Hi folks,

Our Student Council has been busy this week planning meaningful events for students and staff. This past Monday they organized the all-school voting for this year's Charity of Choice. And the winner is...Heartland Animal Shelter. As a result, all of our fundraising events and drives will be devoted to supporting the Heartland Animal Shelter. StuCo has also organized today's Dodgeball Tournament that will take place after school. This annual event will raise money for our newly chosen charity, but more importantly, we hope it will be a fun and spirited event that helps us build community at NBJH.

The last of our fall sports teams wrapped up their seasons this past Monday. Congratulations to all of our student-athletes on their successful seasons, and another HUGE thank you to our coaches for their time commitment and for helping our kids further develop their athletic skills as well as focusing on the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship. Our winter sports season includes basketball and cheerleading. Most of our basketball teams have tryouts scheduled next week. Please check the specific dates and times below in the Important Dates section of my update. Also, students must have an updated physical on file in our Health Office in order to participate in tryouts. 

Shout Outs

• Congratulations to our NBJH musicians who were selected for the ILMEA District 7 Festival in November. Check out the story below in the Happenings section of the update.
• Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our families who attended last night's orchestra concert and brought food donations for the Northfield Township Food Pantry. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity, and the Music Parents Club is eager to bring these donations to the Food Pantry so they can continue to support local families in need. 

8th Grade Parent Meeting on Wednesday, October 26

Can't believe your child has already completed the first quarter of their 8th grade year? What if I told you that by the end of the second quarter the NBJH staff will have already met with GBN staff as part of the placement recommendation process and parents and their children will have already attended a curriculum meeting at the high school? The move to high school happens quickly, so please attend Wednesday's meeting to learn more about the transition process and stay informed about what you and your child need to do. I will hold the meeting for ALL 8th grade parents/guardians beginning at 7pm in the NBJH main gym. Heather Schultz will meet with parents of children with an IEP at 6:30pm in the HOH room in our district office. 

Conference Information for November 21-22

Conferences will be held on Monday, Nov. 21 from 12-8p.m. and on Tuesday, Nov. 22 from 8a.m.-1p.m. Online registration will open Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7p.m. sharp, and we will close registration on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7p.m. We encourage you to register for conferences as soon as possible since time slots are booked rather quickly!

This year families will have the option to sign up for in-person conferences or remote conferences. We have set aside designated blocks of time over the two days that are specifically for in-person and remote conferences. Families will be provided with a student number and password they will use to register for conferences. The student number will be unique to each student; passwords will be the student's birthdate. All registration will take place using pickAtime, our online scheduling platform. 

We will not be able to change conferences from in-person to remote or from remote to in-person once we have them scheduled in the system. As a result, we ask that you sign up for a conference that will fit your family's schedule on our conference days. We currently have two blocks of time for in-person conferences and two blocks of time for remote conferences on Monday. On Tuesday we have one block of time for in-person conferences and two blocks of time for remote conferences. (Each block of time is between 1.5-2 hours long.)

Enjoy the warm weather this weekend. It may be our last for a while...

Scott

Scott Meek, Ed. D., pHCLE

NBJH Principal

smeek@northbrook28.net

(847) 504-3501

Musicians who will be performing the ILMEA District 7 festival are, from left, Cecily Stash (8th grade, chorus); Leah Latash (8th grade, horn); Grace Paulissian (7th grade, cello); Suzie Kim (8th grade, flute) Amy Yoon (8th grade, violin); Jake Werber (6th grade, viola); Damin Bong, (8th grade trumpet). Not pictured, Adam Arrazola, (8th grade, percussion) Norbert Huelke (7th grade oboe) and Sydney Huhr (6th grade, cello)

10 Students Selected for Regional Band Festival

Congratulations to the 10 Northbrook Junior High musicians who were recently selected for the Illinois Music Educators Association District 7 Festival! This year the auditions included hundreds of students from over 60 schools, performing in band, orchestra, and chorus.

Preparing to audition for this festival is a great learning experience, and acceptance is a true achievement. Selected for the regional festival are:

• Adam Arrazola (8th grade, percussion)
• Damin Bong (8th grade, trumpet)
• Norbert Huelke (7th grade, oboe)
• Sydney Huhr (6th grade, cello)
• Suzie Kim (8th grade, flute)
• Leah Latash (8th grade, horn)
• Grace Paulissian (7th grade, cello)
• Cecily Stash (8th grade, chorus)
• Jake Werber (6th grade, viola)
• Amy Yoon (8th grade, violin)

On Saturday, November 5, selected students from across northern Illinois will meet at Grayslake Central High School. The ILMEA District 7 Junior Band, Junior Orchestra, and Junior Chorus rehearse and perform together once, all on the same day under the direction of special guest conductors. The concert is held at 12:30 p.m., and will be recorded and made available to families the following week.

This year, 20 NBJH students auditioned, devoting many extra hours on independent practice to prepare the audition material. They all deserve commendation for being among the top musicians in northern Illinois. 

Burritos for Heartland Animal Shelter

Join Northbrook Junior High Student Council and support the school's Charity of Choice, Heartland Animal Shelter, by visiting Chipotle on Skokie Blvd between 4-8 p.m. Nov. 5.

Be sure to display this flyer (on your phone is OK) when you are ordering and 33% of your order will be donated.

You can also place an online order to donate by following these simple steps.

Did you know you can synch calendar items to your phone calendar through the District 28 Mobile App for iPhone or Android or from the website?

Important Dates

10/24 - A Day  

10/25 - B Day  

10/26 - A Day - High School Transition Meeting for 8th Grade Parents - 7p.m.

10/27 - B Day - Board of Education Meeting in LRC - 5:30p.m.-6:30p.m.

10/28 - A Day

10/31 - B Day - Spirit Day - Halloween Costumes

Sport Dates

Basketball Tryout Information

YOU MUST HAVE A COMPLETED PHYSICAL TURNED INTO THE NURSE BEFORE YOU PARTICIPATE.

6th Boy's Team - Oct. 24 - Clinic 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Lg. Gym

               Oct. 25 - Tryout 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Sm. Gym

                   Oct. 26 - Tryout 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Lg. Gym

7th Boy's Team - Oct. 24 - Tryout 5:15 - 6:45p.m. Lg. Gym

                   Oct. 25 - Tryout 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Lg. Gym

7th Girl's Team – Oct. 26 - Tryout 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Sm. Gym

               Oct. 27 - Tryout 3:45 - 5:15 p.m. Gym

8th Girl's Team – Oct. 24 - Tryout 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Sm. Gym

               Oct. 25 - Tryout 5:15 - 6:45p.m. Lg. Gym

8th Boy's Team - Oct. 27 - Tryout 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Lg. Gym

                   Oct. 28- Tryout 3:45 - 5:15p.m. Lg. Gym

Wreath & Coffee Sale Through Nov. 4

The Music Parents Club has supplied Northbrook with the highest quality Wreaths, See’s Candies and Papa Nicholas Coffee and Cocoa for 66 years running.

If you’re looking for 100% real, all natural, amazingly fragrant, Upper Peninsula Michigan Wreaths for the best price in town…

...Or you’re looking for high quality candy and coffee gift items…

...Order today!

Go to https://iFund4.us/nb28 and click Buy Online Now!

100% of every purchase goes directly to supporting the music program in Northbrook District 28.

Sale closes November 4th.

COVID Dashboard

The district is maintaining a COVID Dashboard to report average cases per day by school and weekly averages districtwide. This information is updated daily. 

Northbrook District 28 joins Illinois Principals Association in recognizing our school building leaders this month and on Oct. 21 for Principal and Building Leaders Appreciation Day. We are so grateful for you and your leadership. IPA's theme this year is Leaders of Hope. We see your dedication to your staff, students and families every day.

COVID Dashboard

The district is maintaining a COVID Dashboard to report average cases per day by school and weekly averages districtwide. This information is updated daily. 

Materials posted are the responsibility of the organizations represented. View all Virtual Backpack listings on our website.

Registration Open for Spring Softball

Registration is now open for the Northbrook Girls Softball Spring 2023 House League Season! NGSA’s House League accepts girls in 2^nd through 9^th grade regardless of experience or ability. The main priorities of the league are having fun while participating in low-pressure softball instruction. Visit our website for information and registration.

 Dr. Scott Meek, Principal | Northbrook Junior High | 847-498-7920 | www.northbrook28.net

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