Greetings 8th Grade Families!

Attached are some updates for your knowledge!

The countdown has officially begun!

• 3 days until the Boat Dance
• 7 days until our Annual 8th Grade Picnic
• 9 days until the final day for our 8th graders
• 12 days until GRADUATION!

Please continue having regular conversations with your students about staying engaged academically and maintaining appropriate behavior. With so many wonderful events ahead, we want to ensure everyone can fully participate and celebrate together. Your support in encouraging punctuality, preparedness, and positive choices during these final weeks makes all the difference!

Best,

Ms. Ernvall

Attached below is the link for the Graduation Live Stream on June 4th!

Permission Slips were due last week! All documentation should be in at this point for students attending the graduation activities!

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Google Takeout for 8th Graders

• Students can preserve their digital work using Google Takeout (bit.ly/d65googletakeout)
• Tech Collections: Students will return devices on May 27th, no exceptions!
• Important deadline: 8th graders lose access to Google Drive on June 5, 2025

Students will enjoy a nice lunch, a cruise on the water, views of the skyline, and create memories with their graduating class this coming Wednesday! Students must have turned in a permission slip last week in order to attend!

The following messaging went out to students last week in regards to what to wear:

Smart Casual:
This means you can dress up slightly more than casual wear. It's a good starting point for most cruises.

Comfortable:
Consider your comfort. You'll be walking around the pier and potentially on the ship, so comfortable shoes and clothing are important.

Layers:
The weather can be unpredictable, especially around the lake. Consider layering clothing so you can adjust to the temperature.

Here are some examples of what to wear:

• Dresses, skirts, blouses, slacks, a jacket for a more formal look.
• Khakis, nice jeans, button-up shirts, a jacket for a more formal look.

What to avoid:

• Flip-Flops, slides, sweatpants, hoodies, and revealing non-school appropriate clothing.

By following these tips, you can make sure you're dressed comfortably and appropriately for your 8th grade Navy Pier boat cruise.

We want to make you aware of a growing trend among middle and high school students known as the “Splash Game,” “Senior Assassin,” or “Paranoia.” This off-campus activity involves students using water guns to “tag” others, often in public spaces. While often viewed as a lighthearted tradition, some of these water guns closely resemble real weapons, which can cause serious safety concerns and fear within the community.

While not on District property, it is our understanding that some Evanston/Skokie students are engaging in this "game". We encourage you to speak with your student about making safe and responsible choices. Also, as a reminder, any look-alike weapons or items that can be used as weapons are not allowed on school property. Thank you for your continued partnership in helping us keep our school and community safe.

Notice of Social Media Trend: Chromebook Misuse

On behalf of our District 65 Technology Team, we want to make you aware of a dangerous social media trend emerging in some school districts, where students are encouraged to intentionally damage their school-issued Chromebooks—particularly by puncturing lithium batteries or tampering with charging ports to cause short circuits.

Thankfully, we are not currently aware of any District 65 students participating in this trend. However, we want to be proactive in reminding our students and families that this type of activity is extremely dangerous and can be especially hazardous to our students and schools. Lithium battery damage can result in fires that are fast-spreading, hard to extinguish, and pose serious risks to students and staff.

Please take a moment to talk with your student about the importance of using school technology safely and responsibly. Deliberate damage to devices is a violation of our Acceptable Use Agreement and would be considered as vandalism according to our student handbook. It may lead to disciplinary action and replacement fees due to intentional damage as defined in our Device Protection Plan and Replacement Procedure.

We appreciate your partnership in keeping our school community safe and informed.

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Aviso acerca de tendencia en redes sociales: uso indebido de Chromebook

A nombre de nuestro equipo del depto. de tecnología, queremos que tengan conocimiento de que está emergiendo una peligrosa tendencia en redes sociales en algunos distritos escolares, en la cual se anima a los estudiantes a dañar intencionalmente los chromebooks proporcionados por las escuelas -particularmente perforando las baterías de litio o alterando los puertos de carga para ocasionar cortos circuitos.

Afortunadamente, no tenemos noticias de que algún estudiante del Distrito 65 esté participando en esta tendencia. Sin embargo, queremos ser proactivos recordando a nuestros alumnos y a las familias que este tipo de actividades es extremadamente peligroso y puede ser especialmente peligroso para nuestros estudiantes y escuelas. El dañar baterías de litio puede resultar en incendios que se propagan rápido, son difíciles de extinguir y representan un riesgo serio para estudiantes y personal.

Por favor, tomense un momento para hablar con sus estudiantes acerca de la importancia de utilizar la tecnología de la escuela de manera segura y con responsabilidad. El daño deliberado a los dispositivos es una violación a nuestro ‘Acuerdo de uso aceptable’ y podría considerarse como vandalismo de acuerdo con nuestro ‘Manual del estudiante’. Esto puede llevar a una acción disciplinaria y a una multa para reemplazar el equipo dañado debido a daño intencional tal y como está definido en nuestro Plan de protección para dispositivos y procedimiento de reemplazo.

Apreciamos su colaboración para mantener segura e informada a nuestra comunidad.

My name is Hannah Johnson, I am a senior on the Northwestern Women's Lacrosse team and work for Evanston Accessible Recreation. I am reaching out to you about an exciting event that I am hosting at NU for the special needs community on June 7th! This will be a free event for participants of all ages and is designed to give individuals with disabilities the opportunity to learn from and play alongside Northwestern Student Athletes. We would love to have your students and people from your community attend this event!

Flyer/Registration Link:

NUplayday2025