9/27/24
Upcoming Dates:
10/1- Picture Re-takes
10/3- No School
10/10- No School and Conferences 5:00 PM-8:30 PM
10/11- No School and Conferences 10:00 AM- 1:30 PM
10/14- No School
10/22- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
11/5- No School
11/19- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
11/27-12/1- No School- Thanksgiving Break
12/10- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
12/21- 1/5- No School- Winter Break
1/6- Classes Resume
Congratulations!
Each month, Twin Groves will be recognizing students who are Upstanders at Twin Groves.
The Twin Groves Staff would like to recognize the following students who consistently demonstrate that they are Responsible, Respectful, and Safe, but most importantly Upstanders. These students have been recognized by the staff for being leaders, role models, supportive peers, brave, and positive.
Zoe Ha
Henry Kling
Lucas Koola
Mikey Lentz
Reyhan Nepesova
Lily Nadulek
Vainavi Raghavendran
Sai Rajesh
Andre Rubiano
Sara Soyugencc
What’s Happening at Twin Groves?
6th Grade
Core 6/7 Math: The students have been working really hard and transitioning well to middle school math. Core 6/7 Math students have just finished their unit on ratios, and are starting the 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 on 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.
Core 7 Math: The students have been working really hard and transitioning well to middle school math. Core 7 Math students have just finished their unit on rational numbers, and are starting the new unit on Algebraic expressions. We previously talked about encouraging the students to persevere on their homework. Thank you so much for your support at home on 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.
LA: In LA, students have been working on identifying the themes of short stories and supporting the claim with text evidence. Next up: putting it all together in an analysis paragraph. After that we will learn about identifying the central (main) idea in nonfiction/informational text. Soon, students will be using their 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. We have learned about reflection, transmission, and how light travels so we can see. We also incorporated a fun STEM activity called Mint Mobiles where students designed a car made with mints as wheels!
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
Language Arts: The language arts classes have just complete their first assessment, explaining the denotation or connotation of words and phrases in connection with authors select precise language when crafting the mood of a story. We are switching over to informational text, studying different non-fiction text structures in order to understand how those structures impact our comprehension of a text.
Language Arts Advanced: The advanced language arts classes have also just complete their first assessment, explaining the denotation or connotation of words and phases in connection authors select precise language when crafting the mood of a story. Similar to language arts, we are switching over to informational text, studying different non-fiction text structures in order to understand how those structures impact our comprehension of a text.
Science: We are coming to the end of Unit 1 where we have studied the difference between physical changes and chemical reactions. We have looked at the Law of Conservation of Mass related to chemical reactions. Before starting the next unit, we will introduce our year-long robot building and coding project. In Unit 2 (Chemical Reactions and Energy), we will be answering the question “How can we use chemical reactions to design a solution to a problem?” by looking at exothermic and endothermic reactions.
Social Studies: 7th grade Social Studies has transitioned from setting up the school year with important foundational literacy skills while introducing the 6 key elements of evaluating sources for reliability and credibility… to the establishment of the 13 British Colonies in North America. These colonies were classified into three separate and distinct regions: New England, Middle, and Southern. Each region featured specific economic and geographical characteristics that enabled each region to grow and prosper. Reasons for immigration don’t change too much whether we are talking about 1670 or 2024 (push and pull factors). As colonists explored and moved to the west towards the Appalachian Mountains and the Ohio River region, conflicts began to occur over land possession between Native Americans and other European nations trying to carve out North America. The French and Indian war will set the stage for the American Revolution. Colonial actions will anger “Mother Britain” and she will come down hard on the colonists with numerous British “acts and taxes” driving a wedge between the Patriots and Loyalists. We continue to examine a variety of primary and secondary sources using inquiry, argumentation, implementing questioning and questions, critical literacy skills, and source evaluation for reliability and credibility.
Math Core 7: We are finishing up Unit 1, working with Rational Numbers. Unit 2 will begin to explore Expressions, with a huge focus on combining like-terms. Students have been working hard on their Daily Notes and Homework!
Math Core 8: We are just finishing up Unit 1 on 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 given certain parameters.
8th Grade
Language Arts/Language Arts Advanced: In Language Arts we have been focusing on the fundamentals of Literature by examining the author’s tools such as Theme, Mood and Tone. We have been exploring the different strategies of how authors create theme, mood, tone, then compare and contrast them within several short stories. We have also been discussing what makes a good analysis paragraph. The focus in 8th grade is to help students not only with their writing organization but also with their analysis. We are working on what it means to break down and analyze a piece of writing.
Coming up in October, we are going to focus more on central ideas and nonfiction articles. Students will explore how certain articles are structured and how we can develop central idea statements off of it. Later in the month, as we get closer to Halloween we will dig into our historical mysteries unit, such as the mystery of Mary Celeste and Roanoke. We will also enter our Suspenseful literature unit where we will examine how authors create suspenseful writing.
Science: In Science, we are finishing our Genetics unit. The storyline for our unit focuses on what causes cattle to get extra-big muscles. Students have been using data, readings, pictures and video clips to investigate how genetic factors (e.g. mutations) and environmental factors (e.g. exercise and diet) affect an organism. We will wrap up the unit by considering genetic technologies such as GMOs, selective breeding and artificial selection.
In October, we will begin our Natural Selection and Common Ancestry unit. We will explore how things living today are connected to things that lived long ago. We will learn how organisms change or adapt to their environment over time.
Social Studies: In Social Studies, we have recently learned about World War I, including the various causes of the war, advancements in technology that led to many casualties, the United States' entry into the war, and the long-term impact the Treaty of Versailles had at the conclusion of the conflict.
We have begun covering the story behind the 19th Amendment and what it took for women to achieve the right to vote in this country. Students will learn about the innovations and products created throughout the 1920s that made life easier and connected more and more people over greater distances. The “Roaring 20’s” was truly a “Boom to Bust” decade and students will work towards an understanding of the social and economic factors that led to the Great Depression. Students will continue to work on mastering the skill of closely reading primary sources, in order to summarize the main ideas and analyze their historical significance.
Algebra 1: We are currently in Unit 2: Writing and Graphing Linear Equations. Students are learning about domain and range, function notation, graphing and writing lines in slope intercept form, standard form, and point slope form. This unit is very exciting and also critical for students to master! Please encourage students to complete all homework assignments and get help when needed. Next unit students will need to bring their TI-84 graphing calculator with them to class everyday.
Geometry: We are in the middle of Unit 3: Coordinate Geometry. Students have been having to access Algebra 1 skills to help them be successful. We have been working on calculating midpoint, distance point to point, and distance point to line. In addition, students have been learning how to apply parallel and perpendicular slope relationships and write equations of lines in all forms (slope intercept form, point slope form, standard form, and general form). Please continue to stay involved in your student’s progress by checking TeacherEase.
Preparing Our Middle Schoolers for Responsible Digital Lives
With technology playing a significant role in our students’ lives, it is important they understand how to navigate the digital world safely and ethically. To best support our students in developing these lifelong skills, KCSD96 is implementing the Common Sense Digital Citizenship Lessons throughout the year during Flex. Students will explore topics like managing their digital footprint, understanding privacy settings, and recognizing positive and negative online behaviors.
Common Sense is a widely-used resource used by school districts across the country, including in our region. We encourage you to discuss these lessons with your child and help them apply these principles at home. More details about the curriculum can be found at the Common Sense Digital Citizenship Website.
Together, we can support our students in becoming responsible and confident digital citizens. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jessica Barnes at [email protected].
NEW *External Assessments from 23-24 to be Sent Out
Parents and Guardians, you will soon receive something in your email inbox. The results from last year's state assessments will be electronically sent to parents on October 1st. There will be instructions on how to receive a physical copy if parents are unable to print and would like to do so. Please see the chart below on which assessment information to expect from your child.
Middle School Health Letter
Please click HERE to access the 24-25 Health Education letter.
Virtual Backpacks
District Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack
Twin Groves Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/tg/virtual-backpack
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.
Twin Groves Athletics
Please click HERE to access the Twin Groves Athletics site.
This site will be updated frequently.