Meadowbrook PTO Committees

This Spring family event brings the entire Meadowbrook community together to celebrate the end of the school year in May.  The Art Fair offers a variety of artistic activities, and student artwork is on display.  It is also combined with the Ice Cream Social/Family Picnic!

Before the start of school, this committee solicits/coordinates bus and playground volunteers for the first two days of school.  You will also order supplies and make buttons for new students, kindergarteners, new teachers and volunteers, organize a welcome mailing for new students and kindergarteners and contact 5th graders who assist new students.  Time Commitment: This role requires several hours of planning and organizing over the summer. Your job is done after the first two days of school.

This committee distributes signs in front yards of families who order birthday celebration signs.  This is a PTO fundraiser.  

Block parents are volunteers who are home most days when students are going to and from school and are available to help a student should a problem arise.  

Organize and run the Fall and Spring Book Fairs.

Promote Box Top program and submit box tops for reimbursement.

Plan a family event to kick off the school year.

Organize PTO Field Day Lunch for students and staff.

Plan and organize the June breakfast for Meadowbrook’s 5th grade graduating class. Plan and organize the June awards assembly with school administration and 5th grade teachers.

Work with publisher to organize and print the 5th grade yearbook. The yearbook is exclusive to the 5th grade class, and as such, a special and unique keepsake.

The Food & Allergy Committee will serve as a source of information for families with children with allergies and will be a liaison between the school and these families.

Want to be helpful? Join the General Volunteer Pool.  The Chair will reach out to this group whenever volunteer opportunities are available throughout the school year.

Distribute order forms, collect and submit payments, and distribute orders at Meadowbrook.

Gather information from teachers and staff to determine a "wish list" and create a spending plan for excess PTO funds.  Time Commitment: this committee will meet several times a year, generally during the day when meetings with teachers and staff are necessary.

Attend HOH 5K District meetings and help plan and facilitate the annual Homer O. Harvey 5K walk/run to raise money for the HOH scholarship Fund. 

Organize PTO special events including: Staff/Room Parent Luncheon, Holiday Staff Lunch, and dinner for teachers during conferences.  (Cooking is not required.)

The Ice Cream Social & Family Picnic is a fun-filled evening for families to purchase ice cream and dinner items from a local vendor and picnic with friends on the Meadowbrook lawn.  The event also features an ice cream sundae stand, DJ, dancing and games for all! This event is combined witht the Art Show.

Schedule volunteers to help librarians shelve books and materials in the library. 

The Meadowbrooklet Chair works with the PTO President to produce the back-to-school newsletter, The Meadowbrooklet.  (It can be produced by one person or the job can be split into two, an editor & designer.)

Contact and welcome families to Meadowbrook, and connect them with relevant PTO committees and contacts. Organize volunteers to help distribute and pick up welcome signs in front yards of new Meadowbrook students.

Organize Pizza Day on the first Wednesday of every month.  Orders are placed online and pizza is delivered by NY Slices in Highland Park.  

The Executive Board coordinates the activities sponsored by the PTO.  

President:   Susan Mathein chaldine@yahoo.com

Vice President: Jenn Loewy jennifer.loewy@gmail.com

VP Fundraising: Julie Shaw juliecshaw@yahoo.com

VP Room Parents: Gina Lee eugina@gmail.com

VP Programs: Lisa Raju champandlisa@msn.com

Recording Secretary: Lorena Stevenson lfunes57@yahoo.com 

Communications Secretary:  Gabi Cederlund gabriellecederlund@gmail.com

Treasurer: Liz Erlich lizerlich579@gmail.com

Website Coordinator: Gabi Cederlund gabriellecederlund@gmail.com

Coordinate, order, and sell Meadowbrook school clothing & accessories at events throughout the school year.

Project RED is a year-long effort to teach students to "Respect Everyone's Differences." In the past, activities included signing the RED Pledge, painting Kindness Rocks with buddy classes, and a special presentation in the spring.

Pre-assembled school supplies kits are ordered in the Spring for the following school year and are delivered to classrooms for “Meet Your Teacher Day” in the Fall.  The Chair of this committee spends time in the Spring creating school supplies lists with the teachers, sending out information to families about placing orders and inputting the orders. In the Fall, you will need 2-5 hours to help deliver the school supplies to the classrooms.  Time Commitment: This role requires half a day in the Fall and approximately 10 hours throughout the Spring.

Support the science department in organizing and promoting the Science Fair, a one-day event, held on a Wednesday evening in March. No specific science expertise is required of volunteers.

Schedule and coordinate displays with PTO committees and school staff for the main hall showcase throughout the school year. The showcase is used to publicize upcoming events, highlight existing programs and school/classroom activities.

Marla’s School Lunch Program is available on most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Committee Chairs work with Marla to set the menu.

Plan and organize the teacher and staff breakfast during the week before Winter Break. Parent volunteers donate breakfast items and drop them off at school the morning of.

Coordinate parent volunteers in the Kindergarten and 1st Grade classrooms to read to the children for 20 minutes in the afternoon.

Plan and organize the teacher and staff breakfast and luncheon in May.

Assist the Website Manager throughout the school year.  This includes updating events, setting alerts, adding items to the calendar, setting up "items for sale" and more.  Time Commitment: This position requires your time throughout the school year.

Organize and plan a night out for parents in January.

For the third year in a row, Northbrook District 28 received the Best Communities for Music Education award by the National Association of Music Merchants. 

The purpose of music education is to engage students in performing, creating and responding through music. Music education is a vehicle to learning the joy of sharing and making music with others, and a source of inspiration and enthusiasm for individual growth. Appreciation and involvement in music is a lifelong process. Orchestra begins in third grade and band begins in fourth grade.

Enduring Understandings

Students will understand...
• that music connects lives.
• that music has a role in the human experience of all cultures.
• that music is a language common to people and cultures everywhere.
• that music has an intrinsic ability to affect emotion in people.
• that music is an integral aspect of the human experience and a part of every society and culture on our planet.
• that learning to perform on a musical instrument at an early age can enhance lifelong learning.

The school district recognizes that a private / semi-private lesson approach is the best format to reach this goal, and this is the primary component of the program.

Orchestra instruments are available to students in grades 3-8 and Band instruments are available to students in grades 4-8.

Choral Music - Elementary Level

The study of choral music is incorporated into the general music program in all of the elementary schools. All students are offered the opportunity to participate in and experience choral music and performing during the Winter Sing. Each elementary school produces an age-appropriate musical during the spring.

The Music Parents Club is comprised of music directors, district administrators, and parents of music students. 
Our mission is to promote and maintain an enthusiastic interest in, and provide financial enhancement to, the music curriculum established and managed by the administrators and music faculty of District 28.  Find out how we accomplish this.

Fall Wreath and Coffee Sale

The club's annual fund-raiser is the Wreath and Coffee sale. In 2017, orders can be placed from Sept. 11 to Oct. 6. 

Order pickup will be held at Village Green Admin. Center from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 14-16. 

For more information, contact Abe Reese or Josee Wilson.

The Music Parents Club also puts out a newsletter called Musical Notes. View Most Recent Newsletter | View All 

        Project RED 

In April we will have a 

“Celebration of Cultures”

 Showcasing the cultural diversity of

Meadowbrook families.

Project RED

Coming Soon...

A Dumpling Fair on November 16 to celebrate how all cultures are both unique and similar.