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Inside Billings
May 22, 2025
| | 🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | | The school is pretty empty with two-thirds of our students out on overnight trips, so as a result this iNews will be a little shorter. Read on to see what is happening on campus while our 6th and 8th graders are out on the trails, and we hope you all have a restful three-day weekend! Don't forget to have your student turn in $35 cash or check to the Front Desk so they can get their Yearbook in June! | | |
Mike on the Mic 🎤
Thank you to everyone who filled out the Family Spring Survey. Your feedback is very helpful for us as we prepare for next year and prioritize our summer work! There were some very clear themes about what families love and hope will never change about Billings. Those themes included challenging students to grow academically, discovering new personal interests in arts, clubs, and athletics, the rich outdoor and experiential learning that dovetails with the classroom, and the deep connection between students, advisors, faculty, and families.
I received a happy, positive update for our intrepid sixth grade geologists last night from their campground! Today, they will explore lava tubes at the Ape Caves and write poetry while hiking on Monitor Ridge. At the same time, our intrepid 8th graders on the Coast Trip experienced “resilience moisture” with a significant amount of rain on Monday and dried off with a sunny warm day with a lovely sunset on Wednesday. We look forward to hearing about their experience observing wildlife, completing much needed service work for Olympic National Park, navigating stream crossings, and timing the tides.
Next week, we look forward to celebrating the 8th grade families (adults only) at the 8th Grade Family Dinner on Wednesday, May 28 at 6 pm.
Spring Portfolio Conferences for all families are on Friday, May 30. The conferences are rich opportunities to celebrate student growth and there are no classes that day.
To better celebrate our students, on Monday afternoon, June 2 at 2pm, we are combining the 8th Grade Project Presentations and our Art Walk/Tiny Table Concert. All families are invited to participate and engage with our 8th graders with their culminating project, see the visual artwork, and enjoy musical performances.
Enjoy the long weekend,
Mike
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🎓 Calling 8th Grade Families! 🎓
If you're missing your 8th graders while they're out on their Coast trip, why not spend some time going through their baby photos? Please send two pictures to the Front Desk: one of your student as an infant and one of them as an elementary schooler. If you have physical photos, you can bring them in to the front office for scanning.
More 8th grade celebrations…
- May 28: ELA field trip to Wing Luke Museum: 11:00am-2:00pm
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8th grade will participate in a 90-minute walking tour of the Chinatown-International District with focus on places from Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Tour
- May 28: 8th Grade Parent Dinner: 6-8:00pm
- June 2: 8th Grade Project Community Display: 2-2:50pm
- Families are invited to visit the creative and informative project displays from the 8th grade capstone experience in ELA.
- June 5: 8th Grade Celebration and Fun - all day
- June 10: Graduation (8th graders arrive at 4:45pm, ceremony starting at 6 pm)
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- 8th Grade Backpacking: Monday, May 19 - Friday, May 23
- 6th Grade Overnight: Wednesday, May 21 - Friday, May 23
- [NO SCHOOL] Memorial Day: Monday, May 26
- 8th Grade Family Dinner: Wednesday, May 28, 6:00pm-8:00pm
- 8th Grade Project Showcase: Monday, June 2, 2:00pm
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Art Walk and Tiny Table Concert: Monday, June 2, 2:50pm
- 8th Grade Graduation: Tuesday, June 10th, 6:00pm
- Last Day of School for 6th & 7th Grade: June 11th, noon dismissal
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From the BFA:
Billings families, thank you for the heartfelt messages you wrote to staff last week. They loved the personal notes of gratitude and appreciation. Your kindness makes a big impact! ♥️
Family Camping Trip in October 2025!
Have you snagged a spot for the fall family camping trip yet? It’ll be at nearby Dash Point State Park from October 3–5, 2025. Check out this link for details, including how to reserve your campsite or cabin.
Parenting Resources
Adolescent Substance Use; Factors and Actions Within Your Control as a Parent, with Brock Gjesdal
May 29, 2025, 12-1pm
Register here for this webinar from PNW Parent Education
Nurturing Resilience: Essential Coping Skills for Kids, with Janine Halloran, licensed mental health counselor and founder of Coping Skills for Kids
June 5, 2025, 12-1pm
Register here for this webinar from ParentMap
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Deans on the Scene
Notice of Event Change:
The 8th Grade Project Community Display is rescheduled from May 28 to Monday, June 2 starting at 2:00pm. We are combining this event with the Arts event scheduled that afternoon so that more of our community can see more of the creative and academic processes from more of our students! Families are invited to visit 8th Grade Project Displays in the gym starting at 2:00 and then join the Arts Team and students in Nadia for the Art Walk and Tiny Table Concert.
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i-Ready:
ELA and Math teachers administered the third and final i-Ready diagnostic over the past three weeks. Due to illness and absences, there are several students who need to finish one of their diagnostics. We anticipate that these students will complete them next week when they return to school, and we will plan to share the results with families within one week of completion.
| | 6th graders spent this week preparing for their trip to Mt. Saint Helens, which they are in the middle of right now! Look for photos to come in next week’s iNews. We’re super excited to hear about the activities and teamwork they've been experiencing! | | |
7th graders are busy preparing for their portfolio conferences. During our weekly class meeting they played a game called “Zipper” a trust exercise that is also incredibly fun! Also, please check out the SmugMug gallery from the backpacking trip to Baker Lake. If you need the password, reach out to Becca.
8th graders are wrapping up their backpacking trip on the Olympic Coast. Check out the the next iNews to learn more about how it went and see photos from the trip!
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In 7th grade Spanish, students are doing a collaboration with Visual Arts, reviewing their alphabet by doing letter art, showcasing a letter of the Spanish alphabet, and applying their knowledge of the elements of art to their design!
7th grade ELA students are continuing to practice their public speaking skills as they finalize their speeches. This week, students played a public speaking game where they presented the totally false history of a random object from the classroom. Students prepared notes, engaged in creative storytelling, and interacted with the audience by taking questions. Next week, students will present their actual (and factual!) speeches!
This and next week, 7th graders will attempt to build a bridge out of popsicle sticks that can hold as many textbooks as possible. This engineering project is a tradition of the 7th grade Math classes here. Last year, two of the student bridges were able to support the full body weight of a teacher. Let’s see what groups can achieve that feat this time around!
7th graders just completed “phase 2” of their “Build a Boat” project in Design Lab. For this phase, students had to design a boat that could accommodate at least twelve “passengers” (1 ounce weights). We continued adding weight to each boat until it sank, and some held over 8 pounds!
| Announcing the Billings Tiny Table Concert & Art Walk, featuring performances by the Spring 2025 Vocals and Ukulele classes, and Visual Art from Billings 7th and 8th graders on Monday, June 2nd, at 2:50pm. | | |
In celebration of the places we love to live, eat, shop, and play in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, The Seattle Times is presenting its annual Best in the PNW contest.
Please nominate us for this event under the Education + Middle School category, and reach out to the Front Desk with the name of your business and category if you'd like to submit your business!
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View the Official Rules for all the details! Browse through the 2024 winners at BestinthePNW.com.
KEY DATES:
Nominations Close: Friday, May 23
Voting Opens: Monday, June 9
Voting Closes: Friday, June 27
Results Publish: Sunday, September 21
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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!
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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