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Mustang Minutes
Gemini Middle School - April 2024
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Dear Gemini Families,
We hope you had a restful and enjoyable Spring break. There are only two months left in the school year but still so much more to do! Students will be taking the IAR tests as soon as they return to school so please have your children well rested and Chromebooks fully charged. Also, on April 8th, we will be taking the students outside to view the solar eclipse. The district will be providing special glasses to wear during the event. Please read on to see all that is happening in April.
Your Admin team,
Lewis, Erica, Wendy, David, & Tim
IAR and ISA Testing
All Gemini students will take the reading and mathematics tests for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) April 3 - April 9. Any eighth-graders who did not complete the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) in March will do make up testing on April 2. 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!
Gemini PTO Fundraiser
Each year, the Gemini PTO raises funds to enrich the lives of our students and staff. This year, our goal is $5,000 to support fun activities like dances, movie nights, and other social events. Donations will also go towards celebrating our amazing staff during Appreciation Week and a special graduation gift for our 8th graders.
Currently we have raised $900, we would like to hit $2,500 by April 12. Click on our GoFundMe link to donate and help us meet our goal.
Thank you!
2023-2024 Yearbooks
Order the 2024 Gemini Middle School Yearbook Today!
The yearbook staff has worked incredibly hard on this year’s yearbook! If you order by April 9, 2024 the cost is only $26.00!! After April 9, 2024 the cost will increase to $30.00. We have a very limited number of copies to sell, so DON’T wait, order yours right away!!
Order your 2024 Gemini Middle School yearbook at www.jostens.com
Washington D.C. and New York City Trip
Attention 6th and 7th grade families: Send your Student to DC and NYC!
The Gemini Travel Club will be holding an enrollment meeting for our 2025 spring break trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City. Enrollment is open to all current 6th and 7th grade students, but space is limited!
Meeting details:
Open to all current 6th and 7th grade families
When - Thursday, April 11th, 7PM
Where - Gemini Middle School, Learning Stairs - Enter through Door 13
Signs will be posted
Highlights of the DC/NYC trip include:
Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum
Tour the Smithsonian campus
Catch a Broadway show
and so much more!
Click here to reserve your seats for the meeting and come learn about this amazing student travel opportunity!
For more information contact Mr. Thayer (athayer@emsd63.org) with any questions.
Great America Field Trip
8th Grade Graduates/Families
Friday, May 31, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Registration closes April 18th (no exceptions).
- Students will travel by school bus to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee at 9:00 AM.
- Students will return to Gemini between 5:00-5:30 PM. All students will need to be picked up or walk home from Gemini.
- No refunds.
Please read below and select the option that fits your child's needs. You may only select ONE OPTION.
- Option 1: My child DOES NOT have a season pass to Six Flags Great America. The cost of the trip is $76. This fee covers admission to Six Flags, a Mega Meal Deal Package, including a meal voucher, snack voucher, a beverage, and the bus fee.
- Option 2: My child DOES have a season pass to Six Flags Great America. The cost of the trip is $36. This fee covers a Mega Meal Deal Package, including a meal voucher, snack voucher, a beverage, and the bus fee. Before leaving for the trip, students will have to provide proof that they have a valid season pass. They will not be allowed to purchase a pass or ticket upon arrival.
- How to register for field trips
8th Grade Graduation Practice
Attention 8th graders and parents! Please visit this site to learn more about the upcoming graduation practice at Maine West on May, 30th. We are leaving Gemini to attend practice so this is considered a Field Trip and you will need to fill out the permission form via PushCoin. More information will be coming to 8th grade families later this month.
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
Save the date: April 9th
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 968 3945 3205
Passcode: GeminiPTO
Please join us on Tuesday, April 9th from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM for our monthly meeting. The meeting is held in the Gemini Library or feel free to join virtually.
Performing Arts Events
There are many exciting arts events coming this Spring. We invite you to check out a new facet of Gemini student life and support our student performers. For all events in the Gemini Auditorium (Mustang Gym), please enter through Door 12.
Spring Play: Moana Jr.
April 25 - 4:30 - 6:30 PM
April 26 - 7:30 - 9:30 PM
April 27 - 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Please make note of the date change and change of venue for the D63 Band Festival.
It will be held May 7th at Maine East High School this year. The concert will begin at 6pm and is free. It will feature all of the D63 band students from 4-8th grade.Sports Updates
Home Game information
Girls Softball (6-8th)
- April 3, 4 - Tryouts
Track
- Practices start April 2
- April 15 - NBJH / Maple - 4:30
- April 18 - Field - 4:30
- April 22 -Wilmette / Shepard - 4:30
- April 23 - Caruso - 4:30
Student Spectators
Spring sports are in full swing and we encourage students to come and support their friends from the sidelines.
Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind for our student spectators:
- If a Gemini student is staying to watch an after school sporting event, they must report to the school cafeteria by 3:35 PM.
- If a Gemini student leaves the school grounds and they want to return for a sporting event, they MUST be accompanied by a parent (and the parent must stay the entire time).
- If a student is absent from school on the day of the sporting event (or had an early dismissal), they are not permitted to attend the Gemini sporting event.
Library Updates
General Gemini Library Information
As we enter the final quarter of the school year, students will only have a few more chances to find books that they love. With April being National Poetry Month, we would love for more students to explore the genre. We offer a plethora of reading selections that include books containing poems as well as books in verse, which are full novels told in poetic format. In fact, this year’s Caudill award winner, Alone by Megan E. Freeman, is written in verse. Please contact Kris Buican or Jillian Wahlers if you have any questions.
Community Libraries
Our community libraries continue to provide wonderful programs for students. Please check out your local library’s teen page to see what is new!
Home-School Connection
Parents,
We recently started our home-school connection where our students are encouraged to engage in conversations around the content they are learning at school with people in their homes and their communities. The purpose of the home-school connection is to provide opportunities for students to review and reinforce concepts at home, make emotional connections to the material, and develop problem solving skills.
Each Monday, a different department will post a home-school question on our website to foster discussions with topics they are currently learning in their classes. If you have any questions related to the questions, please reach out to your child's department teacher.
Visit our home-school connection page on our website. There will always be a link under our "Announcements" page and we plan to share it on our Instagram page as well.
Iceland Parking Lot
Iceland has been a great neighbor to Gemini and we want to maintain that relationship. As was stated in our communication at the start of the year, Iceland should not be used as a drop off and pick up site for students. However, because drop off and pick up does not normally interrupt operations at Iceland they have not made an issue that this has been occuring.
Support from Student Services
Grade Level Social Workers
6th Grade: Laura Mell
7th Grade: Zoe Turner (Habla espanol)
8th Grade: Kaarin VandenBranden
Winter Coats and Accessories
If you need help getting a winter coat for your child, please call or email the social work team. We also have accessories like mittens, hats, etc. You can also reach out to us if you need help with access to food or other community resources.
Dist. 207 STEM Summer Camp
District 207 is offering a STEM summer camp for middle schoolers. Registration is now open!
D63 Family Resource Center
From youth development classes, to adult education, to family events, there are many options available for your student and family this winter at the D63 Family Resource Center. Visit our Family Resource website for the most up-to-date programming for the D63 community!
Summer Camp Academy
Even though it's cold outside, we are getting ready to open Summer Camp Academy registration! Register your child for summer programs on the FRC Website.
RULER at Gemini
Beginning this fall, the Gemini Middle School community will be learning about how we can use emotions to reach our goals. We have committed to implementing RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER is also an acronym for the skills of emotional intelligence: Recognizing emotions, Understanding emotions, Labeling emotions, Expressing emotions, and Regulating emotions. Research from the field of emotion science finds that children who understand and manage their feelings make more responsible decisions, have stronger relationships, and perform better in school.
We will be infusing RULER into all parts of our school by having school wide activities and introducing routines that build emotional awareness into all classes. In middle school, students learn about emotions and emotional intelligence within the context of their real world experiences: personally, at school, in our communities, and in our understanding of the world around us. Each lesson addresses a developmentally appropriate topic such as healthy and unhealthy relationships, conflict resolution, coping skills, and identifying personal values. Over the course of the year, I will be providing ongoing communication to you about RULER. For now, if you would like to learn more visit the RULER Family Engagement website.
Breakfast and Lunch Information
Breakfast
- Breakfast is available from 8:00 - 8:20 AM each morning in our school cafeteria. Bus riders will enter Door 6 once they arrive. Car riders and walkers will enter at Door 2 or Door 13.
- Students entering the school for breakfast must purchase a breakfast. If they do not purchase a breakfast, they will be escorted back outside and will wait with everybody else.
Lunch
- We do NOT accept student lunches from food delivery services such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, etc. If food is delivered from a delivery service, we will send them away with the order. A parent or family member is the only person from whom we will accept a lunch delivery for a student.
Gemini Social Media
- 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
Upcoming Events
April
1: Spring Break
2: School Resumes
3-9: IAR testing
3-4: Girls Softball tryouts
9: PTO Meeting
10: EID - No School
11: Washington D.C. and New York City Trip Informational Meeting
12: School Improvement Day - early dismissal
25-27: Spring Musical: "Moana Jr"
May
10: School Improvement Day - early dismissal
14: PTO Meeting
27: Memorial Day - No School
30: 8th Grade Graduation Practice (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM) / Graduation (6:00 PM)
31: 8th Grade Great America Field Trip
Upcoming Sporting Events
- Check out the sports calendar on Gemini's calendar.
#hereatgemini
Email: gemini411@emsd63.org
Website: https://gemini.emsd63.org/
Location: 8955 North Greenwood Avenue, Niles, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 827-1181
Twitter: @D63Gemini
Office Hours: Monday- Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. on days when students are in the building.