9/3/21
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday!
Please note that there is no school on Monday, September 6th or Tuesday, September 7th.
See you on Wednesday, September 8th.
Have a wonderful LONG weekend!
Clubs-Study Halls-Band-Orchestra
We are thrilled that our after school activities have begun! Please make sure you check the daily announcements for up to date information on all activities.
The activity period is from 2:30 PM to 3:15PM.
Due to the bus driver shortage, the Activity Bus will not be leaving Twin Groves until 4:30PM. There will be supervision for students from 3:15 PM to 4:30 PM. This will be a supervised study hall for students who NEED to take the Activity Bus home.
We strongly encourage parents to either…
-pick up their child at 3:15 PM
-find a carpool for your child that leaves school at 3:15 PM
Please note that the office closes at 3:30 PM every day. All students must be picked up by 3:15 PM.
If your child needs to take the Activity Bus home, please note that they will not be leaving Twin until 4:30 PM.
The Activity Bus is FOR BUS RIDERS ONLY!
If a child is not picked up by the time the Activity Bus arrives, the student will be asked to take the bus home.
What’s Happening at Twin Groves?
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. Jen Didech, Mrs. Rebecca Himelstein, Ms. Kayla Hussey, and Mr. Jeff Williams; 6th Grade Gold: Mrs. Lisa Huberty, Mr. Daniel Lee, Mrs. Ali Maier, Ms. Sam Sabin, and Mrs. Kristen Vileta.
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 percents. It is normal for math to feel challenging at the beginning of the year. The transition to middle school math is challenging because this class covers 6th and 7th grade math in one year. Mr. Lee and Mrs. Didech are here for the students and will support them every step of the way. Give the students some time, and they will adjust to the new pace. 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 percents. It is normal for math to feel challenging at the beginning of the year. The transition to middle school math is challenging because this class covers 6th, 7th, and much of 8th grade math in one year. Mr. Lee and Mrs. Didech are here for the students and will support them every step of the way. Give the students some time, and they will adjust to the new pace. So far, the students are doing great and we are excited to get to know them this year!
Language Arts: Welcome back to school! We are so happy to see students in person! We are beginning the year spending some time getting to know each other while also helping students learn the daily routines of middle school. Each class has had the opportunity to take a tour of the TG library and check out a book. They will need to have a book to read in school every day. We are also starting off learning about theme in fiction by discovering the 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 the science classroom. We’ve also completed some activities measuring length, volume, and mass. Next, students will be introduced to scientific bar and line graphs. We will then begin the Environmental Geoscience unit which includes studying predator/prey relationships and the various components of an ecosystem.
SS: 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.
7th Grade
Bridge to Algebra 1: Students are working hard on a very crucial unit involving solving equations and inequalities including word problems. Next we will be moving onto our functions unit! What IS a function? How can you identify them? Can you compare two separate functions? Can you describe them?
Algebra 1: Students have almost finished their unit on crucial equation solving skills, including solving literal equations, and solving inequalities and compound inequalities. Next: graphing and writing equations of lines.
Language Arts: Students have been recalling and applying their knowledge of text structures, tone, mood and characterization during these early days. This week we assigned our first AOW (Article of the Week) which is a non-fiction article that is assigned on Monday and due on Friday. Usually these articles would be entirely homework, but this week we worked together to finish some of it in class. In Language Arts, the kids will read one short story before we begin our study of The Giver. In Advanced Language Arts, your student should have asked you to fill out a permission slip for their upcoming book clubs. If you have not filled out this permission slip, please ask your student to see it. We will begin those small group book clubs in the next week or two.
Science: Students will begin learning about 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.
SS: It’s been a great start to the school year in Social Studies! We are getting to know our classes and each other. We have been starting with some key foundation skills that are important for students as they continue their education… how to use a spiral notebook and how to take active notes in class. Studies have repeatedly shown that when we write things down, we tend to remember them better. We are facilitating this by providing an overview of how to evaluate sources for reliability and credibility. The six big elements that we will work on this year include: relevance, in-depth, author/publisher, accuracy, bias, and up-to-date. Soon, we will get into our first historical content for the year… reasons for colonial immigration and establishing the 13 British colonies in America. A focus of attention will be to the three distinct regions (New England, Middle, and Southern) and how trade impacted not only the regions, but other continents as well. Each of the regions feature specific economic and geographical characteristics that will enable them 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 analyze history.
8th Grade
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!
Language Arts: 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 authors develop a theme / central idea within their writing. In addition to theme and central idea, students will begin to focus on how authors create the mood within stories.
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: We began the year by discussing one’s identity and how it shapes the way we all see the world around us. We will have many lessons, discussions and open forums with the hope of creating a safe environment where students practice sharing their perspectives and having difficult conversations. Our first unit focuses on immigration to this country at the turn of the 20th century. Students will take part in an inquiry on whether or not the “American Dream” came true for these immigrants? 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.
ILC- Mrs. Pio’s Class
We’ve been busy in the ILC (Individualized Learning Community)! At the start of the year, the students got to know each other with a handful of class building activities. This week, the students finished placement testing to determine appropriate academic groups in the areas of language, reading fluency, decoding, thinking comprehension, reading fiction comprehension, reading nonfiction comprehension and math. Please note that the subject areas that each student participates in are based on his/her specific needs.
In Social Studies, we are learning about the Industrial Revolution in the ILC. We have learned about the steel industry, the textile industry and banking during this time — all while practicing valuable literacy skills. We even sewed our own clothing to compare how much longer it took to make things by hand with how quickly machines can do our work!
Eighth grade students in the ILC will engage in many transition activities this year. They will begin to explore possible job interests, career paths and life skills. Our team looks forward to partnering with our eighth grade families to develop meaningful transition plans for our students.
MAP Scores
While the bulk of MAP testing has been completed, the remainder of the window will be used for make-up testing. MAP reports will be sent to families on Friday, September 17th.
PE Uniforms
Membership Toolkit has closed for ordering PE Uniforms.
If you need to purchase a uniform, please bring cash or a check made out to: Twin Groves PTO.
Shirt $12 (required)
Shorts $13 (required)
Lock $7 (required but can purchase on your own)
Gym bag $3 (optional)
Please note that our inventory is low for certain sizes. We are expecting a delivery in the next 7-10 days.
Arrival Procedures for Parent Drop Off
Parent drop off will start at 7:30AM. Students will be dropped off near Door 4 located in the back of the cafeteria. Please see the map below.
Please pull up as far as possible (RED STAR ON MAP) and have your child exit the car as quickly as possible.
Do not allow students to walk across the turn around and across the lot.
Dismissal- Parent Pick Up
To ensure timely and safe student pick-up at the end of the day, please follow these guidelines:
-As you pull into the line, pull up as far as possible and as near as you can to the car in front of you. This will help keep traffic off Buffalo Grove Road and it will keep the entrance clear for busses.
-Wait in line. Please do not pull around cars that are waiting. This presents a safety risk for drivers and pedestrian students.
- Do not motion student to cross the parking lot.
- Slowly process through the pick up line. Drive safely as you process through the line and exit.
- Do not pull into the parking lot (where the busses pull in) to park and wait for your student. We cannot see behind the parked busses, that is not an expected student pick-up area, and we have to be sure students depart safely.
Curriculum Night Presentations
If you were unable to attend our recent curriculum nights presentation, please click the links below.
6th Grade
Slide Show Presentation
Zoom Recording
7th Grade
Slide Show Presentation
Zoom Recording
8th Grade
Slide Show Presentation
Zoom Recording
NEW *Covid Metrics*
To stay up-to-date this school year on local metrics, please visit the COVID DASHBOARD for District 96. Our priority remains to keep our students safe and follow guidance from the CDC. If your student is identified as a "close contact", you will be notified individually through the contact tracing process.
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.