Dental Forms-Deadline Approaching
6th Grade Parents,
Please note that if your child has not submitted a Dental Exam Report to the Nurse, the final deadline is May 15th. There are Dental forms available that can be downloaded by going onto the District website, or most Dentists have them available and can complete them at the time of examination. If you choose to have the exam waived, that form is also available online at the District website.
It is a state law that all 6th graders comply and submit a Dental Exam Report to the school. Many families have already submitted the forms. If your child still needs to have this mandated exam done, we ask that you please submit the completed form as soon as possible. Thank you so very much.
Rosie Crawford RN
School Nurse for Woodlawn Middle School
Twin Groves and Woodlawn will be hosting the following Parent Information Nights. Parents are able to attend either night, regardless of their home school.
April 5 at Woodlawn, 7:00-8:00 PM
April 13 at Twin Groves, 7:00-8:00 PM
There also will be a parent coffee in the Woodlawn Learning Center on April 18 from 8:00-9:00 AM.
Here are my thoughts...Regardless of what students may say, most students take the PARCC assessment. The PARCC is an opportunity for your child to shine and it is great practice for future higher level, high stakes exams. As a parent of an 8th grader and three others that have gone through the system, I rely on this information as a piece of the puzzle that are my children. Please read the information below carefully and remember that this is an Illinois State Board of Education requirement. There is no way I would have my student miss this opportunity. Thanks and I am happy to answer any questions.
PARCC Information
The message below was articulated in Superintendent Schmidt’s Message on Monday, March 20th.
Why do we administer the PARCC assessment?
The district believes that an assessment that has authentic value for students and their teachers is one that measures critical-thinking skills and gives an accurate understanding of a student’s preparedness for the future.
PARCC assessment results bring a meaningful perspective on our students’ level of mastery of skills. The standards on which PARCC is based are aligned to college and career readiness–the future for the vast majority of our students.
Taking the PARCC assessment in elementary school is, in fact, preparing your student to succeed on the college admission exam he or she will likely take in high school. Faculty from approximately 800 colleges helped create PARCC. High-stakes tests such as entrance exams are a reality that your sons and daughters will experience as they move beyond high school to college and, eventually, their adult careers. Having familiarity with the format and multiple first-hand experiences at applying knowledge to solve problems on such tests is beneficial.
What distinguishes PARCC from other assessment tools?
PARCC assessment results give families and educators information about how their students perform, not only relative to their District 96 grade-level peers, but also nationally. A “big picture” view allowing state-to-state comparisons of student performance is informative for guiding state and national education policy.
How PARCC measures mastery also merits consideration. For example, In the area of English/Language Arts/Literacy, many states do not assess writing skills at all and few assess critical-thinking skills.
Likewise, many current assessments for math are in the format of choose-a-listed-answer “bubble tests,” requiring students to select and shade in the “bubble” beside the correct answer listed. In contrast, the math portion of PARCC uses complex problems and the requirement that students show how they solved the problem to measure their math understanding.
Also, information from PARCC helps to hold all stakeholders accountable more effectively than many other state tests. The reason is that PARCC assessments meaningfully measure the skills and knowledge of students working not only at grade level, but also of students working below or above grade level. That is, the PARCC more accurately identifies students’ strengths and their areas of learning need–information important to the students, their parents, and their teachers. It tells the impact and effect of our core curriculum, our systems for intervention and enrichment, and our special education program. As a result, District 96 educators can and do delve deeply into meaningful data to fine-tune and guide their practice so that children working at all levels may receive the support they need to grow academically.
The PARCC assessment is an important one for all our students for the experience of taking it, the story it tells of your child’s academic strengths and areas for growth, and the review and refinement of teaching practice it makes possible. To learn more about the PARCC assessment, please see the following resources. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at Twin Groves.
PARCC INDEPENDENT RESOURCES
ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: REQUIRED ACCOUNTABILITY ASSESSMENTS
ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION - ASSESSMENTS
Please see below for the Woodlawn PARCC Schedule.
April 6th- 7th Grade Math 1/ELA 1
April 7th- 7th Grade ELA 2/Math 2
April 10th- 7th Grade Math 3/ELA 3
April 12th- 6th Grade Math 1/ELA 1
April 13th- 6th Grade ELA 2/Math 2
April 18th- 6th Grade Math 3/ELA 3
April 19th- 8th Grade Math 1/ELA 1
April 20th- 8th Grade ELA 2/Math 2
April 21st- 8th Grade Math 3/ELA 3
ILC PARCC Schedules
Please reference the communication from Mrs. Gunther.
When our students in Grades 3–8 return to school in April, they will take the PARCC assessment (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) during the testing window of April 5–28.
PARENTS OF CURRENT 8TH GRADERS
Ease the social transition to Stevenson for your family – Monday, April, 24th.
Don't miss these simultaneous learning opportunities at Twin Groves Middle School on Monday,, April 24th, 2017, 7 p.m., for Stevenson incoming freshmen AND their parents.
In one room:
Incoming Stevenson students will hear from a panel of SHS Catalyst students and have a casual, candid Q&A opportunity about social life at school and on weekends for Stevenson students… while in another room:
Parents of incoming Stevenson freshmen will hear from an expert panel including SHS faculty's Dr. Cristina Cortesi, Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator, law enforcement officers, and other experts. Learn considerations in hosting a party for your student, ways you can support your student's social transition to SHS, and more. All interested adults and incoming freshmen are welcome. MORE INFO | RSVP
An Opportunity for Our Student’s Creativity: Law Day 2017
Law Day is a day of national dedication to the principles of government under law–designated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958. This year’s theme is the Fourteenth Amendment: “Transforming American Democracy–Equal Protection Under the Law.”
The Judges of the Circuit Court of Lake County, Illinois, have invited all Lake County students to participate in Law Day celebrations. Middle school students are invited to take part in contests designated by grade level as described below:
• Students in Grade 6 may participate in the Law Day Poster Contest.
Theme: Transforming American Democracy, Equal Protection Under the Law
Poster Contest Guidelines/Entry Submission Instructions
(Mail poster entries to Lake County Courthouse by Apr. 19, 2017)
• Students in Grades 7–8 may participate in the Law Day Essay Contest.
Theme: Transforming American Democracy, Equal Protection Under the Law
Essay Contest Guidelines/Entry Submission Instructions
(Mail essay entries to Lake County Courthouse by Apr. 19, 2017)
• Students in Grades 6–8 may participate in the Law Day YouTube Video Contest.
Theme: Transforming American Democracy, Equal Protection Under the Law
Video Contest Guidelines/Entry Submission Instructions
(Video entries must be uploaded AND all applicable forms/signatures received by Apr. 19, 2017)
READ MORE INFO about Law Day 2017 and activities on the Lake County, Illinois, Judicial Circuit Court website.