a private university cert” at Niles North High School on Dec. 13. school, district offices closed. in Tokyo with more than 10,000 students rang- The McCracken Symphonic Band played three March 11—Kindergarten reg- ing from kindergarten to graduate-level stud- pieces from its winter concert program. The istration, 9 a.m., Meyer School, ies. Its music programs are world-class. The Tamagawa group played the same program it 8100 Tripp Ave. school’s 66-member middle-school band was in would present at the Midwest Clinic two days March 14—Kindergarten reg- the to play a concert in later. istration, 4 p.m., Meyer School. at the annual Midwest Clinic in December. April 4—School board election. The middle school band had made trips to See photo, back page April 6—”April Show-ers” Europe in the past but this was their first time open house, 7 p.m., McCrack- en. in the U.S. The group’s director reached out to For the finale, more than 120 members from Dec. 7—2nd and 3rd Grade Mu- McCracken director of bands Chip De Stefano, the two groups gathered together on stage for sic concert, 7 p.m., McCracken. in part because of his experience leading Mc- a stirring performance of “Invicta” by James April 21—Middleton musical, 7 Cracken ensembles at the Midwest Clinic. Swearingen, conducted by Marcellus Brown, p.m., McCracken. In addition to performing and seeing the director of bands at Boise State University. April 22—Middleton musical, 1 sights, the Japanese school wanted students The following day, the Japanese group moved p.m. and 7 p.m., McCracken. “to experience what it’s like to be a student in from Skokie to Chicago, where they were a fea- April 29—PTA Fun Fair, 11 a.m. America,” De Stefano said. They rehearsed at tured ensemble at the Midwest Clinic on Dec. McCracken. McCracken, sat in on classes and stayed with 15. That left time for visiting some of Chicago’s June 1—Middleton Round-Up, District 731/2 families who had volunteered to cultural attractions before flying home on Dec. 7 p.m. Middleton School, 8300 put them up for two nights. 18. “They took the cultural aspect of their visit St. Louis Ave. “Thirty families from the symphonic band, very seriously,” De Stefano said. concert band and even the 5th grade band host- “I heard only positive comments from ev- Board meetings—The Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. ed students from Tamagawa,” said Bethany Fa- eryone,” said Fagan said, who hosted six Japa- on the second Tuesday of each gan, a 7th grade English language arts teacher nese students in her home. “My children and I month at McCracken unless who coordinated the host families. “They enter- had a wonderful time with our Tamagawa fam- noted. All community members tained and fed the students Monday through ily and we continue to email several of the stu- are invited to attend. Wednesday. They got the students back and dents. The translator for the group commented Skokie School District 731/2 forth to school and to the joint concert on Tues- that this was the first trip for Tamagawa that 8000 East Prairie Rd. day evening. They were surrogate parents for they haven’t gotten a call from a student who’s Skokie, IL 60076 three days.” homesick or sick or scared. The translator also www.sd735.org Most of the Japanese students are not flu- sent a wonderful thank-you letter from all the [email protected] ent in English, and the Tamagawa ensemble teachers and Tamagawa staff. Many of our host 847-324-0509 traveled with a translator. But even during joint Continued on page 4 Next phase of Meyer project to begin soon

Work on the first phase of construction at Meyer School was completed in early January. Now, with the weather beginning to warm up, full operations are set to resume in March. Phase 1 saw the installation of a subsurface water detention system where water can be stored temporarily during heavy rains. It replaces a surface-level pond on the north side of the school. That area was excavated and covered with layers of grav- el, plastic sheeting and poured concrete. Workers then set 218 interconnected concrete boxes on the foundation to form a 13,000-square-foot tank that can hold more than 87,000 cubic feet of water. During storms, water from around the school and the nearby neighborhood is diverted into the underground tank and released later into the storm sewer system. The new detention system is fully operational and was successfully tested during heavy rains in January. The excavated area has been filled in and will be finished -dur ing the next phase of construction. Plans call for a 38-car parking lot over the water detention system in the northeast corner of the block, with entry from Cleveland Street. The northwest corner will become a grass-covered play field. Early in phase 2, workers will drill 21 geothermal wells on the west side of the building. The wells will tap heat from 500 feet Installing a subsurface stormwater detention system was the first phase below ground and feed it to the surface, where it will power the of work at Meyer School. heating and cooling system in the new section of the school. The original structure will continue to use its existing boiler and chiller become part of an expanded playground. for heating and cooling. The main order of business during phase 2 involves build- When drilling is complete, that area will be grassed over and Continued on page 3 Middleton to add butterfly garden this spring Adding to its robust horticultural activities, District 73½ also instrumental in obtaining a grant from Home Depot will build a butterfly garden at Middleton School in spring that funded the organic vegetable, fruit and herb garden 2017. Students and staff will plan and create the garden, to and greenhouse at Middleton four years ago. be planted with a variety of flowers that draw butterflies. “It Planning for the butterfly garden has begun. Gregg will will provide a calm and beautiful space for everyone,” said meet with interested students and staff to design the gar- Middleton social worker Jennifer Gregg. den and order native seeds, rocks, sand and other materi- The garden will be located in the school’s open-air als. Possible plants may include black-eyed Susans, gold- courtyard in the center of the school building. It is the first en Alexanders, lavender hyssop and purple cone flowers. of the district’s gardens intended specifically to attract but- Thoughtful planting will ensure that the garden will bloom terflies. Once established, it will serve as a breeding ground throughout the spring and summer. and protected space for the graceful flying insects. “The garden will provide students with increased ex- The courtyard already features a greenhouse where periential learning opportunities,” Gregg said. “Butterflies classes plant and harvest organic vegetables, as well as have fascinating life-cycles—the transformation from picnic tables where students and staff members can enjoy egg to caterpillar to chrysalis—that can be used to teach lunch when the weather permits. children about the natural world. Students can also learn “It will add another natural element to the school for all about things like wing patterns and insect migration.” to enjoy,” Gregg said. “It will benefit the environment and “Creating a butterfly garden will bring an additional provide for hands-on learning experiences.” place of learning, beauty and peacefulness to Middleton,” At the suggestion of Supt. Kate Donegan, Gregg applied Gregg said. “We plan to incorporate a path though the gar- for and received a grant from the Schoolyard Habi- den and places to sit so students may observe, reflect, learn tat Action Grant Program to pay for the garden. She was and find a sense of calm there.”

2 Skokie School District 731/2 District priorities on display in budget

The District 731/2 budget for 2016- Federal 2.0% Non-capitalized Tuition to other districts 6.0% 2017 is in line with the current strategic Other local equipment 0.1% plan, which includes goals and initiatives revenues 4.1% State Other 0.1% targeting several critical areas: academics, Interest 2.5% 7.7% the whole child, the learning environment, Corporate taxes 2.7% highly qualified staff, community engage- Salaries 37.0% ment and fiscal responsibility. Capital outlay 30.0% The current budget calls for total ex- penditures of nearly $29 million, including Local taxes approximately $15,680,000 for the Edu- 80.9% Bene ts cation Fund, which includes teachers’ sala- Purchased 10.0% Supplies & services ries and benefits, and $9,510,000 for capi- materials 4.0% 13.0% tal projects. All capital expenditures will go for Revenue Sources, 2016-17 Expenditures, 2016-17 building additions at Meyer and Middle- ton Schools (see article on page 2). The dis- trict has issued bonds to pay for the con- ty’s property tax cap. Classified staff are the effects on district finances brought on struction. also receiving a 3.95 percent increase while by the Illinois budget impasse, the Cook Changes in enrollment and student administrators are seeing an average 3.0 County property tax cap, tax revenue re- needs led to some staffing changes this percent pay increase. funds, reductions in state funding, possi- year. One teacher position and two teacher Negotiations on a new multi-year con- ble cost shifts for the Teachers Retirement assistant positions have been eliminated, tract are under way between the teachers System that might be borne by local dis- while one interventionist teacher and one union and the school board. Once talks are tricts, rising expenses for special education EL teacher (for English language learners) completed, the new contract would begin and increased costs for health insurance. have been added. in the 2017-2018 school year. “It is our intent to continue to spend The budget reflects the third year of The district’s 1:1 technology initiative responsibly while seeking long-term solu- a three-year contract with district teach- has expanded this year, as middle school tions to the issues that have adversely af- ers. For 2016-2017, teachers have received students are allowed to take their comput- fected the financial resources of our dis- an overall average salary increase of 3.95 ers home on evenings and weekends. Stu- trict,” said Supt. Kate Donegan. “We be- percent. This increase is tied to the CPI- dents in kindergarten through 2nd grade lieve that if we work together as a team and U (Consumer Price Index For All Urban are using iPads, while older students have manage our resources well, we can meet Consumers), the same factor used to limit received Chromebooks. the high expectations of our community property tax increases under Cook Coun- District 731/2 continues to grapple with and ensure the success of each student.”

Meyer project of attending Molloy Education Center in be renovated to provide rooms for small- Continued from page 2 Morton Grove. group instruction and band rehearsal. Another part of the project involves The project will ramp up while school ing a 23,000-square-foot addition that building a one-way drop-off lane along is still in session and continue through the will solve the space crunch at Meyer by the north side of the new addition running summer. School officials expect it to wrap doubling the size of the school. The one- from Kildare to Tripp Ave. Parents can use up before school begins in late August. story addition will extend north from the it to drop off kindergarten students, who Normal working hours will be 7 a.m. to existing building and then turn west to- will enter the school at that end. Preschool 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on ward Kildare Ave. It will house six new students will use the entrance on the west Saturdays, in accordance with Skokie reg- kindergarten classrooms, a fine arts room side of the original building. ulations. The project is being managed by for art and music activities, a gymnasium, While the bulk of the district’s con- Frederick Quinn Construction Manage- a library, a gross motor room for students struction is planned for Meyer, phase 2 ment Corp. with special needs, and four small in- will also include a 1,900-square-foot ad- District 731/2 will continue to update structional offices. dition to Middleton Elementary School. parents and community residents about The added space will also make it pos- Most of that new space will be devoted revised traffic patterns, drop-off and pick- sible for a number of students with special to a large multipurpose room that will be up, and access to the schools. Project up- needs who live in District 731/2 to receive used mainly for physical education classes. dates are available at the district website, early education services at Meyer instead Some existing space at Middleton will also www.sd735.org. Winter 2017 3 Community Digest NON PROFIT Skokie School District 731/2 ORG. 8000 East Prairie Road U.S. Postage Skokie, Illinois 60076 PAID Skokie, Illinois Board of Education Permit No. 357 Gary Dolinko, President Carrier Route Pre-Sort Michael Lemke, Vice President Sally Graham, Secretary Scott Bramley, Secretary Pro Tem Charlene Abraham Postal Patron Randall Steger Local Nicholas Werth Skokie, IL 60076-9614 Kate Donegan, Superintendent

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The McCracken Middle School Band and the Tamagawa Academy Wind Orchestra played a joint concert at Niles North High School. Power of music “I wouldn’t hesitate to do something like this again,” De Ste- Continued from page 1 fano said. “For the students, I don’t think it’s going too far to say it was life-changing. How often to you have the chance to take two families have gotten wonderful notes from the Tamagawa students groups of 60 kids from opposite sides of the world, put them to- and parents. We were so pleased with the entire visit.” gether and almost immediately start creating something beautiful?”

District 731/2 guiding principles u Our schools will support and inspire our students u Our community will demonstrate integrity and respect u Our students will be critical thinkers and creative problem solvers u Our graduates will help make the world a better place