6th Grade Newsletter

Next week, students will participate in a winter break locker clean-out. We encourage families to check in with their students to see if they may need extra bags to bring belongings home—some lockers may have quite a few items tucked away!

Additionally, our lost and found area is filling up. If your student is missing any items, we recommend they take time next week to stop by and check it out. 🧤🧣🎒

As we prepare for winter break, we encourage families to help students choose a book they’re excited to read at home. Classroom libraries and the Nichols Library offer a wide range of options—graphic novels, realistic fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, and short novels that are perfect for independent middle school readers. Check out the Nichols library website for great book recommendations!

Reading at home helps middle school students strengthen stamina, vocabulary, and comprehension while also exploring big ideas like friendship, identity, resilience, and problem-solving. Even 15–20 minutes of daily reading can support academic growth, social-emotional development, and executive-functioning skills such as focus, time management, and responsibility.

How many nights a week should you read?

Dec 22 - Jan 2 – Winter Recess

Jan 5 – School Improvement Day – No School

Jan 6 – Students Return

This week in ELA, Students engaged in a close reading and thoughtful analysis of the poem “Teenagers” by Pat Mora. Through discussion and annotation, they explored the poem’s themes and examined how the poet uses language to capture the experiences and emotions of adolescence.

As part of our word study, students focused on key vocabulary—nostalgic, ostracized, momentous, conflicted, and poignant—and discussed how these words connect to the poem’s message and to their own middle school experiences. This work helps students deepen comprehension, build vocabulary, and make meaningful text-to-self connections.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in ELA

This week students will be reading the poem, "Tableau" by Countee Cullen

Read the Poem here: "Tableau"

“Tableau” was published in 1925 during the peak of the Harlem Renaissance. Its author, Countee Cullen (1903–1946), was one of the leading poetic voices throughout the African American neighborhood’s cultural explosion, and would go on to publish multiple books during his lifetime. In “Tableau,” Cullen speaks to his unique perspective of walking through both white and black universes, and the joys and challenges that sprang from blacks and whites attempting to forge relationships during this time.

This week in SLA, students read an excerpt from Cuando Era Puertorriqueña by Esmeralda Santiago. Students practiced close reading skills by answering comprehension questions and discussing the text to deepen their understanding. They are also preparing for an upcoming comprehension quiz based on the portion of the text they read in class.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in SLA

Students will watch an informational video about the Caribbean region, focusing on its geography, agriculture, traditions, and terrain. They will participate in class discussions to share their learning and then demonstrate their understanding by answering comprehension questions related to the video.

The Google Slides for this unit are in Google Classroom. In case the students missed a day, they will have the notes handy to review them

Nuestra Identidad

This week, students completed their Winter i-Ready diagnostic. We appreciate your support in helping students come prepared and ready to focus during testing.

In addition to assessments, we began our new math unit, Unit 4: Dividing Fractions. Students explored the meaning of division and practiced estimating quotients. They made important connections between multiplication and division situations using visual models, including tape diagrams.

By the end of the week, students were able to connect drawings, tape diagrams, and multiplication and division expressions to deepen their understanding. Our guiding questions were: “How many groups?” and “How many are in one group?”—questions that help students build strong conceptual understanding of fraction division.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in Math:

Next week, we will continue our work with dividing fractions and deepening our understanding using visual models and reasoning strategies. Students will complete a mid-unit check on Thursday before leaving for winter break. This will help us gauge understanding and guide instruction moving forward.

Unit 4 Guide

Students began their study of Ancient Egypt this week. They participated in a Gallery Walk, closely examining images to make observations and record noticings. Students also read an informational article titled “Egypt: The Old Kingdom” and answered comprehension questions to build foundational knowledge for the unit.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in Social Studies:

Students will continue their study of Ancient Egypt by completing atlas work and reading a second article, Egypt: The Middle and New Kingdoms. Students will answer comprehension questions to build their understanding of how Ancient Egypt evolved over time.

Students are continuing their research on scientists and working on creating Google Slides presentations. The final project is due 12/19. Please encourage students to check their progress and make sure all components are complete before the due date.

This week in science, students engaged in thoughtful discussions and created posters focused on healthy relationships, gender roles versus stereotypes, and Erin’s Law. These activities concluded our Sexual Health unit and emphasized respect, personal safety, and understanding relationships in age-appropriate and meaningful ways.

Looking Ahead: Ms. Stone's Class:

On Monday, 12/15, students will take a post-test on the eye, which marks the conclusion of our first science unit. Students will also revisit our Science Circles, using Costa’s Levels of Questioning to support thoughtful participation in whole-group discussions.

We will then begin our new unit on Thermal Energy. When we return from winter break, students will be placed into new design teams as they begin working toward our upcoming Super Cup Challenge, a hands-on engineering experience that encourages collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity.

This week in AVID, students explored different career pathways and began their first AVID “tutorial.” During tutorials, students selected a math problem from their notebooks and practiced teaching their peers, building confidence, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

On Friday, students had an exciting opportunity to visit Oakton Community College, where they explored a variety of academic programs and learned about the many possibilities available to them as they begin thinking about their future goals. It was a fantastic experience for our students!

Looking Ahead: Next Week in AVID

Students will complete their Career Exploration Slide as well as a slideshow or vlog reflecting on their Oakton Community College field trip.

The photo is of students engaging in the “AVID Tutorial” process.

Students explored the concept of media bias by analyzing images of sharks and comparing those portrayals to what they already know about sharks. Through discussion, students learned how images and media choices can influence our perceptions. One fun and surprising takeaway from the lesson was learning that sharks are actually older than dinosaurs!