
The Will County Regional Office of Education is hosting a Back-to-School event on August 1st in Manhattan. This event will feature free backpacks and school supples, generously donated by local businesses, to help ensure every child starts the year ready to learn!


MIS students had so much fun the last week of school celebrating the year's learning and friendships! Go Rockets!











The annual MIS Kickball Tournament was a blast! Congratulations to the grade level champions:
🏆4th Grade: Mrs. Berndt's Class
🏆5th Grade: Mrs. Frainey's Class








Get ready for the 2025-2026 school year!


Congratulations to the eleven MIS multilingual students who reached language proficiency on the most recent administration of the ACCESS assessment! We are very proud of you and Ms. Al-Takriti for your hard work!



School may have just gotten out for the summer, but please save the dates for our back-to-school events in August!


The Mokena Chamber of Commerce awarded the Teacher of the Year Awards to three teachers in Mokena School District 159. One award is given to a teacher at Mokena Elementary, Mokena Intermediate, and Mokena Junior High Schools. The awards are voted on by the students. Congratulations to the award recipients!




At our End-of-Year Staff Celebration, we recognized many staff members with Service Awards. Thank you to these recognized individuals for their commitment and dedication to our students and the Mokena SD 159 community!






Happy last day of school! It has been a great year! Enjoy your summer!


⚡ Issue 3 of "Mokena Moments" has been published! You can view the new issue in your email inbox or by visiting our website at: https://www.mokena159.org/page/district-newsletter . ⚡


This week, we surprised the recipients of our district's Galaxy Award! The Galaxy Award is designed to recognize the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of Mokena SD 159 employees, students, parents, and community members. Congratulations to this year's recipients:
⭐ Lindsay Robbert, 2nd Grade Teacher at MES
⭐ Sharon Youngblood, Instructional Coach at MES and MIS
⭐ Mike Rolinitis, Principal at MJHS
⭐ Melissa Chevalier, 7th Grade Teacher at MJHS
⭐ Brittany Kocher, Physical Education Teacher at MJHS and District Parent






It is our last week of school and we are celebrating our nine retirees! Together they have served the district for 182 years! We thank them for the impact they have had on our students and community! From left to right:
⭐Steve Stein, Superintendent
⭐Mike Rolinitis, Principal at MJHS
⭐Mariann Rankovich, Assistant Cook at MJHS
⭐Ann Lewandowski, Food Service Director
⭐Debi Blank, Kindergarten Teacher at MES
⭐Heather Esgar, 3rd GradeTeacher at MES
⭐Sharon Horvath, 5th Grade Teacher at MIS
⭐Karin McCutcheon, Paraprofessional at MES
⭐Stacie Kittler, Social Worker at MES


5th Grade ELA students ended their module about natural disasters by bringing all of their learning together with their final performance task of the year. Student groups created and presented a prerecorded public service announcement about being prepared for natural disasters, researched to develop emergency preparedness kits, and unpacked their emergency kits with a rationale for each item in the form a presentation. The groups also created a leaflet backdrop that had graphics of the items in their kit and where to find more information. WOW! Great work, Rockets!











Mission: Math Possible! 🔍💸 Mrs. Berndt's 4th-grade class embarked on a thrilling math adventure, taking on 5 top-secret missions to protect a fortune from sneaky hackers. With each challenge, they put their math skills to the test, earning Spy Bucks and unlocking the next level. Can they crack the code and save the day? 🤔💡 #MathMission #4thGradeFun #ProblemSolving











Friendly reminder: No school on Monday!


Geometric masterpieces! 🎨📐 Ms. Horsch's 4th-grade class has wrapped up their math module on geometry and put their knowledge of symmetry to the test. Check out these stunning symmetric self-portraits, created with precision and creativity! 🤩💡 #GeometryInAction #StudentArt #MathMatters










The six Mokena SD 159 staff members who received a "Those Who Excel Award" by the Illinois State Board of Education were honored at the state's banquet in Bloomington this past weekend. Congratulations again to our award recipients! We are Mokena proud of you!










Thank you to our PTA for a wonderful MIS Step Up Night. Not even a dust storm could put a damper on the fun Friday evening.







Our MIS final concert of the year was a huge success! Thank you to our directors, Ms. Clifford, Ms. Schubbe, and Ms. Nyder, for all of your hard work and dedication to our Rocket Musicians. Congratulations musicians for an extremely successful school year!








We are hiring for the 2025-2026 school year! Visit https://mokena159.schoolspring.com/ to view our open positions!
