9/7/18
TGIF...Twin Groves it’s Friday! I hope you have a nice three day weekend! We will see you on Tuesday, September 11th.
You may have see a fire truck at dismissal. At the end of the day, the fire deparment came to Twin to check out an outlet in the Kitchen. Everything is fine.
What’s Happening at TG?
PE
During the month of September the students will be involved in Team handball, soccer and a game unit. These activities will run three days a week. The other two days will be our Cardio days. Students will work on improving their Cardiovascular Fitness level. At the beginning of the school year all students participated in fitness testing. This was a baseline test to see their fitness level at this point. Throughout the year we hope to improve in all fitness domains.
Health
This rotation the 6th graders have learning about decision making skills. Students have learned about how their decisions have consequences and how to make good decisions. During this unit students have also learned about bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse. Near the end of the rotation the students created a bully free comic to show their understanding of the material. The seventh graders this year started to learn about mental/emotional health. We have focused on goal setting and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to achieve our goals. The students really enjoyed the Marshmallow Tower activity that worked on team building. In eighth grade we have worked on the human sexuality unit. Students created contraceptive commercials to showcase their knowledge about the material. We discussed abstinence and how choosing to be abstinent has many positive outcomes without any negative consequences. During this unit students discussed abortion, the Safe Haven Law, homosexuality, and had a great court case on sexual harassment.
Important Information about Sexual Abuse Prevention Education
Erin’s Law, House Bill 6193 was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on January 24, 2013. This law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for grades pre-K through 12. Erin’s Law was developed in honor of Erin Merryn, a brave young woman who has crossed the country advocating for laws that will increase awareness of this crime against children.
One of the requirements of this law is that schools provide an age appropriate curriculum to all students relating to sexual abuse prevention. To this end, the Zacharias Center will present to District 96 middle school students during Health.
Nationwide, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be the victim of child sexual abuse by the age of 18. Through this program aimed at educating and empowering students, we want to provide your student with the knowledge and skills to use if ever affected by sexual violence. District 96 believes that all of our students will benefit from participating in this program.
If you have any questions about the content of the program or if you wish to inquire about opting out, please feel free to contact your school principal.
Music
Welcome back to school and the music classroom! As we have begun the school year, all classes jumped into singing and writing song lyrics just to help us get back into the swing of things. 6th create a short RAP project in Garageband, to learn how to use the program as we move to more composition projects. 7th Grade wrote a "Concept" song where they had to teach something they learned in school last year in one of their core classes. 8th Grade wrote a "Protest" song where they chose the topic on "Say No to Drugs" or "Stop Bullying". Of course, they all performed for each. We have now switched gears to different levels of the Rhythm Unit. As we become comfortable with our rhythms, we will all begin the guitar unit which we will do for the next month.
The Art and Science of Living
Welcome back! This month in TASOL we are working on the nutrition unit for 7th and 8th grade. Students have been keeping a food journal and examining their choices compared to the MyPlate recommendations. They are also investigating the old and new nutrition label. We will start cooking in the next few weeks. In 6th grade, we have been looking at the family functions and created a family crest to represent those functions within each individual's family. Students are currently exploring different career clusters and will begin creating an resume next week.
Lockers- Regular Lockers and PE Lockers
Please remind your child to lock their locker at all times. This goes for their PE locker and their regular locker.
Camfel
On September 12th, Twin Groves will be hosting Camfel Production, It’s My Life, for all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. The theme of the production is Responsibility. Please click HERE to learn more about Camfel.
Youth Leadership Program
Twin Groves will be starting the YLP (Youth Leadership Program) this year! This is a very exciting opportunity for the students at Twin Groves. Students will be learning about this opportunity on Wednesday, September 12th. Please see below for more information.
About the Program
The District 96 Youth Leadership Program (YLP) provides students with the opportunity to serve as a leader in the following areas academics, social emotional learning, and study skills. The YLP will develop the leadership of the student members while supporting the growth of our school community. Students will form connections to create an inclusive student body.
The YLP provides students with:
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Peer Tutoring and Study Skills Supports- An opportunity to participate in study teams and/or have access to tutorial assistance
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SEL Leadership- Create and present social and emotional learning activities in FLEX classes
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Professional Learning Community Visit Tours- Provide tours to outside educators throughout the year
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New Student Ambassador- An ongoing orientation for new students that enables students to become familiar with its physical layout, policies, procedures, programs, traditions, and personnel
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Student Activities- A mechanism for increasing students awareness regarding academic and co-curricular opportunities
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Building Leadership- Leadership around new technology, District initiatives, and at events
YLP Student Characteristics:
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Positive influence and contributor in all environments
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Serves as a peer role model for other students
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Demonstrates a growth mindset by taking ownership and learns of their mistakes
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Believes all students have strengths and weakness and refrains from judgements when someone struggles
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Celebrates successes
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Courage to step up and speak out in front of your peers
Student Requirements:
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One after school (2:30-3:15) meeting per month with Faculty Advisor
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One after school (2:30-3:15) peer tutoring session per month
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One day a week committed to peer tutoring during your FLEX period
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Lunch meeting once a trimester with administration
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Meets eligibility requirements
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Meets all requirements in application
Information from Catalyst and Stand Strong
Dr. Michael Bradley talks to parents about crazy, stressed teens!
September 13th at 10:30 am and 7:00 PM
Dr. Bradley, licensed clinical psychologist, renowned author, and speaker on teen behavior will present two times on Thursday, September 13th. He will talk about "When Things Go Crazy with Your Adolescent, The Why, the How, The What to Do Now" at 10:30 AM at Vernon Township Library, the Annex at 10:30 AM. THANK YOU VERNON AREA LIBRARY FOR SPONSORING! To register for this event, visit, https://goo.gl/Lbsdyt (morning event)
He will speak again about his new book, "Crazy-Stressed",. (Saving today's overwhelmed teen with love, laughter and the science of resilience) from 7:00-9:00 PM at Performing Arts Center at SHS, Parking lot E. Register at https://goo.gl/xdw2bz
Dr. Cortesi's Parenting Class, How to Raise Alcohol & Drug Free Teenagers.
October 3rd, 10th, and 17th. 7:00-8:30 PM
Dr. Cortesi will follow up on Dr. Bradley's parenting talks with her own class on raising teens today, with a focus on keeping them alcohol and drug free. This class, taught through PREP, will focus on practical tips on how to effectively parent through these tough teenage years. Dr. Cortesi, the Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator at Stevenson, will explain to parents about the growing teen brain, how teenagers sometimes act they way they do and how and why parents can be consistent through these years on messaging and talking about alcohol and drug use. Spaces will fill up fast so book your spot now through PREP at https://stevensonhighschool.perfectmind.com/24232/Classes/BookMe4LandingPages/CoursesLandingPage?courseId=05382c14-cbb1-4d11-bc92-3205df1ec345
Daily Announcements
The Daily Announcements will be posted each morning. 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.
PTO
Please click HERE to access the Membership Toolkit. All items for sale from the PTO will be available on this website.
Band & Orchestra Boosters
Please click the BLOG to access the latest news from the Band & Orchestra Boosters.