Our 6th grade scientists are working closely with microscopes this week!
🌍 Public schools are more than classrooms! From family events to partnerships with local organizations, public schools bring people together. Share a story of how your school has made a difference in the community! #PSW25#PSW25
Hello Meteors!
MEF scholarship applications for the 8th grade Washington DC Trip and the 7th grade Springfield trip are due in the MJHS office at 3:00 PM on Friday, February 28th.
Links to the forms are available in your family's email inbox
Mokena School District 159 has made substantial efforts to improve the appearance and cleanliness of all three schools. We are proud to share a few highlights of this work:
-Ongoing painting projects in each building to modernize the look of the schools’ interiors using a dedicated color palette
-Exterior soffit and lintel work at each school
-Painting and repair work to the exterior doors and windows of each school
-Annual landscaping and exterior maintenance beautification projects
-Cleanliness report cards completed by building principals to provide feedback on school custodial services and cleaning
-Improved flooring at all three schools including repair and replacement of broken tile, replacement of carpet, and updated flooring
Hello Meteor Families!
We are about to take our second round of DESSA SEL screeners. The student surveys begin next week. Please see this link for details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tkD2rLMSVjHyueCFJBJu5Hn3uQ-OiIBDoY7rp5LiFcQ/edit?usp=sharing
👩🏫 Teachers, counselors, administrators, and support staff—public school educators shape our future. Today, let’s recognize their dedication. Share a thank-you note to a Mokena educator who made an impact on your life! #PSW25 #ThankAPublicSchoolTeacher
After the visit from viola soloist, Matthew Lipman, some of our orchestra students attended a weekend performance of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra as they performed Star Wars and More: A Celebration of John Williams!
The 8th Grade Mud Turtles are having their annual bowling incentive.
Please see this link for details and the permission slip:
https://omella.com/9hugq
🌟 Our schools nurture the next generation of leaders, innovators, and changemakers. Today, we’re celebrating student success! Whether it’s excelling in the classroom, on the field, or in the arts, share a story or picture of a student or students who inspire you! ✨#PSW25
Our 6th grade ELA Word Hunters are crushing their morphology game! These etymology experts have mastered an impressive 80 word parts in just three weeks - tackling 20 Greek roots, 20 Latin roots, and 40 affixes. By breaking down words to their core elements, they're building the skills to decode any challenging vocabulary they encounter!
The district has worked hard to provide our teachers with high-quality professional development, learning opportunities, and collaboration time that is aligned with school and district improvement goals. Below are several highlights of development and learning that have taken place within Strategic Plan Goal 2B:
-Two year Keys to Literacy training for teachers in Grades K-5 that focused on “The Science of Reading”, evidenced-based instructional practices and routines for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, word work, comprehension, and writing
-Year-long professional development plans utilizing Early Release Days focused on school improvement goals including responsive teaching, implementation of new instructional materials, and writing across the content areas
-Relaunch of the district’s instructional coach program in which all teachers have access to coaches that enhance student learning through a student centered coaching model as well as provide professional development aligned to district and school goals and job-embedded curriculum implementation support
-Yearly staff surveys regarding professional development topics of need to shape our Teacher Institute Day into a conference-like day in which teachers and staff choose sessions to best meet their individual growth goals
-Program specific professional development opportunities for teachers of English Language Learners, students receiving Special Education services, and Advanced Learners
-Multiple school based book studies aligned to school improvement goals including the topics of phonics, the middle school model, and metacognition
🏫 Public Schools Week starts today! From Feb. 24-28, we’re celebrating the incredible impact of Mokena's public schools. Let’s lift up the stories, people, and programs that make our schools shine. Join us by sharing what makes you #mokenaproud! #PSW25
Mokena School District is proud to be participating in the Special Olympics of Illinois' Respect Week to celebrate inclusion and to highlight themes of disability awareness. MIS and MJHS will participate the week of March 3-7 and MES will participate the week of May 5-9. This year's theme is "In My Respect Era."
You can join in the commitment to inclusion and kindness by purchasing shirts at https://willpromo.com/soill_respect/shop/home !
#ChooseToInclude
The Dungeons and Dragons club is underway at MJHS!
Hello Meteor Families!
This week's edition of the MJHS Friday Update is now available.
Families should check their email for important links and details.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/3MZkKPNq1IA
Thank you to everyone who came out to meet and greet our newly appointed Superintendent, Mr. Gurney! It was a great way for him to get to know some of our families, students, and staff before starting in July.
The MJHS bowling team got the ball rollin’ to kick off their season this week!
Congratulations to the 6 Mokena staff members that have received the Illinois State Board of Education's "Those Who Excel Award"! Your hard work and support for students, colleagues, and the community have made a lasting impact and we are incredibly proud of your achievements!
You can read more about the award and the recipients at: https://www.mokena159.org/article/2038730 .
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for parents is open. Visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. For more information, please see the district email sent today.
Technology is an important part of the educational environment. With nearly 3,000 connected devices in our district, here are a few of our accomplishments within Strategic Goal 3C:
-Outdated networking equipment including wireless access points and switches were replaced with new multi-gig switches that allow for faster access for student and staff devices
-Internet bandwidth was upgraded from 1Gb and 2Gb at each respective school to 4Gb at all schools.
-Network management solution was introduced to streamline the management of new equipment
-Upgrades to equipment to allow for the latest security standards to be applied, keeping students and staff safer while utilizing the district network
-Replaced copy machines with newer and faster versions allowing for more efficient use for printing and copying for our staff members
