We had two students represent the Mokena Music Department at District 1's ILMEA Festival on November 23rd! The festival involves over 500 students who audition and are selected from more than 60 schools throughout the southwestern metropolitan Chicago area. Congratulations to 8th grader Clayton Carmody (flute - band) and 7th grader Lily McDonald (viola - orchestra) on their hard work and fantastic performances!
Congratulations to the MJHS Speech Team members on a fantastic IESA Speech Contest in early November. We had 16 students participate earning 23 First Place medallions, 4 second place ribbons, and 5 of our students won judges awards. Way to go, Meteors!
On Friday, Nov. 22nd our Positive Impact Team sponsored a Pep Assembly for our students because they had an awesome first quarter! We had performances from our poms squad, cheer squad, and we played several games: Balloon Centipede, Tug of War, Dodgeball, and Musical Chairs!
In Social Studies, 8th graders read "Footholds in the Pacific", learning about how the US acquired Hawaii. Students storyboarded to show what they’ve learned!
Today is National Special Education Day! We honor and thank all of our Special Education teachers and staff who guide, support and provide necessary services to our students. We celebrate today as December 2 is the anniversary of the nation’s first federal special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Two weeks away from the Mokena PTA Santa Breakfast!
The 8th grade ELA classes worked together to scour the building for 10 poems and analyze their elements in a scavenger hunt. In small groups, they located the poems and looked at rhyme scheme, rhythm, figurative language, and type. Choosing between two options for each poem, they tore off the tag that corresponded with their answer and added it to their collection, returning to homebase to find out if they were right. It was a fun and exciting way to end the week before Thanksgiving Break!
One week away!
Join the Mokena Miracles for the Santa’s Secret Workshop Crafter and Vendor Fair on Saturday, December 7 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at MES!
*Cash only*
Deb, the Frog Lady, visited third graders last week to teach students all about frogs, metamorphosis, and the difference between warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. She specializes in hepatology and used to work as a naturalist for the forest preserve. Thank you, Deb, and thank you to the PTA for sponsoring this experience!
The band marched in the Parade of Lights last weekend! 🎉
Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁
Penny Wars for Mokena Miracles are over at MIS and MES! Thank you so much to all who participated! Mokena Miracles volunteers spent the morning at the bank emptying the buckets, and through all your generosity, $2,369.87 was raised!
Kindergarteners disguised their own turkey after reading the book "Turkey Trouble"! Great creativity, Stars!
Congratulations to two of our instructional coaches, Mrs. Fiene and Mrs. Youngblood, for becoming published authors! They recently had a five page article featured in the Illinois Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development quarterly journal. We are so proud of them for sharing the impactful work they do with our teachers, adminstrators, and students!
The 8th grade girls basketball team plays Flossmoor Parker tonight at 4:00 pm in Chicago Heights for the regional championship title! Let's go, Meteors! 👏🏀
What's your favorite Thanksgiving food? 1st graders recently worked on a writing project, sharing their favorite food at Thanksgiving!
Heading to Parent-Teacher Conferences tomorrow? Don't forget to check out the lost and found at each school!
Through a combination of close read-alouds, independent reading, hands-on experiences, and authentic writing tasks, MES second grade students are taking on the role of paleontologists and learning about the different kinds of fossils, the process of fossilization, and how fossils can teach us about how the earth has changed, as well as the plants and animals that lived long ago. Their trip to the Field Museum last week provided them with an experiential learning opportunity.
Our students may have the day off, but our teachers are here learning. We appreciate the day to grow our craft together as a district team!
Job well done to our Board of Education members and staff members who presented at this weekend's IASB•IASA•IASBO Joint Annual Conference. Thank you for shining a light on the great work we do for our students in Mokena with collegues from across the state! #mokenaproud #d159inspires #ILjac24
