Mustang Minutes

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Welcome to the Fourth Quarter of the 2022-2023 school year! This month, we are proud to present two parent presentations in cooperation with District 207: Vaping 101 - What Parents Need to Know and District 207's Career Planning and how it impacts your children. The Illinois Assessment of Reading (IAR) test will be given from April 10 - April 14, so be sure your child is ready to do his or her best each day! Sign up for FREE summer reading books and to attend the D63 Annual Charity Basketball Game. Eighth grade families, be sure to check for important end-of-the-year information. Finally, check out all the summer opportunities towards the bottom of this month's newsletter.

Please join us for an important parent presentation Vaping 101:What Parents Need to Know on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 6:30 PM in the Gemini Auditorium. Information will be presented by Mr. Tim Mackin, Gemini's Dean of Students, in cooperation with staff from Maine East High School. Learn how to identify different types of vaping devices and how to talk to your children about this important topic.

All Gemini students will take the reading and mathematics tests for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) April 10 - April 14. Please ensure your child gets a good night's rest, eats a healthy breakfast, and brings their charged Chromebook to school on time each day!

Congratulations to the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade choirs on their wonderful Spring Concert last month. Don’t miss your chance to attend more awesome Performing Arts events this Spring. Students and families are encouraged to attend these events. Thank you for supporting our performers.

Spring Orchestra Gala Concert at Maine East HS

• Monday, April 24 at 7 PM

• Maine East High School Auditorium - Door 2

• Admission is free
  

Spring Musical: Seussical Jr.

• Thursday, April 27 at 4:30 PM
  

• Friday, April 28 at 7 PM

• Saturday, April 29 at 2 PM

• Gemini Auditorium - Door 12
• Tickets are $2 for students & $7 for adults

Gemini MS and Maine East HS Combined Choir Concert

• Wednesday, May 3 at 7 PM
  
• Maine East High School Auditorium - Door 2
  
• Admission is free

Band Concert (5th - 8th Grades)

• Thursday, May 11 at 6 PM
  

• Gemini Auditorium - Door 12

• Admission is free
  

A special edition of the Mustang Minutes was emailed to 8th grade families on Friday, March 24th with important information about graduation picture retakes, 8th grade t-shirts, graduation, and an opportunity to attend Six Flags Great America. In addition, Maine East is hosting an Activities & Athletics Night for incoming freshman on April 19th at 6 PM.

We are excited to host the event to raise money for Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital. Come cheer on D63's teachers, as the elementary teachers take on Gemini staff!

The big game will take place on Friday, May 19th. Doors open at 4:45 PM, with tip-off at 5:45! Tickets can be purchased by Gemini students using this link.There are also tickets available for purchase in the main office. Payment will be collected and tickets will be distributed during lunch periods in early April. Last year tickets to this event sold out! Purchasing tickets in advance guarantees your spot at the big game! Limited tickets may be available at the door depending on availability.

This year, our goal is to raise at least $7,000 dollars to donate. All ticket sales are donated, but if you would like to further support us in reaching this goal, please consider making a donation through PushCoin. If you need assistance with this process, we are happy to help.

Contact Rhianna Arreguin for more information on how to donate or with any questions!

For the third year in a row, we're excited to provide current D63 students with their own collection of free books to read during summer break! Families can select books with their child(ren) through Friday, April 7. The number of books varies based on your student's current grade:

• Grades PreK- 2: 12 books
• Grades 3-5: nine books
• Grades 6-8 (including graduates): seven books

Follow these step-by-step directions to make your selections. Book packs will be distributed to students before summer break. Questions? Contact support.emsd63.org.

Reserve your copy of the 2022-2023 yearbook today. The cost is $30.

Home Sporting Events

Click here for a calendar of home track and field meets and softball games meets this month.

Student Spectators

Students staying for after-school sporting events must report to the cafeteria after school. Any student that leaves the grounds and returns must be with an adult that is staying at the event.

Sports Physicals

If your child is interested in playing sports, we encourage you to visit the Gemini Sports page to learn more about our program and participation requirements. As a reminder, all students must have a valid physical on file with the nurses prior to tryouts. Contact one of our nurses if you are unsure if your child has a current physical.

The next PTO meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 6:30 PM. Join us on Zoom to hear more about how you can support the students and staff at Gemini!

If your child or family is in need of support services, please reach out to your grade level social worker.

6th Grade: Zoe Turner

7th Grade: Barrett Winston

8th Grade: Laura Mell

General Gemini Library Information

This month, we are excited to host our spring book fair. We will be set up April 10-14, and students will be able to visit during their ELA class. Visit the book fair site to see general information, browse books and order online, set up your student’s eWallet, and sign up for reminders. As always, please contact Kris Buican or Jill Wahlers if you have any questions.

Famished for Fiction

We will host our final Famished for Fiction of the year on Tuesday, April 25. The theme will be “Book Scattergories,” in which we will showcase books representing a variety of genres. On a related note, we are very excited to begin the process of genrefying the library for next year - students may have noticed the new colored stickers on library books!

Scholastic Book Order

If you would like to order books for your student or as a gift, check out our Scholastic class page, or search through Scholastic’s digital flyers. The code to order is Z3GW2. All orders submitted earn bonus points, which are used to purchase new books for the Gemini library and ELA classrooms.

Local Libraries

Check out the teen pages of our local libraries:

Niles-Maine District Library

Morton Grove Public Library

Des Plaines Public Library

Glenview Public Library

Park Ridge Public Library

EMSD63 FRC is again offering Enrichment Classes for students in grade K-8 this spring including Robotics, Soccer, Art Classes, and Lego Classes. Sign up today, classes begin when we return from Spring Break.

Enroll today for our FREE Summer Learning Programs.

• Summer Quest, an afternoon enrichment program, is open to all currently registered students entering PreK-8th grade in the 2023-2024 school year (and graduating 8th graders). Students can sign up for Session #1, June 26-29 and July 5-7 OR Session #2, July 10-13 and July 17-20.
• Summer Explorers morning programs, open by invitation only, include Ready, Set, Kindergarten; the Extended School Year Program (ESY); and Multilingual Learner (ML) Summer School. Families of students qualifying for the ESY and ML programs have been notified - families of students who qualify for RSK will be notified soon. Programs run Monday-Thursday, June 26 - July 20.

The Niles Teen Center is a department of the Village of Niles that provides a welcoming, structured, and safe environment for local teens in 6th through 12th grade. We seek to develop, connect, and invest in area teens through a variety of programming, special events, and service opportunities.

April

4: Reports Emailed and Available in Parent Portal

5: Graduation Photo Retakes

6: D63 Board of Education Meeting at 7 PM

7: No School - Good Friday

10-14: IAR Testing for All Grades

11: PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM

13: D207 Career Services Presentation

14: Early Dismissal at 11:25 AM

24: Spring Orchestra Concert

27-29: Spring Musical

May

3-4: NWEA MAP Testing

3: Gemini & MEHS Combined Choir Concert at 7 PM

4: D63 Board of Education Meeting at 7 PM

9: PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM

11: 5th thru 8th Grade Band Concert at 6 PM

12: Early Dismissal at 11:25 AM

19: Charity Basketball Game

29: No School - Memorial Day

June

1: 8th Grade Graduation at 6 PM

2: Last Day of Student Attendance

2: 8th Grade Six Flags Great America Field Trip

Lewis Roberts, Principal

Wendy Brutt, 6th Grade Assistant Principal

Erica Perelgut, 7th Grade Assistant Principal

Brian Gariti, 8th Grade Assistant Principal

Tim Mackin, Dean of Students

• We encourage you to follow us on our website and social media, this is a great way to stay informed.
• Gemini Website
• Gemini Twitter @D63Gemini
• Gemini Instagram @geminid63

Email: gemini411@emsd63.org
Website: emsd63.org/gemini
Location: 8955 North Greenwood Avenue, Niles, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 827-1181
Twitter: @D63Gemini