Mustang Minutes
Gemini Middle School - September 2020
Welcome Back!
The 2020-2021 school year may look different, but Gemini's mission remains the same. We seek to empower all students to succeed in a changing world. We find our world rapidly changing, so there is no better time to support our students in learning the importance of empathy, flexibility, self-care, resiliency, grit, and determination.
Communication is more important than ever. We understand that navigating numerous emails, chats, videos, and posts can be overwhelming. In an attempt to streamline communication, general Gemini information will be shared in this monthly newsletter. We ask that you carefully read the newsletter, as it contains important and necessary information for your child's health, safety, and educational experience.
As we navigate this school year, we know that we are STRONGER TOGETHER and look forward to supporting our school community together.
Your partners in education,
Lewis Roberts, Principal
Erica Perelgut, Brian Gariti, and Wendy Brutt, Assistant Principals
63 Online
Remote Learning Expectations:
- Follow this list of Daily Morning Expectations.
- Log in to class on time. (Watch this short video that explains our block schedule and how students can best prepare for this.)
- Submit assigned activities and tasks.
- Be respectful to students and staff.
- Participate appropriately.
Suggestions for Parents:
- Create a quiet, distraction-free area for your child.
- Help create an organization system for school supplies and materials.
- Encourage and help your child to self-advocate when questions arise.
- Remind your child to charge their Chromebook every night.
- Set a schedule aligned to the Gemini bell schedule.
Need help with technology? Submit a helpdesk ticket. Most support will be provided at the district office.
Please submit your child's attendance every Friday by logging into the portal. This must be completed using the parent/guardian's username and password. Students may not submit attendance.
Parents, In order to make it easier for students to access the school's 63 Online learning plan we have added it to Classlink. When a student logs in to Classlink their school's plan will automatically launch for the student.
Many questions are answered in this Safely Back to School presentation.
Parent Contact Information
Gemini's Office
Securly for Student Safety
Our district uses Securly to keep students safe on their school-issued devices, or when logged into a Chrome web browser using their school account. Securly has a seamless login to its Parent Portal. Below are some details on this service.
- The District enables notifications for parents/guardians of all students when they enroll.
- Once students are enrolled, parents, with emails on record with the District, receive a weekly summary of their student’s internet activity.
- If a parent turns off notifications, only that parent can turn them back on.
Securly Parent Portal Key Information:
- Email Reports - Parents receive a summarized activity report, emailed every week, of their child’s Internet activity. These emails are meant to give a positive overview of the student's productivity, and cover four topics: Educational Sites, Sites, Searched Words, and Videos.
- Access to Parent Portal - Parents can log in and see a full audit trail of what their child is doing on a school-owned device at any time.
- To enter the Parent Portal, simply click on the "view more" link, or the “sign up” link at the bottom of your weekly email.
- The Parent Portal contains two categories on the left from which you can choose: Activity (shows a real-time audit trail of your child's online activity) and Flagged (shows items that have been flagged by Securly) .
SEL Corner
Welcome back Gemini families! We know this year is starting differently, and we want to introduce ourselves and offer our support. Your Gemini social workers are:
Laura Mell, 6th grade lmell@emsd63.org
Zoe Turner, 7th grade zturner@emsd63.org
Emily Alexander, 8th grade ealexander@emsd63.org
If your family needs help with accessing community resources, or you have concerns about your child’s social and emotional well-being during remote learning, please reach out to us.
You can browse our Gemini Social Work website for information on specific community resources, links to articles and social-emotional activities, and a calming space you and your child can access together.
We look forward to partnering with you this year!
Meal Pickup
While learning is fully remote, parents/guardians of registered students may pick up meals at Gemini on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 AM - 12:30 PM. Please bring the lunch barcode provided int he parent portal for pick up. Students will be charged per their classification of Free/Reduced/or full payment. Visit the district Back to School 20/21 page for more details.
Calendar Highlights
31: Advocate Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Visit (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
September:
3: Board of Education Meeting @ 7:00 PM
7: No School - Labor Day
18: No School - Remote Learning Planning Day
28: No School - Yom Kippur
#hereatgemini
Email: gemini411@emsd63.org
Website: emsd63.org/gemini
Location: 8955 North Greenwood Avenue, Niles, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 827-1181
Twitter: @D63Gemini