Band Concert (New)
On February 20, 2020, our 5th-grade students put on a terrific performance at Twin Groves Middle School. Ivy Hall students did a remarkable job representing the Wildcats! Special thanks to parents for encouraging students to practice at home and fostering a love of instrumental music. Also, special thanks to Dan Nagle for his direction of the 5th-grade band.
Learning Center (New)
Recently I received some questions around the many learning experiences that take place in the Learning Center at Ivy Hall. Among other things, this year the Learning Center is working hard to expose students to more diversity through children’s literature. This includes exploring stories that represent a wide range of cultures, races, and ethnicities, as well as exposing students to authors with diverse backgrounds. It is our hope that our students are able to find positive and meaningful representations of themselves and their families in literature, and that they can also learn about and draw personal connections to the experiences of cultures from around the world — so many of which are represented in our Ivy Hall families.
Did you know that District 96 has a formal goal around equity and working to help students see themselves in our curricular resources? Check it out!
By the end of the 20/21 SY, audit and supplement curricular resources to ensure all students can see themselves in their learning and expand opportunities for student voice in our equity work
Learning Center is also a time for students to check out books they love and experience literature with a variety of themes. Literature can act as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors for our students. The literature we choose for our Learning Center embraces social-emotional topics such as kindness and empathy, as well as celebrates our diversity and differences. We are remarkable AND we are all different. In addition, we spend time introducing Monarch, Blue Stem, and other award-winning books. Please take a look at the links to see the Blue Stem Nominees and Monarch Nominee books. Once a month classes do not check out books, and we participate in the handwriting program Handwriting without Tears.1st and 2nd graders practice printing, 3rd graders are explicitly taught cursive, and 4th and 5th graders reinforce the skills learned in 3rd grade.
Coming up in the Learning Center, students will be introduced to book titles for a Tournament of the Books battle, similar to a March Madness bracket. It will be the responsibility of the students to have read the two books to vote to see which book advances. Pictures will be posted soon on specific book titles.
Exploration Lab (New)
The goal of the Exploration Lab is to encourage and foster lifelong learning habits like imagination, self-awareness, risk-taking, and problem-solving. Through coding and experiences that take students through the engineering design process, students exhibit creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. Below is a list of our current projects.
1st grade - Students are creating stories while applying block coding with the app Scratch Jr.
2nd grade - Students are using Dash and Dot Robotics to code through puzzles OR exploring LegoWedo to solve a problem by building lego robotics and working through code
3rd grade - Students are learning about circuits and the functions of circuits and with the use of their knowledge have built a self-driving car or an art machine OR students have been working with Dash and Dot to code through challenges using Dash and Dot accessories and tools.
4th grade - Students are working toward mastering 3d printing skills through the website Tinkercad and then designing a project that represents their favorite book they have read.
5th grade - Students are applying the design process to build, test and redesign chariots out of recycled materials. The chariots are powered using a Sphero robot. The end result will be the students coding their sphero chariots around a track to test and reflect on the efficiency of the design.
OPEN BOARD POSITIONS ON THE TWIN GROVES PTO (New)
Attention 5th Grade parents! The Twin Groves PTO is looking for parents to volunteer their time on the PTO Executive Board. For a list of open positions, please go to twingrovesmspto.membershiptoolkit.com.
If you have any specific questions about any of the positions, please email Jessica Barnes at [email protected].
We can’t wait to work with you!
PTO Blog (New)
PTO Blog: This is always linked in my blog post below.
General Health Questions and Procedures (Repeat)
This is the language from the student handbook that is signed by all families that attend school in District 96. I would like to direct your attention toward the fever portion of this, as it is a tangible guideline.
Children with temperatures of 100 degrees or above, sneezing or runny noses, sore or irritated eyes, or severe abdominal cramps should not be in school. A child with a temperature of 100 degrees or more should stay home for 24 hours after his or her temperature returns to normal without the use of fever-reducing medications. Parents should notify the school whenever there is confirmation of a communicable or contagious illness of any sort. A doctor's note stating that the child may return to school is needed when a child has been absent from school for five or more consecutive days.
Enhanced Lockdown (Repeat)
Yesterday all our students, teachers, and building staff participated in an enhanced lockdown drill together to help us consider and review best practice options and actions we could take to keep us safe if an intruder were to enter our school.
Our drill was overseen and supervised by Ivy Hall building administration, the District Director of Facilities and Transportation, Sam Miranda, and Officer Ashley Krozel of the Buffalo Grove Police Department. Ivy Hall students performed very well during the drill. Our students were calm throughout and their thoughtful conversation together with their teachers reflects their understanding of response options for safety in a variety of scenarios.
Spring Collaborative Conferences (Repeat)
Spring Conferences are Collaborative Conferences!
Collaborative conferences mean that your child will be leading the conference. The purpose of collaborative conferences is for educators, students and families to discuss, reflect and celebrate student work, and for families to experience school through their child's eyes. Students have been working hard to prepare for the conference, and we are excited for you to learn about your child’s progress directly from your child!
Teachers will be available in the room as guides and will be available to answer student questions or elaborate on a point a student is making, but we ask that all participants respect that this is the student’s opportunity to lead the conference by sharing progress and reflections about their own learning.
Please read below to learn specific information about how collaborative conferences will be structured at the elementary level.
Grades EC-1st Grade
Families will sign-up for a 15-minute conference. One student/family partnership will be in the room at a time. The conference will begin with your child presenting his/her current progress, reflections, celebrations and areas for continued growth. The classroom teacher will be at the table with the student, but the student will lead the conference.
Teachers will be available to facilitate and assist in answering specific questions.
Grades 2nd-5th Grade
Families will sign-up for a 30-minute conference. Three family/student partnerships may be in the room at one time. Student/Family partnerships will sit in a private space to engage in the conference. The conference will begin with your child presenting his/her current progress, reflections, celebrations and areas for continued growth. Teachers will be available to facilitate and can answer brief questions at the conclusion of the student portion.
What is the Role of Families during Collaborative Conferences?
- Provide reinforcement, encouragement, and praise
- Listen and ask questions
- Help students look realistically at the quality of work
- Facilitate student’s self-reflection and goal setting
- Be a partner in learning
- See school through their student’s eyes
Questions Families Can Ask During the Collaborative Conference
- What is your favorite piece of work? Why?
- Describe your favorite activities or subjects.
- What experiences at school do you find the most exciting?
- Are there experiences that frustrate you, if so why?
- What goals have you set for yourself for this spring?
- How can I help you at home?
Pennies for Patients (Repeat)
Student Council is organizing Pennies for Patients for the month of February! This fundraiser raises money in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Your child should have brought home a parent letter and his/her own box to collect money. Students can bring the box in whenever they have money to donate. This letter explains our mission and how you can set up your own online account at home (completely optional).
Lastly- kids CAN earn prizes! If they donate $5 with a signed note from a parent- they can get a ring, $10= a key chain and $15= a bracelet! Students can bring these notes to Mrs. Yario (room 202) for their prizes. The link below explains this VERY well. If you have ANY questions- don't hesitate to ask!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUhen22-l_k&feature=youtu.be
Mrs. Yario: [email protected]
Mrs. Rybinski: [email protected]
Car Pick Up & Car Drop Off (Repeat)
ONLY MAKE A RIGHT-HAND TURN ONLY INTO THE SOUTHWEST LOT, please DO NOT MAKE A LEFT INTO THE SOUTHWEST LOT DURING CAR DROP OFF AND CAR PICK UP AT DISMISSAL.
THIS PROCEDURE IS LISTED IN THE PARENT STUDENT HANDBOOK. THIS PROCEDURE HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS. HERE
The traffic pattern for the CAR rolling drop off and CAR rolling pick up is clockwise around Ivy Hall. Your RIGHT TURN should be made from Penny Lane into the lot. NEVER A LEFT TURN into the southwest recess lot.
We have and will continue to have the Buffalo Grove police helping us enforce this procedure. This procedure was developed with the Buffalo Grove Police Department for student safety. Thank you for helping keep kids safe.
Car Drop Off *** Students must be signed in via the front office after 8:25am. Please DO NOT drop students off in the east lot, without walking them into the office and signing them in.
Car Pick Up *** There are a few commercial vehicles that are permitted to make a left into the south lot. These vehicles do not participate in the rolling car line, but we have no other avenue to load these vehicles. This only occurs during CAR pick up. Thank you for your continued help allowing these vehicles into the lot. They will not join the line in front of you, they will pass on the right side of the line. We also stop the line to allow these vehicles to exit.
*** Only students that are being picked up in the southwest lot are permitted to be in the lot.
IF YOU ARE WALKING TO THE SOUTHWEST LOT, MEETING A STUDENT, AND THEN WALKING AWAY …
YOUR STUDENT IS A WALKER NOT A CAR PICK UP. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER AND MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT ACCORDING (SO YOUR STUDENT IS DISMISSED OUT THE NORTH EXIT).
YOUR STUDENT WILL BE DISMISSED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING BY THE OFFICE. THIS WILL REDUCE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT NEED SUPERVISION IN THE SOUTHWEST LOT AND INCREASE SAFETY.