1/15/21
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday!
Just a reminder...there is no school on Monday, January 18th or Tuesday, January 19th.
As emphasized in Superintendent Schmidt's message sent on Tuesday, September 29, implementing a hybrid in-person learning model is and must be a partnership.
We know that some surrounding districts or schools who began their in-person learning plan have had to revert to full remote for a period of time. In many situations, this has been due to positive cases about which families were not truthful with the school or with the health department regarding symptoms and the diagnosis or with those conducting the contact tracing process.
We are confident that the District 96 community will rise to the occasion and partner with us to ensure safety and success. Please think carefully about your commitment to our partnership before sending your kids to school.
Return to In Person information
NEW *In-Person Learning Protocols (REVISED) and Dates for Hybrid In-Person Learners to Return*
Parents whose hybrid in-person students will be learning in person, please be sure to review the Revised IN-PERSON LEARNING PROTOCOLS (https://bit.ly/3bL4Yx4) for information about health and safety protocols and expectations for families and their students who will be learning in person in our schools.
As announced in Superintendent Schmidt’s Jan. 13 SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE (https://bit.ly/3qnUcRE), the Hybrid In-Person Return Schedule/Dates are as follows:
Mon., Jan. 18: No School in observance of Martin Luther King Day
Tues., Jan. 19: No School–State Allocated Planning Day
Wed., Jan. 20: Full remote learning for all
Thurs., Jan. 21: First day of in-person attendance for Grades EC–KDG AND First day of in-person attendance for Grades 1–2 (last names beginning M–Z)
Mon., Jan. 25: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 1–2 and 3–5 and Grade 6 (last names beginning A–L)
Thurs., Jan. 28: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 3–5 and Grade 6 (last names beginning M–Z)
Mon., Feb. 1: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 7–8 (last names beginning A–L)
Thurs., Feb. 4: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 7–8 (last names beginning M–Z)
PROACTIVE POPULATION SCREENING INFO FOR PARENTS OF STUDENTS ATTENDING IN-PERSON
Students learning in person will need to participate in proactive population screening, providing a saliva sample once per week on a designated schedule.
Please CLICK HERE for information about the collection process, the schedule for the weekday your student's sample will need to be provided, and a saliva sample collection demonstration video.
NEW *In-Person Learning Meals*
If your child is returning to in-person learning and you would like to take advantage of school meals, which will also be free, please pre-order only for the days that your child is in-person, NOT for remote learning days. If your child will be in-person next week on Thursday and Friday (January 21st and 22nd), please place your order online, via the Linq website, by 6:00pm Tuesday, January 19th. For future weeks, please place your orders by 6:00pm Thursday for the upcoming week. SEE MORE INFO about the process to create your account and preorder in-person meals.
Return to In Person: What will lunch look like?
All students will have a regular 25 minute lunch.
Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria and other large spaces near the cafeteria as needed.
Students will eat with their grade level.
Designated tables will be used for each grade level and cleaned thoroughly after each lunch period.
Students will be choosing their seat on the first day of their in person lunch. This seat will be their seat until Spring Break. The assigned seats are very important for contact tracing purposes.
Students must remain seated and socially distanced.
Each table has a socially distanced spot marked for the students so they know where they can sit.
Materials
Backpacks or bags can be brought to school and carried from class to class.
Shared objects will generally not be permitted, and when necessary, disinfected between uses. We are purchasing additional supplies & creating individualized supply kits in many instances to avoid sharing.
Supplies
PLEASE have your child bring a fully charged iPad and Logitech Crayon to school with them everyday.
PLEASE have your child bring headphones to school everyday.
Students should bring a folder, a spiral notebook, writing utensils, a fully charged iPad, Logitech Crayon, and headphones with them each day.
If other supplies are needed, the classroom teachers will communicate this.
Masks and Face Coverings
As required by IDPH, face coverings must be worn at all times in school buildings and on the bus–even when social distance is maintained.
Face coverings can be temporarily removed at school:
-When eating (if and when this applies)
-When taking brief structured water breaks
-When outdoors and physical distancing of at least 6 feet can be maintained
-For staff, when alone in classrooms or offices with the door closed
Bathrooms
The following protocols will be in place to avoid overcrowding in the bathrooms:
Students will seek permission to go to the bathroom from their teacher.
One student at a time will be allowed out of a classroom.
Bathroom use during passing periods will be prohibited to prevent overcrowding.
Students who need to use the restroom between classes should seek permission from the teacher they are seeing next before entering the bathroom.
Social Distancing spots will be in the hallways by the bathrooms. If the bathrooms are occupied, students will stand on the spots until there is an available bathroom stall.
Hallways and Passing Periods
Students will move directly from class to class with no loitering or socializing between.
Students are not to use the bathroom or drinking fountain.
Students will carry their items with them throughout the day without access to their lockers.
Students will follow directional arrows and signage in the hallways.
Staff will continue to supervise this transition.
Lockers
No lockers will be used at this time.
Students will be carrying their belongings from class to class.
Bus Routes and Bus Stop Times
Bus routes and bus stop times for students attending the in person hybrid model will be sent out from the district next week.
Bus Transportation
Bus ridership will be in compliance with current IDPH and CDC requirements. Students must wear masks and sit in their assigned seats to ensure appropriate social distancing. Siblings will be seated together. Please note that schedule changes and riding an unassigned route will not be permitted.
Drivers will wear PPE and perform regular hand hygiene. Students will be encouraged to perform hand hygiene when boarding the bus. Hand sanitizer will be available for all riders. Also, First Student and Septran will disinfect all buses per IDPH and CDC recommendations and frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected after each route.
PE
The PE team is working to maximize the in-person and remote experiences. In-person students may go outside, weather permitting.
Students will not change into PE uniforms.
No uniforms or PE locks are currently needed.
Clubs
Clubs will continue to be remote.
Clubs can be found on the school’s website.
Clubs will be held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Students can access the zoom links for clubs on their Team Zoom Doc.
Teacher Support
Teachers will be available via zoom from 2:30-3:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
On days that students are in-person, they will be required to leave at 2:30 and will travel home at this time. Students will have Academic Support from 3:00-3:45 and 4:00-4:45 if needed.
Academic Support Times
3:00-3:45 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
4:00-4:45 Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
Students can access the zoom links for academic support on their Team Zoom Doc.
Band and Orchestra Rehearsals
In-person students will attend after school rehearsals on the days they are remote.
Band and orchestra students will leave at 2:30.
More information regarding the in person hybrid model will be sent in a separate communication on Wednesday, January 20th. Please look out for the communication on that date!
What’s happening at TG?
6th Grade
Language Arts and Language Arts Advanced: In language arts classes we are continuing to analyze the author's craft. We are identifying mood and tone in fiction and nonfiction, looking closely at what words the author uses to accomplish this. Text structure is another topic: Why did the author include this scene? How would the story change if this conversation never happened? How does this scene impact the theme of the story? We continue to find the theme and central idea in texts as well.
Science: In science classes we'll continue our study of chemistry. We'll soon be learning about physical and chemical changes. How and why does a car rust? How do pennies turn green? Exactly what IS density? Some exciting labs include seeing chemical changes that bubble and fizz and a lab titled “Chemistry in the Bag”. Chemistry is certainly a blast!
SS: In social studies, we just learned about various forms of government throughout history. We will be using this knowledge to help us understand how the pharaohs of Egypt were able to take control and build such a successful civilization. Throughout our study of Egypt, we will also see how different groups of people all had to do their part in order to take advantage of the wonderful resources provided by the Nile River.
Pre Algebra Survey: 6th Pre-Algebra Survey will begin the expressions unit, which involves understanding variables, combining like terms, and writing mathematical expressions. A big focus will be on using mathematical properties to create equivalent expressions. This is the foundation of so much of their future math work, so it is great to see how hard the students are working. Last month we talked about encouraging the students to be precise in their work. This has been evident as they showed their work properly and labeling with units. This month the focus will be on modeling with mathematics. It is an integral part of Algebraic, numeric, and ratio reasoning and will truly show understanding. Thanks for all of your support!
The students have access to these apps that they should be using regularly:
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.
IXL - 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.
Pre Algebra: Pre-Algebra will start a unit on expressions. Much of the focus on this short unit is using the mathematical properties to manipulate variable expressions and justify their reasoning. **Pre-Algebra will begin working on the equations unit. They will extend their work with 1-step equations to multi-step on both sides of the equals sign. This is the foundation of so much of their future math work, so it is great to see how hard the students are working. Last month we talked about encouraging the students to be precise in their work. This has been evident as they showed their work properly and labeling with units. This month the focus will be on modeling with mathematics. It is an integral part of Algebraic, numeric, and ratio reasoning and will truly show understanding. Thanks for all your support!
The students have access to these apps that they should be using regularly:
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.
IXL - 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.
7th Grade
Language Arts and Language Arts Advanced: This month in Language Arts and Advanced LA we are returning to short stories and poetry to take a deeper dive into theme analysis and to connect that theme analysis to other targets: identifying tone and mood and analyzing a change in a character’s perspective. This last one crosses over nicely into our SEL targets, one of which is recognizing and acknowledging that others have a different perspective from our own and trying to see a situation from another person’s perspective. We will be doing that vicariously through literature in this unit and then writing about it in an essay next week. The next CFA will take the form of a similar literary analysis, so students’ attentiveness and participation in the practice essay writing we do next week will benefit them greatly when they try the same task independently during the CFA. Independent reading should continue at a pace of 100 minutes or more per week whenever possible so that your student continues to grow in both reading stamina and vocabulary building skills.
Science: In science we are working on our geoscience unit where we are examining the processes that have changed Earth’s surface over varying time and spatial scales. Students are looking for evidence that supports how formations were created as well as how processes continue to reshape our Earth. In our next unit, students will be learning how both light and sound waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
SS: We continue to explore and investigate civics/taking action and government: the U.S. Constitution… and its establishment after the failed Articles of Confederation. The Preamble lays out several key principles and functions of government. Are we living up to them? Three branches of government check and balance each other. Is there one branch that is more vital than the others? We will dig into the Bill of Rights and government at the national, state, and local levels. The growth and development of political parties will be a particular focus of attention… all starting with the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists clashing during the Great Ratification Debates. Have political disagreements changed all that much since 1787? We will compare, contrast, and analyze government systems and structures in the United States and in other nations around the world. Students are typically very curious during this time of study, especially given events as of late, thus, the inquiry model of teaching and learning proves itself very well.
Bridge to Algebra 1: Students have just finished up a very long and important unit on linear functions and have just begun learning about how to solve a system of linear equations. They will explore how to solve these systems by graphing, and using either the substitution or elimination methods.
Algebra 1: We have started working on our unit on polynomial expressions and quadratic functions. Soon, students will be learning standard form and vertex form of quadratic equations, as well as factored form. The students will be recalling their prior knowledge from our linear functions unit in order to make comparisons between linear and quadratic functions to deepen their understanding of them.
8th Grade
Language Arts and Language Arts Advanced: In Language Art we will be beginning our book clubs and book club discussions. We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to receive modern, popular, young adult novels for our 8th grade students to read, discuss and enjoy. Students will be placed in groups based on their book club choice and they will learn to have rich, insightful discussions about the author’s craft in their chosen novels. In addition to our book clubs, we will be moving back into looking at nonfiction, informational text while studying the author’s craft, style, and structures.
Science: In 8th grade Science, students are learning about natural and artificial selection. We will be investigating superbugs, the current dilemma of antibiotic resistant bacteria faced by many hospitals. Students will also begin to look at genetically modified organisms as we investigate ways humans can impact the inheritance of desired traits.
SS: In 8th grade social studies, students have been learning about World War II and the Holocaust. We started by researching the rise of dictators, including Adolf Hitler and his German “War Machine.” Students have used the Ladder of Prejudice to investigate the horrors of the Holocaust and the role that both bystanders and upstanders played in reaction to the Nazis. Since returning after winter break, our focus has been on the attack on Pearl Harbor. Students are focusing on U.S. involvement on the front and at home. They will investigate the growth of rights for some and the restriction of rights on others. Current events have also been an important part of our class recently.
Algebra 1: In Algebra 1, we started off the new year with our Quadratic Functions and Polynomial Expressions unit! Students learned how to add, subtract, and multiply polynomial expressions. Followed by learning how to factor. Coming up later in this unit, students will learn how to solve and graph quadratic equations. This unit is a very important unit of study for Algebra 1. Please continue to encourage your child to get help and ask questions if needed!
Algebra 2: In Algebra 2, we started off the new year with completing our Radical Functions unit. Students demonstrated great mastery on their benchmarks! Our next unit of study is Exponential Functions. Students will learn how to write and graph exponential equations. They will also learn about compound and continuous interest. Please continue to encourage your child to get help and ask questions if needed!
Stevenson High School Fine Art Department Visits 8th Grade Flex
During all 8th grade Flex classes on January 15th, the 8th graders had the opportunity to view a presentation by Stevenson Fine Arts Department. This gave the 8th graders the opportunity to see the different course offerings in the area of Fine Arts.
Is your current 8th-grader interested in the SHS Dance Program?
Stevenson High School students who will be freshmen in the 21–22 school year and who wish to participate in the dance program should submit videos by January 18th to determine appropriate course placement. INFO
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.