3/4/22
March Reminders:
March 7th- No School
March 14th- Early Release 1:30 PM dismissal for students
March 14th- Family Educator Conferences 5:00 PM- 8:30 PM
March 15th- No School
March 15th- Family Educator Conferences 10:00 AM -1:30 PM
March 18th- No School
March 21st-25th- Spring Break
March 28th- Classes Resume
Music in Our Schools Month
Congratulations to the Twin Groves Band, Orchestra, Chorus, and Art Students!
Last night Twin Groves held two beautiful concerts (Orchestra/Chorus and Band). In addition, Twin Groves hosted an Art Fair. Thank you, Mrs. Anderson, Mr. Nagle, Ms. Bussert, and Mrs. Dodge!
Check out the wonderful art!
Check out our Orchestra, Band, and Chorus!
Counseling Corner
Ms. Baker and Mr. Maddox, School Social Workers
Ms. Koulentes, School Counselor
Ms. Leverentz, School Psychologist
Self-Worth: Keeping Perspective
Middle school is a challenging time for our students for a variety of reasons, but one of the biggest challenges we see in the counseling offices is students struggling with self esteem and self worth. These challenges with self esteem and self worth come from students comparing themselves with peers and others regarding appearance, intelligence, test scores, social status, and more.
It’s important for parents and adults to help their students by using strategies that reframe while keeping perspective during this time.
Students are bombarded by body images on television, the computer, and their phones. It is essential to stress to your students that living a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious foods, exercising, and getting enough sleep is what is important when thinking about their bodies. The fact that the images that they may be aspiring to look like have been doctored by computers and filters should also be emphasized. We want students to know that what they are wanting to look like is not feasible or realistic.
Comparing test scores and grades is very commonplace in middle school. Students may feel like they did not do as well as they wanted to, as well as another classmate did, they did not reach a goal, etc. Because of this, we often have students in tears in our offices. Obviously, as a school, we believe education is important and we want students to do well on assessments. However, we believe scores and grades need to be kept in perspective. Students should work hard and do their best. If, on a certain day, they do not do as well as they wanted, it is not the end of the world. It is one test score. The best thing the student can do at that point is take a deep breath in and out a few times and move on. Students need to know they are more than a test score. They should focus on the bigger picture of learning and not just one test score. As adults in their lives, we need to emphasize that learning is what is most important.
Middle school is stressful for students as well as parents due to the constant pressures our students are feeling. Communication is one of the keys to helping our students stay healthy and feel valued and loved.
BONUS: Parenting in a time of social media- Add this to your toolbox!
SendIt- Get It Now App
What parents should know….
SENDIT - GET IT NOW is a social media app that works exclusively as a Snapchat add-on. It offers a number of augmented reality games that encourage friends to interact with each other anonymously. Users pick games or chat boxes from sendit, launch them in Snapchat, then select friends to play or interact with.
Unfortunately, these are not being used in a positive way.
Way too often we see negative comments being posted. This impacts the kids’ social emotional well being.
It is important to talk to your children about social media, especially anonymous apps like sendit-get it now.
Here are some talking points that are helpful.
-Are online, anonymous interactions safe? If so, under what conditions?
-What are the risks of interacting with someone anonymously?
-How are online friends different from in-person friends?
-What kind of friends should you interact with online?
-Should you play online games with strangers?
SPRING COLLABORATIVE CONFERENCES- STUDENTS MUST ATTEND!!!
The collaborative conference dates are Monday, March 14th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Tuesday, March 15th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Students must be present as the conferences are Student Led. Students have been preparing for the conferences in school and will have a presentation to share.
Collaborative conferences will be held over zoom unless parents request an in-person conference using the instructions below. A document with all the staff zoom links will be sent out on Friday, March 11th.
REQUESTING AN IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
After selecting the teachers you wish to meet with and choosing a time for each conference, Meet the Teacher will prompt you to save the appointment and ask if you want to add a message for the teacher. If you want to have an in-person conference with the teachers, you must notify the teachers via this messaging feature (see picture below).
Registration now open for the 2022-23 school year
Registration is now open for the 2022-23 school year. This week, parents and guardians of returning students and pre-registered Kindergartners were emailed Notification letters with a SnapCode to start their registration process.
Register today to avoid the $20 late fee (per child) to be charged on registrations completed after April 15.
If you have questions about the 2022-23 Registration Notification email, please email [email protected] or call 847-459-4260, ext. 8022.
For information on registering a new student, visit https://kcsd96.org/registration.
School Supply Kits- NOW ON SALE for current 6th and 7th graders!
School supply kits for next year are now on sale. If you have any questions please email Jackie Beegun at [email protected].
Use Account # 22104
5Essentials Survey for Parents!
Parent 5Essentials Survey: Share Your Thoughts About Your Child’s School
Parents and Guardians: KCSD 96 wants to hear from you!
You’re invited to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school and help school and District leaders better understand the parent/school relationship. This survey is administered on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education.
The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success include:
Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environments
Ambitious Instruction
To take the survey, please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the “Parent” survey to begin. Please know that your identity and responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected with your child. You may submit a survey for each child you have in the district.
The survey closes on March 11.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected] or Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Jeanne Spiller at [email protected].
Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)
Students in grades 5 and 8 participate in the Illinois Science Assessment. The ISA is aligned to the Illinois Science Learning Standards and is designed to reflect classroom experiences. The ISA consists of three sections that will be administered over three days (March 9-11) during the regular school day.
Parent Letter from ISBE (English)
Parent Letter from ISBA (Spanish)
Stevenson Volunteer Request for 8th Grade Families
Eighth Grade Families,
We're looking for adults who are interested in joining the Stevenson Patriot Parent Association (PPA) Executive Board or serving as a co-chairperson of one of our many committees. Be involved in PPA with the Bake Sale, Staff Hospitality, Cookie/Treat Day, Class Reps, or the Assignment Notebook committees. Applications are being taken online now until March 30. Apply here: https://forms.gle/8gmqr3oY4C2xYVS9A. There will be an opportunity this summer to volunteer for individual events during the 2021-22 school year. Watch for that announcement by following the PPA on Facebook or Instagram: @shsppa If you have any questions, please contact Gayle Stein at [email protected].
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.