2/28/20
TGIF… Twin Groves it’s Friday!
Just a reminder…there is no school on Monday, March 2nd. See you on Tuesday, March 3rd.
In an effort to spread positivity, Twin Groves uses our 5 Traits to recognize exemplars of the following qualities: Responsible, Accountable, Respectful, Safe, and a Community. In addition to the 5 Traits, we are also recognizing students for being an Upstander.
As part of this focus, the Twin Groves Staff would like to recognize and reward students who consistently demonstrate these qualities each month. For this month’s recognitions, we are pleased to announce that the following students have been selected for displaying these characteristics.
Sofia Bytsko
Autumn Greaney
Alex Jang
Ella Levine
Abby Levy
Medha Modekurti
Reese Racelis
Sridutt Rayudu
Aleksandra Zubrowski
What’s Happening in the classrooms at TG?
6th Grade
Language Arts/Language Arts Advanced: For the next few weeks, all 6th graders will be participating in Book Clubs! We are very excited for students to be able to read a book of their choice and discuss it with a small group of their peers. It is our hope that giving students choice in their reading will foster engaged learning and continue to establish lifelong reading habits. The themes of these novels will supplement our class work and allow students to work toward mastery of reading and writing targets.
Pre Algebra Survey: 6PAS is beginning a new unit on Algebraic Equations. We will be solving one-step equations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The students will be learning about isolating the variable and keeping the equation balanced. 6PAS will then extend this knowledge into solving two-step equations. It will be very important for students to check their answers by substituting the solutions back into the original equation, so please encourage that at home. The unit will end with a brief study on independent and dependent variables and solving inequalities. Last month we talked about encouraging the students to understand others’ reasoning and provide critique. This has allowed the students to have rich discussions in class and led to a great sharing of viewpoints. This month, students should recognize that they are modeling with mathematics, whether by representing the problem with an equation, table, or graph. Also, we’d like to focus on reasoning abstractly and quantitatively, as these skills are necessary when modeling with mathematics. Feel free to ask your children about their work!
The students have access to these apps that they should be using regularly:
Math Facts Ninja - For students who need extra practice with their math facts.
Knowre - This app covers topics in line with the Common Core Curriculum which the students are covering this year. This program is designed to develop critical thinking skills. Each class has expectations for completing lessons in Knowre each week, and students are welcome to work ahead and extend their learning.
Pre Algebra: 6PA will be finishing their first unit on geometry soon, focused on circles, surface area and volume. They will then move on to the second geometry unit, which includes angle relationships. Many of the problems the students have been working on include rigorous, deep-thinking problems, and the students have been rising up to the challenge! Last month we talked about encouraging the students to understand others’ reasoning and provide critique. This has allowed the students to have rich discussions in class and led to a great sharing of viewpoints. This month, students should recognize that they are modeling with mathematics, whether by representing the problem with an equation, table, or graph. Also, we’d like to focus on reasoning abstractly and quantitatively, as these skills are necessary when modeling with mathematics. Feel free to ask your children about their work!
The students have access to these apps that they should be using regularly:
Math Facts Ninja - For students who need extra practice with their math facts.
Knowre - This app covers topics in line with the Common Core Curriculum which the students are covering this year. This program is designed to develop critical thinking skills. Each class has expectations for completing lessons in Knowre each week, and students are welcome to work ahead and extend their learning.
SS: The social studies classes will be exploring the wonders of Ancient Rome and the many connections we have to the Romans in our modern world today! From the early years of The Republic to emperors like Julius Caesar, students will analyze the different political and social structures of Rome and what eventually led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. We’ll also uncover the fascinating culture of the Romans as we explore their daily lives, innovations, and even the courageous world of the gladiators.
Science: Scientists have been busy learning about the different cycles of matter. From the water cycle to the carbon and nitrogen cycles, students became a part of the cycle! Students were excited to link their knowledge of matter and elements into this new target. There were also a few really cool labs too! Be sure to ask your child about their Nitrogen Cycle Passport and their Water Cycle Adventure!
7th Grade
Language Arts: The new trimester brings us deeper into analytical writing and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. We are examining how authors develop characters and how these developments drive the plot of a novel. Students are enjoying our discussions regarding the choices these characters make and the influence that society has on the decisions of these teens. Further, we will ask ourselves some essential questions: How do the groups a person belongs to define that person? What are the costs and benefits of being included in a group?
Language Arts Advanced: This month in 7th Advanced LA, we will be delving into historical fiction in WWII Germany with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Through this novel, students will analyze how and why authors use history to build a story and shape readers’ perceptions. Further, we will ask ourselves some essential questions: How do the groups a person belongs to define that person? What are the costs and benefits of being included in a group? What factors influence decision-making in the face of injustice? How can the power of words affect people and their decisions?
Bridge to Algebra 1: We have been practicing applying the properties of exponents to simplify expressions as well as evaluate them while following PEMDAS (the order of operations). We will be using these properties we have learned to solve problems of all operations written in scientific notation.
Algebra 1: We are right in the heart of Algebra learning about key features of quadratic functions, what they can tell us about the function, and how to use these key features to graph the function. We will also be practicing using our graphing calculator to find the “zeros” of quadratic functions in real world problems and to generate quadratic regression equations to make predictions.
SS: We are winding down our study of the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and government at the national, state, and local levels. We completed a scavenger hunt of researching who our elected officials are at the national, state, and local levels… even down to the county and village/township levels! We compared, contrasted, and questioned government systems and structures in the United States and in other nations around the world. A key focus has been to examine what it means to be a citizen of the United States and the related rights and responsibilities. Some of our recent inquiry questions included: What are the roles and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy? What are examples of different types of citizens and actions? To what extent do citizens have a responsibility to take part in their society? Soon, we will be investigating our new nation coming out of the Revolutionary War and Constitutional Convention along with key issues pertaining to our first Presidents: Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. We will analyze several historically significant documents and texts during Trimester Three, such as Washington’s farewell address which is just as relevant today as it was back in 1796!
Science: As we move out of our waves unit, students are being introduced to cycles and patterns involving the sun, earth, and moon. We begin our unit by investigating scale to understand the general size and spacing of celestial bodies in our solar system. We investigate and calculate our weight on different planets, model a scaled down version of our solar system on a strip of paper, and work with math problems involving ratio. Students will be challenged to model and explain why when we look into the sky that the moon is in different locations from day-to-day and also illuminated in different patterns. Using Sun-Earth-Moon (SEM) modeling boards students will also have to identify seasons based on the tilt of the Earth.
8th Grade
Language Arts/Language Arts Advanced: Language Arts Students have been strengthening their analytical skills by analyzing Author’s Craft. Author's Craft is when a writer uses a unique element, technique, or literary device to make their final product more engaging. In informational texts, students will read two articles that disagree on the same topic. Students analyze and form an opinion on which author was more persuasive and why. In Literature, students are reading different versions of a similar story. They then compare the Author's Craft, and analyze how authors render their version of the story as “new.” All of these examples give students experience and knowledge on how to improve their own writing, whether it’s an info text or a narrative story.
Algebra 1: In Algebra 1, we are coming to an end of our Quadratic Functions and Polynomial Expressions unit. This unit is going to be essential for the students to understand in order to be successful in Algebra 2. Students have been learning operations of polynomials, how to factor using various methods, and different characteristics of quadratic functions. If your child is struggling with this unit, please encourage them to seek help and use outside resources! Our next unit of study will be Quadratic Equations, which builds off of Unit 7.
Algebra 2: In Algebra 2, students are finishing Unit 8: Statistics. The students learned different types of sampling and survey methods, calculating z-scores, using the mean and standard deviation to estimate population percentages, and margin of error. Next unit of study will be the Unit Circle!
SS: Students are finishing up their unit on the Vietnam War by exploring the consequences of the war and using music to share their knowledge. As we start the third trimester, students will investigate the decisions of more recent presidents. Our March Madness tournament begins. Students will determine which president deserves the title of Mr. President and which deserves the title of Mr. Disappointment.
Science: Students are investing the impact humans have on the environment, known as the human footprint. We will be studying water pollution to examine human impact on the planet. Students will also test tap water at Twin Groves to check for levels of hardness, chlorine, iron, copper, and pH. Students will design and test filtration systems to filter fresh water collected in the community and run tests to determine concentrations of common pollutants.
6th Grade Dental-Proof of Dental Exams
Attention parents of 6th Graders. Proof of dental exams for all 6th graders are due by May 15th. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Borzych at 847-821-8946.
Attention 8th Grade Parents- Illinois Youth Survey for Students
On March 20th, the 8th Graders will be participating in the Illinois Youth Survey.
Please see THIS LETTER for more information regarding the survey.
Twin Groves Gives Back
We are gearing up to do our 3rd annual student raffle. If you have anything you would like to donate please give donations to Mrs. Howard by March 6th.
Examples of past donations have been.
$5 gift cards
Gently used/new games or activities that would interest middle schoolers
Twin Groves Spirit wear
All proceeds from the raffle go to St. Jude.
Spring Conferences
Spring Conferences are coming on Thursday, March 12th from 5:00pm-8:30pm and Friday, March 13th from 10:00am-1:30pm .
HERE is the link to sign up.
Culture Conversations with Students
The Guiding Coalition for Interculturalism (GCI) is looking to include student voices in the weekly staff blog! Click here to access a short survey that your child can complete if they are interested, and their answers may appear in the staff newsletter!
Daily Announcements
The Daily Announcements will be posted each weekday 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 read and access the Daily Announcements.
PTO
OPEN BOARD POSITIONS ON THE TWIN GROVES PTO
Attention all parents! The Twin Groves PTO is looking for parents to volunteer their time on the PTO Executive Board.
For a list of open positions, please go to twingrovesmspto.membershiptoolkit.com .
If you have any specific questions about any of the positions, please email Jessica Barnes at [email protected].
We can’t wait to work with you!
ATTENTION 8TH GRADERS
Get your complimentary STEVENSON CLASS OF 2024 cotton t-shirt, courtesy of the Twin Groves PTO!
Login to twingrovesmspto.membershiptoolkit.com and choose your size!
Families can also purchase additional STEVENSON CLASS OF 2024
apparel online through the PTO MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT website at twingrovesmspto.membershiptoolkit.com by Friday, March 6th, 2020 (no late orders accepted).
Items should arrive within 2 weeks after the order deadline (before spring break!).
Upcoming Events:
3/11- Dessert Day
3/18- Special Lunch
4/22- Dessert Day
4/29- Special Lunch
5/6- Dessert Day
5/13- Special Lunch
Please click HERE to access Membership Toolkit. All items for sale from the PTO will be available on this website.