🎉WOW— more reader milestones at Meridian 223 Libraries! 🎉
Monroe Center is doing fantastic in the Million Word Reader Program! Massive shoutout to Josephine for reaching an incredible 3,000,000+ words! 👏 Michael, Samuel, and William have each surpassed 1,000,000+ words 📚✨
- 4 students read 750,000+
- 7 more have read 500,000+
- 28 are leaving behind 250,000+
In total, Monroe Center students have read 39,644,155 words — and counting! ✨
Who’s next to join the million-word club?







Author Visit Postponed — New Date Forthcoming
Thank you for your understanding. I’m writing to let you know there’s been an unexpected change of plans: Mat Heagerty’s visit to Monroe Center School has been postponed.
I sincerely apologize for the last-minute change. We know many students were looking forward to the visit, and we appreciate your flexibility. A new date will be forthcoming, and we will share it as soon as it’s confirmed.
Advanced purchase of signed books is still available via the Google Form link until Friday, December 5th. If you plan to order a signed copy, please use the form to reserve your copy, and we will hold the book for you until the author’s visit.
Thank you again for your patience and support.
Mrs. McDevitt
District Librarian

We’ll share an excerpt from Lumberjackula during library classes this week. 🙋🏽♀️🙋♂️ Have a question for Mat? Write it and drop it in the library dropbox for him to answer. 🙋🏽🙋♀️
Pick your team and get ready to welcome Mat --
Flannel = Team Lumber Jack 🪓
Black = Team Dracula 🧛♂️



⏰ Reminder: Graphic novelist Mat Heagerty is coming to Monroe Center School on Monday morning, November 17! Students will hear an excerpt from Lumberjackula during library classes.
Dress up: flannel = Team Lumber Jack 🪓 or black = Team Dracula 🧛♀️.
Interested in a signed copy? Please complete the interest form by tonight, Nov. 7th — if enough families sign up (25+), we’ll send order forms.



Here is this week's transportation bus safety tip!
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QhTvqoJ4TLOHoiGiZVaGQ14ceySHyiTr/view?usp=drive_link
Josephine: 2,000,000+ words
William: 1,000,000+ words
Samuel, Michael, Evelynn, Reid, Keegan: 750,000+ words
Brinley, Brextyn, Kyla, Parker, Hattie, Luna, Carter: 500,000+ words
Regan, Jason, Lucy, Judah, Alexis, Isaiah, Owen, Ruth, Louis, Nicholas, Noah, Donavan, Odin, Iona, Tatum, Olivia, Ezekiel: 250,000+ words
We are so proud of these students and their love of reading! 📚✨






Who’s ready for an author visit? 📚✨ Graphic novelist Mat Heagerty is coming to Monroe Center School Monday morning, Nov 17! He wrote Lumberjackula — we’ll share an excerpt in library classes.
Dress to declare your team: flannel = Team Lumber Jack 🪓, black = Team Dracula 🧛♂️
Want a signed copy? Fill out the interest form by Friday, Nov. 7th — if enough people want one (25+), we’ll send order forms.



¡Un gran agradecimiento a todos los que nos acompañaron en la Feria del Libro Scholastic de Highland! 🎉📖✨ Si se la perdieron o quieren empezar sus compras navideñas, ¡la tienda en línea estará abierta hasta el 2 de noviembre de 2025! ¡Sus compras ayudan a apoyar a nuestros increíbles estudiantes y bibliotecas! 🏫💖








“Illinois Principal Appreciation Week”
🗓️ October 19–25, 2025
⭐ Illinois Principal Appreciation Day – October 24
Join us in celebrating our building leaders for their dedication, vision, and commitment to our students and staff. Thank you for your leadership, which inspires excellence across Meridian CUSD #223 every day!

📖🎉 Tomorrow, Thursday, October 23rd, is the LAST night for in-person shopping at the Scholastic Book Fair at Highland Elementary from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM! Have you checked out our Book Fair Homepage yet? 📚✨
💥 Preorder Dog Man #14: Big Jim Believes, on sale 11/11/25! Just add it to your cart and use code FAIRSHIP for free shipping!
Can’t make it tomorrow? No worries! Shop online until November 2nd, 2025, and enjoy free shipping on orders over $35. Every purchase supports our school! Happy reading! 📚❤️



📖🎉 ¡Mañana, jueves 23 de octubre, es la ÚLTIMA noche para comprar en persona en la Feria del Libro Scholastic de la Escuela Primaria Highland, de 15:00 a 18:00! ¿Ya visitaste nuestra página de inicio de la Feria del Libro? 📚✨
💥 ¡Reserva Dog Man #14: Big Jim Believes, a la venta el 11/11/25! ¡Solo agrégalo a tu carrito y usa el código FAIRSHIP para envío gratis!
¿No puedes venir mañana? ¡No te preocupes! Compra en línea hasta el 2 de noviembre de 2025 y disfruta de envío gratis en pedidos superiores a $35. ¡Cada compra apoya a nuestra escuela! ¡Feliz lectura! 📚❤️



815-645-2230 ext. 3361
This morning, our Meridian Transportation team led school bus evacuation drills with students across the district to reinforce safe and efficient procedures in the event of an emergency.
A huge thank you to our students for their cooperation and our dedicated transportation team for their diligence, professionalism, and commitment to keeping our Cardinals safe every day—both on and off the bus! ❤️🖤


🎉📚 Calling all book lovers! Our Scholastic Book Fair is just around the corner! Join us in person on Tuesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 23, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM for an amazing selection of books! 📖✨ But you don’t have to wait—online shopping is available NOW! Check out our Book Fair homepage. Additionally, preorders for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Party Pooper and Dog Man: Big Jim Believes can be made on our Book Fair homepage.


🎉📚 ¡Llamamos a todos los amantes de la lectura! ¡Nuestra Feria del Libro Scholastic está a la vuelta de la esquina! ¡Únanse a nosotros en persona el martes 21 y el jueves 23 de octubre, de 15:00 a 18:00, para disfrutar de una increíble selección de libros! 📖✨ ¡Pero no tienen que esperar! ¡Ya pueden comprar en línea! Visiten la página principal de la Feria del Libro: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/highlandelementaryschool3. Además, los pedidos por adelantado de El diario de Greg: Aguafiestas y El hombre perro: Big Jim cree se pueden realizar en nuestra página de inicio de la Feria del Libro.


Here is this week's transportation bus safety tip!
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BrCnGj0BhxW3pEq4KB9jelCFltSy_Rnm/view?usp=drive_link
💳 ¡No olvides crear una billetera electrónica para la Feria del Libro para tu hijo/a! Es una forma fácil y sin efectivo de comprar por su cuenta. ¡Además, familiares y amigos pueden contribuir! 🙌 Empieza aquí: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/highlandelementaryschool3
💖 ¿Quieres apoyar a los estudiantes que necesitan ayuda para comprar libros? ¡Nuestro programa de donaciones está abierto a todos! Más información: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/highlandelementaryschool3



