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Dear Families,
We have had a wonderful three days hosting the visiting team from NWAIS as part of our Self-Study and re-accreditation process. On Sunday evening, teachers, staff and trustees gathered in the Community Hall to welcome the visiting team. Since then, the visiting team has been on both campuses for three full days of classroom observations and in-depth conversations with faculty, staff, students, trustees, and parents. It has been a joy and inspiration to host them, and we are grateful for their thoughtful questions and insightful feedback.
I want to thank students, parents, teachers, staff, and trustees for participating in this rigorous process with such Hyla spirit and integrity. The visiting team commented several times on how strikingly strong Hyla's mission and culture are - and that is thanks to all of you who embody our mission and culture and bring them to life every day in your actions and words.
This week's visit is the culmination of a tremendous amount of work done by Hyla - years and years of stewardship, strategic work, and partnership between parents, teachers, trustees, and staff, as well as years and years of heart-filled and mission-driven work between teachers and students that is the core of everything we do. As I look at the report we created for the visiting team - several hundred pages long! - there is no better phrase than this to sum it all up: Hats off to Hyla!
And that's exactly what we'll do together next weekend at the Hyla Auction on Saturday, March 23. I urge you to all be there for this important night for our school. We have so much to celebrate together, and we have important work ahead. If you don't yet have your tickets, please get them today. I hope all Hyla families will be there.
I look forward to celebrating with each of you!
Have a great week,
Suzanne
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Check the Hyla Calendar (google or iCal) to see what's ahead so you don't miss anything this week!
Please note: the "Year at a Glance" calendar does not have include all school events and is only a high- level look at the year. All the nitty gritty details you need each week are in the main Hyla calendar (Google or iCal links below).
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Don't Miss It!
We encourage ALL Hyla families to join us for this important school event and gathering! You've heard us talk about how participation is a core school value and it's true for the auction as well. The auction is your chance to hear important school messages from school leadership, build community with fellow Hyla families, and be part of an essential fundraising effort for our school. So don't miss out! Get your tickets at this link! Note that you can donate tickets for others and claim complimentary tickets, too.
Still Accepting Donations!
If you haven't yet donated, please think about what your family can contribute to help make the auction a great success and a festive reflection of our school community. We invite every family to contribute something fun! Please email Cherie to donate. Here are some ideas:
- Gift cards to local shops & restaurants
- Getaways, cabins, and timeshares
- Parties - dinner parties, cocktails, parties for kids, etc.
- Hand-made goods
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Feeling busy? A popular option is to donate cash and let the auction team purchase something for you. Email Cherie with your budget and let the auction team do the leg work!
Big thanks to all the families who have generously donated so far!
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We Need More Auction Helpers!
Please sign up to help us make the auction a big success for Hyla!
Work Party on Friday March 22 - 10 more people needed
- 4:00 - 9:00 PM
- Wine & Pizza included
- Come help set up and get to know other parents!
Work Party on Sunday March 24 - 6 more people needed
- 1:00 - 4:00 PM
- Snacks and coffee provided
Conference Meals for Teachers
March 27-29
Please help keep teachers nourished during conferences! We are grateful for all the delicious dishes and treats brought by families and appreciate this wonderful tradition. All the details about timing and drop off locations are included in the Sign Up Genius links below. Questions? Please contact Jessica Crook.
Middle School Sign Up
Upper School Sign Up
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Curriculum Insight: Math!
By Cindy Schacht
6th Grade Math:
We just started our unit on fractions. Students are reviewing concepts of reducing and converting fractions into different forms. Then we will learn and practice all the operations of fractions. As a fun extension, in this unit students are introduced to working with algebraic fractions, which adds variables into our problems. It will be the first time that students really work with such abstract concepts in math, which will only be built upon as we move into 7th and 8th grade.
In pre-algebra, students are working on solving advanced equations. They are “finding x” in some of the most complicated scenarios. After learning the basics of solving equations, we transitioned to solving word problems using the tool of translating the word problem into math equations and then solving. By the end of the unit, students usually feel that word problems are more approachable when they choose algebra as the tool to understand and solve the word problems.
One of our whole group activities in 6th grade consisted of a Valentine shopping extravaganza. Students spent the day “shopping” for friends and family, and applying discounts to many of their purchases. They also were asked to buy lunch, leave an appropriate tip, and apply tax. It was a fun activity to practice using percentages. Next week we will explore the ideas of circles and using Pi since this week has March 14th- Pi Day! 6th graders will learn about Pi and why we use it. We will also take some time to use math in the kitchen by baking apple pie! Look forward to pictures from this event and check our Instagram and Facebook feeds!
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7th Grade Math:
Students are continuing to discover their own learning style. By following the class curriculum system, students self- assess by reading clues to tell them how well they understand the concepts. The students are seeing the real outcomes of their own effort and work, many with positive outcomes. If they don’t, they are guided to be resourceful and make adjustments to their study habits. One of the clues are the chapter quizzes. These are included for students and me to get a picture of how well they are understanding the concepts. It is my hope that these quizzes will give students the feedback they need to know if they have truly mastered the concepts before the test day. I also encourage students to take clear notes when watching the video lessons.They are allowed to use their notes on tests and quizzes or as a reference when doing homework. The goal is that they see the value in notes and use this skill in 8th grade, high school, and throughout life! Topics I hear being discussed this month in my class include solving equations, word problems, proportions, percents, scale drawings, age and distance problems, graphing two-variable equations, systems of equations, parabolas, and solving quadratics.
Since returning from mid-winter break, the 7th graders started a new project, called the “Budget Project.”. We work on it every Friday. In this project, students fast forward their lives to being a high school graduate on their own, trying to save for their own college education. They have to choose a job, rent an apartment, pay utilities, and get a car loan. They also get a dose of real life fate as they choose random life events (that usually cost them an unexpected amount of money) from the “Mystery Box of Life.” One component of the project introduces the students to using algebra in conjunction with spreadsheets to manage their personal budget. The project concludes with an analysis of affording college tuition from both private and public colleges.
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8th Grade Math:
Students are focused on learning some of the most complicated topics in the course right now. This includes solving systems of equations, reducing radicals, dividing polynomials, factoring, and solving quadratics. Geometry students continue to develop a comprehensive list of theorems, definitions and proofs related to quadrilaterals. In the next few weeks, the students will be assessing their progress and performance in class. I will be meeting with each student to discuss their placements for 9th grade math. After my meeting with the students I will recommend each student for a course in 9th grade. Recommendations could be Algebra 1, Geometry (regular or advanced), or Advanced Algebra 2. My goal will be for students to find the math course where they can be the most successful in 9th grade as well as their future classes in high school.
We recently started our 8th grade Stock Project! The students were ask to invest $100,000 for a fictitious client into a variety of stocks of their choosing. After allocating the money and creating a stock portfolio, students monitor the value of their portfolio through the use of a spreadsheet that they learned how to automate with some basic programming skills. Students will track the progress of their portfolio with this tool as part of a class contest. There will be a winner in June for the group with the biggest gains and the group with the biggest losses. Trading stocks will be permitted only once later this month. The conclusion of the project will include creating an “Investment Portfolio Statement” computing a visually expressing the overall gains and losses.
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Student Delegates Attend NWAIS Diversity Leadership Retreat
Monday, March 18 - Tuesday, March 19
A delegation of eight upper school students will represent Hyla and attend this leadership retreat next week to:
- Meet and connect with other student leaders from other schools
- Develop skills around diversity, equity and social justice
- Participate in inspiring activities that they can bring back to school
- Generate a plan for leading at Hyla
- Participate in affinity spaces and sustainability-based workshops
We look forward to sharing their learning and insights upon their return!
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Curriculum Insight: Aperture Spotlight
Worldviews: The History & Phiosophy of Science
By Brad Waugh
This semester, our students embarked on a new Aperture called Worldviews: The History & Philosophy of Science. Here, they dive into pivotal moments in scientific history, unraveling the philosophical and social impacts of groundbreaking discoveries. The aim is to foster an understanding of the dynamic, and often fractious, interplay between philosophy and science.
We kicked off the Aperture by delving into the concept of "the scientific method." Students were intrigued to find that there are numerous interpretations of this method across various sources - including their own experiences in science courses, textbooks and online. Rather than confining science to a single formulaic approach, students began exploring the underlying theories of knowledge that distinguish science from other realms of understanding. To reinforce this approach, students are now tracing the evolution of scientific knowledge and methods through historical examples. Check out this snapshot of a student-generated wiki-doc capturing the terms and concepts emerging in our course discussions.
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Inspired by this high energy talk by Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame, students have begun to identify historical experiments that interest them and could be replicated. Some experiments under consideration include Eratosthenes’ measurement of the Earth’s radius, Pasteur’s disproof of the spontaneous generation of life and Young’s double slit experiment illustrating the wave nature of light, among others.
We've already begun conducting experiments, starting with a recreation of Galileo’s 1602 study on the simple pendulum. Galileo's pioneering experimental approach revolutionized the scientific method, shifting it away from mere hypothesis and logic towards experimentation and mathematical modeling. The insights gained from Galileo's work not only enhanced our understanding of pendulum motion but also laid the foundation for advancements such as the pendulum clock, crucial for accurate timekeeping until the advent of the quartz clock in 1927.
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As the semester progresses, students will embark on a final project where they'll apply the concepts and frameworks learned. They have the option to interview a scientist about their analytical methods or delve into a current scientific issue, such as:
Our journey through Worldviews promises to build students’ toolkits for critical thinking as they explore the rich history of science and its philosophical underpinnings.
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Hyla Students Facilitate Q&A with Author
The Bainbridge Community Foundation has invited Hyla students to facilitate the conversation with the featured guest at their upcoming LeadHERship event! We are thrilled for students to have this opportunity and invite the Hyla community to join the conversation:
LeadHERship: Fireside Chat with Mónica Guzmán
Thursday, March 28
5:30-7:30 PM
Bainbridge Performing Arts
200 Madison Ave N
Mónica Guzmán is a journalist and author of the book I Never Thought of it That Way. Mónica is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted—twice—for Donald Trump. When the country could no longer see straight across the political divide, Mónica set out to find what was blinding us and discovered the most eye-opening tool we’re not using: our own built-in curiosity. Mónica is the Senior Fellow for Public Practice at the national cross-partisan depolarization organization Braver Angels, and in this fireside chat, she’ll share her experiences and help the audience gain tools for better understanding or even learning from people with a different or opposed worldview.
RSVP here
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Upcoming Events for Seniors
May 1: Senior Celebration
During the school day
This is a special celebration for students and teachers to shine light on our seniors and all their hard work and accomplishments. All upper school students will play a part in the celebration, and it will take place during the school day.
May 4: Spring Fling
Community Hall
7:30-10 PM
This is the annual spring party for students in grades 9-12 and will be held in the Community Hall. Just like the Winter Dance, students can bring a guest. We'll have snacks, games, a photo booth, DJ, and dancing.
June 1: Senior Prom
Seattle
Exact time TBD - plan for 3:50 PM ferry - 10:45 PM ferry
Seniors will head into Seattle for a fun evening including activities and dinner, chaperoned by Hyla teachers. Each senior is welcome to bring a guest and transportation is provided in Seattle. Seniors will receive invitations - stay tuned for details!
June 8: 12th Grade Commencement Ceremony
Community Hall
4 PM
Students, teachers and their families are invited to Hyla's formal ceremony to graduate our second class of seniors and recognize their accomplishments as individuals and a class.
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Poetry Corners: Call for Submissions
Deadline: February 29 - midnight
Sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program
With funding from the City of Bainbridge Island and support from Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN).
In celebration of National Poetry Month, we are thrilled to announce the 2024 Poetry Corners. Poems selected by the jury will be exhibited in the windows Bainbridge Island businesses from April 1-30th. Poets whose works are selected will have the opportunity to present their poems at Poetry Corners LIVE on May 4th, 2024 at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
Since 1999, Poetry Corners has been a platform for showcasing original works by local poets, both established and aspiring. Selected poems from the competition adorn the windows of Winslow businesses and community spaces across Bainbridge Island throughout National Poetry Month, enriching our shared spaces and inspiring all who encounter them.
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Kids in Concert at the Seattle Symphony
Friday, April 19
Benaroya Hall
This free community concert will feature "Creation," an original composition by Kids in Concert grad and Suquamish tribal member, Max Dawes. The concert will also feature the world premiere of "Potlatch Symphony 2020," a composition celebrating the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest.
More information here.
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