Principal's Message - May 13, 2022

5/13/22

Congratulations!
Last Saturday members of the Twin Groves Math Club traveled to Stevenson High School to compete against the other consortium schools. Our calculator team took second place, our seventh grade team took second place, and our team combined took second place out of the five schools that competed. We had one 8th grade individual winner and that was Michelle Zhang, who took third place out of thirty nine competitors. Mrs. Everett and Mr. Zajac would like to congratulate the students that competed as the questions were very difficult and they were able to overcome the adversity and do very well.

8th grade team- Michelle Zhang, David Shi, Brady Meng, Helen Deng, Sahana Raja, Shreyas Narayan, Anoushka Rai, Evan Cohen, and Arya Pore

7th grade team- Austin Ji, Geoffrey Gian, Hemanth Samayamantri, Andrew Kang, Chloe Lee, Layla Kuzmenko, Shauryadyuti Banerjee, and Rohan Jain

8 person team- Michelle Zhang, David Shi, Brady Meng, Helen Deng, Austin Ji, Geoffrey Gian, Hemanth Samayamantri, and Andrew Kang

Calculator team #1- Shreyas Narayan, Anoushka Rai, Layla Kuzmenko, and Shauryadyuti Banerjee

Calculator team #2- Sahana Raja, Evan Choen, Arya Pore, Chloe Lee, and Rohan Jain

 

Congratulations 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Orchestra and Mrs. Anderson for a beautiful end of the year concert last night! All your hard work and practice really paid off!

 

Go TG Track!
Saturday's Conference Track Meet was a blast! Can’t wait for Sectionals! Good luck!

 

End Of The Year Dates:
5/17- Early Release 1:30 PM Dismissal
5/25- Yearbooks passed out and Yearbook signing for 8th Graders
5/27- Fun Run (more information coming soon) 
5/27- Half Day 11:10AM Dismissal
5/27- Last Day of Attendance for 8th Grade Students
5/30- No School
5/31- 8th Grade Graduation 5:30 PM
6/2- Yearbooks passed out and Yearbook signing for 6th and 7th Graders
6/2- Last Day for 6th and 7th Graders
6/2- Half Day 11:10 AM Dismissal

 

PTO
The Twin Groves PTO is looking for parents to join the PTO Board and to chair committees for the 22-23 school year. We would love your help!
Please go to Membership Toolkit to see what is available.

 

 

What’s Happening at Twin Groves?
6th Grade
Pre-Algebra Survey: In 6PAS, we will be working on geometry. Students will be solving problems that involve finding the surface area and volume of three-dimensional shapes. Last month, we asked you to focus on attending to precision, which means labeling units and working carefully. This month, we’d like to emphasize choosing appropriate mathematical tools. The students have learned so many different ways to apply their knowledge to solve new problems, so they should have numerous tools in their mathematical “toolbox.” For example, when solving a statistics problem, students should know whether a histogram or box-and-whiskers plot is more useful to their task. It has been such a pleasure to get to know your children, and they have impressed us with their perseverance, despite the very challenging targets we’ve had all year. The next month is going to fly by! Thank you so much for your support at home. 

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: In 6PA, students will be completing the last of their three geometry units, which is focused on transformations on the coordinate plane. Last month, we asked you to focus on attending to precision, which means labeling units and working carefully. This month, we’d like to ask you to emphasize choosing appropriate mathematical tools. The students have learned so many different ways to apply their knowledge to solve new problems, so they should have numerous tools in their mathematical “toolbox.” For example, when solving a statistics problem, students should know whether a histogram or box-and-whiskers plot is more useful to their task. It has been such a pleasure to get to know your children, and they have impressed us with their perseverance, despite the very challenging targets we’ve had all year. The next month is going to fly by! Thank you so much for your support at home. 

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. 

Language Arts: Both levels of LA are finishing up their class novels: In Advanced, we are coming to the devastating conclusion of the classic The Outsiders. In LA, we have read the story Seedfolks about a community garden that brings a neighborhood together. For our final writing project, students are writing fictional stories based on those books. Please be aware that there is a District 96 Summer Reading Assignment that has been explained to all students. It should be coming to parents in an email this week. Please watch for it or visit the district website for further information. We hope everyone has a wonderful summer and kids will break away from the electronics, get outside, and read some books! 


Science: And just as a roller coaster comes to a halt, so does our 6th grade science year.  To end, we hope that some of the science labs really “moved” you and we hope that you will always look forward to science class, where you can see, hear and DO science!  So, spend some time outside these spring and summer months, enjoy nature and the ecological world we live in.  Spend a rainy afternoon creating your very own experiments, recalling the wonders of chemistry.  And, lastly, as energy is all around us and in us...use your energy every day...kick a ball, ride a roller coaster (or water slide), and stay “cool”!  Keep “kinetic” (moving) scientists and enjoy the summer!

SS: The students have done a wonderful job learning about what makes us unique in our equality unit!  We are continuing to look at how we interact with others by studying how students can take informed action! We will look at examples of people who have made a difference in our world by sticking up for what they believe.


7th Grade
Bridge to Algebra 1: We have just wrapped up our unit “Radicals, Irrational Numbers and the Pythagorean Theorem”.  Our last unit begins today.  The students will be learning about the area and circumference of circles and how to find the volume of cylinders, cones and spheres.    

Algebra 1: Students are in the midst of our unit on statistics.  They have been learning about how to create histograms and box and whisker plots.  They will also be learning how to analyze and interpret the data. They will learn how to interpret data distribution and how to compare data by analyzing the shape, center and spread of the data.

Language Arts: We’re in the middle of our last Book Club for the year, and students seem to be doing a good job of keeping up with the reading. Hopefully, we’re establishing a habit that will continue through the summer so your student will avoid the dreaded “Summer Slide,” which happens to everyone if they take the three months of summer off from learning. Kids who keep learning -- through reading, crafting, inventing, going to museums, playing sports, challenging themselves with difficult projects -- make gains over the summer. Kids who sit inside and play video games and watch YouTube or TikTok do not. We will give students a reading assignment over the summer, but making reading and learning a priority for your family will be necessary to get a reluctant reader to do more than the minimum. Thanks for partnering with us on this important goal!

Science: Our final unit of the year has started this week! As the continued theme of forces are further studied, students look to evaluate experimental designs to prove the existence that force fields exist between two objects even though the objects are not in contact. This will include forces of static electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetism.

SS: It is indeed hard to grasp the reality that there are mere weeks and days remaining in this school year. All along, we’ve kept the discussions, arguments, claims, questions/questioning with curiosity and inquiry going strong.  We’re closing 7th grade S.S. with the continued growth and expansion of the United States (“Manifest Destiny”) while our nation is being divided between the industrial North and agricultural/plantation South.  The industrial revolution is bringing tremendous innovations, but at what “costs”?  Slavery, states’ rights, popular sovereignty all leads to anger, frustration, and other tensions gradually boiling over to the point of no return, leading to the American Civil War.  Which cause was most consequential, influential, noteworthy, or critical?  Being the Land of Lincoln, we appreciate the historical significance of Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address.  We’ll investigate the history of our American Flag -- its meaning -- and proper flag etiquette. In addition, we explore the development of the Medal of Honor and the significance of that designation and other military decorations to highlight sacrifice, dedication, and determination. In 7th grade SS we analyzed the growth and development of our nation from 13 British Colonies to become the mighty United States of America, with all the successes and challenges along the way.  8th grade S.S. will pick up from there.  Thanks for a great year!  As the great Albert Einstein once said, “The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”


8th Grade
Algebra 1: We have just concluded Unit 8: Laws of Exponents & Exponential Functions. Similar to the previous 2 units, this proved to be a challenging unit for most students! However, a lot of students rose to the challenge and really worked hard to master the learning targets! We will be beginning our short Unit 9: Descriptive Statistics to finish off the school year. Students will learn about histograms, box and whisker graphs, and analyzing/interpreting data. Please remind your child that they should be completing all homework assignments and getting help when needed! 


Algebra 2: In Algebra 2, students just finished Unit 10: Graphing Trig Functions. The students have learned how to graph and write equations of sine and cosine functions!  They have been able to apply information they mastered last unit to this one! We have now officially started our final unit on Probability! We will explore different types of probability through different activities. Please remind your child that they should be completing all homework assignments and getting help when needed! 

Language Arts: In the Language Arts classrooms students have been immersed in the world of Shakespeare, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in LA, and Romeo and Juliet in Advanced LA. Students have been having a blast acting out parts and really getting familiar with Shakespeare’s language. We are also writing narratives based on the plays and turning them into contemporary pieces of fiction writing! It has been a great way to end the year! 

Science: 8th grade science is going green for the end of the school year while we continue to investigate human impact on the planet.  Students will be looking at the use of fossil fuels for energy and for making products such as plastic.  They will also explore renewable energy sources including solar panels, hydropower, and wind turbines.  

SS: Students are wrapping up their understanding of various major events that occurred between the 1970’s through the early 2000’s, both in America and around the world.  We have focused on each President during this time period, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of their administration and leadership.  Students have been learning about the events that led up to the September 11th attacks on America and the subsequent War on Terror carried out by our military and intelligence agencies.  Students will write one last DBQ assessment, hopefully taking advantage of one last opportunity to fine tune their writing skills in preparation for high school expectations.  

 

 

MAP Scores
NWEA MAP Test results will be shared with parents via email on Tuesday, May 17th at 3:00pm.

 


Response from Ravinia Health Regarding Insurance Explanation of Benefits
Due to a lack of funding, federal funds for COVID-19 testing and services have come to an end as previously communicated. This sudden change required Ravinia Health to accommodate its patients and clients through an exclusive approach.

In order to maintain public safety, Ravinia Health took extensive measures by collaborating with multiple healthcare entities to make sure COVID-19 testing can continue at no cost to the patients or organizations. Insurance companies are federally mandated to cover the costs of COVID-19 testing for all their policyholders and Ravinia Health is willing to cover the costs for all non-insured patients. Allowing every participant to continue testing at no cost.

We at Ravinia Health thank you for your cooperation and understand the confusion insured patients, parents, or staff members may have when they look at the explanation of benefits (or EOB) provided by their insurance company. We want to ensure there is no confusion and want to use this opportunity to remove any concerns you or any participant may have.

Insured patients that utilize our services may receive an EOB with outstanding balances, however, these notices can be disregarded. Below is an explanation of what you may see on an EOB to help you better understand the program and why no action is needed.

The 2 entities that can be found for these claims are Mobvilvax LLC and/or Alcoa Validations Inc. These entities are used for billing and insurance purposes by Ravinia Health.

Insured patients are covered at no out-of-pocket cost, copay, or deductible. The insured patients will not be charged for any testing service provided by Ravinia Health, as the insurance companies are mandated to cover the costs in full. However, in certain situations, insurance companies will partially cover the costs and expect us (Ravinia Health) to seek the remaining balance from the patients. In these situations, Ravinia Health will not pursue any of its patients for any sort of payment.

Again, the charges on a patient’s EOB by Alcoa Validations or Mobvilvax LLC are due to Ravinia Health’s testing services but should be covered by the insurance company. If not, they may be invoiced to the patient showing an outstanding balance. We want to assure you that Ravinia Health will not expect the patient to make any sort of payment and will also not be put to collections. The patients can disregard these notices.
 

 

Device Collection and Information
8th Grade iPad Collection
8th Grade iPad collection will happen on Wednesday, May 25th. Students will be expected to turn in their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon.

Non-Returning 6th or 7th Grade Students
Any non-returning students in grades 6 and 7 will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.


Students in Grades K-7
Students in grades K-7 will keep their iPad and all peripherals over the summer unless they are not returning to D96 for the 22-23 school year. 
Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.
Families who exit out of D96 after the last day of school will need to return all of their technology to the District Office over the summer. Any device not returned will be placed in lost mode and will not function.
Over the summer, some apps and services will continue to work at the student’s 21-22 grade level. Apps and websites like Dreambox, Lexia, Typing Agent, (etc) will be available to use over the summer but are not guaranteed to work at all times. The technology department will only be supporting the use of these apps in ESY or Summer School. 


As we get closer to August, we will roll-up student data and new services. Apps will also become available to them relative to their 22-23 grade level

 


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.