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Inside Billings
January 16, 2025
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🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | |
Apologies for the blurry pics - our contestants were just too fast! Billings celebrated the new term with a fan-favorite All School Meeting activity, the Winter Olympics. The first event was a lightning-fast roller race between all grades and our esteemed Head of School, Mike! | |
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Mike on the Mic 🎤
I love Winter Term at Billings! Collaborating on the Winter Performance and going snowshoeing in all weather are authentic teaching experiences that are crucial for adolescent social emotional learning skills. Each winter, we see such growth in executive function, flexibility, perseverance, and courage.
Although we were stymied by potentially hazardous conditions at Snoqualmie Pass last week, the 7th and 8th grade students soldiered on in the rain and made the most of the day. The weather forecast looks much better for tomorrow, and we are excited that 8th graders will lead a number of stations for 6th graders on their first snowshoeing trip. Students should always bring rain jackets and pants for snowshoe days because they are lightweight and exponentially more waterproof than snow clothing and we really get into the snow! Please double-check the gear list Melissa emailed out if you haven't already, and ensure that your student's Winter Program form is complete on Alma Start. If you need assistance logging in to Alma you can email the Front Desk.
For our new families, Winter Term is a great time to talk about one of our favorite concepts to explore with students: Type 2 Fun! We proudly define Type 2 fun as:
Type 2 Fun is difficult (and sometimes awful) pretty much the entire time you are doing it, but you recognize its value as character building or good for you. You are generally excited to brag about Type 2 Experiences to your classmates.
Type 2 Fun experiences create the stories that bond classes together long after their time here at Billings, usually with some creative exaggeration. This could be anything from overcoming an obstacle, persevering through a challenge or fear in the classroom, trying something new with the Winter Performance, or an unexpected challenge in the outdoors. These experiences truly push students to grow and transform.
Finally, I hope that you have all registered for the annual Billings Bowling Night at the UW HUB Student Union on Saturday, January 25th from 5-7pm. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!
Thank you for your support,
Mike
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Tuition 2025-26 Tuition Assistance
Tuition for the 2025-2026 school year will remain the same as this current school year at $41,990. A Board of Trustees representative will be available to discuss any questions about setting tuition on Thursday morning, January 30 at 8:30 on campus.
Families interested in tuition assistance will complete the application process through School and Student Services (Solutions by SSS), and the deadline to submit financial information to SSS is February 1st, 2025 for the academic year 2025-2026. Late applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Tuition determination notifications will be sent on February 21st at the same time as reenrollment contracts are sent.
Find more information on the SSS website and to reach the SSS Service Center for Parents call 800-344-8328 or email sss@communitybrands.com. If you have any questions about Tuition Assistance, please contact Brian.
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i-Ready
Students will take their 2nd i-Ready diagnostic in ELA and Math classes in the next few weeks as follows: 6th and 7th ELA, next week (1/21-1/23); 6th-8th Math, the following week (1/27-1/30); and 8th ELA (2/3-2/5). We will share your child’s results with you after we’ve reviewed them, which is usually within 2 weeks of administering the diagnostic.
As we’ve shared in previous communications, the i-Ready diagnostic is an additional tool to support instruction and student growth in reading and math. While there is no special preparation for you or child to take prior to the assessment, we recommend sharing the following reminders for students to build their stamina and confidence:
- Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
- Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
- Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will get only about half of the questions correct.
- Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
- Remember that this is a tool to help them, their teachers, and you support their learning.
Thank you and, as always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
April
Housekeeping and Hygiene
On Monday, we met with students to talk about hygiene and housekeeping in the building in response to feedback from our cleaning staff as well as some of our observations of hygiene habits. It was an opportunity for us to talk about stewardship and care for shared spaces. Students were asked to attend the meeting space that corresponded with their biological sex or preference. We shared a brief presentation(20 minutes) about the purpose of sanitary boxes in the bathroom; what to flush and what not flush; and resources/ supplies for menstruation at school or on an Exped trip. We asked students to seek out one of us or another adult if they need help with any of these issues at school.
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🌱 Philanthropy at Billings🪴
Join us for the Billings Base Camp - Adventure Awaits Celebration and Fundraising Dinner!
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It is with great excitement that we announce our 22nd Annual Billings Celebration and Fundraiser Dinner to take place on Friday, April 4th at Billings Middle School. This fundraiser is a celebratory community event that supports the critical needs of the school and the robust financial aid that we provide to many of our students.
Anticipation is growing, and we can't wait to share the evening with you! You should have received an emailed invitation earlier this week with the link to our auction website and other helpful information, but in case you missed it, take a look at our website, where you'll find more information on the event.
If you are interested in volunteering to support the auction please reach out to Koby to get connected or stop by at drop off and learn more about how to get involved.
Please feel free to reach out with ideas or questions. I look forward to celebrating with you on April 4th!
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- [NO SCHOOL] Martin Luther King Jr Day - Monday, 1/20
- UW Bowling Night: Saturday, 1/25 - 5:00pm-7:00pm
- [NO SCHOOL] Prospective Student Visit Day: Friday, 1/31
- 8th Grade Winter Immersion Trip: 2/13-2/14
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This week in advisory, 6th grade students spent time learning a new card game (Spoons!). Students engaged in a little friendly competition before transitioning into an all-grade discussion of boundaries and personal space. This 6th grade discussion served as a reminder to treat clothing as an extension of someone’s body and not to swipe hats from heads or jackets from arms. Students shared their personal experiences and feelings about times they had their personal space invaded, leading to a productive conversation. We also asked students to take a brief Google dive into “mirror neurons,” which we will be discussing next week following our snowshoeing trip this Friday.
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The 7th grade students had a great time on their first snow trip this past week, even though it transformed into a “rain trip.” During our whole grade advisory meeting this week, the students gave shoutouts to their peers who helped them, supported them when they were feeling low, or brought up the group morale given the rough conditions. It was awesome to hear about all the different ways this grade care for and recognize one another. The goal for the 7th grade advisories this month is to work on the students' accountability skills, and how to find stillness when they feel overwhelmed or exhausted.
In advisory 8th graders have been working on building good habits in the new year and developing leadership ideas for the community. The students did a great job pivoting during our first snow day and were able to enjoy a rainy hike at Twin Falls. They pushed themselves to reach the top of the falls and to motivate each other on the trail. Please continue to send students with appropriate snow gear each Friday!
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6th graders started a new Math unit this week on ratio concepts. Our first few activities were food-themed: pizza topping comparisons, ingredients for rice dishes, and fruit juice mixtures. Any situation with a recipe, mixture, or other specific combination is a great opportunity to study real-world applications of multiplication, division, and fractions.
The 6th graders are learning all about weather in Science class. This week, we played The Water Cycle Game and students imagined what it would be like to travel around the planet as a molecule of water. At the end, students practiced their writing skills and wrote creative tales about the lives of their water molecules.
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The 8th graders are applying what they learn in physics to the science behind winter sports. Last week, students built ski courses to race pennies down. Students are learning about the forces of speed, motion, acceleration, and friction. There will be a quiz on the forces of motion on Tuesday, 1/21.
6th graders built and launched rockets in their first Design Lab class with Mike and Ian. We used simple materials (film canisters, various types of paper, tape) and combined Alka Seltzer and water to create carbon dioxide fuel. Does a rocket’s mass affect how high it will fly? Ask a 6th grader about the launch results!
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8th grade students are diving into the 8th Grade Project, the capstone learning experience for Billings students, by finalizing their topic choices and product proposals. This year’s choices reflect the unique interests in this class with topics such as American comedy, unethical medical research, and the influence of Mexican culture on American Cuisine. Students will begin their research phase in the next couple of weeks. On Wednesday, we paused all things 8GP to reflect on the life of MLK. Students watched a series of short documentary clips about King’s life and legacy and responded in writing and class discussion. | |
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6th grade students created a clay tablet with their own message in ancient cuneiform during Social Studies. Some messages included: Keep Going; Shenanigans, shenanigans, shenanigans!; I like Dinos; and Billings is fun! This week we read and watched a synopsis of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient epic and one of the world’s oldest recorded stories. This story of heroes and monsters was written in cuneiform and includes universal themes and character types that students will try to replicate next week.
7th grade students are writing their own creation stories that they will perform for their classmates. Their stories will follow the pattern of native stories and include animals and geography from Washington State.
8th grade students are studying the characteristics and examples of various forms of government: democracy, socialism, communism, oligarchy, kleptocracy, monarchy, theocracy and fascism. It will be important as we study propaganda and the Holocaust for students to have a good understanding and to think critically about different government systems.
Pickleball: Invented on Bainbridge Island, named after a boat and a dog, currently the fastest growing sport in the nation, and 7th grade’s first PE/GO! unit this term.
Avast! Thar be Billings iNews! The winter production of The Nut Brown Girl is in full swing! Actors read through the script this week while sets and props started to draft up designs for props and set pieces. Our vocals and band are hard at work fine-tuning their craft to perform some lovely melodies for you at the show! I won't give too much away but there is a space whale and a pirate ship on the horizon. So don your best pirate accent and mark your calendars for March 20th-23rd to set sail on the high seas!
In Spanish, all grades are learning about conjugating verbs. We started with -AR verbs, and are moving into -ER and -IR verbs in the next few weeks. Students should be practicing by listening to the conjugation song in Google Classroom.
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From the BFA:
RSVP Now for the 3rd Annual Billings Bowling Night!
Husky Union Building, University of Washington
Saturday, January 25th, 5-7pm
Bring the whole family for an evening of community and family fun as Billings takes over the bowling alley at UW’s Husky Union Building (HUB)! Bowling, shoe rentals, pizza, and drinks will be provided. Parents/guardians, siblings, and students are all invited to join in the fun.
Please RSVP so that we know how many people to expect.
There is no cost for this event, though we would appreciate a suggested donation of $15 per attendee to defray costs of food and rentals. To make a donation, you can enter an amount in the "add a donation" box at the bottom of the page when you RSVP.
This year, 6th grade parent and architect Scheer Chan has kindly offered to lead tours of the HUB, which he designed! To join his pre-bowling tour, meet at 4:30pm at the HUB’s info desk, which is just inside the main entrance on the 1st floor. He will lead a tour after bowling as well. Thank you, Scheer!
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Event FAQs:
Is this a drop-off event for students?
Students must be accompanied by an adult, and we hope you’ll bring the whole family.
I’m super-good at bowling, but um, I’m just curious if bumpers will be available.
You betcha! Bumpers are available on all 12 lanes.
My kiddo has some sensory issues, and I’m wondering if there will be flashing lights and a lot of noise at the event.
There will be no flashing lights. However, it does get loud in the bowling alley.
Will the gaming lounge be open during the event?
No, gaming will not be available for our group.
Where is the UW bowling alley?
The University of Washington’s bowling alley is located on the basement level of the Husky Union Building (HUB) at 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195.
Is there parking nearby?
Parking is free on Saturdays after noon in most campus parking lots. The closest parking is the Padelford Parking Garage.
Can I show up without a reservation?
Space permitting, we will be able to register families at the event.
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Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If you and your family are looking for ways to honor and celebrate his life, here are few links to some local events.
We've got a lot of opportunities for families and students to contribute to the Billings experience coming up, such as:
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Crafting
We are looking for VOLUNTEERS! The interest survey has been pushed back to next week’s iNews, but if you happen to be a sewist or builder, you are more than welcome to let Gillian and Sabrina know right away! If you are neither of these but have a lot of newspapers lying around, you can bring them to the Front Desk to be used for the sets and props. We pride ourselves on the Winter Production being an all-school event, and that includes the families and wider community! Your inclusion means so much to us and shows the students what a community really can do when it comes together.
Resources
Do you know of a local (or global) organization/person who is doing amazing work in the environmental field (science and/or activism)? Please send their info to Amira to have them featured on the list of possible research topics for the 7th Grade Environmental Justice Final Research Project.
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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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