Inside Billings: September 24, 2021

Inside Billings

September 24, 2021

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ANNOUNCEMENTS!

DROP-OFF PRO TIP!

Five minutes before you arrive to school, ask your students to make sure they have their backpacks, water bottles, and all of their stuff ready to go so they can exit the car promptly.

Remember, there is likely a car waiting behind you.

With all three grades dropping off at the same time this will help prevent backups.

THANK YOU!

PICTURE DAY!!!

Tuesday, September 28th!

Your student should have brought a form home but if not, you can find one here.

PARENT ASSOCIATION KICK OFF MEETING 2.0

The PA will meet Tuesday 9/28 at the school at 8:45 AM (after drop off). We will meet outside, weather permitting.

This meeting is for those who wanted to attend the Wednesday 9/22 meeting but could not (although if you want to attend again you are certainly welcome to). We will go over the same information.

There will be more meetings so if you miss this one you can probably make the next one.

At the meeting we will discuss the structure and function of the PA as well as the traditional events that the PA owns during the school year and if and how COVID will affect them.

PARENT ASSOCIATION

VOLUNTEER SKILL SURVEY!!!!

Let us know what special volunteer skills, experience, or interests you have by filling out this survey.

PA Survey

Announcing a new member of our BMS team

Audrey Ringering, Human Resources

Audrey Ringering joins Billings this year with a BS in Human Resources Management from Western Governors University. Middle school students first earned a place in her heart when she worked as an accompanist for a middle school choir back in 2019. She is excited to work at Billings where she will get to make meaningful connections with students and faculty alike. When she's not at work, she can often be found wandering the aisles of Target with her daughter, visiting her family in California, and reading historical fiction.

Executive Function Workout!

FEEL THE BURN!

Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular Friday morning EF workout from 9am to 10am starting Friday, September 17th. Developing EF, or Executive Function, requires the exercise of the brain in specific ways. Drop in 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.

We will be meeting in person in Mercury after advisory is over. There are no rooms available at 8:30am drop-off. Mercury will provide an external door for ease of access. If you do not want to attend in person and prefer Zoom, let me know and I will send you a recurring Zoom link. Because Billings requires proof of vaccination for all adults on campus, please send me an email indicating you will be attending so I can let Becca know in the front office. Becca will reach out if there is any issue with your vaccination record.

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 find time to chat 1-1.

Greg Smith

Director of The Learning Center

Gregs@billingsmiddleschool.org

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Walk After Drop Off!

A note from Annick Garcia (Eamon, 2022)

Are you looking for a fun and safe way to meet or reconnect with other members of our community? Come join the weekly Pinehurst walk every Tuesday morning, open all BMS families, rain or shine.

We meet up in the parking lot just south of the drop-off area around 8:30 am and stroll around the neighborhood for about an hour. No agenda, except to catch up, talk about our kids, discuss what and where we're eating/cooking (I can't help it, I'm a retired chef), and just enjoy the fresh air. The walk is about 1.5 miles, and so, will wrap up around 9:30. It's a quick step away from the usual routine.

First walk is September 28th, so come join us and (re)connect with the BMS community!

-- Annick Garcia (Eamon, class of 2022)

What are we doing in school?

From Lindsey - In both 8GP and 7th WASH, students set up their class-specific binder and tabs this week. Thank you to families who located another binder; I apologize there was confusion with the school supply list about the number of binders needed.

Also from Lindsey - In advisory, students had one minute to plan how they would memorize the location of 20+ supplies, then they had two minutes to review the supplies and their location. Supplies were then swept into a box and students were asked to reassemble supplies. This 8th grade advisory group communicated and collaborated well in coming up with their plan and carrying it out: they completed the challenge on the first try!

From Sarah - In 6th grade math, students used various natural materials to create a ratio inspired art piece as they applied particular ratios to the materials that they used such as 3:5 and 4:7.