Principal's Message 8/23/19

8/23/19
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday! 
Thank you to all the staff and students for a great first full week back!

Counseling Corner
 
Ms. Baker and Ms. McDevitt, School Social Workers
Mrs. Koulentes, School Counselor
Mrs. Leverentz, School Psychologist

Starting the school year off on the right foot can help minimize a student’s stress level throughout the year. Here are some suggestions to ease the transition back to school:
 
o   Encourage structured routines and be actively involved in your child’s education – establish bedtime, mealtime, reading, and homework routines.
o   Set education goals.  Setting goals help to set the routine of the new year.
o   Talk to your child – get to know his or her fears or worries about the new school year.  Ask them what they liked about the previous year and see if you can incorporate some of those positives into the new year.
o   Empathize with your child – let them know you are aware of what they are going through and that you are there to help them through the process.  Nerves are normal, emphasize that different/change isn’t always bad.
o   Develop relationships with your child’s teachers – Teachers can be the best source of information about your child’s performance and needs.
o   Along with the homework routine, designate a specific quiet place with no distractions. Be sure to monitor technology use during homework times, as this can be the most dominant distraction available.
o   Emphasize the importance of organization and help your child become organized. Stress the use of an assignment notebook/homework tracking app, visual organizer, to-do lists, color-coded folders (digital/physical), etc.
o   Encourage learning at home – promoting learning outside of the classroom helps children perform better in the classroom. (Ex: 10-15 minutes of reading a day)

·             New to the Community?
o   Get to know your neighborhood and neighbors – find out where neighborhood kids might go to safely hang out together.
o   Get involved and don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Meeting members of the community will lend support to both you and your child.

·             Problems with Organization and Time Management?
o   Offer continuous support, encouragement, and assistance.
o   As much as possible, maintain a structured, orderly, predictable routine for homework
o   Monitor your student’s assignments.  Your student could identify a Study Buddy for each class, so that they have someone to call after school if they have questions about an assignment.
o   Maintain a monthly wall calendar and discuss the week’s upcoming events Sunday night.  This helps to reduce any “surprises” the child didn’t know about.
o   Post checklists in your child’s room that outline steps needed to take for certain tasks and routines


Back-to-school Backpack safety shared by our Twin Groves OT, Mrs. DeWilde:

“According to a Boston University study, approximately 85% of university students self-report discomfort and pain associated with backpack usage. Good habits need to be set during the earlier school years.”  

Read on:  LINK

 

Curriculum Night
6th Grade Curriculum Night, ILC Curriculum Night, and SLC Curriculum Night:  Monday, August 26th.
7th and 8th Grade Curriculum Night:  Wednesday August 28th.


Our program will begin at 7:00 PM each evening.  Our teachers are looking forward to meeting you and sharing information about their classes. 
Please meet Mr. Baisden and me in the Big Gym first, then follow your child’s schedule to meet each teacher. Please bring a copy of your student's schedule.
Please enter through the South Entrance near the gym doors.
Please note that this event is for PARENTS ONLY.


MAP Information
MAP scores will be sent home electronically on September 6th.

We made the decision this year to turn off the ability for students to see their RIT score immediately upon submitting their test.  In past years, this feature has been turned on.  Instead, students will receive their scores through an individual discussion with their teacher at some point following the MAP testing window.  In addition, MAP score reports will be emailed to parents on Friday, September 6th beginning at 3pm.  

The main reasons for this decision are as follows:  
We believe it is best for students that their results are shared personally.  Teachers can help put student results into context and discuss areas for further growth and areas of strength.  A RIT score in isolation does not communicate this level of detail and simply becomes a number to compare themselves to others. 

Some of our students have demonstrated a high level of anxiety with the level of sharing that occurs when the RIT scores are shown upon test submission.  This change will allow students to simply take the assessment and not be concerned about the immediacy of the feedback.  


STEM Conference for Girls
The STEM for Girls Conference for Lake County is September 14th, 2019, at Round Lake High School.  This conference is for girls in grades 6-8 and will engage each participant in several sessions with a presenter who works in the field. Registration is required and will be open until September 8th.  Sessions fill quickly so please register early by visiting our webpage at: EYH Lake County. 


Weed Treatment
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 Saturday, August 24, 2019, the District 96 landscape contractor, Acres Group, will treat all grass areas and fields adjacent to the school properties for all Kildeer Countryside District 96 Buildings. If you have any questions regarding this application you may contact Sam Miranda, Director of Facilities and Transportation at (847) 459-4260.

 

Parent Pick Up Reminder
If you choose to pick up your child from school, please remember that the regular day ends at 2:30 PM. There is an activity period that runs from 2:30 PM-3:15 PM. If you are picking up your child at the end of the activity period, please be at Twin by 3:15 PM. 
Just a reminder, the office closes at 3:30 PM each day.


Daily Announcements
The Daily Announcements will be posted daily starting on August 15th. 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

Upcoming Events:
9/18- Dessert Day
9/25- Special Lunch
10/23- Dessert Day
10/25- Fall Bash 3-5PM
10/30- Special Lunch
11/13- Dessert Day
11/20- Special Lunch
11/25- Book Fair
11/26- Book Fair
12/11- Dessert Day
12/18- Special Lunch

Please click HERE to access the Membership Toolkit. All items for sale from the PTO will be available on this website.