Thank you so much for your presence at curriculum night. What an amazing turnout that we had! Our teachers enjoyed presenting to you and getting a chance to meet many of you as you saw their classrooms. At the end of the presentation was a QR code for any remaining questions that you may have had. We only had one question. If you have any outstanding questions, please contact your child's teacher. You can always contact me (brunsone@district65.net) as well. It was truly great putting faces to the names on emails that I have been receiving since the summer. We enjoy working with your 6th graders. They make everyday an adventure!

At Nichols, we support our student athletes. We love for our students to be involved in extracurricular activities. We also value education as a priority. Each week, a grade check is sent to our teachers to ensure that our athletes are also performing in class academically and behaviorally. Teachers inform the coaches if they have any athlete that has a D/F, or are being disruptive/disrespectful, walking the halls, or shout them out for examples of selflessness, leadership, and exceeding expectations. We want to support our students who may be struggling but also celebrate our students who are exhibiting R.O.A.R. expectations.

We will be celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day on Tuesday, September 19th!

Encourage your child to practice their best pirate speech.

During this time we celebrate the long and important presence of Latin Americans in the United States.

It starts on September 15 is because it marks the anniversary of independence for Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

In addition, Mexico celebrates its Independence on September 16, Chile on September 18 and Belize on September 21. Over the next month, we will share some facts about our Latinidad and Hispanic Heritage with our scholars.

Math makeup testing will be on Monday, September 18 and Tuesday, September 19th.

The final makeup testing window is Wednesday, September 20 - Friday, September 22.

Ensure that your child is well rested and their iPads are charged.

Please encourage them to do their best work!

If your child is new to the United States within the last year, they are NOT required to take the MAP test. Please let me know if this applies to your child and I will inform their teacher.

Your child will be coming home with a portrait package form within the next week so that you can pre-order their photos. Please save this date so that they are ready for their first middle school picture! If you already know that your child WILL NOT be at school on the 18th, we are already planning a picture re-take day to accommodate you. We will let you know the retake date when it is finalized. Portraits will be taken during your child's gym period which will be 5th, 9th, or 10th period.

There will be soccer practice on Tuesday, September 19th from 3:15-4:30.

The next home game will be on Wednesday, September 20th at 3:45PM (JV) and 4:45PM (V).

Come cheer our teams to victory!

Does your child(ren) care about saving the environment?

Do they like gardening and spending time outside?

Encourage them to join the Nichols Climate Club!

All are welcome!

These strategies help middle school students improve their critical thinking, in turn encouraging them to take the initiative in their learning.

Note taking is a skill that we are focusing on implementing this year with our middle schoolers. We know that this is an important skill that students who are successful in high school and college.

Here is the link to this informative article:

Teaching Note-Taking Skills to Guide Students to Self-Directed Learning