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Inside Billings
February 27, 2025
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🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | |
We hope our families all had an amazing Mid-Winter Break, whether you were relaxing, vacationing, or spending time with loved ones! We'll share more about the 8th grader's Winter Immersion Trip below in our Inside the Classroom section. If you haven't already secured spots in our Summer@Billings program for your student, please check out the information below and on our site. Please note there have been a few small changes to the schedule! | |
Billings On-Campus Workshops
Week One: June 16-June 20 (closed 6/19)
AM sessions: 9:00am-12:00pm
PM sessions: 1:00pm-4:00pm
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| AM: Volleyball | PM: Climbing | | AM: Sports Math | PM: eSports | | AM: Flag Football | PM: Robotics | | |
| FULL DAY: Children's Book Workshop | | |
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Week Two: June 23-June 27
AM sessions: 9:00am-12:00pm
PM sessions: 1:00pm-4:00pm
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| AM: Basketball | PM: eSports | | AM: Juggling | PM: T-shirt Design | | |
| FULL DAY: Children's Book Workshop | | |
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Billings ExpEd Trips
Gone Fishin'!
June 16-June 19: Two days on-campus followed by a two-day, one-night trip.
Field Journal Road Trip June 16-June 20: Five-day, four-night road trip.
Olympic Backpacking
June 23-June 27: Five-day, four-night backpacking trip.
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We encourage you to check out our camp partners, who will be hosting their summer programs on our campus as well!
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Mike on the Mic 🎤
Welcome back! I hope you all had a restful and refreshing Mid-Winter Break and a reminder that all reenrollment contracts are due tomorrow – we are excited for another great year ahead!
We are so thankful for how each one of you play such an important role in this community. From putting together a fantastic bowling night, to coordinating a four-week-long staff appreciation event before break, to helping chaperone snowshoeing trips, your efforts have added that extra spark that is part of what makes Billings so special. Talk about impact!
You can also support the Billings community by volunteering for our annual celebration and fundraising dinner! We need volunteers to help on Friday, April 4th with set-up and the live auction. We are also still looking for desserts for the dessert dash. Get your students involved and make a treat at home or go pick out your favorite item from the local bakery to donate for the night of the fundraiser. I want to share my deepest gratitude to those of you who have volunteered and to those of you who are planning to sign up and join us!
The Nut-Brown Girl performances at Billings: Friday evening, March 21 and Saturday afternoon and evening on March 22. Our Friday performance will have a special welcome for alumni and their families, and our Saturday matinee will welcome our prospective 6th grade students.
Annual Celebration and FUNdraiser at Billings on Friday, April 4. Invite your friends, get your tickets, and join me and the whole Billings Faculty for a great time!
Thank you for your support,
Mike
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🌱 Philanthropy at Billings🪴 | |
The Billings Base Camp Celebration and Fundraising Dinner is just 5 weeks away - time to buy your tickets if you haven’t already done so! Seats are limited, and ticket sales close Friday, March 14th or when we run out of space.
But what should you wear? Good news! There are no rules, only good-humored tips!
- Don’t stress! The “theme police” are on vacation. Anything goes!
- Delight yourself! Dig out that one item that makes you truly happy. Orange jeans and sequined high-tops? That “waiting-for-the-right-moment” jumpsuit? Glam camo ball gown? If it is festive and you love it, then it matches the theme of the night.
- Dress up on the inside! Wear your celebratory feelings of joy and gratitude and YOU WILL LOOK AMAZING! And clothes - you also need to wear clothes.
Now that you know what to wear, let’s talk about what you can expect when you arrive the evening of Friday, April 4th!
Doors will open at 5:30pm, and we’ll get things started with a cocktail hour in Nadia. Stop by the bar to pick out your favorite beverage. Wine, beer, and soft drinks will be available, and we will also sell tickets for a special event cocktail – available with or without alcohol – for you to enjoy with the passed appetizers.
As you mingle and chat with old and new friends, be sure to check out the exciting silent auction and buy-in items on offer. Billings’ fabulous faculty and families have donated special experiences like a student karaoke party and VIP tickets to a summer movie festival, as well as valuable services like a family photo shoot and bike tune-ups. And you will definitely want to buy a raffle ticket or two for a shot at a $1,000 gift certificate to Canlis.
In addition to the fun we’ll have, it’ll be a great night for supporting our school. Funds raised through ticket sales, auction items, and the raise the paddle ask will go to the programs that make Billings such a special place – Financial aid, expeditionary learning, the arts and STEAM, and more.
In the spirit of community, we hope to have everyone participate as they are able.
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Please buy a ticket if you haven’t yet done so.
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Have you donated an item? We are still looking for Dessert Dash treats, and we would also love to receive donations of trips, sports tickets, and event drinks. Email us to discuss what works for you!
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We also need volunteers to help on the day of the event. Please sign up here if you can help with set-up, activities during the event, or tear-down. Thank you!
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Catalogue Spotlight:
190,000 Alaska Airline Miles - Book a trip anywhere in the continental US (or beyond) for 4 people!
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Want to take the family to explore the Big Apple? Experience the wonders of the Grand Canyon? Or maybe ditch those totally fantastic kids and go lounge on a beach somewhere farther away?
You won’t want to miss out on this live auction item. With 190,000 Alaska Airlines miles, you can fly anywhere in the U.S. and beyond. All you have to do is pick when and where you want to go, and reach out to the donor to book the tickets. With these airline miles, the options are limitless, and your adventure awaits!
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- BFA All Family Meeting: March 7, 8:30am
- The Nut-Brown Girl: March 21, 3:30pm
- The Nut-Brown Girl: March 22, 12:30 pm & 4:00pm
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Billings Base Camp: Annual Celebration and Fundraising Dinner - Friday, April 4th from 5:30pm - 9:00pm [purchase tickets here]
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6th graders have enjoyed their winter expeditions so far and are looking forward to our final trip next Friday, March 7th. We’ve had a great time sledding, building snow sculptures, and snowshoeing together. For our final trip, we’ve planned our most ambitious activity yet: playing a traditional Native American sport called "Snow Snake". We just started collecting sticks to create our wooden snakes and will be sanding and refining their textures in Design Lab this week. Ask your child for more details about this traditional sport that is still quite popular in a variety of communities today!
7th graders are going on their final scheduled snowshoeing expedition tomorrow. They will be brought back in time to experience what travelling the Snoqualmie Pass in the winter might feel like through a simulation called "Historical Mountain Traverse".
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Right before break, 8th grade students braved low temperatures on the 8th Grade Winter Immersion Trip. As a group, students set up camp sites, cooked and ate meals, and practiced teamwork in a Survivor inspired series of challenges. The 8th grade advisors are so proud of this intrepid group of students, and we hope they’ve warmed up in the days since! Click the link below to see the full gallery. If you need the password please email Becca for it.
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This week, 6th and 7th graders participated in an ELA “fashion show,” showcasing their cardboard creations. 7th grade students walked the catwalk in floor-length gowns and intricate hats bearing quotes from My Name Is Not Easy, while 6th grade students showed off their designer vests and wearable houses comparing two different characters from Amal Unbound. | |
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In Science, 7th grade is beginning to wrap up their Case Study projects! They will be presenting their research next week to the 6th grade science class to share what they’ve learned about the history, impacts, and actions being taken on their chosen topics in relation to climate change! Stay tuned for highlights from their presentations!
6th graders just started a collaborative project on Earth’s biomes. Groups of two or three are researching tundras, taigas, grasslands, tropical rain forests, and others to create presentations that promote travel experiences to these ecosystems.
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6th graders have started a new Social Studies unit on Ancient Egypt; this week students created and presented a poster advertising the features and importance of the Nile River. 7th graders continue to explore the historical, geographic and economic significance of the ship canal and the Ballard Locks.
8th grade students are exploring Nazi Germany, antisemitism, and the Holocaust. On Friday, students will visit the Holocaust Center for Humanity in downtown Seattle. Students will have a guided tour of this museum space that highlights stories of persecution as well as acts of “upstanders”, bravery, and survival.
This week in Math, 6th graders learned the distinction between part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios, and how to use tape diagrams to create a combined representation of equivalent ratios in these two forms. Students also reviewed conversions between fractions, decimals, percents, and ratio forms.
With four weeks until showtime, acting and blocking of The Nut-Brown Girl are coming along! We’ve made it to the emotional peaks of the show and have begun prepping for the pirate fight choreography. Actors are working on back stories for each of their characters while stage managers continue the behind-the-scenes work of building many, many spreadsheets for tracking props, lighting cues, and costume needs.
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🎳 Sports & Clubs🎾
We are just a few weeks away from the start of spring sports! Spring sports will start the last week of March, at the start of spring term. Registration forms are available at the front desk or digitally.
- Ultimate Frisbee (Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday)
- Tennis (Tuesday & Thursday)
- Track & Field (Monday and Wednesday)
We are also offering a Bowling clinic on Tuesdays for up to ten students! If you are interested, please reach out to Melissa or Emily for more info!
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Children's Hospital Research Project
Rob sent an email this week with an exciting club opportunity. In case you missed it, here's a brief summary. Take a look at his email for the full description!
In CHRP, students will design and endeavor to implement a full-scale research project by partnering with a Surgeon at Seattle Children's Hospital. Students will learn foundations of qualitative and quantitative research, data collection and analysis, and practice other advanced experimentation skills. Additionally, students will tour Seattle Children’s Hospital or another local facility and design a real-world scientific experiment focused on the medical field. We're really excited to partner with Dr. Kimberly Perkins who will be leading this experience for the club members.
This club will meet weekly on Thursdays starting on 3/6 and going through 5/15 during our regular after-school club slot of 3:45-5pm.
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From the BFA:
Join Us for BFA Meeting Next Friday 3/7
The March BFA meeting will be next Friday 3/7 from 8:30-9:30am. You can check out the agenda here. Come by to learn about upcoming events, meet fellow parents and caregivers, or get involved!
Save the Date: Family Movie Night on Fri 4/25
Mark your calendar for Family Movie Night on Friday, April 25th at 5pm in the school gym. Kids are invited to come in comfy, cozy clothes and bring a sleeping bag. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Siblings are welcome. We will open registration next month, but mark your calendar now! Many thanks to 6th grade parent Billy Thompson for organizing this community-building event!
Still Looking for Snackulty Faculty Signups
We still have openings to bring snacks and treats for the staff meeting on March 12th and beyond. You can sign up and view additional slots here. Thank you!
Using Google Groups as Message Boards
Did you check out last issue’s blurb on how to post messages for the Neurodiversity Affinity Group and the family Google Groups? Let us know if you have any questions or if you’re running into any problems.
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8th grader Ashia and her family visited the state capital to meet with Representatives Debra Entenmen and Chris Stearns of District 47 and advocate for their community. We commend her for being involved in her local government! | |
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Your students are all hard at work getting ready to entertain the masses with a brilliant rendition of The Nut-Brown Girl. Putting on a production like this takes many hands, and we’d love for you to join in the fun! Your behind-the-scenes help is vital to making this show a success! Whether you have a talent for crafting, organizing, or simply love being part of the fun, we’d love for you to get involved. Here’s how you can help:
Help sew costumes:
We are looking for folks who are handy with a sewing machine to take outfit materials home and make skirts and pants with suspenders (pattern provided). Many hands make light work, so the more sign ups the better! Outfits need to be finished by March 17th. To help, email Sabrina or use this sign up genius.
Saturday Work Parties and Costume Creation:
Click here to sign up to help at one (or both!) of our Saturday work parties. Work parties will be held on March 8th and March 15th. Whether you want to run power tools and put the set together or help with organizing and painting the set, we have a job for you!
During the performance:
Click here to help during one (or more!) of the three performances. This includes registration, picking up food for our hard working cast, making sure everything goes smoothly backstage, clean up, and more. Rehearsals and the show will take place Wednesday, March 19th - Saturday, March 22nd.
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How to Build Equitable Schools
Join Elena Aguilar, author of the highly acclaimed book Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching, to discuss the importance of emotional resilience in equity work. Walk away with a number of strategies to cultivate the emotional resilience needed to build equitable schools.
- April 23, 2025
- 5:00-6:15 pm
- Via Zoom
- Free and Open to the Public
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Check out these ParentMap articles:
For more support and resources surrounding the youth mental health crisis, screen time and social media, and the importance of play, visit ParentMap’s Antidote for the Anxious Generation page.
Speaker links
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Executive Function Workout!
💡 New Year, New Day!💡
We are switching to Wednesday mornings for our winter EF Workouts!
Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular morning EF workout from 8:30am to 9:30am on Wednesdays. Developing EF, or Executive Function, requires the exercise of the brain in specific ways. Drop in on any Wednesday morning to share stories and explore strategies for strengthening our EF muscles and by extension, that of our students.
Think of EF (Executive Function) as the CEO of the brain, helping us improve our self-regulation and aid our ability to make both short and long-term plans that enhance our performance in many aspects of our life. At a middle school pragmatic level this includes things like: doing your nightly HW, working on long term projects, or doing chores around the house. This is not a class. This is an opportunity to share collective wisdom. While 30 plus years as a middle school educator has certainly allowed me to garner some wisdom, I am really a facilitator on Wednesday mornings. Regular attendance is not a prerequisite. I don't need advanced notice. Drop in as you are able.
We will be meeting in person in Mercury during advisory and the beginning of first period. If you do not want to attend in person and prefer Zoom, let me know and I will send you a recurring Zoom link. Masks are not required but can be provided upon request.
And if Wednesday mornings are not a viable option for you but you want to learn more, don't hesitate to e-mail me, and let's find time to chat 1-1.
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