PTO Monthly Matters - December 2025
- saradeath9
- Dec 2
- 5 min read
DECEMBER 2025 PTO MONTHLY MATTERS
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
Happy Holidays D29 Families!
With our first TWO snows of the season under our belts, it officially feels like winter and that means it’s time to get cozy and celebrate. Join the festivities at Readapalooza this year by volunteering to serve hot chocolate for our passionate readers at SRS, celebrate the season with the festive classroom parties or get a start on your holiday shopping at the Middlefork Book Fair.
As always, plenty more to come in the month ahead and you can learn all about it at our next PTO meeting on Monday, December 8th at 9AM.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 842 6298 1899
Passcode: 283826
Pro tip: If you don’t want to miss any future PTO or D29 event please be sure to subscribe to the district calendar here.
Sarah Cohn
STAY INFORMED
Middlefork Book Fair 🚀
The PTO’s annual Middlefork book fair is around the corner and we’re partnering with Anderson’s this year to bring a “Reading is a Blast!” book fair full of students’ favorite authors.
WHEN: Students will shop the fair during the school day on Tuesday, December 9 & Wednesday, December 10, with Family Book Fair hours on Wednesday, December 10 from 3:15-7pm. Anderson’s has an amazing selection of books so come ready to do some holiday shopping!
WHERE: Middlefork Learning Center -or- you can shop online at abcfairs.com. You can also share this link with family and friends that may want to shop and support our school.
PAYMENT OPTIONS: Cash and credit card are accepted at the fair. **Please have your children bring their cash or card in a Ziploc bag or sealed envelope with their name on it.
HOW CAN I HELP? We are looking for volunteers to help staff the fair. Sign up here!
Readapalooza 📚
Is there a better way to start the holiday break than with some hot cocoa and a good book? The PTO is excited to help with the SRS Readapalooza this year the afternoon of Friday, December 19. Volunteer sign-up info will be coming soon via a DirectorySpot email. Stay tuned!
Middlefork Family STEAM Night Parent Volunteers Still Needed 🔬
We’re currently hard at work planning the 1st Annual Middlefork STEAM Night on the evening of Wed, February 25. Right now we’re looking for parent volunteers who work or have hobbies in STEAM-related fields that want to share their expertise at “Ask an Expert” tables where students can explore careers that utilize STEAM concepts. Please fill out this form if you’re interested in learning more and participating!
“Ski-In” to BINGO Night — Tickets On Sale! ⛷️
Bundle up and join the fun at the PTO’s first-ever Ski-In to Bingo Night on Friday, January 30 at Sunset Ridge School! Bring the whole family for an evening of BINGO games, awesome prizes, treats and winter fun with our D29 community. Family tickets are available here. Spaces are limited so reserve your spot today!
But wait…! The BINGO Night Committee is putting together some snow-much-fun prizes and would love a little help from our amazing D29 community! If you’d like to support the event, we’re gratefully accepting:
Underwriting donations (any amount helps!)
Low-cost prize items for our kids’ prize table — think new small toys, puzzles, crafts, sports trinkets, or gift cards ($5–$15). Nothing fancy, nothing stressful; just simple, fun items that will make our BINGO winners smile.
To contribute, please reach out to Paige Weil at paige.kerr@gmail.com. Thanks for helping us keep the good vibes rolling down the mountain!
Shop & Dine for D29 at Lou Malnati’s on 12/16! 🍕
The holidays are hectic, so let Lou Malnati’s handle dinner! Join us for a D29 Giveback Night on Tuesday, December 16 from 4–10 PM at the Wilmette location (3223 Lake Ave). Order your favorites and use promo code GIVEBACK25 online, in the app, or by phone — 20% of your order will support the D29 PTO.
PTO Dues & Classroom Party Fees 💰
Thank you to all those who were able to pay their dues! If you haven’t it’s not too late – The PTO is still collecting the following which can be paid through MySchoolBucks online or through the app.
PTO Dues, $25 per student – Dues help to fund the many PTO programs such as Middlefork Coding Club, SRS AM Rec, Chess Club, Quest Clubs, and more. Visit the PTO website to see the complete list of everything we fund.
PTO Classroom Fees, $25 per student – Room parents use these to fund classroom celebrations. Our Winter Holiday parties are just around the corner!
COMMUNITY NEWS
A Message from the Northfield Park District
Please visit the Northfield Park District website for information regarding the current winter programs! Join us for Holiday Fest on Wednesday, December 3rd starting at 5:30PM. The Holiday Lights Recycling bin can be found outside the Community Center doors until January 30th. Winter Class registration is open, you can view the class calendar here. Finally, write to Santa by December 15th and he will write back, find more information on Santa Letters here.
Sign up to receive the Park District news here and follow the Northfield Park District on Instagram and Facebook!
A Message from the Northfield Library
Please visit the Winnetka-Northfield Library website for information on upcoming events and more!
A Message from Go Green Northfield
Packing Peanuts Recycling
Back by popular demand! Bring your clean, dry, and bagged packing peanuts to the Northfield Community Center vestibule December 15th - January 17th and drop them in the marked bin. Go Green Northfield will deliver them to EcoShip, a Chicago non-profit, to redistribute to area small businesses for reuse.
SHOUTOUTS AND THANK YOUS
President-elect Sarah Hayes for spearheading the Willow Hill Lights & Lazy Dog fundraising nights – making for a yummy and fun November for families that participated.
Communications chairs Lydia Fields for keeping up with our social media presence and Sara Thompson for pulling together the PTO’s monthly newsletter. We appreciate your ongoing work to inform families about all of the amazing programs and ways to get involved with the PTO.
Room Parents for throwing the most fun Halloween parties for D29 students. We can’t wait to see what you come up with for the holiday parties!
COMING SOON & NOTES
Important Dates:
December 8: PTO Meeting 9AM
December 9: Board of Education Meeting 7PM
December 10: Middlefork Book Fair Family Shopping Hours 3:15-7PM
December 16: Takeout Tuesday @ Lou Malnati’s Wilmette 4-10PM
December 22-January 2: No School - Winter Break
January 12: PTO Meeting 9AM
January 13: Board of Education Meeting 7PM
January 19: No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 30: PTO Bingo Night
All Zoom links can be found on the District 29 Calendar.
How to Help
Community involvement is instrumental in making the PTO a success. Please consider volunteering your time! Contact Sarah Cohn at president@district29pto.org to get involved or with any questions.