5/4/18
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday!
Congratulations to the case of Annie Jr.! It was a wonderful show!
Congratulations to all the Twin Groves students who were showcased at the SHS Consortium Art Festival! There was an abundance of beautiful work and talented students!
Counseling Corner
Mrs. DiMare and Ms. McDevitt, School Social Workers
Mrs. Koulentes, School Counselor
Mrs. Leverentz, School Psychologist
Social networking has become the way tweens/teens talk and socialize with each other. Between cell phones, iPads, and computers, our children are always connected. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are popular sites and apps, but there are countless others. These sites offer ways for your son/daughter to connect with people they know and they allow for access to people they don’t know. Children now are very savvy with technology usage, so it is important for parents to become familiar with the apps and site(s) your child has accounts with. Here are some things as parents you should know:
- Talk with your child about their Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram accounts or pages. Find out what they know and where they have profiles. Be aware that students often have one real page and one fake page as well.
- Investigate the sites. Often your child will use jargon that is associated with the social networking sites and apps. If you check and investigate them, you will become familiar with the jargon, the way profiles are seen and just the culture of the sites. You can even set up your own profiles and become more comfortable with how they operate.
- From your son/daughter’s profile and pictures, strangers can figure out where they go to school, what activities they like or participate in and other information that they may share on their profile. Due to this, it is important for parents to know what information is on your child’s profile. Have them show you their profile and any pictures that are posted of them online. Pictures of them should be from far away and never show them with articles of clothing that could identify where they live (e.g., Twin Groves apparel, Stevenson shirts).
- Your child should be using privacy settings on their accounts. This allows access to only the friends they select and pictures that their selected friends can view.
- Even with privacy settings, it is important to discuss with your child the dangers of posting things on the site. They need to know that pictures posted can be downloaded, doctored and posted elsewhere. It is also not difficult for a stranger to pose as a friend to gain access to them.
- Online gaming and social networking all are distractions and use up free time. Children should have specific limits on the amount of time they can spend online networking and only after they have completed homework, done chores, etc. There should be a balance between online and offline activities.
- Keep up with the newest technology regarding online gaming and social networking. There are new sites being developed and some become popular very quickly. As sites and applications may not impose strict rule enforcement within the site or application, you may need to impose your own rules for usage.
- Ask your child about his/her favorite apps. and what they like about the apps. This will give you a peek into their world and what is important to them at this time.
To learn more about keeping your children safe online, you can go to www.ikeepsafe.org.
Information gathered from School/Family.com and Coastal Family Magazine, http://savdailynews.com, The Washington Post
What Parents Should Know About Fortnite
Please visit this LINK to learn more about Fortnite.
Required Summer Reading
School District 96 recognizes that summer reading is critically important for a student's continued academic growth.
Students entering Grade 6 or 7 or 8 in the 2018–19 school year have a required summer reading assignment that is due on the first day of school.
Please read this PARENT LETTER for more info.
Your student must read at least ONE BOOK from The Power of One SUMMER READING LIST.
CLICK ON THIS LINK (CLICK HERE FOR SPANISH) for details of the Middle School Summer Reading Assignment and the Parental Acknowledgment Form, to be signed by the student and his or her parent or guardian.
Technology Information for the 2018-2019 School Year
The end of the year is a busy time for everyone, but it's always good to get a head start and thinking next year. The policy concerning iPad damage will be different next year. This change is reflected below and in greater detail in the 2018-19 Student Handbook. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Dress Code
As the weather gets warmer, this is a friendly reminder of the District 96 Standards of Dress from the Parent/Student Handbook.
4.12-e Standards for Student Dress. Students who are appropriately and comfortably dressed are able to focus on schoolwork more effectively. The following guidelines will be enforced by building administrators. Cooperation by parents is appreciated.
- Dress or appearance that provokes or distracts other students or otherwise causes a disruption to the educational process is prohibited.
- Shoes must be worn at all times.
- Clothing, jewelry, or accessories may not have writing or pictures that advertise or advocate alcohol, drugs, tobacco, obscenity, violence, or gang activity.
- Pants must be worn at the waistline.
- Hats are allowed on designated hat days only.
- Half shirts, cropped tops, spaghetti straps, and underwear or sleepwear worn as outerwear are not acceptable.
- Undergarments should not be visible.
- With the exception of appropriate jewelry, no chains should be worn.
8th Grade Graduation Information
Attention all 8th grade parents: Graduation information is now available on the Twin Groves website. Please make sure you turn in your form and money to your homeroom teacher by April 20th. Use this link to get the information: Graduation Information
LAWN TREATMENT APPLICATION NOTICE
District 96 uses Integrated Pest Management--a program that combines preventive techniques, non-chemical methods (such as bait traps), and the appropriate use of pesticides (with a preference for products least harmful to human health and the environment). On the weekend of May 12th, the District 96 lawn treatment provider ACRES Group will treat grass areas adjacent to all District buildings. Signs will be posted to indicate that the treatments have been applied. In the event of rain, the applications will occur on the following weekend, May 19th. If you have any questions please contact Sam Miranda at the Business Office 847-459- 4260.
Headphones
Please remind your child to bring headphones to school on a daily basis. Headphones are needed in many classes. The school does have a small supply of headphones for checkout, but the supply is limited. Many students do not return the headphones when they borrow them.
6th Grade Dental
Attention parents of 6th Graders. Proof of dental exams for all 6th graders are due by May 15th. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Borzych at 847-821-8946.
Band & Orchestra Boosters
Please click the BLOG to access the latest news from the Band & Orchestra Boosters.
Daily Announcements
Please see Twin Groves website for up to date school announcements. The announcements let you know what exciting activities and clubs are going on at Twin Groves. Please click HERE to access the Daily Announcements.
PTO
Please click HERE to access the PTO blog for more information.