9/4/20
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday!
Just a reminder...there is no school on Monday, September 7th.
What’s Happening at TG?
6th Grade
Welcome to Twin Groves...we’re so glad you’re here! If at any time you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any one of the teachers. The sixth grade teacher teams include 6th Grade Blue: Mrs. Nancy Blitz (maternity leave sub for Mrs. Jen Didech), Ms. Madison Engel, Mr. Vince Masse, and Mr. Jeff Williams; 6th Grade Gold: Mrs. Lisa Huberty, Mr. Daniel Lee, Mrs. Ali Maier, Ms. Sam Sabin, and Mrs. Kristen Vileta. We look forward to a great year together!
Language Arts and Language Arts Advanced:
Language Arts classes are off to a great start! We are beginning the year spending some time trying to get to know each other as best we can through video. These connections are so important, yet so different this year! Also, students are working on identifying the mood of a text and selecting which words and phrases the author used to create that mood. Theme is another target students are learning about and they will read stories to determine what lesson the characters learn in the story and/or what lesson the author is trying to teach the reader.
Science:
In science classes, students are beginning to explore the wonderful world of science. We discussed safety in and around a science lab. We’ve also done some activities measuring length, volume, and mass. Students will be introduced to scientific bar and line graphs. We will then begin the Environmental Geoscience unit which include studying predator/prey relationships and the various components of an ecosystem.
Social Studies:
In social studies, students will be learning about the world through the lens of geography. We will challenge the students to think like a geographer in order to understand why people live in certain locations, why they move, and how people and their environments impact one another. Along with this, we will be using the inquiry model to help students develop critical thinking skills to grapple with essential questions.
Pre Algebra Survey:
Welcome to 6th grade math! We are starting with a unit on ratios and proportions. The students will learn how to describe ratio relationships, solve problems, and work with percentages. Mr. Lee and Mrs. Blitz (maternity leave sub for Mrs. Didech) are more than willing to work with students if they are not confident that they understand any of the lessons studied in class. So far, the students are doing great and we are excited to get to know them this year!
Pre Algebra:
Welcome to 6th grade math! We are starting with a unit on ratios and proportions. The students will learn how to describe ratio relationships, solve problems, and work with percentages. Mr. Lee and Mrs. Blitz (maternity leave sub for Mrs. Didech) are more than willing to work with students if they are not confident that they understand any of the lessons studied in class. So far, the students are doing great and we are excited to get to know them this year!
7th Grade
Language Arts and Language Arts Advanced:
To start the year off, we have spent the week getting to know each other. We have used several writing assignments to begin developing our rapport. First, the students created a Six Word Memoir where they used their creativity and concise writing skills to express their life story in just six words. Then we read an open letter by young adult author Jayson Reynolds in which he expresses 10 statements he would like to share with students. The students then used his writing as a model to create their own letter to the adults in their life. Hopefully some of your students shared those with you. This week we will dive into our review of themes. In the upcoming weeks we will focus on using a story’s mood and tone to help decipher the author’s theme.
Science:
We started the year with a review of scientific method and measurement. Students made observations and inferences based on the world around them. We will continue practicing these skills throughout the year starting with our cell target. We will learn how cells help the body function as a whole. We will look at what organelles make up animal and plant cells and how these organelles function. By learning about cells, we will apply that to differentiated cells in the various body systems.
Social Studies:
It’s been a great start to the school year! We are getting to know our classes and each other. We are exploring human rights, citizenship, immigration, and early documents of freedom such as the Magna Carta. Could you pass the U.S. naturalization exam? Reasons for immigration have not changed too much over time… whether we are talking about now or back hundreds of years ago when colonists made the difficult decision to start a new life. During this time we are reviewing and establishing some key skills that will be important as the year progresses. All year we’ll be working on historical argumentation… developing claims with evidence / support and providing effective closure. Soon we will transition into the development of the British 13 colonies in North America. The three separate and distinct colonial regions will be a focus: New England, Middle, and Southern. Each region features specific economic and geographical characteristics that will enable each to grow and prosper. We will always ask a lot of questions about the past and present… and encourage deep, divergent thinking to enable students to think critically about history.
Bridge to Algebra 1:
Students are working on solidifying their skills of solving one-step, two-step and multi-step equations with the distributive property and variables on both sides. This unit is important since it is the foundation for so many other skills in their math classes to come.
Algebra 1:
Students are about halfway through their unit on crucial equation solving skills, including solving literal equations, and solving inequalities and compound inequalities. Our next unit will be graphing and writing equations of lines.
8th Grade
Language Arts and Language Arts Advanced:
In Language Arts we are beginning the year with a mix of fictional stories and Informational text articles. Our main focus will be around finding and writing about the theme and central idea of a text. Students are currently exploring the common ways or clues authors use to inject a theme / central idea within their writing. Shortly after this, we will be looking at author’s and character’s perspectives while also exploring narrative writing.
Science:
In science, students will be investigating causes of local and global weather patterns. Highlights from the unit will include watching convection currents in action under different temperature and humidity conditions and reminiscing about beach vacations as we observe sand and water heating at different rates.
SS:
In social studies, students explored the geography of the United States, political parties, and characteristics of a capitalist society. Our first inquiry investigation will answer the question, Did the American Dream Come True for Immigrants at the start of the 20th Century? Students will research reasons why immigrants came to the United States and the conditions that they experienced once they arrived in order to complete their inquiry. Through this investigation, students will also explore the contributions that immigrants made to the United States and the lasting impact that this time of change had on future generations.
Algebra 1:
Algebra 1 began the year by jumping right into Unit 01: Solving Linear Equations and Inequalities. Students will have to create equations and inequalities to represent different relationships to then solve and interpret the solution. They will also learn about literal equations and finding inverse functions. Lastly, students will master solving two linear inequalities and represent the solutions graphically. Please make sure that students have a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator they are bringing with them to class daily. Excited for a fun year!
Algebra 2:
Algebra 2 began the year by jumping into Unit 01: Quadratic Relations and Equations. It started with a great review and will begin getting more and more challenging as the unit progresses. Students will need to apply and describe transformations from one function to another, graph quadratic functions, and apply graphical, tabular, and algebraic relationships between a function and its inverse. Please make sure that students have a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator they are bringing with them to class daily. Excited for a fun year!
NWEA MAP Testing
Remote NWEA MAP Testing will take place over the next few weeks for your child. Our teachers and instructional coaches will serve as test proctors and will work to build and encourage
student engagement during the test and respond to needs of students in real time. In addition, they will be watching student engagement closely to ensure that students are working through the test in a timely and typical manner. Students who are working too slowly or too quickly are tagged by NWEA and proctors are alerted.
Overall, the remote test taking experience is nearly identical to its onsite counterpart, with changes mainly in proctor communication and the log-in process. However, the item bank, interface, and test management tools remain the same. From start to finish, the process is straightforward and easy to use.
See information below regarding MAP growth, and this link provides further information for families.
What is MAP Growth?
-MAP Growth helps teachers understand what students know today, so goals can be set to improve growth throughout the year. Students cannot pass or fail this test.
-This test will not affect grades. In fact, it’s normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly. Please don’t help them!
-Given the challenges of learning from home, MAP Growth test results are especially helpful for us this year. These results will help us know what students are ready to learn.
Please see the important Copyright Information from NWEA MAP below:
NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions, are copyrighted, and may not be copied or reproduced in any form, including but not limited to taking photographs, video and/or audio recordings. Any copying or reproduction of NWEA MAP assessments constitutes copyright and/or other intellectual property infringement and is a violation of NWEA’s Master Subscription Agreement. NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions and answers are proprietary information of NWEA.
The schedule for MIddle School Remote MAP testing is as follows:
*All testing will take place in the morning
**Schedules are subject to change
Twin Groves 6- Blue September 9th and 11th
Twin Groves 6- Gold September 10th and 11th
Twin Groves 7- Blue September 10th and 11th
Twin Groves 7- Gold September 10th and 11th
Twin Groves 8- Blue September 10th and 11th
Twin Groves 8- Gold September 10th and 11th
Clubs/Activities/Academic Supports
Twin Groves is so excited to start our clubs, activities, and academic supports.
Starting on September 8th, Twin Groves will be hosting our clubs, activities, and academic supports. These will run from 3:00PM-3:45PM.
We will also have additional academic support zooms available for all students from 4:00PM-4:45PM
Please click HERE to see what is offered.
Different clubs and activities will be added as the year progresses.
Students received a Schoology message with this information embedded in the Daily Annoucements on Friday, September 4th.
Students can access Academic Supports using the Academic Support section on their Team Zoom Doc. This will be found in their Schoology Lunch Course.
Students can access Clubs and Activities using the Clubs and Activities section on their Team Zoom doc. This will be found in their Schoology Lunch Course.
Lunch Zooms
Twin Groves will be offering optional lunch zooms for students who would like to connect with other students during their lunch period. This is a great opportunity to socialize with others!
Twin Groves Staff members will be hosting these zooms.
Students will use their Team Zoom Doc to access the zoom links for the staff members listed below.
Students received a Schoology message with this information embedded in the Daily Annoucements on Friday, September 4th.
Please see the schedule below for lunch zooms.
6th Grade Lunch 11:55-12:25
Mondays with Mrs. Koulentes
Tuesdays with Mrs. Kugler
Wednesday with Mrs. Kugler
Fridays with Mrs. Koulentes
7th Grade Lunch 11:55-12:25
Mondays with Mrs. McDevitt
Wednesdays with Mrs. Kumin
Fridays with Mrs. McDevitt
8th Grade Lunch 11:45-12:15
Mondays with Ms. Leone
Wednesdays with Ms. Leone
Curriculum Night
Twin Groves will be having a pre-recorded Curriculum Night that will be available on September 10th.
Parents will receive a message at 7PM on September 10th with the link to the pre-recorded Curriculum Night Presentation.
Attendance
Attendance is required as we return to school this August. This is different from remote learning in the spring. Please contact the school office if your student will be absent from class at any time throughout the school day. Parents will be required to provide a reason for the absence. If your student is ill, symptoms will need to be provided to the school office. If your child will be absent for any portion of the day for any reason, please contact the office to let us know.
Daily Announcements
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.