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Inside Billings
October 22, 2026
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Accreditation Preliminary Visit
Billings is accredited through the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS), which re-accredits member schools on an eight-year cycle. This year is our year: we will host a re-accreditation team visit in March.
On October 1st, we welcomed the chairs of our visiting team, Briel Schmitz (Spruce Street School, Seattle) and Tiffany Price (NOVA Middle School, Olympia). Briel and Tiffany toured Billings and met with administrators, Board members, and faculty and staff. They found us well prepared for March, and we look forward to having them back. During the March visit, they will hold a session for parents and caregivers, and you are welcome to attend.
iReady Results
Your child’s fall i-Ready results for reading and math were emailed to you on Tuesday along with PDF guides for understanding and interpreting results. Understanding Your Student’s i-Ready Diagnostic Results (English PDF) Conozca los resultados de la Evaluación diagnóstica i-Ready de su estudiante (Español PDF). The i-Ready Family Center is another helpful resource for information, guidance, and tools for supporting your student at home. We review individual, class, and school results to inform instruction and support student learning. If teachers have specific concerns, goals, or recommendations for additional support for your child, they will contact you directly.
Conferences
We are looking forward to meeting with you at conferences next week. You should have received an email with a sign-up link to register for appointments with teachers, or click the buttons below. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes prior to your start time to check-in and get your appointment schedule.
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Three weeks in, we’ve raised $48,000, up from $42,000 last week. That’s nearly half of our $100,000 goal! Schoolwide participation has jumped from 15% to 27%, building on our Board’s 100%. Thank you!
Last week I shared why I give. This week, your grade-level reps are sharing why their families give. Here’s where those gifts go: teachers who know each student well, the expeditionary trips that bring our kids together, and ongoing growth for our faculty.
Gifts of any size move us toward 100% participation, and a pledge counts today. If your employer matches gifts, submit a request after you give. More on matching next week.
Please give by November 11. You can give online, drop off a check at the front desk, or make a pledge.
Thank you!
Nick
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ASB Results
Congratulations to our ASB Executive Officers! Olyad, Nutifafa, Niamh, and Vicky will be taking the lead on a number of initiatives throughout the year, and we’re so excited to see what they bring to the Billings community. All candidates did an amazing job with their speeches and we’re so proud of the effort and care that everyone took to run such excellent campaigns across the board!
To celebrate Halloween, we will be having a special Spirit Week starting on 10/26! All students and staff are invited to participate in the theme for each day:
- Monday: Pajama Day
- Tuesday: Twin Day
- Wednesday: Anything but a Backpack Day
- Thursday: Halloween Costume
In order to ensure our Halloween celebration is fun for everyone, please read the following family letter:
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GSA
The "Gender & Sexuality Alliance", or GSA, will hold a meeting this Friday, October 23 at lunch in Frida. GSA is a space for students to celebrate the queer / LGBTQ+ community, foster connections, and bring positivity and awareness to the school.
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Sports
Volleyball:
Upcoming games:
- October 22nd at HOME 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- October 28th at HOME 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM JAMBOREE
Cross Country:
Upcoming meets:
- October 20th Robinswood Park Playground at 4:00 PM
- October 27th Evergreen Playfield Complex at 4:00 PM
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- Fall Academic Conferences: October 29 & 30
- NO SCHOOL: Friday, October 30 (Conferences)
- NO SCHOOL: Wednesday, November 11
- NO SCHOOL: Fall Break, November 23-27
Keep up-to-date with our Google calendar:
Community Calendar
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Break Camps @ Billings:
Steve & Kate's Camp
With Fall Break and Winter Break approaching, we wanted you to know that Billings will be hosting Steve & Kate’s Camp on our campus for Fall, Winter, Mid-Winter, and Spring Breaks this school year.
"When school's out, give kids what they need—freedom to expand and evolve.”
At Steve & Kate’s, campers choose which activities they do, whom they do it with and for how long. For kids, this experience is pure joy. It’s also a kind of training ground for life, where they’ll need to be empowered and independent and resilient and responsible for their own decisions. Happy human-ing starts HERE!
| | On Saturday, October 24, from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., The Downtown School is hosting their 2nd annual Math Circle for current 7th and 8th graders. Students will spend the morning alongside DTS students and teachers exploring the creative and playful side of math. They can choose to create art with equations in Desmos or dive into puzzles, math games, and hands-on challenges. View the Math Circle flyer here for more information and registration details. | |
Executive Function Workout!
FEEL THE BURN!
Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular Tuesday morning EF workout from 8:30am to 9:30am starting Tuesday, September 15th. Developing EF, or Executive Function, requires the exercise of the brain in specific ways. Drop in on any Tuesday morning, to share stories and explore strategies for strengthening our EF muscles and by extension, that of our students.
Read more ->
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