YIKES! It's Time to Come Back!
As we prepare to welcome students back, we wanted to share some helpful strategies to make the transition back to school as smooth as possible for your child.
Easing back into school routines can be a challenge for middle school students, but with your support, it can be a positive experience. Here are a few tips to help your child adjust:
Sleep Schedules
Start adjusting bedtimes and wake-up times; this can be a difficult transition for many students. Middle school students need 8-10 hours of sleep for optimal performance. Reducing screen time before bed can improve sleep quality. Classes start at 8:00 AM, so we encourage students to arrive anytime between 7:40 (for breakfast) - 7:50 AM (regular grade level entrance).
Organization
Help your child check their backpack, organize school supplies, and ensure any assignments due after break are completed. Encourage them to reorganize their locker for a fresh start when they return.Clean lockers encourage organization. If they need assistance with their locker or binder, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher.
Healthy Meals and Snacks
Get back into regular meal times, especially breakfast. Consider packing lunches the night before and having healthy after-school snacks prepared. Good nutrition plays a crucial role in learning and growth at this stage. We offer breakfast at 7:40 AM in the cafeteria.
As always, we are here to support both you and your student. If you have any questions or concerns about the transition back to school, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.
Proper Winter Attire
Reminder, as it gets colder, please make sure that your child is dressed according to the weather. we do go outside for recess unless it is 19 degrees or below. Hats, gloves, and boots are encouraged for wintery conditions as well!
Lunchtime Info
Upcoming Menu Refresh
Dear Parent/Caregiver,
It is hard to believe that we are already at our mid-year break! With this comes a menu refresh for all of our students, Pre-K-8. Our elementary menu will feature 3 new main entrees- including Chicken Tikka Masala, Bean & Cheese Pupusas, and Cheese Tortellini. We hope your children will give them a try!
Preschoolers as well as middle schoolers will see many new options- but we wouldn’t dare remove their favorites! Locally sourced beef burgers and hot dogs will be available, as well as a rotating variety of pasta and pizza dishes, among others.
I invite you to visit our website or click the attachments to see details on what will be offered upon our return.
As a reminder, student lunch accounts can be funded using MySchoolBucks or by sending cash or checks directly to Nutrition Services staff at each school. We appreciate you keeping these accounts current!
Próxima actualización del menú
Estimados padres de familia/ personas encargadas del cuidado de estudiantes,
¡Es difícil creer que ya estamos en las vacaciones de mitad de año! Con esto, llega un menú renovado para todos nuestros estudiantes desde preescolar hasta 8vo grado. Nuestro menú para primarias tendrá tres nuevos platillos principales -incluyendo trozos de pollo marinados en salsa ‘Masala’ ( Chicken Tikka Masala), pupusas con queso y frijoles, y pasta tortellini con queso. ¡Esperamos que sus hijos los prueben!
Los estudiantes de preescolar y los alumnos de secundaria verán muchas nuevas opciones - ¡pero no nos atreveríamos a quitar su platillos favoritos! Se ofrecerán hamburguesas y ‘hot dogs’ de carne de origen local, así como una variedad rotativa de platos de pasta y pizza, entre otros
Los invito a visitar nuestro sitio web o entrar a los enlaces para obtener más detalles acerca de lo que se ofrecerá cuando regresemos.
Como recordatorio, pueden depositar más fondos en las cuentas de almuerzo de los estudiantes utilizando MySchoolBucks o enviando dinero en efectivo o cheques directamente al personal de Servicios de nutrición en cada escuela. ¡Apreciamos que mantengan actualizadas estas cuentas!
Attendance Update
Dear Evanston-Skokie School District 65 Families,
As we have embarked on this new school year, I wanted to remind you of some vital information about our attendance policy and goals.
At District 65, we firmly believe that regular school attendance is essential for student success. When students are present and engaged in their learning, they are more likely to stay on track, remain motivated, and reach their full academic potential. That's why we have set a district-wide attendance goal of 95% or better for each of our schools.
To achieve this goal, it's crucial that we work together as a community. We understand that life can sometimes present unexpected challenges, but we want to emphasize the importance of students attending school regularly and on time. Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, can significantly impact a child's educational progress.
With that in mind, please be aware of the following attendance guidelines and policies:
Excused Absences: We recognize that there are valid reasons for a student to miss school, such as illness, religious observances, family emergencies, or other extenuating circumstances. If your child needs to miss school, please call your child’s school to report the absence by 10 am. More information about attendance reporting and procedures can be found on the District 65 website.
Unexcused Absences: When a student misses school without a valid excuse, and the family has not communicated the absence to the school, it is considered an unexcused absence. In the state of Illinois, students with 9 or more unexcused absences are considered chronically truant.
Attendance Letters: To ensure we support your child's academic success, you will receive attendance letters on the 9th day of unexcused absences and the 10th, 15th, and 18th days of total absences. These letters are intended to provide early intervention and identify any barriers to attendance that we can help address.
We understand that getting students to school daily can sometimes be challenging, but we are here to partner with you. Our staff is committed to understanding each family's unique circumstances and working collaboratively to find solutions.
Together, we can ensure that all of our students have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. Thank you for your commitment to your child's education, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Spelling Bee
D65 Spelling Bee returns in January for 4th-8th graders
Starting the week of January 13, D65 students in fourth through eighth grade will put their spelling skills to the test! Students will participate in classroom and school spelling bees, the winners of which will advance to a District-wide bee. Schools with Two-Way Immersion (TWI) programs will offer spelling bees in both English and Spanish.
We hope you’ll join us for the District-wide spelling bees!
English: Tuesday, February 4, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Chute Middle School
Spanish: Thursday, February 19, 4:30-6 p.m. at Haven Middle School
Paper copies of the word list (specific to grade levels) are being provided to all 4th-8th grade students in English prior to winter break and Spanish following winter break. More information will be forthcoming from your classroom educators. We hope this experience helps our students develop self-confidence, communication and public speaking skills!
El concurso de deletreo (Spelling Bee) del D65 regresa en enero para alumnos desde 4to hasta 8vo grado
A partir de la semana del 13 de enero, ¡los estudiantes del D65 desde cuarto hasta octavo grado pondrán a prueba sus habilidades de deletreo! Los estudiantes participarán en eliminatorias de deletreo en sus aulas primero y luego en toda su escuela y los ganadores avanzarán a la etapa final de la competencia a nivel de todo el distrito. Las escuelas con programas de inmersión bidireccional en inglés y español (TWI) ofrecerán eliminatorias tanto en inglés como en español.
¡Esperamos que nos acompañe para las etapas finales de la competencia de deletreo en todo el distrito!
Inglés: martes 4 de febrero, de 4:30 a 6:30 p.m. en la secundaria Chute
Español: jueves 19 de febrero, de 4:30 a 6 p.m. en la secundaria Haven
Se están proporcionando copias impresas de la lista de palabras (específica para cada nivel de grado) para todos los estudiantes desde 4to hasta 8vo grado, en inglés antes de las vacaciones de invierno y en español se darán hasta después de las vacaciones. Pronto habrá más información de parte de los maestros de sus salones de clase. Esperamos que esta experiencia ayude a nuestros estudiantes a desarrollar habilidades de autoconfianza, comunicación y para hablar en público!
SAEBRS Notice
SAEBRS and mySAEBRS Communication
Dear Parents/Guardians,
More than two decades of research have demonstrated the important role that social and emotional skills play in each child's success in school and in the community. Skills such as demonstrating self-control, persisting on challenging tasks, and making good decisions are all necessary to be successful students and adults. The process by which students learn these and similar skills is called social emotional learning (SEL). As part of our efforts to better support our students in developing positive social and emotional skills, we are using the SAEBRS SEL assessment for all students in grades K-8.
The SAEBRS assessment is a brief 19-question survey answered by your child's teacher for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. If your child is in 2nd-8th grade they have the opportunity to complete the mySAEBRS survey, which asks them to self-assess using the same 19 questions their educator is answering. The purpose of SAEBRS and mySAEBRS is to identify which SEL skills your child has already learned and which skills they would still need to develop. Once our teachers identify the skills their students still need to learn, they will teach those SEL skills. Our goal is to ensure that your child continually develops the SEL skills they need for lifelong success. We believe that the information gathered with the SAEBRS and mySAEBRS assessment will be beneficial to your child's overall success both inside and outside of the classroom.
We are excited to implement SAEBRS this school year and continue to focus on whole children! If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher.
Sincerely,
Nichols Middle School_____
Comunicación acerca de SAEBRS y mySAEBRS
Estimados padres/tutores,
Más de dos décadas de investigación han demostrado el importante papel que desempeñan las habilidades sociales y emocionales en el éxito de cada niño en la escuela y en la comunidad. Habilidades como demostrar autocontrol, perseverar en tareas desafiantes y tomar buenas decisiones son necesarias para ser estudiantes y adultos exitosos. El proceso mediante el cual los estudiantes aprenden estas y otras habilidades similares se denomina aprendizaje socioemocional (SEL). Como parte de nuestros esfuerzos por apoyar mejor a nuestros estudiantes en el desarrollo de habilidades sociales y emocionales positivas, estamos utilizando la evaluación SEL de SAEBRS para todos los estudiantes desde Kindergarten hasta octavo grado.
La evaluación SAEBRS es una breve encuesta de 19 preguntas que responde el maestro de su hijo para estudiantes desde el Kinder hasta el octavo grado. Si su hijo está en algún grado escolar desde segundo hasta octavo, tiene la oportunidad de completar la encuesta mySAEBRS, la cual le pide que se autoevalúe utilizando las mismas 19 preguntas que responde su maestro. El propósito de SAEBRS y mySAEBRS es identificar qué habilidades SEL su hijo ya ha aprendido y qué habilidades aún necesita desarrollar. Una vez que nuestros maestros identifican las habilidades que sus estudiantes aún necesitan aprender, les enseñarán esas habilidades SEL. Nuestro objetivo es asegurarnos de que su hijo desarrolle continuamente las habilidades SEL que necesita para el éxito de por vida. Creemos que la información recopilada con la evaluación SAEBRS y mySAEBRS será beneficiosa para el éxito general de su hijo tanto dentro como fuera del salón de clases.
¡Estamos entusiasmados por implementar SAEBRS este año escolar y continuar concentrándonos en los niños de manera integral! Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con el maestro de su hijo.
Atentamente,
Nichols
