5/9/25
Upcoming Dates:
5/13- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
5/23- Half Day- Students dismissed at 11:10 AM
5/23- Last Day for 8th Graders
5/26- No School
5/27- 8th Grade Graduation 8 PM
5/29- Last Day for 6th and 7th Graders
5/29- Half Day- Students dismissed at 11:10 AM
Counseling Corner
Ms. Baker and Mr. Maddox, School Social Workers
Mrs. Koulentes, School Counselor
Mrs. Leverentz, School Psychologist
The end of the school year is quickly approaching! Summer months typically allow for opportunities to connect with our tweens and teens on a deeper level than time allows during the school year. With this age group, it can feel tricky to find connection opportunities that will prove fun for both kids and parents alike. Here are some ideas to consider:
1. Introduce your teen to a movie from your youth one night, and then have them pick one of their favorite movies for another night. Compare and contrast the two movies and give them ratings.
2. Let them plan a family day or local mini-road-trip. Give them a budget and collaborate on the fun!
3. Volunteer together at an organization like Feed My Starving Children, Bernie’s Book Bank, or a local animal shelter. Alternatively, research a cause that your child is interested in.
4. Plan, cook, and eat a meal together. Try something totally new that you are both excited about!
5. Play a sport, start a fitness challenge, or exercise outside together. Try something that is new for both of you- a great situation in which you can help each other!
6. Check out local park district offerings so you can take advantage of what the area has to offer. Consider a workshop or class (art, cooking, coding)- participating together can be a fun and educational way to bond.
7. Play a card game, a board game, or do a puzzle together one evening or rainy day.
8. Pick a house project or a DIY Pinterest project to do together and complete it. Whether building a birdhouse, making homemade candles, or redecorating a room, collaborating on a creative endeavor can strengthen your relationship.
9. Read a book or article together, and discuss over a fun treat!
10. Attend a Cultural Event: Look for cultural events happening in your area, such as festivals, concerts, or art exhibits. Take your teen along to experience something new and immerse yourselves in different cultures and traditions.
11. Let your teen teach you about their favorite App or game.
12. Teach them about an important life skill. (Laundry, basic cleaning, changing a tire, etc.)
13. Start a garden together. Dedicate a section of your backyard or even just a small deck box/pots to gardening. Let your teen choose which plants to grow and involve them in the planting, watering, and harvesting process throughout the summer.
14. Create a memory jar- Set up a jar where family members can write down favorite memories or moments from the summer. At the end of the season, sit together and read through the notes, reminiscing about the good times shared.
What’s Happening at TG?
6th Grade
Core 6/7 Math: We will be working on geometry this month. Students will be solving problems involving finding the surface area and volume of three-dimensional shapes. Last month, we asked you to focus on attending to precision, which means labeling units and working carefully. This month, we’d like to ask you to emphasize choosing appropriate mathematical tools. The students have learned so many different ways to apply their knowledge to solve new problems, so they should have numerous tools in their mathematical “toolbox.” For example, when solving a statistics problem, students should know whether a histogram or a box-and-whiskers plot is more useful for their task. It has been such a pleasure to get to know your children, and they have impressed us with their perseverance, despite the very challenging targets we’ve had all year. The next month is going to fly by! Thank you so much for your support at home.
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: We are on our second geometry unit, focusing on angle relationships and the Pythagorean theorem. Last month, we asked you to focus on attending to precision, which means labeling units and working carefully. This month, we’d like to ask you to emphasize choosing appropriate mathematical tools. The students have learned so many different ways to apply their knowledge to solve new problems, so they should have numerous tools in their mathematical “toolbox.” For example, when solving a statistics problem, students should know whether a histogram or a box-and-whiskers plot is more useful to their task. It has been such a pleasure to get to know your children, and they have impressed us with their perseverance, despite the very challenging targets we’ve had all year. The next month is going to fly by! Thank you so much for your support at home.
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: As we finish up the year and head into summer, please keep in mind that there is a District 96 Summer Reading Assignment that will be explained to all students in the next few weeks. It will also be posted on the D96 website. Please make sure your child completes the assignment by the first day of school. We hope everyone has a wonderful summer and that kids will break away from the video games and read!
Science: And, just like that, our school year is coming to an end! We’ll finish unit 6 and a few more STEM activities. Looking back, we’ve learned lots of new things and made many new friends. The mini activities and hands-on experiments helped guide our discovery. Keep on noticing changes in our world, both big and small. And, may you continue to think, act, and do SCIENCE each and every day!
SS: To wrap up our year in social studies, students will be putting together all that we have learned about in a final project about taking informed action. They will get the opportunity to see how others have helped to change the world, research a topic they are passionate about, and share their findings with the class. We are looking forward to seeing all of the amazing things that our students will come up with!
7th Grade
Language Arts: We’ve wrapped up piloting different curriculum resources. Students will spend the remaining week of the year reviewing narrative writing in addition to theme and perspective in short stories.
Language Arts Advanced: Book clubs are underway! We are wrapping up the year with characters overcoming challenges in student-selected novels. Students will be flexing their literary muscles in mastering and extending targets. We will review perspective and text structure in the remaining few weeks of the year.
SS: Can you believe it… There are mere days remaining in this school year? All along, we’ve kept the discussions, arguments, claims, questions/questioning, literacy skills, source evaluation skills, curiosity, and inquiry going strong. We’re closing 7th grade S.S. with the growth and expansion of the United States (“Manifest Destiny”). Our nation is being divided between the industrial North and the agricultural/plantation South. The industrial revolution is bringing tremendous innovations, but at what “costs”? Slavery, states’ rights, balance of power, popular sovereignty all leading to anger, frustration, and other tensions gradually boiling over to the point of no return… the American Civil War and then a period of uneasy reconstruction. Being the Land of Lincoln, we appreciate the historical significance of Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. We’ll investigate the history of our American Flag, its meaning, and proper flag etiquette. In addition, we explore the development of the Medal of Honor and the significance of that designation and other military decorations to highlight sacrifice, dedication, commitment, and determination. In 7th grade S.S., we have analyzed the early growth and development of our nation from 13 fledgling British Colonies to become the United States of America. 8th grade S.S. will pick up from there, around 1900 and beyond. Thanks for a great year! As Albert Einstein said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
Science- Students are working on our last unit, where we are studying resource distribution and the ways climate affects ecosystems. We are focusing on how the frequency of droughts and floods are linked to changes in weather patterns and attempting to find ways to solve that problem. We are looking at how humans impact natural resources and the effect it can have on the world around us. After our final unit, students will be using the knowledge they have gained throughout the year to code robots for the final STEM project of the year!
Social Studies
Math Core 7: Students are about to finish their last unit of the year! As this unit comes to a close, it is important that they catch up on missing assignments. We will be spending the end of the year preparing them for their 8th-grade class next year!
Math Core 8: The students are just finishing our unit on Circumference, Area, and Volume. Our next unit will introduce the student to statistics and how we can use data to make predictions and different choices. At the end of the year, if we have time, we will review key concepts that will be important for next year in Algebra 1.
Algebra 1: Students are in the middle of our very last unit on statistics. In this unit, they will be learning about how to create histograms and box and whisker plots. They will also be learning how to analyze and interpret the data. They will learn how to interpret data distribution and how to compare data by analyzing the shape, center, and spread of the data.
8th Grade
Language Arts: As we approach the end of the school year, I want to take a moment to say what a true pleasure it has been to teach your students. It’s been a meaningful and memorable year, and I will genuinely miss our 8th graders as they move on to high school. In the coming weeks, we’ll be wrapping up our Romeo and Juliet unit. Students will continue to listen, perform, close read, and translate scenes from one of Shakespeare’s most iconic plays. As we finish, we’ll also explore some big, thought-provoking questions: Who is most at fault for the tragedy? Did Shakespeare really exist? Which emotion is more powerful: love or hate? We’ll end the year with time for reflection, celebration, and a few heartfelt goodbyes. Thank you for your support throughout the year!
Science: As we wrap up the school year, students are completing our final science unit, Earth in Space, centered on the question: “How are we connected to the patterns we see in the sky?” Earlier in the unit, they explored patterns like moon phases and seasons by drawing on personal experiences and listening to podcasts about Indigenous astronomy. They also built models of the Earth-Sun and Earth-Sun-Moon systems to explain how these patterns occur.
Currently, students are investigating how light behaves in space and in Earth’s atmosphere, exploring key phenomena such as refraction, scattering, and dispersion, as well as the protective and filtering role of Earth’s atmosphere. To wrap up the unit — and the school year — students will bring together their science and engineering skills in the STEM lab by designing and launching water-propelled rockets: a fun, hands-on way to apply what they’ve learned about motion, energy, and forces.
Social Studies: Students are wrapping up the year by increasing their understanding of various major events that occurred between the 1970s through the early 2000s in the United States and around the world. We have focused on each President during this time period, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of their administration and leadership. Students will be learning about the events that led up to the September 11th attacks on America and the subsequent War on Terror carried out by military and intelligence agencies. Students will continue to fine-tune their writing skills in preparation for high school expectations with one last DBQ.
Core 8: The students are just finishing our unit on Circumference, Area, and Volume. Our next unit will introduce the student to statistics and how we can use data to make predictions and different choices. At the end of the year, if we have time, we will review key concepts that will be important for next year in Algebra 1.
Algebra 1: We just started our last unit of the school year, Unit 9: Descriptive Statistics! Students will learn about histograms, dot plots, box and whisker graphs, and analyzing/interpreting data. Please remind your student that they still need to complete all homework assignments and get help when needed! This has been a fun and challenging year for Algebra 1 students! We are so proud of the growth the students have shown in reasoning and justifying!
Geometry: We are in the middle of our last unit of the school year, Unit 13: Surface Area and Volume. Students will learn how to calculate the surface area and volume of prisms, cylinders, cones, pyramids, spheres, frustums, and composite solids! Please remind your student that they still need to complete all homework assignments and get help when needed! This has been a fun and challenging year for Geometry students! We are so proud of the growth the students have shown in reasoning and justifying!
MAP Testing
As we wrap up MAP make-up testing, we expect to send reports home to families next week (mid-week). If you have any questions, please reach out.
Dental Exams for 6th Grade Students ONLY
Please note that your child’s completed dental examination has an upcoming due date, per Illinois school law. The deadline for the dental examination is due no later than May 15 of the current school year. Proof of this required dental examination must have been completed within eighteen months prior to the May 15 deadline.
If you haven’t already done so, please make an appointment with your child’s dentist for a dental examination, have him/or her complete the required form, and return it to your child’s school nurse.
State of Illinois Proof of Dental Examination Form - Click Here
In the event that you are unable to fulfill this requirement, the state of Illinois does permit a waiver of the examination - Click here
Student Summer Tech
As we approach the end of the school year, we want to take a moment to touch base about student technology and expectations as we wrap up our time with students. Similar to this time last year, KCSD96 will collect all devices before break and return them when students come back in the fall. Please note that students will not be required to back up any of their files, as their data will still be in place when they get their iPads back in the fall.
Teachers will be collecting the following items:
For Grades K, 1, and 8:
-iPad
-Case
-Logitech Crayon
-Block Charger + USB-C cable
-Optional: USB-C audio adapters
For Grades 2-7
-iPad
-Case
-Logitech Crayon
-Optional: USB-C audio adapters
This process allows us to track inventory, so everything is ready for the 2025-26 school year. Additionally, it gives us the opportunity to set clear expectations with students about responsible device use when they receive them in the fall. It also helps us protect our resources by reducing the chances of devices being lost, stolen, or damaged. Finally, by keeping devices at school, we support healthier summer habits focused on outdoor play, social-emotional growth, family time, and rest.
Please note, students who attend ESY will have access to their devices while they are here learning. Additionally, if a student uses their device as a communication tool, the district will not collect their device over the summer. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jessica Barnes or Kasie Dolan.
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.