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Inside Billings
October 16, 2025
| | 🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | | As the leaves begin to change and a crisp breeze fills the air, campus life is buzzing with activity! From our Open House and Fall Conferences to cross-country exchanges, volleyball tournaments, and post-trip reflections, our community is fully engaged—coming together to celebrate achievements, share experiences, and continue striving toward our goals. | | |
Mike on the Mic 🎤
Dear Billings Community,
As you know, we have officially kicked off the Annual Fund, Small School, Big Impact. I am energized by the generosity that you have all shown us already. I would love to share why I give to the Annual Fund in hopes that each of you will make a gift and join me in helping us reach our goal.
As a longtime science teacher with a nerdy passion for the neuroscience of learning, I give to Billings because I see it as the school that is authentically teaching middle schoolers “the way it ought to be.” Experiential learning-by-doing to engage and encode deep, rich memories, discussing social justice and our place in the world, and challenging students to take risks and develop perseverance, integrity, and courage. I’m increasing my gift this year because I love teaching robotics and empowering students to create innovative solutions to environmental science issues. The Annual Fund provides critical funding for our program, helping students explore new passions and excel academically and socially.
Thank you to our student and parent ambassadors and alumni panelists for volunteering at our first Open House last night. My heart was lifted to hear from our alumni as they shared stories of growth and confidence that all tied back to Billings. Lucy spoke eloquently about how Amy’s class opened her mind to different cultures and religions. She shared that she recently completed a service trip in Guatemala and how she never would have had the confidence to do that if she had not attended Billings. Camille spoke about the leadership skills she gained that empowered her to head a Billings summer backpacking trip and how forming relationships with teachers gave her the confidence to be a strong self-advocate in high school. And in a side conversation with a family, Maiyte shared how Billings gave her the confidence and grit to take Algebra and Geometry at the same time as an 8th grader.
Finally, we look forward to you joining us for Fall Conferences on either the evening of October 30th or the during the day on October 31st. Please sign up!
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Thank you for your support,
Mike
| | 6th graders are settling into their permanent advisories. This week, we shared our birthdays and students were invited to bring in a store-bought treat or party favor to give to classmates. The guidelines are: check in with your advisor first (in person or email), bring in one for only your advisory peers or all members of the class (8 or 24 items), do not debate elements of “fairness” if some students choose to bring in something and others do not. This is completely optional and certainly doesn’t have to be chronologically exact, especially for recent or summer-month birthdays. | | In advisory this week, 7th graders are debriefing last week’s trip and talking through challenges they experienced and moments where they received assistance. Before the trip, students made goals for their upcoming experience. This week, we’re assessing our success towards these goals. A key part of advisory in 7th grade is goal setting and we try to ensure that students have the opportunities to reflect on the efforts and strategies they employ to meet their goals. Even failing to achieve a goal is a valuable moment to learn and grow! View photos from the trip at the SmugMug gallery linked below. Email the Front Desk if you do not have the password! | | 8th graders are working on leadership and communication skills in Advisory. We continue to discuss and highlight insights from the Fall Leadership Outing with students outlining their appreciations, apologies or “aha” moments from the trip. Students have also been honing their communication skills while playing games in new groupings and trying to direct their classmates while blindfolded or unable to speak. Lots of fun but also relevant to leadership, kindness and perseverance! | | 8th grade ELA is wrapping up their “Gadgets” unit with readings, podcasts, and videos about the ways in which technology and automation affect our lives. The “Essential Question” for this unit is: “Does technology improve or control our lives?” Students are responding to the question with an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor. Their responses should incorporate rhetorical devices they’ve studied in ELA classes and an example of a technology that illustrates their position. | | |
7th/8th grade Textiles students are wrapping up their Loom Techniques project, where they built their own loom, strung the warp thread, and practiced various weaving techniques such as the Weaver’s Knot, Color Blocking, Stripes, Shapes, etc. Students are building their confidence and learning how to experiment with weaving in preparation for their final project. Personal Tapestries are available to view in the main stairwell textiles gallery. Can you find all of their hidden doodle designs?
Up next: students will be learning about natural plant fibers and symbolism in weavings from around the world.
In 6th grade Math, we’ve moved on from Polygon Area to our second unit: Ratio Concepts. Food has been a recurring theme; ask your child about comparing fruit weights and modifying recipes to feed more or fewer people. We’re also learning how ratios relate to fractions, percentages, and decimals. Our first weekly homework assignments will start next Wednesday; look for an email in the next few days explaining the online platform and process for math homework.
| | Ultimate Frisbee is very popular at Billings, and all grades have been honing their skills in PE/GO this fall. | | |
🎓 Deans on the Scene ✒️
Please join Dean Rob and Laurie Alexander (Billings Family Association Chair) for our fall family event: Framing the Year - The World of Middleschoolers! During this event, Rob will give a short talk on the middle school brain followed by a Q&A. We'll then turn to breakout sessions with targeted questions so that parents and caregivers can share experiences, ideas, and wisdom!
This event will run from 5:30-7:00pm on 11/6. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP via this link so that we can get a head count. Light refreshments will be provided.
i-Ready Results
i-Ready results for fall diagnostics were emailed this morning. Please look for a separate email from Front Desk with your child’s results. We are at more than 90% completion for the fall i-Ready diagnostic.
High School Visits
This fall, we are pleased to welcome several high schools from NWAIS, our local independent school association. High school admissions directors and students will visit 8th graders to share information about their schools and the application process.
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Downtown School October 22
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Holy Names Academy and O’Dea High School November 5
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UPrep November 12
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Northwest School November 19
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🏈 Student Life 🤸
Club Opportunity: Thursday Afternoon Dungeons and Dragons
Epic adventure and team building fun await in Dungeons and Dragons Club! Join us after school on Thursdays as we use our imaginations and DnD core rules to create characters that perform heroic feats while exploring fantastical worlds. Supported by a Billings parent, we will form small groups and start campaigns with student players and leaders. Shannon Otto, Spieck's mom, has years of experience leading Dungeons and Dragons for kids and teens. With a background in speech therapy and basketball coaching, she loves supporting kids in having fun and building team skills. She is looking forward to this opportunity to build community at Billings and provide a great experience for the students. Materials will be provided: dice, pen and paper, character sheets, and story manuals. If your student is interested, please email Rob Heavner directly!
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Week two is well underway and we have raised around $12,000 towards our goal of $150,000! Thank you to everyone who has given so far - your gifts are making a big impact! Every gift helps us fulfill our mission of inspiring middle school students through academic challenge, personal discovery, outdoor and experiential learning, and community connection.
Your donation to the annual fund will not only support our incredible programs. As with most private schools, tuition alone is not enough to keep Billings Middle School running and we rely on the generosity of our families and community to be able to continue to offer a competitive curriculum, a fabulous team of teachers dedicated solely to middle school education, and the incredible experiential programs that set Billings apart.
Please consider making your gift today. Gifts of every size matter and each one has a BIG impact on pushing us towards our goal! Thank you!
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Help your student’s grade meet the 100% participation goal by October 31st and win a free pizza party!
You can make a donation by dropping off a check at the front desk or by clicking here to make a donation online. You can also click here to make a pledge for a future donation. Don’t forget to check with your employer to see if they will match your donation! Boeing, Microsoft, Nintendo, Pokémon, and many other major employers offer an employee match program. This is a really great way to double the impact of your donation!
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🏫 Admissions 👨👩👧👦
A huge thank you to our incredible Parent Volunteers, Student Ambassadors, and Board Members who joined us for our first Open House! Your support in building meaningful community connections and engaging with prospective families and students is truly invaluable. We couldn’t do it without you!
| | Our next Open House is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th at 10:00 AM. Please help us spread the word by sharing the event with any community groups or networks you're part of. We look forward to welcoming more future families! | | Billings Family Association | | |
Help with Día de los Muertos
As part of Spanish teacher Kruthi’s Día de los Muertos celebration plans, we are looking for a couple parents/caregivers to hand out Mexican treats to students as they leave school on Thursday, October 30th. Please contact us if you would like to help.
Chipping in for Family Camping Trip Costs
If you participated in the super-fun Family Camping Trip earlier this month, you should have received an email on 10/12 about making a contribution to the costs of the trip. If you didn’t receive that email or have any questions, please let us know.
Parenting Resources
The Disengaged Teen: Tools for parents of checked-out and stressed-out teens
With journalist Jenny Anderson, and leading global education expert Rebecca Winthrop
Oct. 22, 5-6pm
Register here for this free webinar from the Bush School
Cracking the Teen Code: Spot Trouble, Build Trust and Stay Connected
With Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, pediatric psychologist and parent coach
Oct. 23, 2025, 12-1pm
Register here for this free webinar from ParentMap
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- Fall Conferences: October 30 & 31
- NO SCHOOL: October 31
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Framing the Year: The World of Middle Schoolers! -November 6, 5:30-7:00pm, Zoom link coming soon
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Story is my Superpower
Northwest Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series is dedicated to making impactful discussions accessible to everyone. Join us to hear from Nic Stone, author of Dear Martin.
November 12, 2025
5:00-6:15 pm PT
This event is free and open to the public.
RSVP to get your Zoom link: Registration
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Downtown School
Math Circle
7th and 8th graders are invited to The Downtown School Math Circle, a free, hands-on math event happening on Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at The Downtown School (160 John Street, Seattle, WA).
During this fun and interactive morning, students will work with our teachers and students to solve creative mathematical puzzles and challenges that stretch their problem-solving skills and spark curiosity.
Parents and guardians are welcome to stay for coffee and pastries, or they can drop students off for the event.
Space is limited, so we encourage anyone interested to register soon using the QR code on the flyer or by following this link.
Looking for something to do as a family? Check out the Mosaic Room which is located just around the corner from the Billings campus. The Mosaic Room offers family friendly classes from Yoga and Salsa dancing to Yo-Yo tricks! Scan the QR Code to sign-up!
All Billings families will receive 10% off with the code: BILLINGS10
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Climate Action Families (CAF) is offering a free, 2-day workshop for 6-11th graders.
This workshop brings together two big themes:
- Migration (why people move, especially due to war, danger, or economic need)
- Climate Change (how environmental disasters like droughts, fires, and floods force people to migrate)
The course encourages young people to think about what it means to be welcomed (or not) in a new place — whether that’s a new school, new country, or new home, considering the question: If more people are forced to migrate due to climate change... how do we make space for everyone?
Sense of Belonging: Migration and Climate Change on October 18-19th, 10:00 am-3:00 pm.
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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 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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