12/13/19
TGIF...Twin Groves it’s Friday!
Counseling Corner
Ms. Baker and Ms. McDevitt, School Social Workers
Ms. Koulentes, School Counselor
Ms. 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:
1. Talk with your child about their Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Along with number 5, it is also important that your child is aware that nothing is private once it is out there. Having those conversations of being cautious with what they post about is crucial because once they post something it is on their page and something that they are giving others access too. Even if they delete it right away, there is no guarantee that it is gone forever.
7. It is important to only have your child accept friend requests from people they know. If a name is unfamiliar to them, they should not accept it. If they do accept, this gives the person access to their social media accounts and information that they post.
8. 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, doing chores, etc. There should be a balance between online and offline activities.
9. 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.
10. Ask your child about his/her favorite apps and YouTube searches. Ask what they like about them. This will give you a peek into their world and what is important to them at this time.
Finally, for a recent Time magazine feature about the delicate balance of monitoring student internet use, click here: https://time.com/5711037/problematic-internet-use-screentime/
Illinois Science Assessment Results Sent Home in BackpacksToday–6th Graders ONLY
Please check your 6th-grade student’s backpack for results of the Illinois Science Assessment administered during the 2018–2019 school year in March.
Please see this PARENT LETTER | PARENT LETTER-SPANISH for more information/resources and direct questions to me at [email protected].
Parents Asked to Complete 5Essentials Survey
School District 96 parents are asked to complete online the parent/guardian portion of the 8th-annual Illinois 5Essentials Survey by Jan. 10, 2020.
Access the survey at survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois
As a parent, this is your opportunity to share your thoughts on important elements of your child’s school’s effectiveness. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.
The survey includes 21 questions and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your identity and survey responses are completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. Please complete a survey for each school you have a student attending.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 866-440-1874 or [email protected] or Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Jeanne Spiller [email protected]
The Patriot Consortium Mathematics Placement Process
Over the last few years Stevenson High School and the feeder middle schools have created a scope and sequence that aligned the curriculum to the Common Core Standards for Mathematics. Their work defines four strands of mathematical proficiency to highlight attributes of a proficient mathematical thinker. Their criteria will serve to create a portrait of each student for use in recommending a Stevenson placement that matches a student's content knowledge as well as level of mathematics proficiency at this time. READ MORE regarding the Patriot Consortium Mathematics Placement Process
Daily Announcements
The Daily Announcements will be posted each weekday morning. 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 read and access the Daily Announcements.
PTO
Upcoming Events:
12/18- Special Lunch
1/22- Dessert Day
1/29- Special Lunch
2/19- Dessert Day
2/26- Special Lunch
3/11- Dessert Day
3/18- Special Lunch
4/22- Dessert Day
4/29- Special Lunch
5/6- Dessert Day
5/13- Special Lunch
Please click HERE to access the Membership Toolkit. All items for sale from the PTO will be available on this website.