11/15/24
Upcoming Dates:
11/19- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
11/27-12/1- No School- Thanksgiving Break
12/10- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
12/21- 1/5- No School- Winter Break
1/6- Classes Resume
1/14- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
1/20- No School
Twin Groves had a wonderful Veteran’s Day assembly on Monday, November 11th.
The 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Youth Leadership Program members did a fantastic job presenting.
Thank you, Mrs. Didech, Ms. O’Rourke, and Ms. Leone for your leadership and support!
The TG Band, Orchestra, and Chorus performed. They all sounded amazing!
Thank you, Mr. Nagle, Mrs. Anderson, and Mr. Barrett!
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:
The 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. And on the flipside, 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
Report Cards!
Families: A helpful reminder! Report cards are live at 3 pm on Friday, November 15th! After that time, families will be able to view their child’s report card on TeacherEase. Families can find more helpful information about report cards, including how to view them and how to switch between multiple students, here: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/access-student-progress-reports-online
We also have a helpful webpage dedicated to helping you understand your child’s report card: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/understanding-your-childs-report-card
If you happen to forget your Teacher Ease password, please click “Forgot Password” on the log-in main page.
Virtual Backpacks
District Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack
Twin Groves Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/tg/virtual-backpack
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.
Twin Groves Athletics
Please click HERE to access the Twin Groves Athletics site.
This site will be updated frequently.