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Inside Billings
January 29, 2026
| | 🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | | January is drawing to a close, and our campus is buzzing with energy. From Winter Term projects taking shape to students embracing new challenges in and out of the classroom, this stretch of the year is all about growth. As we look ahead to February, we’re excited to share highlights from recent learning, upcoming events, and the momentum carrying us into the second half of winter. | | |
Mike on the Mic 🎤
Thank you to everyone who came bowling last Saturday – it was packed with about 100 people! It was wonderful to welcome back some former students, too. I loved connecting with students and their families simultaneously and seeing all the family conversations happening. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and special thanks to Laurie Alexander for her leadership.
In the vein of community building, I’m excited about two more not-to-be-missed events. Our Annual Celebration and Fundraiser Dinner is right around the corner on Friday, March 6th at Billings. We have sold 54 tickets so far! Please get your tickets today!
Join us for:
- Cocktail Hour
- Buffet Dinner
- Live Auction & Raise the Paddle
- Dessert Dash
Also, on Friday, February 27th at Billings, we will host a Community Movie in Nadia and Gertrude starting right after school at 3:30 PM. Just like bowling, the whole family is welcome to attend! Please RSVP here.
Finally, we need some additional support with carpooling students to the Northgate Light Rail Station on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Thank you to Shannon Otto and Ying Ye for coming back to school recently to transport a second group of students. Please email Mike if you are willing to drive students at 3:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
All of these experiences truly build connection and I am thankful in advance to our entire community for chipping in.
With appreciation,
Mike
| Bakers, dessert lovers, and everyone; we're looking for yummy donations for the auction Dessert Dash. This can include cookies, cakes, pies, brownies, and beyond! Desserts may be purchased from a store or homemade. They must serve 8 people and be able to sit out for the duration of the event without refrigeration. If you are interested in donating an item for the Dessert Dash, please sign up here! Go here to learn more about the Dessert Dash. | | 6th graders will be hiking Cougar Mountain today and navigating a trail system that loops around part of the mountain, passes through Lakemont Community Park and ends back at Lewis Creek. It will be an approximately 3.5 mile hike with moderate elevation gains. We are confident in our 6th graders! We'll have time to play sports on the playground, explore the Lewis Creek wetlands, and check out the educational stations at the visitor's center. Other than maintaining comfort in a cold, wet environment, our other themes are inclusivity and contributing to group morale in positive ways. We're confident this trip will foster the same Exped goals we implement on our snow trips. | Last Friday (1/23), Dean Rob sent an email about our “Tech Reset” that we’re implementing with the 7th graders. While a couple of Apple watches have made it to Rob’s office, the 7th graders have largely been excellent at navigating technology at school. This will be an ongoing process for us, and we appreciate your support in navigating the ever-evolving technological landscape. We will be sure to update you if there’s a significant challenge with your student in this regard. | | For last Thursday’s adventure, 8th graders took to the snow trails near Lake Keechelus. Students were in teams and participated in a “group care relay” competition. Students showed excellent attitudes and skills! The “winners” of this relay have earned a lunch party on a date of their choice. This week, we have opted for a day on campus as the snow is currently not ideal for either snowshoeing or sledding. Today, teachers have designed a special schedule co-teaching in Math/Science and ELA/Social Studies. They will end the day with "Coffee Shop & Go!" | | 6th Grade Social Studies students have started a new unit on Mesopotamia, diving into the art of cuneiform. Next week they will create their own tablets using a tool to make “wedges” in the clay! | | |
7th grade students have taken a brief pause from their Washington State history focus and are exploring civics, especially as it relates to current events and government actions.
8th Grade students will be beginning a new unit on Judaism next week after wrapping up their mini-unit on civics and the Constitution. This week students are writing a short persuasive essay about a current event and whether it upholds the Constitution or violates it. 8th graders were also lucky to have Jacob Clark Blickenstaff as a guest speaker to share his family’s history with conscientious objectors.
| For the beginning of the Winter Semester, 8th graders have applied their knowledge of linear relationships and systems of equations to inequalities - exploring how to represent solutions of linear inequalities on a graph and how constraints can affect the solutions of those functions. The students were challenged with applying their understanding to create smiley faces and 3D designs. Check out these unique creations! | | In Spanish, students are working on various types of verbs at all levels. 6th graders have been learning about -AR verbs, conjugation tables, and conjugation patterns. 7th graders have been practicing applying the -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs to construct sentences. They have also applied that knowledge to some Spanish spelling games. 8th graders have begun reading a novel titled “La Luna Embrujada” (The Cursed Moon). Reminder: 8th graders have an Irregular Verb Test next Wednesday, 2/4 | | |
🎓 Deans on the Scene ✒️
Since we did not have school in honor of Martin Luther King Jr on 1/19, we took the time at ASM this week to think about his legacy. Representatives from our ASB read a passage from King’s speech, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop (1968). While this speech was written many decades ago, it contains truths that are relevant today. As we look at events unfolding in our country, it can be hard to find the right words and thoughts to situate ourselves in history. Looking to great figures from the past can guide us as we strive to create a community that centers and celebrates social justice.
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❄️ Winter Celebration ☃️
We are excited for the upcoming winter celebration on Friday, February 6 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM! The centerpiece of this celebration will be a dance, and I know many students are excited to cut loose on the dance floor with their friends. Of course, not all students are excited about the prospect of dancing, and we will have other options for fun including a board/card game room and some other interactive activities. A full dinner will not be provided, but there will be food and drinks for students to enjoy.
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🖥️ Business Office 💼
Tuition Assistance Deadline Reminder: February 1, 2026
Dear Billings Families,
Please be reminded that our Clarity App portal will be closing on February 1st, 2026. If your family is receiving tuition assistance or would like to apply for tuition assistance we will need the completed application submitted by the closing date.
If you need assistance, please feel free to reach out to Joan.
| | Billings Family Association | | |
Let’s Celebrate Billings’ Fab Faculty!
Mid-Winter Faculty Appreciation, our month-long celebration of Billings teachers and staff, is underway, and we need your help with 2 items:
** Word Cloud Art: Please help us create personalized art pieces for Billings faculty. You and your family may use this Google Form to share words that describe our amazing teachers and staff. We will turn your submissions into Word Cloud Art pieces they can keep forever. The submission deadline is next Wednesday 2/4.
** Chocolate Buffet: On Wednesday 2/11, we will end Mid-Winter Faculty Appreciation with a chocolate bonanza! Please sign up here to bring in some chocolate treats to show our faculty how much we appreciate them.
Thank you for helping show our gratitude for the amazing people who support our kids every day!
RSVP Now for Family Movie Event on Fri 2/27
The kids voted, and Enola Holmes won! Join us for an after-school movie event on Friday, February 27th in Nadia (across from the Billings gym). We’ll have pizza, popcorn, and drinks. All family members are welcome, including non-Billings siblings.
Suggested donation is $15 per person. Register here to join the fun, and please sign up here to help with the event.
Many thanks to Billings parent Billy Thompson and Scarecrow Video for making this event possible!
Parenting Resources
From Blowups to Breakthroughs: A New Way to Navigate Anger in Kids with Renee Jain, parent coach and psychologist
Feb 10, 12-1pm
Register here for this free webinar from ParentMap
Parenting Unique Minds: A Panel on Neurodiversity & Teen Support
With Ben Wahl, MSW, panel moderator & founder of Ryther’s Aspiring Youth Program
Feb 26, 6:30-8:30pm
Presented by PEPS, this in-person panel of mental health professionals is free, but space is limited to 50 attendees, so register now!
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- NO SCHOOL: Prospective Student Visit Day, January 30
- Winter Dance: February 6
- 8th Grade Winter Immersion Trip: February 12-13
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Youth Climate Advocacy Training
January 31st 10am-2pm
University Heights Building
This training will:
- Demystify WA’s legislature to show how laws are made and how young people can have a powerful role in the process
- Workshop a wide range of advocacy roles like writing op-eds, submitting comments and public testimony so that youth can build confidence through practice
- Simulate the legislative process through “mock” exercises like writing bills and pushing bills through mock legislature to learn how to navigate different legislative steps
Students can RSVP here!
| | Embodied STEAM and/as Liberation:
Science, Imagination, and the Right to Be Free in Learning | | |
What happens when education honors the full humanity of every learner—their bodies, their cultures, their histories, and their radical imaginations? In this powerful address, Dr. Christopher Emdin calls us to reclaim education as a site of embodied liberation. Rooted in his work at the intersections of race, science, justice, and the arts, Dr. Emdin explores how learning environments that celebrate the rights of the body—movement, rhythm, expression, rest—and center imaginative thinking can transform not just classrooms, but communities. This is more than a talk. It’s a blueprint for rehumanizing education—and a celebration of what’s possible when we teach and learn with our whole selves.
Join us on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 5-6:15 PM (PT) to welcome Dr. Christopher Emdin, a writer and professor at Columbia University’s teacher college who holds a Ph.D in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology. He is best known for his book For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education, which he wrote from his own experiences growing up as a young person of color feeling undervalued in the classroom. He will be speaking to us about his writings, Hip Hop, and much more! “Education is not memorization. It is the activation of the imagination and a path towards liberation”- Dr. Emdin. Learn more about Dr. Emdin at his website.
This event is free and open to the public hosted by POCIS Northwest. Please RSVP to get our Zoom Link.
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Mindfulness & Art: NEW After-School Class on Wednesdays at Squirrelly!
Starting February 4, Squirrelly Workshop offers a new Wednesday after-school class (4:30 – 6:00 PM) blending mindfulness and art for kids ages 5–12. This 7-week series uses breathing, sensory awareness, and creative projects to build focus, emotional regulation, and confidence. Led by Sylwia Mazur Johnson, certified special education teacher and mindfulness instructor. Register per class or save with the full series. Scholarships available. Learn more at squirrellyworkshop.com or email info@squirrellyworkshop.com.
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Billings Swag Clearance Sale!
Hop on over to our online apparel store here to grab any items you've been needing while they're on sale!
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Executive Function Workout!
Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular morning EF workout from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM on Mondays. Developing EF, or Executive Function, requires the exercise of the brain in specific ways. Drop in on any Monday 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 Monday 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 worn upon request.
And if Monday 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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