11/17/23
The next Principal’s Message will be sent out on Friday, December 1st.
There will not be a message sent out over Thanksgiving Break.
Please enjoy the time off with your family!
Upcoming Dates:
11/22-11/24- No School
11/28- Early Release
12/19- Early Release
12/22-1/7- Winter Break
Congratulations!
Each month, Twin Groves will recognize students who are model citizens of our Colts Community!
The Twin Groves Staff would like to recognize the following students who consistently demonstrate that they are Responsible, Respectful, and Safe. In addition to these 3 Traits, we also recognize students for being leaders, role models, supportive peers, brave, and positive.
Mina Chung
Immanuel Diyya
Seth Ebner
Emily Forero
Aiden Giglio
Cash Korshak
Emma Petrisor
Olivia Rodrigues
Cindy Wang
Tyler Zehnder
Trimester 1 Report Cards- Live at 3:00 PM
D96 Families:
Trimester 1 report cards for students in Early Childhood through 8th Grade will be available at 3:00 PM on Friday, November 17th, by logging into www.teacherease.com.
See instructions on how to access the report cards online (CLICK HERE). If this link does not work, please copy the following URL and paste it into a new window: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/access-student-progress-reports-online
Please contact the Twin Groves Office with questions (https://www.kcsd96.org/about/contactdirections).
Please note...report cards will not be live until 3:00 PM.
Counseling Corner
Ms. Baker and Mr. Maddox, School Social Workers
Ms. Koulentes, School Counselor
Ms. Leverentz, School Psychologist
November begins, holidays loom, and we feel another year starting to come to a close. As adults, we naturally start to reflect on this past year and plan for what we will change and who we want to be in the year to come. You may have noticed that your pre-teen/teen is starting to show a level of self-awareness that allows them to do the same. Parenting in adolescence can be a time full of worry about problems that arise, but it is also an opportunity to support your child in developing strategies to bolster their overall happiness. True happiness is not simply the opposite of depression and anxiety. Instead, think of happiness as a general sense of overall life satisfaction. Happiness, or what scientists refer to as “subjective well-being”, is one of the most powerful protective factors in combating mental health challenges at all ages.
Martin Seligman, one of the lead researchers in the field of positive psychology, explains happiness with a formula:
Science shows that 50% of our happiness is inherited- genetics influence a set range for our capacity for positive and negative emotions.
Surprisingly, only 10% of our happiness is influenced by the circumstances in our lives. To a parent of a teenager, this statistic may seem insanely low; we see day-to-day circumstances impact our students dramatically, right? However, research is consistently clear: In less than 3 months, even the most major negative life events lose their lasting impact on happiness levels. On the flip side, we quickly learn to take good things for granted, our expectations rise, and these things no longer make us happy- we need even more, better, to boost happiness again.
So what’s left? 40% of our happiness is actually under our control. This means that we can help our teens bolster their overall life satisfaction and 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 that you feel grateful for each day, has a stronger influence on overall life satisfaction and happiness than literally any other intervention designed to boost subjective well-being. 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 out our “3 good things” with someone else.
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?”
To read more on fostering gratitude in your child, check out this resource from the Child Mind Institute:
10 tips for raising grateful kids: HERE
Sense of Belonging Survey
In District 96, we believe that feedback from students regarding their perception of the school climate and teacher-student relationships provides valuable input about their sense of belonging. Our school district is committed to providing our students with every opportunity to succeed. Substantial research indicates that supporting students’ social-emotional development improves their readiness to learn, positive classroom engagement, and overall academic performance. As a result, District 96 will administer a student belonging survey to all students EC-8. These surveys are below for your review. A physical copy will be available from the district office upon request.
Surveys Below:
-Grades K, 1, and 2
-Grades 3, 4, and 5
-Grades 6, 7 and 8
With this information, the District can make thoughtful and informed decisions to support students' deeper sense of belonging at school. As always, student privacy and safety are of the utmost importance. This survey is FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act), and PPRA (The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment) certified. The collected data will improve our students’ sense of belonging and will only be used by our schools. Student responses will support group patterns so schools can provide support in those targeted areas. Thank you for supporting our school communities and their corresponding sense of belonging.
If you would like to exclude your child from participating in the survey, please contact Jessica Barnes at [email protected].
Current Patriot Consortium Mathematics Placement Process- 8th Grade Only
The consortium has created criteria that define the four strands of mathematical proficiency to highlight the attributes of a proficient mathematical thinker. The criteria are grouped into three categories (See chart on second page):
-Procedural Skills & Fluency (How well you can correctly use mathematics.)
-Conceptual Understanding (How well you utilize mathematical ideas, transfer your knowledge into new situations, and apply it to new contexts.)
-Problem Solving with Adaptive Reasoning and Strategic Competence (How well you can apply strategies and sound reasoning.)
Over the course of the year, the mathematics teachers will be discussing these criteria with the students in class to create a portrait of each student. This portrait will be used to recommend the students into the mathematics course at Stevenson High School that matches their content knowledge as well as level of mathematics proficiency at this time.
As a district and consortium, it is our vision that each student moves on to the next course in the sequence providing that there are no significant gaps in content knowledge. If there are significant gaps in content knowledge and a change in recommendation occurs, we will contact you. We feel that this process allows a mathematical picture of the student to develop over time, which will provide a more informed recommendation.
Course Sequence for Bridge Algebra 1 Students
-Algebra 1 with Mentor Math or Algebra 1 with Math Guided Study will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-4
-Algebra 1 will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-4
Course Sequence for Algebra 1 Students
-Geometry will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-4
-Geometry AB/BC will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-4
Course Sequence for Geometry Students
-Algebra 2 will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-3
-Algebra 2 AB/BC will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-3
PORTRAIT OF A MATHEMATICALLY PROFICIENT STUDENT
Procedural Skills & Fluency
How well you can correctly use mathematics.
(skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately)
-I can identify and use the most efficient method for the problem. (MP7)
-I can use mathematical computations, terms, symbols, formulas, and language appropriately. (MP5, 6)
-I can recognize the algebraic structure in problems and use rules or procedures to solve or simplify. (MP7)
-I can solve problems with accuracy. (MP6)
Conceptual Understanding
How well you utilize mathematical ideas, transfer your knowledge into new situations, and apply it to new contexts.
(comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations, and relations)
-I can use diagrams, pictures, and symbols to justify my work. (MP4)
-I can understand and justify the “why” of the procedure. (MP3)
-I can justify solutions algebraically, graphically, and numerically. (MP3)
-I can explain my solution with sound mathematical reasoning using precise mathematics vocabulary and terminology. (MP3, 8)
-I can determine the reasonableness of my answer. (MP2)
Problem Solving with Adaptive Reasoning and Strategic Competence
How well you can apply strategies and sound reasoning.
(capacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation, and justification and ability to formulate, represent, and solve mathematical problems)
-I can select and use all the pertinent information to solve the problem. (MP2)
-I can determine solving strategy by forming logical relationships among concepts and situations. (MP7, 8)
-I can represent a situation mathematically using modeling. (MP4)
-I can retain and apply information and skills from previous units to solve problems alongside new concepts. (MP7,8)
-I can make connections between multiple mathematical concepts to solve problems in unfamiliar situations. (MP7,8)
-I can persevere when encountering new and difficult concepts.(MP1)
8th Grade World Languages Information (REPEAT)
Dear Families -
In the month of November, 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:
-D96 will collect valuable data that will inform our instruction to continue to enhance our Spanish curriculum and instruction.
-Stevenson High School will use this proficiency data to make initial recommendations for Spanish coursework when your student is in high school.
-Students will have the opportunity to have experience with an assessment that can lead them to earn 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 the language the students already know or context given. Additionally, the students will respond to writing prompts 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?
Speaking- (in class administration) November 8th, 10th, 14th, 16th, and 20th
Listening and Reading- November 29th from 1:06-2:30
Writing- November 30th from 1:06-2:30
What do students need?
Please make sure your student has headphones.
Please make sure your student has a charged iPad.
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 in late January/early February before 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 who 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?
Stevenson also provides individuals with experience in Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, or Latin could take a placement exam to decide if a higher level language course placement would be appropriate for their child. Please visit the Stevenson website for more information and to register for the exam via this link. The deadline to register is Friday, December 8th.
The purpose of the benchmark exam is two-fold:
-As indicated by this assessment, your student's level of proficiency will be used to determine the appropriate level for course recommendation. This information will be mailed in mid-January before Stevenson's Course Selection evenings.
-Course selection data collected in February is crucial to determining appropriate staffing, the number of sections, fiscal decisions, and building the master schedule for the following school year.
Finally, more information is available on this Benchmark FAQ document. For additional questions, please email [email protected].
Daily Announcements
Please see the 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.
Twin Groves Athletics
Please click HERE to access the Twin Groves Athletics site.
This site will be updated frequently.