Hi folks,

Today's weekly update is filled with opportunities to celebrate our students! Below in the newsletter you will be able to view photos and read in greater detail about these events, but I'll take a moment here to share some highlights of student accomplishments from the past week.  

Last Saturday we had 40+ 7th and 8th graders participate in our Local Science Fair. More than half of the participants earned gold medals and the opportunity to move on to the Regional Science Fair in March, but ALL participants worked extremely hard on their projects over the past several months and learned a great deal about the scientific method along the way. 

This week we had three of our basketball teams earn a spot in their respective conference championship games. Congratulations to our 7th and 8th grade boys teams for their impressive 2nd place finishes, and a special shout out to our 8th grade girls team for their overtime victory and 1st place finish! We would also like to thank our cheer squad for supporting our basketball teams throughout the season and for cheering at yesterday's semifinal game. Go Trojans!

Carline Reminders

During the winter months we obviously have fewer walkers/bike riders to and from school, resulting in a much longer carline. We know this is frustrating for our families as the wait time increases, but we ask that you please adhere to our carline guidelines to maintain safety and to be respectful of fellow drivers. We ask that you:

• Avoid dropping off or picking up students on Maple Avenue or Waukegan Avenue
• Please pull forward past the main entrance to the orange cone when dropping off your student in the morning
• Avoid pulling into parking spaces to pick up your student from school



Dance Assembly for 6th Graders

Dance Assembly registration began on Monday, January 23rd. We are excited to offer our 6th graders the opportunity to learn different styles of social dance. The 4-week course will be held on Saturdays, February 25th, March 4th, March 11th, and March 18th from 6:00-7:15 pm. Look for the parent letter via email this week with more details. Families can register their child for the sessions at nbjhpto.com.

February Lunch Menu

Next Wednesday kicks off the month of February, so feel free to check out the February Lunch Menu. We will post it on our website in the next few days.

5Essentials Surveys Now Open

Each year public schools in Illinois participate in the 5Essentials survey. For NBJH, this includes students, staff and parents/guardians. The survey remains open through February and most of March. It's an opportunity for families to provide anonymous feedback on their experiences with our school. In turn, we are able to analyze the feedback as part of our continuous improvement process. Parents can access the survey using the link in the District News below.

Have a great weekend...

Scott

Scott Meek, Ed. D., pHCLE

NBJH Principal

smeek@northbrook28.net

(847) 504-3501

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

01/30 B Day

01/31 A Day

02/01 B Day

02/02 A Day

02/03 B Day

Spirit Week

Monday 01/30 - PJ Day

Tuesday 01/31 - Country Western Day

Wednesday 02/01 - NBJH Spirit Wear

Thursday 02/02 - Hat/Hood Day

Friday 02/03 - Neon Day

Boy’s Volleyball Tryouts 

Anyone interested in trying out needs to have a current physical on file with the nurse. 

And, fill out the Sign Up Form. See all details on the Boys Volleyball webpage.

7th graders / 8th graders 

Monday, January 30th - Tryouts 3:45 - 5:15 p.m.

(Student-athletes need to attend both dates) 

Tuesday, Jan. 31st -Tryouts 3:45 – 5:15 p.m.

(Student-athletes need to attend both dates) 

6th Graders 

Monday, January 30th – Optional Clinic 5:15 - 6:45 p.m. 

Tuesday, Jan. 31st -Tryouts – 5:15 - 6:45 p.m. 

(Student-athletes need to attend both dates) 

Wednesday, Feb. 1st – Tryouts - 3:45-5:15 p.m. 

(Student-athletes need to attend both dates)

Congratulations to the 8th grade girls basketball team, top, for their overtime win over Springman in the Finals at NBJH Thursday night!! They all played their heart out with only 6 players at the tournament and left it all on the court.

Congratulations also for the 7th grade boys basketball team, left, and Coach Mr. Chronopoulos for placing 2nd place in the Conference tournament and Coach Haggis and the 8th grade boys basketball team also finished in 2nd Place at the Conference Tournament! They also played with a lot of heart and determination!

8th grade participants in the science fair with Mr. Yoon and Ms. Paull.

Science Fair Showcases Students' Semester-Long Projects

The Science Fair returned to an in-person expo this year with 43 students presenting the results of their semester-long research projects on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Each student made a presentation to a panel of three judges. The judges evaluate the oral presentation, the written work and scientific method of the experiments based on a Illinois Jr. Academy of Science rubric.

Nineteen students received a silver award, one received a bronze award and 25 received gold awards. Students receiving the gold award advance to the Illinois Junior Academy of Science regional competition, which will be held March 4 at Niles North High School. Congratulations to all students!

“I welcome any student that is really interested. We have a lot of problems out there in the world today, and students are going to solve them. So, I want them to be creative thinkers. I want them to design experiments. I urge them to come up with something that's testable at the middle school level. But it's exciting to have kids be excited about science,” said Science Teacher Ms. Paull.

Hear from students, judges and teachers as they talk about their experiences participating in the Science Fair on Dr. Pearson's next episode of the podcast Insight28! The episode will be published Friday, Feb. 3. Look for a link in next week's Weekly Update or wherever you download podcasts.

7th-grade science fair participants with Ms. Johnson.

Survey Seeks Parent, Staff and Student Input

District 28 and our school principals invite you to participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This opportunity allows you to share your views on important elements of school effectiveness.

Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be conducted through March 31. To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.

Students in grades 4-8 will also participate. Student participants will be required to log-in using their state student ID and birth date in order to complete the survey. Students’ identities will be completely confidential. Teachers or administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions and will only receive aggregated information, such as the total percentage of students who agree homework assignments help them learn the course material.

Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your student(s). Survey questions can be found on the UChicago Impact Support Center.

If you do not want your son or daughter to participate please contact your school principal.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ Reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.

Download the Free D28 Mobile App

Northbrook District 28 mobile app is an easy and convenient way to manage digital access to many parent resources, including:

• School calendars
• Online payments
• TeacherEase
• School & staff contact info
• Quick links to key webpages
• News and Announcements

You can also sign up to receive school & district communications on the app. Once you have downloaded the app, request a password by contacting Terry Ryan, Communications Director.

Google Play | Apple App Store

District 28 invites local non-profit organizations and community government agencies to promote events for families and children. Each week, some events are highlighted in the newsletter. View the complete list of events on the Virtual Backpack web page. To submit an event, please email the web-friendly flier to Terry Ryan, Communications Director. All fliers are subject to approval.

Jr. Football & Cheer Registration Open

Registration is now open for Northbrook Jr. Spartan Football and Cheer Spring 2023 programs, including 7-on-7, Co-Ed Flag, Girls Flag, and Cheer. Learn more by visiting Jr. Spartan website.

Northbrook Baseball Registration Open

Registration for Northbrook Baseball’s Spring House League Season is open now through January 31. Northbrook Baseball encourages boys and girls of all skill levels in Grades 3-8 to play. You can read more about the program on our website: northbrookbaseball.com

Spring Softball for 2nd through 9th grade

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.

Bluehawks Parents Night Out Fundraiser

Come out and support the Northbrook Bluehawks Hockey Club for their first annual Parent Social and Fundraiser. 

Date: Saturday, February 4, 2023

Location: Studio One, Highland Park

Time: 7-11 p.m. 

The event will feature Radio Gaga—a Queen and Lady Gaga cover band offering a full concert-like experience, cocktails, ‘Taste of Northbrook’ catered dinner from GrillHouse, Kamehatchi, Little Louie’s, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Crumbl and ice cream, silent auction with big-ticket items: a Grand Cayman getaway, rare and valuable sports memorabilia, local business gift cards, designer sunglasses, Bluehawks merch, fun and creative themed basket gifts, Park City, Utah summer getaway, Chicago sports tickets and more. 

Buy Tickets

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

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