Principal's Message - December 16, 2022

12/16/22

This will be the last Principal’s Message of 2022! The next Principal’s Message will go out on Friday, January 13th.

We will be running an Assembly Schedule on Thursday, December 22nd. We will have a Winter Spirit Assembly on Thursday, December 22nd at 1:30 PM. Students will be dismissed at their regular time, 2:30 PM.

The last day of student attendance before Winter Break will be Thursday, December 22nd.
There is no school on Friday, December 23, 2022.

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy Winter Break and a happy and healthy New Year! See you in 2023!


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.

Kaitlyn Kim
Taylor Mallin
Pratham Rajpal 
Nikolai Yoon


What’s Happening at Twin?

Spanish- In 6th grade Spanish, we are ending our unit on our likes and dislikes.  Before Winter Break, we will have fun with the colors and body parts.  In 7th grade, we have been studying the verb estar with locations and prepositions.  In 8th grade, we are so excited to be done with the placement test and have started a fun unit on the house.


Band - This past month the band students were working hard on their fall program. They performed well in their concert on Monday. I was proud of their performance as individuals and overall together as a big group. I was also proud of the way the students stepped up to help set up the program by bringing instruments, stands, and other necessary equipment into the gym and cleaning it up at the end of the night. Band concerts are a lot of work to put on and set up. Thank you again for the help students!

All classes are going to be working on solos and ensembles. All students have been given a solo and a group of ensembles or specific ensembles to work through. These solos and ensembles will be performed in class in February.

January 18 is the 8th-grade consortium concert. We are practicing for that event and looking forward to it. The concert for the parents begins at 6:30 PM at Stevenson High school.

Orchestra- The orchestra students have been working hard since their concert! 6th Graders are learning a new rhythm, 7th Graders are continuing to work on the 3rd position, and 8th Graders have been preparing for their consortium event in January. 

As a general reminder, please make sure to change your child’s instrument size if you have been notified by Mrs. Anderson to do so. Winter break is a great time to get this done. If students are playing with a small instrument, it does hinder their playing. 

Just a reminder that the 8th Grade Orchestra Consortium Event is on Thursday, January 19th from 4:15-6:30 pm at SHS PAC.  Permission slips are due by Wednesday, December 21st. Please see the email sent this week for more details.

Upcoming Orchestra Events:
Thursday, January 19, 4:15 pm-6:30 pm @ SHS: 8th Grade Orchestra Consortium Event
Saturday, February 4, 8:00 am-4:00 pm @ Highland Middle School (Libertyville): IGSMA Solo/Ensemble Contest 

 

 

Teacher Gifts-PTO
To make gift-giving easier this winter we are introducing GiftCrowd, a gifting site that allows families to contribute to group gifts.  Use the link and select the teachers and staff you would like to join a gift for.  You only need to fill out one cart and check out once. 

Teachers and staff will get an email at the end of the school day on December 22 advising that they received a group gift. They will only be advised of the total gift amount and who contributed, but not the individual contribution amounts. They will then have a large selection of gift cards they can choose from. Neither the staff nor the families pay a fee for use of this service. 

 

 

Coming Up:  Pre-Registration for Incoming 2023-24 Kindergartners

District families with incoming 2023-24 kindergartners are asked to be on the lookout for pre-registration information being shared in a few weeks.

The 2023-24 Kindergarten pre-registration is open to students who live within District boundaries and who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2023.

This year’s Kindergarten Pre-Registration will be conducted online; parents will be emailed a link to start the process.  (Families needing to pre-register their child in-person may contact Kimberly O’Neill, administrative assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at [email protected].)

For the online Kindergarten Pre-Registration, parents will need to supply:
-Proof of their identity
-Proof of their child’s birth (birth certificate or passport)
-Proof of District residency (current mortgage, lease or property tax bill)
-Current utility bill

Incoming Kindergartners who are pre-registered during this Pre-Registration period will receive a special Willow Grove Kindergarten T-shirt. (The T-shirts are not available after this pre-registration period.)  

Learn more about Kindergarten in District 96:  https://www.kcsd96.org/wg/kindergarten-in-kcsd96

Got questions?  Email Kimberly O'Neill at [email protected].

 


Current Patriot Consortium Mathematics Placement Process

The consortium has created criteria that defines the four strands of mathematical proficiency to highlight the attributes of a proficient mathematical thinker. The criteria are grouped into three categories:

-Procedural Skills & Fluency (How well you can correctly use mathematics.)
-Conceptual Understanding (How well you utilize mathematical ideas, transfer your knowledge into new situations, and apply it to new contexts.)
-Problem-Solving with Adaptive Reasoning and Strategic Competence (How well you can apply strategies and sound reasoning.)

Over the course of the year, the mathematics teachers will be discussing these criteria with the students in class to create a portrait of each student. This portrait will be used to recommend the students into the mathematics course at Stevenson High School that matches their content knowledge as well as level of mathematics proficiency at this time.

As a district and consortium, it is our vision that each student moves on to the next course in the sequence providing that there are no significant gaps in content knowledge. If there are significant gaps in content knowledge and a change in recommendation occurs, we will contact you. We feel that this process allows a mathematical picture of the student to develop over time, which will provide a more informed recommendation.

Course Sequence for Bridge Algebra 1 Students

-Algebra 1 with Mentor math or Algebra 1 with Math Guided Study will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-4
-Algebra 1 will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-4

Course Sequence for Algebra 1 Students

-Geometry will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-4
-Geometry Accelerated will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-4

Course Sequence for Geometry Students

-Algebra 2 will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-3
-Algebra 2 Accelerated will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-3
 

PORTRAIT OF A MATHEMATICALLY PROFICIENT STUDENT
Procedural Skills & Fluency
How well you can correctly use mathematics.

(skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately)
I can identify and use the most efficient method for the problem. (MP7)
I can use mathematical computations, terms, symbols, formulas, and language appropriately. (MP5, 6)
I can recognize the algebraic structure in problems and use rules or procedures to solve or simplify. (MP7)
I can solve problems with accuracy. (MP6)


Conceptual Understanding
How well you utilize mathematical ideas, transfer your knowledge into new situations, and apply it to new contexts.

(comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations, and relations)
I can use diagrams, pictures, and symbols to justify my work. (MP4)
I can understand and justify the “why” of the procedure. (MP3)
I can justify solutions algebraically, graphically, and numerically. (MP3)
I can explain my solution with sound mathematical reasoning using precise mathematics vocabulary and terminology. (MP3, 8)
I can determine the reasonableness of my answer.  (MP2)


Problem Solving with  Adaptive Reasoning and Strategic Competence
How well you can apply strategies and sound reasoning.

(capacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation, and justification and ability to formulate, represent, and solve mathematical problems)
I can select and use all the pertinent information to solve the problem. (MP2)
I can determine a solving strategy by forming logical relationships among concepts and situations. (MP7, 8)
I can represent a situation mathematically using modeling. (MP4)
I can retain and apply information and skills from previous units to solve problems alongside new concepts. (MP7,8)
I can make connections between multiple mathematical concepts to solve problems in unfamiliar situations. (MP7,8)
I can persevere when encountering new and difficult concepts.(MP1)

 

 

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 the 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.