Principal's Message - September 9, 2021

9/10/21
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday! 
Please note that there is no school on Thursday, September 16th. 


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?
PE-The school year is off to a great start.  At the end of August the students participated in fitness testing. This gives the students a baseline of their fitness level in muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance.  As we roll into September the students will participate in their chosen elective. They had a choice between soccer, team handball and nitro ball.  They will have fitness days twice a week with the emphasis on cardiovascular endurance and the other three days will be activity days.  On these days they will be in their elective activity.

Health- In the first rotation for health 6th graders will be diving into decision making and how to make good decisions.  We will look at the impact of their decisions on others and how they can improve their decision making.  Seventh graders will be investigating the health triangle and the three aspects of it.  We will first look into self-esteem and goal setting as we begin this first trimester.  Eighth graders will be looking into human sexuality this rotation.  We will be discussing the reproductive systems, contraception including abstinence, sexually transmitted infections, the “Safe Haven” law, sexting laws, and sexual harassment.

Art- So thrilled to be back in person!   Sixth grade is learning how to draw people using correct proportions. They are also learning how to send a message with their work as did the artist Keith Haring.  Seventh grade is learning how to draw what they “see” based on proportion and comparing parts to the whole. They are then painting their drawings on cavas as per the style of Andy Warhol. Eighth grade is learning how to draw portraits and will begin using their 2D knowledge to mold the face with clay.  They looked at two portrait artists, Chuck Close and Frida Kahlo, who both suffered physically and mentally but used their work for self healing.
Art Fair club for 7th and 8th graders will begin next week!

Music- Welcome back to a new year at TG. We are off and running in the music classroom. 6th grade is starting off by using their rhyming skills in creating a short RAP song. This RAP will introduce us to the many facets of rhythm, rhyming and Garageband. 7th and 8th grade have been working on their rhythms projects creating rhythm compositions. They will begin shifting to our online programs “Breezin’ Thru”. 

TASOL- Welcome back! This month in TASOL we are working on laundry and career choices for 7th and 8th grade. All students have investigated the five steps of laundry and will complete a laundry assignment at home to finish out the unit. Each student has been looking at their interests, skills and abilities. Students will use these surveys to choose a career to research and create a presentation for the class. 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 a resume next week. 

 

 

Fall Conferences
Fall Parent/Educator Conferences are right around the corner!  
The conferences will take place on Thursday, October 7th from 5 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 8th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.  
These conferences will be 10 minutes in length. 
We will continue using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign up for conferences. 
A sign up link will be shared via email from the district on Monday, September 20th at 6:00 PM. 
Parents and guardians will be able to schedule an in-person or a remote conference with one core content teacher.
7th and 8th grader conferences will be with their 1st period teacher.
6th grade conferences will be the 2nd period teacher. 

Parents and guardians can also schedule a conference with the current Exploratory/Spanish teacher, and any related service providers. 
 

 

 

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.

 

Thought Exchange Partnership
Please see the information below regarding the District’s Thought Exchange Partnership. If you are interested in joining, please reach out to Lubna Andrabi.
Lubna Andrabi
Community Parent Liaison
[email protected]
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96
1050 Ivy Hall Ln., Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
847.459.4260, ext. 8136

Purpose:
To share information with parents regarding district goals and initiatives, curricular and instructional
innovations, programs and other informational topics. (i.e. District Goals, MAP and PARCC
Results)
To review school board or school code required topics (i.e. Handbook, Discipline Policy, Grants,
Calendar)
To understand parent perceptions and solicit feedback on school district topics to assist the
district in communication and planning.

Membership:
Membership is open to everyone and there is no term limit.

Committee Composition Includes:
● Parent members-at-large for each school and an additional PTO representative.
● One special education district representative.
● One ELL district representative.
● One Bilingual district representative.
● One Board of Education representative and alternate.
● One representative appointed by the Board of Education.
● Teacher Representative(s) – to be invited based on agenda topic.
● Administrative Representative(s) – to be invited based on agenda topic.

Roles of the Members:
1. Active participant sharing opinions, questions, suggestions and feedback in positive ways
2. Act as district ambassadors to promote the district in the community
3. Direct other parents to the appropriate district personnel and resources as needed
4. Invite other parents to attend district sponsored meetings and events including identified TEP meetings

Administrative Chairperson: Mrs. Jeanne Spiller, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning
Community Parent Liaison: Lubna Andrabi

Examples of Potential Discussion Topics:
Topics Aligned with current District goals Discipline Procedures/Student Handbook/Bully Plan
Communication Norms Transition to Middle School and High School
PARCC/School Report Card Data District Committee Reports
MAP Testing/Growth Data/Goal Setting District Communication with Stakeholders
Health/Wellness/Social Emotional D96 Learning Targets
Collaboration between Stevenson and D96 Common Core Standards and Assessments
Transition to Middle School and High School

TEP meetings- 7:00 to 8:30 PM on Thursdays via Zoom:
October 21, 2021; November 11, 2021; January 13, 2022; February 17, 2022; April 21, 2022; May 19, 2022

 

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.

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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.
 

 

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.