Congratulations to all three Mokena SD 159 schools for being named among the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Schools in Illinois! We’re so proud of our students, staff, and families for continuing to make Mokena one of the best places to learn and grow!
According to the U.S. News website, "“For each state, schools were assessed on their pupils’ proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by state assessment tests. Half of the ranking formula was the results themselves; the other half was the results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are high achieving ones that succeeded in educating all of their students.“
According to the U.S. News website, "“For each state, schools were assessed on their pupils’ proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by state assessment tests. Half of the ranking formula was the results themselves; the other half was the results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are high achieving ones that succeeded in educating all of their students.“
5th grade mathematicians are learning about multiplying fractions. After their lesson, the students practiced through a game of trasketball! Congrats to the winning groups!
MJHS ELA students used the HUNT annotation strategy to dig deeper into poetry. Using metacognitive skills, they analyzed a poem looking for emotional shifts, literary devices, word connotations, and thematic ideas. This work ties directly to their school improvement plan goal of building self-monitoring and independent thinking through consistent annotation strategies across all subjects. It’s incredible to see how much meaning students can uncover when they learn to slow down, think about their thinking, and truly HUNT for understanding.
MES is on its way to building a Wall of Kindness. Students are recognizing acts of kindness in each other and adding a brick to the wall to represent each act. We can't wait to watch the wall continue to grow as students share the kindness they see throughout the school!
5th Grade students in Mrs. Litto's science class researched different ecosystems, created and presented a slideshow about their research, and designed a 3D ecosystem diaroma to showcase their learning! Great work, Rockets!
Yesterday’s 6th grade ELA lesson: Reading between the lines—literally.
Students took on the 3X Inference Challenge, using visual clues and background knowledge to make logical inferences from images. The goal? Strengthen comprehension and learn to think beyond what’s directly stated - aka making inferences.
It’s incredible to watch how much students can uncover when they slow down, look closely, and connect what they see to what they already know!
Students took on the 3X Inference Challenge, using visual clues and background knowledge to make logical inferences from images. The goal? Strengthen comprehension and learn to think beyond what’s directly stated - aka making inferences.
It’s incredible to watch how much students can uncover when they slow down, look closely, and connect what they see to what they already know!
❄️🧥 Mokena School District is partnering with Midland State Bank and the Mokena Lions Club for a Winter Coat Drive. Boxes are located in each school to collect new and gently used coats! 🧥❄️
Save the Date for Parent-Teacher Conferences!
On Friday, 6th graders completed their catapult challenge as part of their Energy, Forces, and Motion science unit. Not only did students try to create a catapult that would throw a ball the farthest, they also tried out their creativity in their designs as well!
November 3-7 is National School Psychology Week! This year's theme is "Finding Your Path" and recognizes the ways that school psychologists take an active role in helping students determine their paths to learning, growth, and overall well-being. Through their deep expertise and training in consultation, collaboration, and evidence-based practices, our school psychologists empower others to set their destination and find a route that fits their needs, all while sharing tools to help them thrive along the way! Thank you to our three school psychologists: Dr. Lucas-Nihei, Ms. Darling, and Mrs. Montgomery!
The district-wide spirit week honoring Veterans Day starts tomorrow!
🕷️🧛 Happy Halloween from Mokena School District 159! 🎃👻
"When one runs, we all run!" 🏃♀️💨 MJHS students never hesitate to jump in and support their peers during the PACER Test — that’s true Meteor spirit! Today there was one runner left and many students volunteered to stand in a line and run down and back with the remaining runner to motivate them to keep going!
⭐ Congratulations to the MES Monthly Star Winners! Your character shines bright! ⭐
(not pictured: third graders as they are on a field trip)
6th grade scientists are builiding and using fan cars to learn about Newton's Third Law of Motion!
👻 What a spooktacular night! The PTA's Junior High Halloween Dance Party was full of amazing costumes, great music, and tons of fun!
A big thanks to everyone who helped make it a night to remember! 🕸️
A big thanks to everyone who helped make it a night to remember! 🕸️
Second grade students planted tulip bulbs around MES this past week! Not only will the MES grounds be blossoming with beautiful flowers in the spring, the flowers will also help our second graders further their study of pollinators and plants in the ELA units later in the year!
Thank you to Fire Marshal Tom Murray for joining MIS Monday and Tuesday. All of our students participated in his presentations, which were both educational and engaging. The focus varied by grade level; our 4th graders discussed proper addressing and our 5th graders participated in a review game show.
🎶 Our Meteor Bands, Orchestra, and Choir put on a fantastic fall concert Thursday night! 🎵
