Mr. Smith's 6th Grade Spotlight

Welcome!

Hi Northstar families,

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for Curriculum Night last night (Thursday, September 18th). It was such a joy to meet many of you in person and finally put faces to names. I hope you enjoyed connecting with your child’s teachers, visiting classrooms, and seeing the spaces where your students learn and grow every day. Curriculum Night is such an important event, and I’m grateful for the time you took to be here with us. I also want to give a big thank you to our community partners like the Evanston Public Library, Boule Scholars, and others who continue to support Haven and our students. Please continue to stay connected throughout the year; we love seeing you at school-based events and building that home-school connection together.

This week also brought a couple of other exciting moments. We held our very first Student Ambassador meeting of the year! The Student Ambassadors group is a group of students that has shown a strong commitment to our core values, academic excellence, and supporting our community. They are already stepping up as leaders, and later this year I will be sharing more information on how 6th graders can apply to join this program.

And today was Picture Day! Students made their way through the auditorium to get their photos taken. If your child was absent today, no worries, we will have a retake day coming up.

Looking ahead, here are a couple of things on the horizon:

Our next Town Hall is coming soon, where we will celebrate our September Students of the Month, revisit expectations, and take time to recognize student growth and success.
We are also moving into drill season. These practice drills are an important part of making sure our community stays safe and prepared. They are required by ISBE and are considered best practice to ensure that both students and staff are ready to respond in the event of a real emergency.

As a reminder, our 6th grade motto this year is “Stepping In.” I encourage you to ask your child a few reflection questions at home:

How are you “stepping in” at school right now?
What is one way you have stepped in for yourself or for a classmate this week?
Where do you see an opportunity to step in next?

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and support. I hope you and your family have a great weekend!

Best,

Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith (he/him/his)
Assistant Principal
Haven Middle School
📞 847-859-8207

smitht2@district65.net
🌐 Haven Middle School Website

Beginning of Year Survey (BOY Survey)

Please take a few minutes to complete our Beginning of Year (BOY) Survey. It takes about 10 minutes and makes a big difference. Your feedback helps us better understand your child’s needs, strengthen our school community, and guide our work this year.

We want you to know that your voice truly matters and that your responses are anonymous by default. We value the time you give and the insights you share. Thank you for partnering with us to make this the best year yet!

Click here or use the link below:

https://forms.gle/RUXcowxHTBiavBd68

Mini Meeting Update

Ms. Karl has been meeting with 6th grade students for their first “mini meeting” and will finish meeting with all 6th grade students next week. Mini meetings occur twice a school year and allow Ms. Karl to individually connect with all 6th grade students, learn their interests and goals, as well as areas they might want support. Ms. Karl uses this information, along with school-based data, to support students through group and individual counseling. If you have questions about Mini Meetings or ways Ms. Karl can support your student, please feel free to email Ms. Karl at karlm@district65.net.

Ms. Sobhani’s Social Work Corner - Community Resources

This month’s social work corner includes resources for FREE Halloween costumes, free after-school programming in the community, a virtual Know Your Rights on Immigration event, and LGBTQ+ youth support groups.

Picture Day (September 19th)

Today (Friday, September 19th) we had picture day for students. If your student was not able to take their picture there will be retakes at another date.

Pictures will be taken by Lifetouch, and additional details about Picture Day can be found below.

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Picture Day 9/19
Order online @ mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT98W7SX.
Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online only on mylifetouch.com .

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1755297943/district65net/ctwneoext9iwejp713ug/picture-day2025.pdf

iPads Troubleshooting

At Haven, we want to ensure that all students have access to the tools they need for learning. Our school, along with District 65, uses a ticketing system to track and resolve any issues with student iPads, including lost or damaged devices. Educators also use the same ticketing system to get support with their own devices. All educators received training during our institute days on how to submit tickets, and we are working closely with our tech team to provide support as quickly as possible. We ask for your patience, especially at the start of the school year, when there is often a high volume of technology needs. Thank you for partnering with us as we work to keep students connected and ready to learn!

Alternate Placement

Alternate Placement
The process for requesting alternate placement has been updated and is currently posted on the D65 website. The process for responding to the request is being finalized and will be shared soon!

6th Grade Curriculum Updates

Below you'll find a snapshot of what your 6th grade students are engaging in for their learning and classwork!

You can also see a year at a glance via the district website here.

ELA

Students were introduced to our Unit 1 Essential Question: What do you do when life gets hard? For this unit we will be reading excerpts from the novels Hatchet and Mighty Miss Malone. As always, please encourage your child to continue their at-home reading.

Math

This week, math students took their first quiz (“Mid-unit Evidence”). We are moving into Surface Area and Volume for the second half of the unit. Student will have their first End-of-Unit assessment next week (09/26).

Social Studies

This week and last week we explored the events around 9/11, considering causes and effects of the event as well as different perspectives post 9/11.

Science

Last week we started our Light and Matter unit, making observations and creating models. We then took a pivot and practiced our STEM skills with our Puff Mobiles and Windy City Towers.

Fine Arts

All Haven students are approximately ⅓ of the way through their first arts rotation. Please check google classroom and/or PowerSchool to see their grades and missing assignments. Sixth grade orchestra students are reminded to check google classroom on Mondays for the week's news and announcements.

SLA

Students are finalizing learning about the 21 Spanish-speaking countries around the world. Students learned the capitals for each and the ability to locate each country on a map. We will begin taking a look at different identities and what makes up our own unique identity.

AVID

This week in AVID, students are identifying skills that they would like to improve on to help them have a successful school year. Additionally, students are engaging in daily writing tasks and practicing their presentation skills in small groups.

Advisory

Advisory classes have been discussing organizational skills with our students based off of AVID lessons. Additionally, students are learning the importance of goal setting. Finally, we’re continuing our CharacterStrong SEL lessons.

PE

6th graders have completed their fall fitness testing! This week we began our first sport unit: soccer. On fitness days we are preparing to use the heart rate monitors by finding our resting heart rate (we took a nap this week). Our first fitness unit will be skill related fitness, which will begin next week. REMINDER! All Haven students need a Haven PE shirt and a heart rate strap. Reach out to Mrs. Woodward with any uniform/supply questions: woodwardk@district65.net

DATES TO REMEMBER (At a Glance Calendar Here)

September

Sept. 1st: No School - Labor Day

Sept. 17th: No School - School Improvement Day

Sept. 18th: Curriculum Night at Haven Middle School (5 - 7 pm)

Sept. 19th: Picture Day at Haven Middle School

Sept 23rd: No School - Rosh Hashanah

October

Oct 2nd: No School - Yom Kippur

Week of Oct 6th: Parent Teacher Conference

Oct 10th: No School

Oct 13th: No School - Indigenous Peoples Day

At a glance 25-26 calendar click here or view below

6th Grade Newsletter Archive

September: 5th

August: 19th, 22nd