MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT 114

📣 Manhattan Community Survey

The Manhattan Community Survey is underway! We encourage our MSD 114 families and community members to share their voices. Your feedback helps identify resident priorities and opportunities to continue making Manhattan an even stronger community.

Your voice matters—take a few minutes to share your thoughts! https://polco.us/mansurvey

Our Cycles and PE classes have been hard at work already, from A-Z Engineering and painting to Staple City projects and Head-Shoulders-Knees-and-Toes Cone Grab! A special thank you to Senora Smith's 7th and 8th-grade Spanish program for decorating the sidewalk in front of the school with messages for our MJHS Expectations Night! Great job, Demons!

Before diving into the Eureka Squared curriculum, all grade levels in the math department spent time working on critical skills, such as accountable (math) talk, collaborative, and teamwork. It was great seeing kids work on puzzles, debate random questions, and work through a cup stacking challenge!

Last Friday, MJHS hosted its annual House Reveal where 6th-grade students and any new student to the school found out which House and Small Group they would call home. The event culminated in a school-wide Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament, with a student from the Elephants (Respect) House being victorious! Congrats! Thanks to Mrs. Benfante for the pictures!

To kick off the school year, our 4th and 5th graders at MIS dove into STEM with this year’s motto: Engineering is like a cactus 🌵 Just like a cactus, students had to adapt, grow, and persevere through their first engineering challenge. They explored cardboard connection techniques, working together to create a free-standing, balanced structure. Each student contributed a piece, helping our amazing MIS cactus garden grow!

Say cheese, MSD 114! 📸 Picture Day is Monday, August 31! Come ready to smile and show off your school pride! 😁

Parents and guardians, keep an eye on your inbox picture proofs should arrive about two weeks after Picture Day.

🥎 ANOTHER day of competitive play from the MJHS Demons this weekend! Manhattan Softball went 2-1 at the Manteno Softball Tournament on Saturday, beating Manteno's JV and Summit Hill, ultimately falling to Bourbonnais in a close game of 5-3. We're so proud of our Lady Demons and how they showed up at this competitive tournament. Way to go, Demons! 💙🖤🤍🧢🥎

MIS wrapped up our first week of school by learning routines and procedures, working together, and getting to know new friends. We ended the week with games outside, time to mingle with our new classmates, and some delicious Auntie Anne’s pretzels! We are off to a fantastic start to the school year!

Another top performance by the MJHS Demons this weekend! Congratulations to our Cross Country runners on showing up at the Bobcat Breakout! All runners ran PR's, the Girls Varsity team took third, with two individual girls placing third and fourth! Let's Go Demons! 💙🖤🤍🏃‍♀️👟

Congratulations to our MJHS Baseball team on a 10-0 win over Troy last night! It was a great evening for a ball game. Go Demons! 💙🖤🤍⚾️

Thank you to our local Auntie Anne's Pretzel truck out of New Lenox for dropping by Ole MIS to share a treat with our kids & staff.

Our staff is kicking off the school year with a message that matters: Count on Me! From the first bell to the last, our MSD 114 team is ready to support, encourage, and show up for our students and each other. Here’s to a great year ahead!

A BIG shoutout to everyone who participated in our summer music camps and programs! Over the past few weeks, our students and staff worked incredibly hard, culminating in an outstanding end-of-summer concert this month.

Thank you to our talented students and dedicated music staff for making Manhattan Music such an incredible program. Go Demons! 🎶 💙🤍🖤

🏐 REMINDER: Boys Volleyball Tryouts are almost here!

📅 August 24 & 25
⏰ 2:30–4:30 p.m.
🏐 Open to boys in grades 5–8
*Parents of 5th graders are responsible for getting students who want to try out to MJHS by 2:30.

All athletes must have a current physical on file to participate. Contact Coach Wolgan or Coach Nelson with any questions! Come ready to work hard, compete, and show your skills!

Our MJHS Cross Country season is off and running! The Demons hosted their first meet yesterday at Round Barn. All athletes did a great job in their first race of 2026! Best of luck to our runners and coaches this season! Go Demons!

🎉 Help Us Welcome Our Newest MSD 114 Team Members! 💙

We’re excited to introduce the newest faces joining the MSD 114 family! These talented educators and staff members are ready to make a difference, build connections, and help make the 2026–2027 school year a great one for our students.

🎥 Check out our New Staff Welcome Video and join us in giving them a warm Manhattan welcome! https://youtube.com/shorts/ePrbycb8uU0?feature=share

MJHS staff have been hard at work getting ready for the start of the year! From attending staff meetings and mini professional development sessions over the last two days to getting classrooms and materials ready for students tomorrow, staff did an excellent job in preparation for the start of the school year! Count on Us to welcome over 600 students tomorrow!

📣 Manhattan, We Want to Hear From You!

Every community is shaped by the voices of its residents, and your opinion matters!

The Manhattan taxing bodies are launching our Community Survey, giving residents an opportunity to share what you love about our community, what matters most to you, and where you would like to see improvements.

Your feedback will help us better understand our community’s priorities and guide future planning and decisions.

📬 If you receive a survey invitation by mail or text, please take a few minutes to complete it as soon as possible.

🏡 Didn’t receive a mailed invitation? Don’t worry! Beginning September 1, the survey will open to all community members. Look for signs around the community and watch our social media pages for information on how to participate.

Your voice. Your community. Your future.