12/15/23
Upcoming Dates:
12/19- Early Release 1:30 PM Dismissal
12/22-1/7- Winter Break
1/15- No School
1/30- Early Release 1:30 PM Dismissal
2/16- Half Day 11:10 AM Dismissal
2/19- No School
2/27- Early Release 1:30 PM Dismissal
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 that 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.
Andrew Airapetov
Natalie Belan
Karen Choi
Dylan Eason
Pavel Gurski
Yeseung Hong
Ryan Kim
Michael Lentz
Madison Schaefges
Arnav Singh
What’s Happening at Twin Groves?
Spanish
¡Felices Fiestas Twin Groves! - Happy Holidays Twin Groves!
6th-grade students just wrapped up a unit on calendar vocabulary. They learned how to answer questions about the day of the week, today’s date, their birthday and their age. We are now starting a unit on their likes and dislikes. Students will be working on discussing what they like to do and don’t like to do. Their first quiz for this unit on recognizing likes/dislikes activities vocabulary is on December 19th (A day) and 20th (B day). We will continue working on this unit after winter break.
7th grade students just finished a unit on what they do, specifically learning how to conjugate ar ending verbs in the present tense. This is such an essential grammar skill to be able to communicate in so many more contexts! We are now starting a unit on food vocabulary. We are so excited to discuss students’ food preferences. Students will review me gusta (I like) grammar, describing food with the verb ser and adjectives, and will learn how to conjugate er and ir ending verbs in the present tense to discuss what they and others eat, drink, and share. Their first quiz for this unit on recognizing food/drinks vocabulary is on December 19th (A day) and 20th (B day). We will continue working on this unit after winter break.
8th-grade students just finished taking their Stevenson HS placement test! Congratulations and thank you all for your hard work! Placement letters will go out towards the end of January. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact your student’s Spanish teacher. After placement testing, students got a well deserved break and watched Encanto in Spanish and discussed a bit of Colombian culture depicted in the movie. Now we are starting a unit on bedroom and house vocabulary. Students will discuss their houses/apartments, bedrooms, and what they do in their house. At the end of the unit, students dream up their ideal house and discuss what rooms and furniture it has. We will continue to review present tense conjugation, describing their house and bedroom with ser and adjectives, as well as add on a new grammar topic: stem-changing verbs (jugar, dormir, poder). Students' first quiz on this unit will be the week or two after we return to school from winter break.
Band: Monday, December 18, 2023, at 7:00 PM, is our Twin Groves Fall band concert. All band students will be playing in the program. The students are working hard preparing for the concert and putting on the final touches for their performances on Monday evening.
The 8th grade band students have a consortium concert on Thursday, January 18, 2023 at Stevenson High School. The music has been given to them and we are working on it during band class. The 8th grade students will leave from Twin Groves on a bus to prepare for the evening performance which will take place at 6:30 PM in the PAC of Stevenson High School. This is an outstanding concert for students to get another view of the Stevenson Band Program.
The Honor band is now practicing for the upcoming organizational band contest on March 8th or 9th. The students helped pick the music and are now busily preparing it. The music is a challenge to us, but we have two and a half months left in the preparation, so we should be fine. We have a band festival on Friday, February 2nd that will be a strong boost in our preparation for the organizational band contest.
All students in the Twin Groves band have a solo. Preparation is being ramped up as we press toward the February 10 solo/ ensemble contest and class performances in February. Students will be doing little assignments along the way in order to help them prepare for their individual performances. If your student is using Mr. Nagle as an accompanist, sign-ups for practice times with him will come out as soon as we get back from break.
Several students from our band program performed at two basketball games this month. It was a lot of fun to cheer on our boys basketball teams.
Orchestra: The 6-8 students have been working hard and have started learning new music for our next concert cycle. In classes, the 6th graders just learned a new scale, the 7th graders are working on 3rd position and the 8th graders are working on our music for the SHS 8th Grade Consortium event on January 22.
Just a reminder that we have the following orchestra after-school rehearsal schedule each week:
Mondays: 6th Grade Orchestra
Tuesdays: Chamber Orchestra
Wednesdays: 7th Grade Orchestra
Thursdays: 8th Grade Orchestra
Over Winter Break, please make sure to bring in your child’s instrument if it needs any repair and/or tuning. Please check with your child to make sure things like the fine tuners are working properly. Please also make sure to change your child’s instrument size at the vendor if they need the next size instrument.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Break! I look forward to seeing the students in the New Year!
Upcoming Dates/Events
Monday, Jan. 22: SHS 8th Grade Consortium Event, 4:15-6:30 pm @ SHS
Saturday, Feb. 10: IGSMA Solo/Ensemble Contest, 8-4 pm @ Aptakisic JHS
Wednesday, Feb. 21: TG Chamber Orchestra performance at 5th Grade Orchestra concert, 7:30 pm @ SHS
Thursday, March 7th: “Music in Our Schools” Month Concert (6-8 Orchestra & Chorus), 6:30 pm @ TG
District 96 hosts a Newcomer Coffee & Conversation (REPEAT)
District 96 hosts a Newcomer Coffee & Conversation for parents and guardians of newly registered students, to give them an opportunity to ask questions and share information about their transition.
This year’s Coffee starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 19, at Ivy Hall Elementary School (Mat Room), 1072 Ivy Hall Lane, Buffalo Grove.
It is an informal opportunity for these new parents and guardians to ask questions and share their thoughts ~ with other parents and staff ~ about their experiences in the district. These parents might be experiencing the District’s social customs and teaching practices for the first time, just as their students have, and can glean from the experiences of others.
New parents/guardians who missed the New Family Tours in August are encouraged to attend this conversation. Those who did attend the tours are welcome to join this conversation to share how they are adjusting to the District 96 culture.
Coffee and other refreshments will be served.
For planning purposes, RSVP by December 13 at https://forms.gle/Kn5SkyzZFbHgtyCn7.
This is an event only for parents and guardians.
Got questions? Email Lubna K. Andrabi, Community Parent Liaison, at [email protected].
Current Patriot Consortium Mathematics Placement Process- 8th Grade Only (REPEAT)
The consortium has created criteria that define the four strands of mathematical proficiency to highlight the attributes of a proficient mathematical thinker. The criteria are grouped into three categories (See chart on second page):
-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 to 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 AB/BC 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 AB/BC 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)
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.
Twin Groves Athletics
Please click HERE to access the Twin Groves Athletics site.
This site will be updated frequently.