nichols news

Wellness: Project Adventure 

English

I have been so impressed with how hard students have been working on theme this week. It feels like we've had breakthrough after breakthrough! Students have been coming to PM Connect, working with me in HW Club, and they've even been catching me in between classes to run some ideas by me. It feels like Nichols students have come alive with the connections they're making and the themes they're writing. White day students did another data point on Friday, and Red day students will be taking their data point on Monday of next week. I love the effort I've seen, and I hope we keep it up! Let's go Nichols!!!!

If you're curious about following along with our unit and our new expectations, click here to see the unit slides. You can also help support students with meeting their reading deadlines by asking to see their bookmarks!

As always, I am happy to offer extra support for students during Nichols HW Club, PM Connect, or any meeting-free morning before first block. If reading at home is presenting a challenge, they can come to PM Connect for an extra 15 minutes of in school reading every day!

Social Studies 

This week in social studies, we continued our focus on the current event revolving around I.C.E. in Minneapolis. I gave students a survey last week and an overwhelming majority wanted to continue to focus on this topic. We have been focusing on federal authority vs states’ rights through a number of primary source documents from President Eisenhower and President Bush surrendering federal troops to Arkansas in 1957 and Los Angeles in 1992 respectively to Governor Scott's recent actions in Vermont. Students are then applying their understanding to Governor Hochul’s recent Local Cops, Local Crimes Act. Students have a packet with primary sources defending the Governor Hochul and then also criticizing the governor. 

White day students had their strategic reading and reasoning assessment on these documents Friday and Red Day will have their on Monday. 

I know that a lot of students have been out sick this week. They should be ready to take their assessment when they get back to school. Look for emails from Garett and check google classroom for the materials. 

Dinner Table Talk

• Show me your bookmark. Talk to me about how I can help you keep up with the reading.

• Were you one of the hard workers O'Brien was writing about? Tell me how you prepped for your theme data point.

• What's hard about theme? What breakthroughs have you had this week?

• How are you feeling about your current event study in Social Studies?

• Did you or are you feeling ready for the assessment?

• Do you are agree with Governor Hochul's perspective on I.C.E. in New York? Explain a little bit.