Mustang Minutes
Gemini Middle School - March 2022
As you already know, we became a mask-recommended environment on February 22, 2022. Please review the following guidelines with your child and encourage them to show respect to others in the building.
- Respect others' choice to wear or not wear a mask. Do not ask for reasons the person is wearing or not wearing a mask.
- Keep your hands to yourself. Do not touch another person's mask.
- If your child chooses to wear a mask, they should wear it in the appropriate manner.
Thank you for all your flexibility and support as we continue to navigate necessary mitigations and move this pandemic together.
Lewis Roberts, Principal
Erica Perelgut, Brian Gariti, and Wendy Brutt, Assistant Principals
Arrival & Dismissal
- Only enter the Gemini parking lot from Greenwood Ave. Do not enter from Ballard Rd, as the east entrance is for busses and staff members only.
- Do not park in the parking lot or block parking spaces. Our staff needs to be able to park and enter the building in an efficient manner so they are ready to greet your children at 8:15 AM.
- Pull all the way to the front of the line when the lane of traffic moves. Your children will walk to the school doors during arrival and will walk to your car during dismissal.
- When exiting Gemini, turn right onto Ballard Rd. Do not drive through the bus lane or the portion of the building past Door 13 towards Iceland.
Arrival Details
- During arrival, do not create multiple lanes of drop-off traffic. All students should be dropped off along the curb. Students should not cross in front of other traffic.
- Morning supervision begins at 8 AM. Students will be allowed in the building during inclement weather starting at 8 AM. This includes rain, snow, and real feel temperatures below 20 degrees. Otherwise, students will be allowed in the building at 8:15 AM.
- The outside doors close at 8:22 AM. Any students arriving after that will not have enough time to go to their locker and arrive at their class on time. Please drop off your child at Door 1 if you arrive after this time.
Dismissal Details
- During dismissal, create four lanes of traffic.
- Follow the directions of the supervisors for when to drive and when to stop. Students will only be allowed to cross when a staff member has stopped traffic.
With your help, we are able to greet and dismiss 1100 students safely and efficiently in approximately 15 minutes each day. Our goal is to keep our children safe. We appreciate your help with this matter.
Illinois 5Essentials Survey
We are currently at a 1% response rate, and we need at least 20% of our families to take the survey to count and see the results.
Please take some time to take the Illinois 5Essentials parent survey in the coming weeks before the window closes on March 11. The input you provide through this survey is incredibly valuable and is used to guide our school improvement planning efforts, and is part of our state school report card.
The survey is available in English and Español.
Supporting Gemini's PTO
We have currently raised $1,400 and are hoping to hit $5,000, any donation you can make is GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Please consider making a flat donation through the Gemini PTO GoFundMe page.
Safer Schools Webinar March 2
Cell phones, video games, social media: our children use them all. How can you ensure that your child is safe online and practicing good digital citizenship? If your D63 student is in grades 3-8, mark your calendar for:
Safer Schools Together Webinar
For Parents/Caregivers of Students in Grades 3-8
Wednesday, March 2 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
This free webinar - which will follow student-based webinars for this age group during the school day - focuses on "all things digital," including social media awareness, cyber-bullying, and more. Safer Schools will share recommendations for family rules, parental controls, family tech plans, and suggestions for monitoring your tween/teen’s digital life.
Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday, March 17, 2022, from 5 - 8 PM, and Friday, March 18, 2022, from 8 - 11 AM. Please understand that it is not required for you to schedule a formal conference time on March 17th or March 18th.
Parents that desire less formal communication can simply email their child's teachers. The PowerSchool Portal should offer a guide as to how your child is performing. If after reviewing your child's academic data, you feel a formal conference is warranted, please schedule an appointment when sign-up opens. Watch for future emails about signing up for conferences.
Spring Clubs
Tardy to Class
Congratulations to 8th Grade Authors
Congratulations to eighth grade students, Rehnuma Patel and Isha Kansagra, who wrote and published their own 380 page book!
Nightmare Damsel: A Family Legacy or A Danger Lurking Around The Corner
Thirteen-year-old Iris Pearl Vanderson, grown up with joy and comfort. She realizes that these things don’t last. That sadness is inevitable. All the things she thought she had with her for life, were not real. Strange events begin to occur, and in a matter of weeks her life turns entirely unrecognizable when her mother abandons her. Thriving to find out what’s going on, she encounters another human just like herself, as well as a whole new world she never expected to be a part of. One where she is safe, but in the greatest danger imaginable. People are willing to kill her for her powers. Is she capable of saving herself and the others?
Check out Amazon to purchase the book.100% of their profits will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital!!!! Be on the lookout for their second book, already in the works, Unfortunate Demoiselle.
March Sports Schedule
Library Updates
March Book Madness
It’s one of our favorite months of the year in the library, because it is time for March Book Madness! This fun online event allows students to vote each week in March for their favorite book from a group of 16, eliminating half of the books each week until there is a winner. For more information, visit the March Book Madness website.
Famished for Fiction
Our next Famished for Fiction will be held on Tuesday, March 29 during lunch and Advisory periods. This month, we (along with the teen librarians from NMDL and MGPL) will be sharing suggestions for some of our favorite books in verse. This style of book contains an entire story told through poems/poetic language.
Community Libraries
Our community libraries continue to provide wonderful programs (both in-person and virtual) for students. Please check out your local library to see what is new!
D63 Family Resource Center
L.I.T. Leader in Training
NEW! This is a program designed for incoming 8th & 9th graders who want to build their leadership skills this summer. Program participants will go through pre-camp training that will include receiving an American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED certification. During the summer, participants will learn skills in youth development as well as build on their own skills in communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and initiative. For more information, click here.
Calendar Highlights
March
2: Safer Schools Parent/Caregiver Workshop 6:30 - 7:30 PM
3: D63 Board of Education Meeting at 7 p.m.
4: Mustang of the Month
7: Early Dismissal - School Improvement Day
14: Spring Club Registration Begins
16: Last Day of Winter Clubs
17: 3rd Quarter Ends
17: Parent-Teacher Conferences 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
18: Non-attendance Day - Parent-Teacher Conferences 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.
21-25: No School - Spring Break
28: Spring Club Registration Ends
30: Report Cards Posted in PowerSchool
April
1: Report Cards posted in PowerSchool Portal
1: Mustang of the Month
4: Spring Clubs Begin
5: Graduation Retake Day
7: D63 Board of Education Meeting at 7 p.m.
14: Early Dismissal - School Improvement Day
15: No School - Good Friday
25: Spring Orchestra Concert - Maine East High School @ 7:00 p.m.
28-30: Gemini Spring Musical - Honk Jr.
#hereatgemini
Email: gemini411@emsd63.org
Website: emsd63.org/gemini
Location: 8955 North Greenwood Avenue, Niles, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 827-1181
Twitter: @D63Gemini