The Principal's Perspective

It is time to "Fall Back!" This upcoming weekend our clocks (which have almost become a relic of times past) change one more time from spring forward to "FALL BACK." As the season changes and the day shortens we get one more hour of sleep! The other exciting way to look at the time change is that there are ways to take advantage of the time adjustment! How about looking at the "fall back" as a time for reflection and a time for a redo! Be open to having conversations around the dinner table about the last couple of months of school, especially now that we are past the first half of the first trimester.

Embrace the "Fall Back" as an opportunity for fun reflection:

• Reflect on Growth: Ask your child, "What felt difficult a month ago that feels easier now?" Encourage your scholar to think about and to name where they grew or to share what they are feeling more optimistic about. They will likely say " I am not sure" at first, and that's ok, try these starters: "I used to get stuck on (insert problem), and now I feel more confident because I know how to (insert outcome or solution), or "My biggest struggle in (name class) was (say what it was) and now I can (say what he/she/they can do).
• Breaking the Time Apart: Use an extra 15 minutes to ask your child about their week to get them reflecting on what went well. Use the next 20 minutes to help your scholar get organized at home (their clothes, their desk area, or anywhere they sleep). This will help him/her/ them to have a more structured and calm routine by practicing those executive functioning skills and implementing the strategies learned. Use the last 25 minutes just connecting! Watch TV together, read a book, do some chair yoga, bake cookies, put together a puzzle! Anything to spend time together and engaging with each other. However you decided to use that extra hour, keep it positive and always bring it back to "taking a step to fall back" to reflect and reset!

Try a Reset of the the Family Routine:

Adjust the Schedule: Use the time change as a clean slate to re-examine evening routines, such as tech time and bed time. Use the shorter days to your advantage by cutting tech time, for example, by an hour to get scholars into an earlier bed time routine.

When the world moves fast, it's essential to remember the wisdom of the clock: sometimes the most productive step we can take is to pause, reflect, and then move forward with a new frame of information and purpose.

We have serval students whose artwork was chosen for the Evanston Recycling Truck completion! Yay!

Please click below to vote!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8NGSDK6

Here are our scholars!

#1- Vivian C. - 7th grade

#3 Danelle J - 7th grade

#6 Taylor Hardin - 8th grade

#7 - Frank R -7th grade

Ms. Bastas and Ms. Verzo are looking for more students to attend tutoring! We are looking for students on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tuesdays are booked.Here is the permission slip.

Please see this awesome resource for parents navigating understanding mental health. Parent Handbook . If you have further questions, feel free to contact your child's counselor and/or social worker.

Please join Chess Club! For more information about our trophy winning team click to learn more about this club!

Our second session saw the Risers continue their journey towards greater mental health awareness. We introduced the concept of the Risers' "village". The discussion centered around the idea that we all need people we can lean on -- no one grows alone. We show real strength when we are honest about needing support. Trust means believing that someone will care for your story, not spread it. The Risers' village may include family, teachers, mentors, teammates, or friends. We concluded with an acknowledgement of three more pioneers in the field of mental health.

Dr. Inez Prosser was the first Black woman in the U.S. to earn a PhD in psychology. She went on to teach at historically Black colleges, where she helped students fund their education and graduate research. Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark were a married pair of psychologists who partnered on research that explored the self-image of Black children. Because of their research, the Clarks were called to testify as expert witnesses in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, which led to the federally-mandated desegregation of public schools.

Mr. Brownlee

To ensure the safety of our students and maintain a focused learning environment, please note the following practices regarding food brought into the school:

1. Safety and Allergies: No Outside Treats

We understand that your scholar may want to celebrate special occasions like birthdays or holidays. However, we must strongly discourage sending any homemade or store-bought treats, cupcakes, or candy with your student. We have Nichols community members with severe, life-threatening food allergies. Even trace amounts of allergens can cause a dangerous medical emergency.

2. Outside Food Delivery and Beverages:

The delivery of outside food and certain beverages causes significant disruption to instructional time.

• No Food Delivery: We do not allow students to receive deliveries from services like Uber Eats, GrubHub, DoorDash, etc., during the school day.

• No Highly Sugared Drinks: We do not allow students to bring large, highly sugared beverages, such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts coffee, frappes, or large energy drinks, into the classroom. These items are disruptive to learning.

• Delivery Procedure: If food is delivered for a student, we will not interrupt class to call them down. The item will be held in the main office and given to the student at the end of the school day.

3. Food Consumption Practices:

All food students bring from home or purchase in the cafeteria must be managed according to the following rules:

• Any food brought from home should be consumed during lunch in the cafeteria. We do not allow students to eat their lunch during class or outside during recess.

• Students are not permitted to store cafeteria-purchased food in their pockets or lockers "for later."

Resource for Families

If your family is currently facing food insecurity or needs support with meals, please call the main office immediately at. We will connect you discreetly with the appropriate staff member to arrange assistance.

6th Grade Info

8th Grade Info

Math:

This week we finished up our Proportion and Percentage Unit. We focused on percent error. Students will have their unit exam sometime next week.

ELA:

This week, we continued developing our short stories! Students reviewed how to write engaging leads, practiced using dialogue correctly, and reinforced proper paragraphing rules. Check in with your child, because the rough drafts should already be finished and ready to revise.

Next week, we will pause from writing to do a reader's theatre Monsters are Due on Maple Street!

Social Studies:

Week of October 20th: Last week we started British Acts. This week we will continue researching British Acts in groups, and then we will make presentations, which we will present at the end of the week. We are planning on having a quiz on the colonies at the end of the week.

Week of October 27th: We will look at primary source documents relating to the Boston Massacre and practice the idea of strengths and limitations of arguments.

Science:

7th grade scientists have recently been working toward taking their open notes mid-unit assessment which happened this week. Students were asked to apply their understanding of our bath bomb science to the phenomenon of an elephant's toothpaste experiment. Next we will be looking at what is happening to the particles (atoms, molecules, and/or compounds) during a chemical reaction.