The Principal's Perspective

Dear Caregivers,

As we enter the final stretch of this school year, we’re already looking ahead with excitement and intention to the year to come. At Nichols, our commitment to continuous improvement means we are always reflecting, refining, and planning to best support our students, staff, and families.

Right now, we are in the process of mapping out our schoolwide plan for the 2025–2026 school year. This plan will guide our priorities, goals, and initiatives—and most importantly, it will shape the daily experiences of our learners.

Our focus next year is simple but powerful: do fewer things, better. We want to make a deeper impact by concentrating our efforts on targeted strategies and supports that most meaningfully drive student learning and growth. To do that well, we need your voice.

On Wednesday, May 14, we’ll be sending out a brief survey to gather your input. We invite you to take a few minutes to share your thoughts, experiences, and hopes for the year ahead. Your feedback helps ensure that our planning reflects the values and needs of the families we serve.

Thank you for your continued partnership. Together, we can shape a school year that is focused, thoughtful, and full of opportunity....everyone is welcome here which means all of your thoughts and opinion as we partner together to make Nichols a great place to be!

Important information can be found here regarding the upcoming Panorama survey.

We are excited to announce the launch of a new and improved Digital Backpack 65! On this platform, families can find all of Evanston’s programming in one place, including after-school programs and summer camps.

How Digital Backpack 65 Can Help You

• Find programs near you – Digital Backpack 65’s explore page allows you to filter opportunities based on your school and ward, making it easier than ever to find programming in your own backyard.

• Explore programs that match interests – With Digital Backpack 65, you can search for programs based on a number of themes, such as “Sports & Wellness” or “Community Engagement & Action.”

• Learn about new programs – The team at Digital Backpack 65 is actively working to find new programming in Evanston so that you don’t have to! On the platform, you can find new programs and those that you may be familiar with all in the same place.

Digital Backpack 65 is a collaboration between District 65 and Northwestern University’s Office of Community Education Partnerships.

Encuentra tu siguiente aventura con la ‘Mochila electrónica 65’

¡Nos emociona anunciar el lanzamiento de una nueva y mejorada versión de la ’Mochila electrónica 65’. En esta plataforma, las familias pueden encontrar toda la programación de Evanston en un mismo lugar, incluyendo programas después de clases y campamentos de verano.

Cómo puede ayudarlo la Mochila electrónica 65

• Encuentre programas cerca de usted - La página exploradora ‘Mochila electrónica’ le permite filtrar oportunidades tomando en cuenta su escuela y el distrito en donde vive haciendo más fácil que nunca encontrar programas lo más cercanos a usted.

• Explore programas que se ajusten a sus intereses- Con la ‘Mochila digital 65’ usted puede buscar programas tomando en cuenta varios temas, tales como: “deportes y bienestar” o “participación y acción comunitaria”

• Aprenda acerca de nuevos programas - El equipo de la ‘Mochila electrónica 65’ está trabajando activamente para encontrar nuevos programas en Evanston para que usted no tenga que hacerlo! En la plataforma, usted puede encontrar nuevos programas incluyendo aquellos que tal ves le son familiares, todo en el mismo lugar.

La ‘ Mochila digital 65’ es una colaboración entre el Distrito 65 y la oficina de colaboraciones educativas para la comunidad de la Universidad Northwestern.

The annual YEA! (Young Evanston Artists) Festival is quickly approaching! From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 17, Raymond Park will be full of student art from nearly every school in D65, hands-on art-making opportunities, live music performances, and food trucks. All are welcome!

All K-8 students in D65 participate in visual arts, music, and drama classes; depending on the grade/school, students also participate in media arts, instrumental music, and dance.

BUTTON: View this year’s YEA! exhibition map

Piezas de arte en exhibición: Aparten la fecha en sus calendarios para YEA!

¡El Festival anual YEA! (Artistas Jóvenes de Evanston) se acerca rápidamente! El 17 de mayo de 10 a.m. a 3 p.m., el parque Raymond estará lleno con las piezas de arte de los estudiantes de casi todas las escuelas del D65, oportunidades para hacer piezas de arte, música en vivo y camiones con comida. ¡Todos son bienvenidos!

Todos los estudiantes desde kinder hasta 8vo grado en el D65 participarán en clases de artes visuales, música y teatro; dependiendo del grado escolar o de la escuela, también participarán en arte de los medios, música instrumental y danza.

BUTTON: Vea el mapa con la exhibición de YEA! de este año

End of Year Technology Information

Google Takeout for 8th Graders

• Students can preserve their digital work using Google Takeout (bit.ly/d65googletakeout)
• Important deadline: 8th graders lose access to Google Drive on June 5, 2025

Summer Device Policies

• 6th-7th grade students will take devices home for summer
• Students will have access to all instructional technology tools through July 31, 2025
• Summer program participants may have different access depending on their enrolled program
• Optional device collection form available upon request for families who prefer not to have devices at home during summer (bit.ly/optionaldevicecollect)

Device Protection & Replacement

• Device Protection Plan (bit.ly/d65deviceprotectionplan)
• Spanish version: bit.ly/d65plandeprotecciondedispositivos
• Annual insurance fee covers devices through summer

Summer Support

• For damaged devices or help with platforms like Clever, families can email: summersupport@district65.net
• Note: Support limited to district-issued devices only

Linked below is the live streaming link for Nichols Middle School Graduation.

https://youtube.com/live/06Ql8QN4dC4

Google form to sign up -

Immigration Seminar registration

On Monday, May 12th at 4:30 PM, The Book Stall (811 Elm Street in Winnetka) is thrilled to host award-winning author Pam Muñoz Ryan as we celebrate the release of her new novel for young people, El Niño, an enthralling aquatic adventure from the beloved, New York Times bestselling author of Esperanza Rising and Echo. In a starred review, The School Library Journal says, “With poetic and evocative prose, the book captures the ache of loss and the hope that lingers even in the most unpredictable currents. . . More than a novel, this is a journey into the heart of a boy searching for answers and a lost piece of himself, and a story that will linger with readers."

Aimed at readers ages 8 and up, this event is free with registration. To register, please CLICK HERE.

More About the Book: Sometimes the only way to hold onto what we love is to let go. Kai Sosa is so passionate about swimming he is practically a fish. This summer, he's determined to become the athlete he once was on an elite invitational team. But something invisible holds him back. His race times are off. Dreams of his sister Cali haunt him. And he hasn't found her missing gold cuff, her last request. Mom is still talking about grief, even though it's been two years.

When Kai discovers a library book Cali had checked out multiple times-about an underwater realm and a mysterious place called the Library of Despair and Sorrow, details from the story begin to appear in his own life: dolphin pods, imposing rock towers, unusual sea creatures, and even Cali's beloved bracelet. As myth and reality collide, El Niño unleashes its fury, and Kai is swept up in a storm of events that will change his understanding of love, death, grief, and how best to honor those we've lost.

More About the Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan is the recipient of the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award, the PEN Center USA Award, and the 2024 Children’s Literature Legacy Award for her body of work. She was the 2018 US nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. She received a Newbery Honor Medal and the Kirkus Prize for her New York Times bestselling novel, Echo. Her other celebrated novels, Esperanza Rising, The Dreamer, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi Leon, Paint the Wind, and Mananaland, have received countless accolades. Her acclaimed picture books include Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride and the Sibert Honor book When Marian Sang, both illustrated by Brian Selznick, Ryan lives near San Diego, California, with her family.