11/8/24
Upcoming Dates:
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
1/14- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
1/20- No School
What’s Happening at TG?
Art; We created a lot of work this trimester! 6th grade created a quick abstract design using tissue paper. The principles of art movement and repetition were explored. They also practiced interpreting artwork using the “I see……I think it means…..” sentence starter. 7th grade just glazed their clay bowls. They also did a quick futuristic collage portrait. They also were trying to create a sense of movement. The 8th grade just finished glazing their clay slab heads and then painting trees. They chose whatever season or style tree they wanted. The only requirement was that they painted both wet on wet or wet on dry in order to create multiple values throughout.
Music: We are at the end of our 1st Trimester! 6th grade is learning how to compose and use notation software to write their own motifs. They will wrap up the semester focusing on music production and Garageband. 7th graders are writing their own lyrics to a song using an AI music generator. They have been learning how to dissect a song and what songwriters use to tell stories in music. 8th graders are presenting our chosen instrument pieces and rearranging them using production software. These are also the first students to have used our brand new Sound Room to record and edit their music performances. Music students will rotate to TASOL for the 2nd Trimester.
TASOL: As we come to the end of Trimester 1, all students are cooking. Sixth-grade students are learning basic cooking terminology and utensil identification. They are working in groups to learn safety skills in the kitchens and complete basic recipes. Students in 7th/8th grade have been in the kitchens focusing on new cooking techniques and identifying unknown utensils. We have reviewed kitchen safety and looked at how to keep food safe while cooking and storing. As the trimester comes to an end, students will be sharing their recipes and experiences from different opportunities to cook at home. All TASOL students will move to Art next week for T2.
Band: Honor band students have been busily preparing for the Veteran’s Day concerts on Monday, November 11. The students will be playing in two student assemblies during the day and then the concert at night. The evening concert starts at 7:00 PM, Honor Band students need to be in the gym at 6:30 PM ready to play. Doors will open to parents and friends at 6:45 PM.
Students in 6th grade are in the concert band and they have been working on playing together as an ensemble, learning how to balance themselves, and playing in time. It is exciting to see their growth. During lessons on “B” days we are working on scales, rhythm work, technique work, and learning to play in small ensembles. Their first concert is Monday, December 16, 2024, when all of the Twin Groves bands will be playing.
Solo and Ensemble forms are being passed out today to students. We encourage all students to take an ensemble to the contest and if they would like a solo. The contest is a great way to keep a student practicing all winter long. Students will be shown acceptable solos and ensembles to choose from for contests in band class. If your student is taking private lessons we encourage them to ask their private teacher for a good solo.
The Pep band is also starting next week. We encourage students to join us for a fun afternoon of cheering our boys' basketball teams on to victory. Students are done by 5:00 PM each afternoon we have a pep band performance. The pep band is optional, but we encourage your student to perform with us. It is a lot of fun.
Orchestra: We are wrapping up Trimester 1 in the orchestra! All of the students have done such a great job this trimester and are already progressing well this year. The 6th Graders just finished learning a new scale, 7th Graders have been working on shifting. 8th Graders just completed their first assessment on Smartmusic, which is a practice/feedback tool. Looking forward to more great work and playing in Tri 2!
Congratulations to all of the orchestra students who performed at the ILMEA festival this past Saturday, Nov. 2nd!
We are looking forward to our fabulous Fall Orchestra & Choir Concert next Wednesday, Nov. 13th at 7 pm in the TG Large Gym. Please see my previously sent email for more details.
Report Cards!
Families: A helpful reminder! Report card season is here! Next week, Friday, November 15th, families will be able to view their child’s report card on TeacherEase at 3 pm. Families can find more helpful information about report cards, including how to view them and how to switch between multiple students, here: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/access-student-progress-reports-online. We also have a helpful webpage dedicated to helping you understand your child’s report card: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/understanding-your-childs-report-card.
If you happen to forget your Teacher Ease password, please click “Forgot Password” on the log-in main page.
NEW Guiding Coalition of Interculturalism Next Week: Join Us!
GCI will meet on November 12th at 6:30 pm in the Educational Development Center at Ivy Hall Elementary (1072 Ivy Hall Lane). Please fill out this form if you are interested: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDk4k-xHYTEr3jhAo6zZpPQzwGq84g__oqzfU2mEogqnRY8Q/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawGaBfpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHf9RO_eCMeD6s--SyK78bEkv9852kblstlzF9epC8PMqEd49ncGLfzTqjw_aem_SI7EnB5Rb6RfqoKxzZpuCg
In this meeting, we will be discussing many topics, including refining our students' middle school experience by exploring the opportunity for more student choice in curricular. We look forward to seeing you there!
Guiding Coalition of Interculturalism (GCI) is a learning community that reflects and connects the KCSD96 values of diversity and inclusion; aligns parents, educators, and students in cultural and educational experiences; and engages with a wide audience. This year our Bilingual Parent Advisory Council will merge with GCI to create a more cohesive group focused on cultural diversity, inclusion, and language support.
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.