Billings Gif created by Julia Martinez |
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What if You Fly?
Today is the last day of our online fundraiser for the
Billings Middle School Financial Aid Program!
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Looking for back issues of the E-News? They are archived here.
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Have you been looking for a safe way to meet or reconnect with other members of our community? Well, there is a weekly Pinehurst walk every Wednesday morning for BMS families, rain or shine. We meet up in the parking lot just south of the drop-off area around 8:45 and walk around the neighborhood for about an hour. We all wear our masks and physically distance and our group is normally petite, around 3 or 4 people. No agenda, except to catch up, talk about how our kids are doing/coping, who's gotten the vaccine, discuss what and where we're eating/cooking, and just enjoy the fresh air. The walk is about 1.5 miles and we always wrap up by 10, so it's a quick step away from the usual routine. So come join us and (re)connect with the BMS community!
-- Annick Garcia (Eamon, class of 2022)
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Time Change for Executive Functioning Workout! Now from 9AM - 10AM |
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FEEL THE BURN!
Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular Friday morning EF workout from 9:00am to 10:00am via Zoom. Developing EF, or Executive Function, requires the exercise of the brain in specific ways. Drop in to the Zoom call on any Friday morning, to share stories and explore strategies for strengthening our EF muscles and by extension, that of our students. Think of 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 Friday mornings. Regular attendance is not a prerequisite. I don't need advanced notice. Drop in any Friday morning. If you are interested, respond to this email and I will send you a recurring Zoom link prior to the session. And if Friday mornings are not a viable option for you, but you want to learn more, don't hesitate to e-mail me, and let's see if we can find some time to connect over Zoom.
-- Greg Smith, Director of The Learning Center
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2020-2021 Virtual Equity & Inclusion
Speaker Series Presents: Ijeoma Oluo
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New York Times Best Selling Author Ijeoma Oluo will discuss questions that
she explores in her books about the complex reality of today’s racial
landscape addressing issues such as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, microaggressions, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white
Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions
readers don’t dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude
everyday Americans.” -Seal Press
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
6-7 pm Virtual Speaker Event
Ijeoma Oluo is a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and Internet Yeller. She’s the author of the New York Times Best-Seller So You Want to Talk about Race, published in January by Seal Press. Named one of the The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2017, one of the Most Influential People in Seattle by Seattle Magazine, one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle by Seattle Met, and winner of the of the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award by the American Humanist Society, Oluo’s work focuses primarily on issues of race and identity, feminism, social and mental health, social justice, the arts, and personal essay. Her writing has been featured in The Washington Post, NBC News, Elle Magazine, TIME, The Stranger, and the Guardian, among other outlets.
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What are we doing in school? |
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EXPED DAY
On Monday the 6th graders ventured to Meadowdale Beach Park, a 1.25 mile trail leading to a beach destination. The day included hiking, topological map reading, plant identification, and exploring on the beach!
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SPANISH CLASS
In the 6th grade, Oscar is working with students on their Amazon Rainforest diorama.
Each student selected a different rainforest related topic such as rivers, animals of the canopy, food that comes from the rainforest & ecotourism just to name a few.
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MARS
6th grade made balloon rockets to study propulsion as part of the Mars unit!
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EXPED DAY
For Exped Day, 7th graders learned all about gardening at Picardo Family P-Patch!
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HUMANITIES
7th graders also had a spectrum discussion on Forms of Protest in Humanities.
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ADVISORY
Students were hard at work prepping for Portfolio Conferences today! This conference is designed to show growth. It highlights both difficulties and challenges, as well as successes and achievements.
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MATH
This week, to celebrate Chris' new mullet, the 8th graders were tasked with calculating the Mullet Ratio! They had to find the ratio of 'Business' to 'Party' to find out which celebrity owned the most powerful Mullet!
Can you guess which celebrity reigned supreme???
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HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!
Thank you to all of the Billings community members who have celebrated
Teacher Appreciation Week with us!
Our teachers loved all of the special notes, treats, and gifts that were given!
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RESOURCES
From our friends at Mercer Island Parent Edge
3 ARTICLES
A concern about how this growing narrative of loss will affect our students, emotionally and academically.
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So much great information and resources here! How to take action on causes you care about, virtual field trips, a long list of volunteer opportunities.
Arab American Heritage Month & the Muslim holiday period of Ramadan begins on Monday April 12 & ends around May 12 this year.
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REMINDER: PORTFOLIO CONFERENCES
FRIDAY, MAY 7TH
(NO SCHOOL)
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Billings Middle School | www.billingsmiddleschool.org |
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