9/2/22
TGIF…Twin Groves it’s Friday!
Thank you all for coming to our Curriculum Nights.
If you were not able to attend Curriculum Night, view the screencast of the Welcome presentation from Mrs. Barnes and Ms. Delahanty.
Below are the links to the slide show.
6th Grade
7th/8th Grade
What’s Happening at TG?
6th Grade
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’s normal to feel that math is difficult 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 Ms. Geiger (Mrs. Didech’s maternity leave sub) 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’s normal to feel that math is difficult 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 Ms. Geiger (Mrs. Didech’s maternity leave sub) 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 beginning the year by 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 to check out a book. They will need to have a book to read in school every day for Language Arts and Flex classes. We are starting off learning about plot structures. Soon we will be moving into themes 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: Welcome to 6th grade Science! Students have been diving deep into how scientists DO science. First, we learned about safety in the science lab setting, classroom, and safety equipment. Next, we learned how scientists set up an experiment and the steps they take in order to solve a problem or answer a question. Students are off to a great start and we can’t wait to see what this year has in store!
SS: Welcome to Twin Groves! 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
Pre Algebra- 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. This class may seem difficult for some due to the fact that it will cover targets from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade but we will take our time and really practice to make sure that we are understanding the material.
Bridge to Algebra 1- Students are working hard on a very crucial unit that involves solving equations and inequalities with word problems. Students have been learning how to solve one step, two step, and multi step equations including equations with the distributive property. Next week we will practice the art of solving equations with variables on both sides of the equal sign.
Algebra 1- Students are in the midst of their equation solving unit. These skills, including solving literal equations and solving inequalities and compound inequalities, are foundational to their fluency in mathematics in the future.
Language Arts
We’re off to a good start in LA and LA ADV! We stretched those stiff writing muscles by writing a quick theme analysis just to see where things stand. A lot of students are already good at writing theme statements, so that was a big celebration for us as we took a look at the essays! We’re moving into a shared novel reading experience in LA beginning soon: everyone will be reading The Giver by Lois Lowery. Please expect that students will be reading every night in order to keep up with the schedule. About 10-15 pages will be assigned each weekday. In LA ADV, students will read short stories and poems for a few weeks before beginning book clubs. Watch for a permission slip which will be coming home in a couple of weeks. Even before book clubs begin, students are expected to read for at least 100 minutes per week outside of class. Please make time and room for reading at home. Thanks for your support!
Science: It has been a pleasure getting to know all of the students over the past few weeks as we studied the Scientific Method and started our first Engineering Design problem. Now that we are back in the swing of things, we are getting ready to dive into our first official unit on Tuesday— Chemical Reactions & Matter. Students will be asked the question “how do we make something new that was not there before,” and will be given a series of demonstrations and labs that will help them explore this complex topic all while learning about the structure of atoms, chemical reactions, and states of matter. I am very excited to dive into more specifics with them as they begin learning how to think like a scientist.
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 completed various activities to help establish routines, relationships, and expectations. We are working on some key foundation skills that are important for students as they continue their education… how to take active notes in class, geography / map skills, and how to work, cooperate, and learn together. Soon, we will continue with 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. This is a year-long focus of attention. This is such a vital element of not only school learning, but lifelong learning as well. After that, 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) along with their environmental, cultural, and economic 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 analyze history in meaningful ways.
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 that they are bringing with them to class daily. We are excited for a fun year!
Geometry: Geometry began the year by jumping right into Unit 01: Coordinate Geometry. Students utilized Algebra 1 skills to find slopes and midpoints, write equations of lines, calculate distance point to line, and determine perpendicular bisectors. Please encourage students to reach out when they need extra help! We are excited for a fun year!
Language Arts: We begin Language Arts by looking at why we tell stories through the lens of theme. We explore what theme is, as well as how authors develop a theme throughout a story. Over the course of the next few weeks we will begin our short story unit while looking at the development of theme and central ideas within these texts. We then will begin to work on developing an analysis of these texts. This work is building towards our writing targets throughout the year.
Science: In Science, students are wrapping up a “Nature of Science'' unit. In this unit, students were able to revisit some science concepts and re-familiarize themselves with our STEM projects. Next week, we are moving into our first unit in the 8th grade curriculum. We will spend about a month and a half looking at contact forces. Questions about the factors that result in a shattered cell phone screen will lead students to investigate what is really happening to any object during a collision. They will make their thinking visible with free-body diagrams, mathematical models, and system models to explain the effects of relative forces, mass, speed, and energy in collisions. Students then will use what they have learned about collisions to engineer something that will protect a fragile object from damage in a collision. They will investigate which materials to use, gather design input from stakeholders to refine the criteria and constraints, develop micro and macro models of how their solution is working, and optimize their solution based on data from investigations. Finally, students will apply what they have learned from the investigation and design to a related design problem.
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. Throughout 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.
Erin’s Law
An Illinois law known as Erin’s Law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness/prevention curriculum for Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 researched and observed best practices and programs for delivering this instruction, selecting Be Seen & Heard ©. For more information about this presentation please go to www.victorpacini.com/peace-of-mind-2
The focus of this developmentally appropriate and interactive program is to teach children skills to keep them safe from danger or abuse. Concepts discussed will include distinguishing safe from unsafe touches, safety rules at home and school, saying NO, safe/unsafe secrets, and telling a trusted adult, as well as reinforcing that an adult’s touching him or her is not the child’s fault.
Opt-Out Procedures
The presentation to Twin Groves students will be during the school day on September 8th, 2022. If you prefer that your child does not attend this prevention education session, please submit your written request or your questions to [email protected]
Lake County STEM for Girls Conference - Save the Date! (11/5/21)
Dress Code
This is a friendly reminder of the District 96 Standards of Dress from the Parent/Student Handbook.
4.12-e Standards for Student Dress. Students who are appropriately and comfortably dressed are able to focus on schoolwork more effectively. The following guidelines will be enforced by building administrators. Cooperation by parents is appreciated.
1. Dress or appearance that provokes or distracts other students or otherwise causes a disruption to the educational process is prohibited.
2. Shoes must be worn at all times.
3. Clothing, jewelry, or accessories may not have writing or pictures that advertise or advocate alcohol, drugs, tobacco, obscenity, violence, or gang activity.
4. Pants must be worn at the waistline.
5. Hats are allowed on designated hat days only.
6. Half shirts, cropped tops, spaghetti straps, and underwear or sleepwear worn as outerwear are not acceptable.
7. Undergarments should not be visible.
8. With the exception of appropriate jewelry, no chains should be worn.
Please note…any student violating the dress code will be asked to change into other clothes or cover up.
Cell Phones
Cell phones should be securely locked in the students’ lockers from 7:43 AM-2:30 PM.
We are asking that all students have their cell phones silenced and locked in their lockers from 7:43 AM to 2:30 PM.
If a staff member sees a cell phone out, we will ask the student to lock it in their locker. If they do not comply, the phone will be taken and sent to the office until the end of the day. Students can collect their cell phones from the office at 2:30 PM.
PTO
A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the TG PTO for the Welcome to TG 6th Grade Pizza lunch! What a treat!
Access the PTO Blog.
The PTO is ordering more sweatshirts and sweatpants in the sizes we are currently sold out of. They are now available for pre-order, estimated delivery date of September 15th.
Special Lunch and Dessert Day forms will close on September 5th! If your student wants to participate in these events for the fall you must order through Membership Toolkit by September 5th.
Twin Groves Athletics
Access the Twin Groves Athletics site.
This site will be updated frequently.
Daily Announcements
The Daily Announcements will be posted daily starting on August 18th. 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. Access the Daily Announcements starting on August 19th.