9/30/22
There will be no school on Wednesday, October 5th, Thursday, October 6th, Friday October 7th, or Monday, October 10th. We will see you back on Tuesday, October 11th!
Conferences will be held on October 6th and 7th. Please see below for more information.
Congratulations!
Each month, Twin Groves will be recognizing students who are model citizens of our Colts Community!
The Twin Groves Staff would like to recognize the following students who consistently demonstrate they are Responsible, Respectful, and Safe. In addition to the 3 Traits, we are also recognizing students for being leaders, role models, supportive peers, brave, and positive.
Congratulations!
Natalie Belan
Kiinjal Bhargava
Rebecca Fears
Isabella Guo
Emily Han
Alex Hong
Sam Lee
Nate Mathews
Nitin Prakash
Nicholas Rosa
Luke Varghese
Lorelei Vaysberg
Emma Yamato
What’s Happening at Twin?
6th Grade
Pre Algebra Survey: The students have been working really hard and transitioning well to middle school math. Pre-Algebra Survey students have just finished their unit on ratios and are starting their new unit on rational numbers. We previously talked about encouraging the students to persevere on their homework. Thank you so much for your support at home with this! This month we’d like to focus on another math practice standard: modeling with mathematics (showing work in different ways). Part of being a mathematician includes being able to approach a problem in several different ways. In class, we often teach several strategies that can be used to solve problems. It is very challenging to be able to understand and use different representations and models in math and it is a skill we will continue to work on all year.
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: The students have been working really hard and transitioning well to middle school math. Pre-Algebra students have just finished their unit on ratios and are starting their new unit on rational numbers. We previously talked about encouraging the students to persevere on their homework. Thank you so much for your support at home with this! This month we’d like to focus on another math practice standard: modeling with mathematics (showing work in different ways). Part of being a mathematician includes being able to approach a problem in several different ways. In class, we often teach several strategies that can be used to solve problems. It is very challenging to be able to understand and use different representations and models in math and it is a skill we will continue to work on all year.
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: We have been working hard on identifying themes in fiction and supporting it with text evidence. Soon, we will learn about the central (main) idea in nonfiction/informational text. Up next, we will be using our imaginations and creating fictional narratives in a fun writing assignment.
Science: Scientists are busy answering the question: “Why do we sometimes see different things when looking at the same object?” Observations and hands-on activities are helping us learn about light and matter.
SS: In social studies, the students have been learning about how geography impacts our lives. We will continue this study by seeing how and why people choose to migrate. We will focus on why people live in certain areas, how their actions impact the environment there, and how people have populated all corners of the earth throughout time. By the end of our migration unit, students should have a better understanding of our role in the world and how choices throughout time have brought us to this point in history.
7th Grade
Pre Algebra: Students have just finished their unit on ratios and are starting our new unit on rational numbers. In this unit, students will practice their skills with operations of rational numbers. Students will get plenty of practice by working with fractions and decimals, which usually causes most of the students problems. Please remind your student to continue to complete their homework and turn it in daily.
Bridge to Algebra 1 - We are finishing up Unit 1 which is about solving equations, inequalities, and real world problems involving them. Students have worked hard since the beginning of the school year to master these skills so they can easily use them in future units. Unit 2 will introduce students to functions. This unit focuses on being able to identify, compare, and interpret functions.
Algebra 1- We are in the middle of Unit 2 which includes writing and graphing linear functions and linear inequalities. The students have learned two of the three different forms of linear functions and when to apply them when given certain parameters.
Language Arts - The students are finishing up reading The Giver. We have been looking closely at the community in the book and using the mood of the story and Joans’s (the main character’s) tone to evaluate his opinion on the community. After finishing an essay about the novel, we will move on to dystopian book clubs. Be on the lookout for a permission slip regarding book clubs.
Adv Language Arts - We have been reading several short stories (“The Lottery” and “Raymond’s Run”) over the past few weeks. We are looking closely at how specific word choices affect the mood, tone, and our understanding of the stories. We will start our dystopian book clubs after the break. Be on the lookout for a permission slip regarding the book clubs.
Science: We are nearing the end of our first unit over Chemical Reactions and Matter. Students have been working hard to answer our driving question, “How can we make something new that was not there before?” through a series of experiments. The unit will be followed by an engineering project where students will be building and programming robots! Once that is over, we will begin Unit 2 (Chemical Reactions and Energy), where we will be answering the question “How can we use chemical reactions to design a solution to a problem?” In this unit, students will be creating flameless-heaters as we explore how energy impacts chemical reactions.
SS: Teaching and learning about history and social studies is not the kind of learning you probably experienced years ago as a student in your history or social studies classes! Now, students are challenged to investigate and develop questions and personal inquiries as we focus our work and discussions. After receiving a foundation of content, students are encouraged to become curious about the past! This can take some time to develop during the school year, but students can be in the driver’s seat of their own curiosity! Some questions do not have one easy defined answer. They are arguable and debatable, with many points of view. Other questions relate to and help answer other questions. Some questions are more narrow and easily defined or answered with a variety of facts or details or definitions. How fun is it to think about historical themes, topics, and events and then determine your own point of view! We work on all of this by developing claim statements backed up with reliable evidence from our class questions. Thus, we’ve spent some time developing foundational source evaluation skills that are ready to be put into use. We are currently examining the reasons for colonial immigration and emigration leading to the establishment of the 13 colonies into 3 distinct regions. Soon, the French and Indian War will be a conflict which will set the stage for lasting effects.
8th Grade
Algebra 1: Algebra 1 is well into Unit 2: Graphing & Writing Equations of Lines. Students will be learning all about domain and range, function notation, constant rate of change, and graphing and writing equations of lines in all three forms. This unit is very important for building up students’ foundational Algebra 1 skills. Please encourage your child to be completing daily homework assignments and using IXL outside of class. Reminder to make sure that students have a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator that they are bringing with them to class daily.
Geometry: Geometry has just completed Unit 2: Transformations! Students learned how to translate, reflect, and rotate images, as well as create equations for lines of reflection. Unit 3 is about Angle and Segment relationships. The unit begins with some major Algebra 1 review concepts, such as solving quadratic equations and solving systems of equations. If your child feels that Algebra 1 concepts are making Geometry more difficult, please encourage them to utilize IXL/Khan Academy outside of class and reach out for extra practice!
Language Arts: In Language Arts, we have begun the year with fun and engaging short stories. Our focus thus far has been analyzing themes. We have also started exploring the mood of a text. Students have been studying strategies authors use to develop the characters and plot within a story. With each story, article, and poem, we will continue to explore the author's craft and discuss what makes these texts great. We will be moving to analyzing Informational Text articles for central ideas and tone.
Science: We are finishing up our unit in Physics “Contact Forces and Collisions”. In this unit, we have talked about forces, friction, and different forms of inertia! We have had an awesome hands-on unit demonstrating many of these concepts in a demo lab setting. These students have re-created wonderful models of collisions and free body diagrams, and developed creative ways to remember the different types of friction. Next week, we will have a STEM project with our awkward schedule coming up, followed by a benchmark to end our current unit! Our next unit we will explore is “Sound Waves” in the second branch of Physics. Some of the main topics will involve “Can sound waves move other objects?” or “Wave properties” etc. Some of our major targets will include developing and describing a model that demonstrates that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. Cause and effect will play a major role in this unit, using different forms of evidence to support our claims, as well as inquire about several phenomena involving amplitude, frequency, and compressions!
SS: In social studies, we have been learning about reform efforts made during the Progressive Era, including strategies used by “Muckrakers”. We also learned about several “Captains of Industry” and their efforts to maintain their wealth, power, and influence over society. Students took part in our Progressive Era Dinner Party, where they took on the persona of someone during this time period and spoke with others on social reform issues that caused discourse at that time. Last week, we looked at the actions the United States took to become a world power and debated the positive and negative impacts of imperialism. This week we started exploring the causes of World War I.
Picture Retakes
Picture retakes will be October 4th.
Law Enforcement Safety Drill
On Monday, October 3rd, Twin Groves will be conducting a Law Enforcement Safety Drill. Students will be evacuating the building during the drill. If the weather does not cooperate, we will reschedule the drill and communicate the rescheduled drill date.
In compliance with the Safety Drill Act, parents have the right to exempt their child from the Law Enforcement Drill.
If you do not wish your child to participate in the Law Enforcement Safety Drill, please contact Jessica Barnes at [email protected]. The administration will arrange for an alternative review of safety procedures with your child.
If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in the drill.
Conference Information
Conferences are approaching next week on Thursday 10/6 and Friday 10/7. All conferences are virtual unless you have contacted the teacher via email and made arrangements for an in-person conference. This must be done no later than the end of the school day on Tuesday 10/4.
After scheduling a conference, you received an email from Meet the Teacher with a link for the conferences. This email was sent from the address [email protected] and will have the subject line “Your appointment for Twin Grove Middle School 2022 Fall Family Educator Conferences.” Please check your spam or junk mail folders if you do not remember getting this email. We have had several parents report this email going to those folders.
When you click on the link in that email, you will be asked to sign in to Meet the Teacher. Once signed in, follow these instructions:
Click on the green “Join Video Appointments” button
This will take you to a screen that allows you to check audio and video
Click on the blue “Proceed to Video Call” button
Click on the blue “Start Appointment” button and wait for teacher to join at the conference start time
The conference will automatically end when time runs out.
Click on the blue “Start Appointment” button for the next teacher if you have another appointment scheduled.
If you would like to invite another parent/guardian to the conference so that they can join from another device, follow these instructions:
Log in to Meet the Teacher
Go to “My Bookings”
Click on “Invite Parent/Guardian”
Meet the Teacher sign up will close at 11:55pm on Sunday 10/2. After that you must contact the school office to schedule a conference or make a change.
Lake County Stem
We are excited to invite girls from around the county to participate in the Lake County STEM for Girls Conference on November 5th! This year, the event is being hosted at Woodlawn and we hope to see MANY of our students. To register, please visit http://www.lcstemforgirls.com/. If you are a female who is or has worked in a STEM field, we'd love for you to join us as a presenter, please reach out to [email protected] . We look forward to welcoming the county into our KCSD96 community!
PTO
Please click HERE to access the PTO Blog.
Twin Groves Athletics
Please click HERE to access the Twin Groves Athletics site.
This site will be updated frequently.
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.