11/19/21
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday!
The next Principal’s Message will be sent out on Friday, December 3rd.
There is no school on Wednesday, November 24th through Friday the 26th. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!
There is an early dismissal on Tuesday, November 30th. Students will be dismissed at 1:30PM.
Congrats!
In an effort to spread positivity, Twin Groves uses our 5 Traits to recognize exemplars of the following qualities: Responsible, Accountable, Respectful, Safe, and Community. In addition to the 5 Traits, we are also recognizing students for being leaders, role models, supportive peers, brave, and positive.
As part of this focus, the Twin Groves Staff would like to recognize the following students who consistently demonstrate these qualities.
Isha Acharya
Maxim Costev
James Kopsias
Parth Lande
Anoushka Rai
Jessica Singer
Arav Singh
Sai Avijith Vijay
Counseling Corner
Ms. Baker and Mr. Maddox, School Social Workers
Ms. Koulentes, School Counselor
Ms. Leverentz, School Psychologist
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and many families use this holiday to take time to think about what they are thankful for. Though discussing what you are thankful for is a holiday tradition for families, it doesn’t have to be limited to just the holidays- as research has indicated it can be beneficial to a person’s happiness!
The most recent research on happiness indicates that the biggest impact can be gained in a practice that takes less than 3 minutes a day. Taking time to reflect on 3 good things from your day or on something that you feel grateful for has a stronger influence on overall life satisfaction and happiness than any other intervention designed to boost happiness. For example, many people use a quick bullet journal to list their “3 good things” each day. To take this happiness-boost potential to the next level, research suggests we stretch out the savoring experience by sharing our “3 good things” with someone else each day.
Work this quick 3-minute question into your daily conversations and get ready to see the benefits over time- in both your teens’ and your own sense of happiness. In the car, at the dinner table, or right before bed, share out your own “3 good things” and then ask your teen:
“Hey- what were three things that were really good about your day?”
or
“What were you really grateful for today?”
Here are some additional timely resources from the Child Mind Institute:
10 tips for raising grateful kids: HERE
Tips for reducing stress, helping kids cope, and making new traditions during the pandemic holiday season: HERE
Want more creative ideas to make gratitude a part of your family’s regular practice? HERE
Spanish Placement Tests- 8th Graders
Dear Families -
In the month of December, 8th grade students will participate in the AAPPL (The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) assessment to assess their communicative competency with the Spanish language. The purpose of this assessment is three-fold:
1. D96 will collect valuable data that will inform our instruction to continue to enhance our Spanish curriculum and instruction.
2. Stevenson High School will use this proficiency data to make initial recommendations for Spanish coursework when your student is in high school.
3. Students will have the opportunity to have experience with an assessment that can lead them to earning the Seal of Biliteracy on their High School diploma when they are in high school.
Tell me more about the assessment
Your child’s Spanish Teacher will share the specific assessment schedule. The tasks included in this assessment are similar to tasks we use during our regular instruction and assessment cycle in Spanish classes. The students are asked to engage in interpretive listening and reading tasks. This includes listening or reading authentic Spanish pieces and answering questions, in English, about those pieces based on language the students already know or context given. Additionally, the students will respond to a writing prompt in Spanish utilizing learned language skills. The final piece of the assessment is an interpersonal speaking opportunity in which your child will perform for the classroom teacher and will be scored based on a rubric co-constructed with all Spanish teachers across the consortium (D96, D102, D103, and D125) for consistency of expectations.
When will the test be administered?
Listening and Reading- December 9th from 1:06-2:30
Writing- December 10th from 1:06-2:30
What do students need?
Please make sure your student has headphones.
How will this information be used to make course recommendations?
Your student’s level of proficiency (interpretive listening and reading as well as writing) as indicated by this assessment combined with an analysis of their interpersonal speaking skills and teacher input will be used to make an initial course recommendation that is optimal for your student. You will receive this information in the mail late January/early February prior to needing to select courses at Stevenson. You can find the specific course sequence in this course book. In general, recommendations will be made for the following courses based on this assessment:
-Spanish 2
-Spanish 2-3 Accelerated
-Spanish 3-4 Accelerated
As this is a recommendation, your family will have the opportunity to provide input as you make the final selection for a course should your child choose to continue studying the Spanish language.
What is the Seal of Biliteracy?
The Seal of Biliteracy is intended to recognize students for multilingual skills and is indicated on a student’s high school diploma. Additionally, Illinois universities are obligated to offer college credit to students that have earned the Seal of Biliteracy through meeting the requirements.
For more information about this opportunity, use this link and click on the Seal of Biliteracy Tab.
What if my child would like to participate in a benchmark or placement assessment for a language other than Spanish?
Students who have prior coursework or experience in Chinese, French, German, Hebrew or Latin, and are interested in potential placement in one of these language programs beyond the introductory level, may also sign up for the corresponding language benchmark exam.
The date this will be held is:
Saturday, January 8th.
You can register for testing through the World Languages Division by contacting Sylvia Lima at [email protected] or 847-415-4700.
NWEA MAP
All students in grades K-8 will be participating in NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) assessment. The MAP assessment is a normed referenced, computerized adaptive test that helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth. Like in previous years, all students will be taking the MAP test in reading and math during the school day. Testing will take place on Monday, December 6th and Tuesday, December 7th.
Students who are quarantined during those testing days will take the MAP assessment after they return to school.
NEW *Covid Metrics*
To stay up-to-date this school year on local metrics, please visit the COVID DASHBOARD for District 96. Our priority remains to keep our students safe and follow guidance from the CDC. If your student is identified as a "close contact", you will be notified individually through the contact tracing process.
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.