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Inside Billings
February 5, 2026
| | 🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | | Community is at the heart of everything we do. When students, families, and educators work in partnership, learning becomes deeper, relationships grow stronger, and our school becomes a place where everyone belongs. | | |
Mike on the Mic 🎤
Yesterday, I had the great fortune of listening to several students from each grade talk about what they valued most about their Billings experience. One theme came up again and again: how welcoming the community feels, especially across grade levels.
Being part of Billings offers students the special opportunity to learn and grow within a close-knit 6th-8th grade community where relationships across grades are intentional and meaningful. These cross-grade connections are more than just positive moments; they are a vital part of how students build confidence, empathy, and leadership.
That applies to families too! Our Annual Celebration and Fundraiser Dinner is one month away on Friday, March 6th at Billings, and it’s a great opportunity to build meaningful relationships while supporting Billings. Please get your tickets today!
At Billings, interactions between 6th and 8th graders happen naturally and often. Whether teammates supporting one another in sports, students cheering on their grades and others during the Winter Olympics in All School Meeting, or older students welcoming younger peers into clubs and activities, our students learn how to engage across ages with respect and care. These shared experiences help younger students feel included and supported, while giving older students meaningful opportunities to lead and model our community values.
By the time students graduate from Billings, they have experienced both sides of these relationships. They have been encouraged by older peers and, in turn, have stepped into leadership roles themselves. This culture of connection ensures that every student is known, supported, and empowered and ready to do great things confidently in high school!
With appreciation,
Mike
| We are looking forward to a fantastic event on Friday, March 6 at the Billings Base Camp Annual Celebration and Fundraising Dinner. And we need your help to make it happen! Please volunteer your time to help us set up the gym or clean up after the event. There will be a variety of specific roles from supporting the decorating committee to setting tables to running errands – something for all interests and skills! Thanks in advance for signing up at the link below: | |
The Billings Base Camp Celebration and Fundraising Dinner is just 4 weeks away! Time to buy your tickets if you haven’t already done so!
But what should you wear? Good news! There are no rules, only good-humored tips!
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Don’t stress! The “theme police” are on vacation. Anything goes!
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Delight yourself! Dig out that one item that makes you truly happy. Orange jeans and sequined high-tops? That “waiting-for-the-right-moment” jumpsuit? Glam camo ball gown? If it is festive and you love it, then it matches the theme of the night.
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Dress up on the inside! Wear your celebratory feelings of joy and gratitude and YOU WILL LOOK AMAZING! And clothes - you also need to wear clothes.
Catalog Tease of the Week:
Guided White Water Adventure for 8
Gather the whole family and join Blue Sky Outfitters for an adrenaline-packed whitewater rafting journey down the thrilling Wenatchee River, just outside the scenic town of Leavenworth. Feel the rush of excitement as you conquer the rapids, ride the waves, and take in the breathtaking views of Washington’s stunning landscape. The Wenatchee River, rated Class III (out of V), offers the perfect mix of heart-pounding fun and manageable thrills, making it ideal for both beginners and seasoned adventurers. Whether you’re looking to splash through the rapids or soak in the beauty of the river and surrounding valley, this adventure is bound to be the highlight of your summer!
Total of 8 rafting tickets, which can be used individually or to book an entire boat. Must be age 8 or older.
| | We had a great time hiking Cougar Mountain in 6th grade last week! We stayed dry, enjoyed the forest and wetland scenery, and the elevation gain provided some Type 2 fun to prepare students for future trips. In our all-grade meetings and advisories, we’ve discussed the idea of intent vs. impact in our social interactions. Students are building more self-awareness by reflecting on how their comments, responses, arguments, and humor might affect others, regardless of their intentions. We’re practicing acknowledging our mistakes and handling misunderstandings with calm, patient empathy. | The 7th graders are going on their snow trip today! They’ll be participating in an Oregon Trail-inspired adventure activity with each other, complete with buffs, debuffs, disaster scenarios, and hot chocolate! Our focus is on how we help each other with group care. | | 8th grade students are heading to Franklin Falls Trail this week for their Thursday “snowshoeing” day. We will hike and take in the beautiful views and continue to prepare for next week’s Winter Immersion trip to Lake Wenatchee. Students will practice “snow anchors” this week - ask your student to explain this simple and powerful concept! Last week, we created a coffee shop experience for all students to enjoy while working on class assignments. It was a great opportunity for students to stay cozy amidst the unique, fun schedule our teachers designed for them in lieu of snowshoeing! | | |
🎓 Deans on the Scene ✒️
6th grade students are taking their i-Ready math diagnostic today. We expect to mail results to families by the middle of next week.
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Winter Celebration
We are excited for the upcoming winter celebration on Friday, February 6 from 6-8pm! The centerpiece of this celebration will be a dance, and I know many students are excited to cut loose on the dance floor with their friends. Of course, not all students are excited about the prospect of dancing, and we will have other options for fun including a board/card game room and some other interactive activities. A full dinner will not be provided, but there will be food and drinks for students to enjoy.
If your child is attending, please ensure their permission form is on file with the Front Desk.
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8th grade ELA students are showing their readiness for high school by managing multiple projects and deadlines. They are drafting proposals for the 8th grade project, writing “Where I’m From” poems, and learning about realism and naturalism as they read short stories by Jack London. The breadth and depth of topics for the projects and poems are impressive–they are still formulating research questions and problems, so please ask them to share their ideas! We plan to finish London’s “To Build a Fire” as a touchpoint for the winter immersion experience next week.
In visual arts, students across all grades are learning about the ways we can make our drawings and paintings look 3D!
6th grade artists are learning all about linear perspective; what it is, how it works, and how to use it! Students have gained new vocabulary words like "horizon line" and "vanishing point", and are practicing all the little tricks artists use to make a drawn room look like a real space you could step right into.
7th grade artists are just kicking off a unit about value and shading; why different pencils have different types and numbers, shading techniques, and how to use the whole range of values to make their drawings look like real objects you can touch and hold. Students will be combining this knowledge with our upcoming "Rhythm" unit to draw vortexes with convincing shading and repeated, rhythmic design elements at the end of the quarter.
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Speaking of rhythm, our Instrumental Music students have been working together with different techniques to create harmonious beats as a group.
8th grade art historians are exploring the transition from the ancient art world to the Italian Renaissance, and connections to our current art world. Students are discussing the factors that led to the Renaissance, the new ideas the Renaissance popularized in art, why we talk about the Renaissance the way we do, and the impact it has. We'll explore modern artists and artworks critiquing the Renaissance next, and take inspiration from them to create our own artwork at the end of the quarter.
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Props & Set artists have been working hard to prepare for the set, and the time is finally here! Eighth grade students are working hard as Project Managers for each of the three big pieces of the set: the background, mid-ground, and foreground that will frame the front of the stage. They're practicing the project planning and goal-setting skills, and developing their (impressive!) leadership skills with teams of 6th and 7th graders. Everyone is learning and practicing teamwork skills, and we're continuing our conversations around what it means to compromise and collaborate on a shared artistic vision.
| | Billings Family Association | | |
BFA Meeting Tomorrow 2/6
The BFA meeting follows Friday morning coffee! All are invited to come grab a cup, meet other Billings family members, and get the latest school and BFA news.
RSVP Now for Family Movie Event on Fri 2/27
Join us for an after-school screening of Enola Holmes on Friday, February 27th at Billings. There will be pizza, popcorn, and drinks, and all family members are welcome, including non-Billings siblings.
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Suggested donation is $15 per person. Register here to join the fun, and please sign up here to help with the event.
Parenting Resources
From Blowups to Breakthroughs: A New Way to Navigate Anger in Kids
with Renee Jain, parent coach and psychologist
Feb 10, 12-1pm
Register here for this free webinar from ParentMap
Parenting Unique Minds: A Panel on Neurodiversity & Teen Support
With Ben Wahl, MSW, panel moderator & founder of Ryther’s Aspiring Youth Program
Feb 26, 6:30-8:30pm
Presented by PEPS, this in-person panel of mental health professionals is free, but space is limited to 50 attendees, so register now!
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- Winter Dance: February 6
- 8th Grade Winter Immersion Trip: February 12-13
- NO SCHOOL: Mid-Winter Break, February 16-20
- Annual Celebration & Fundraising Dinner: March 6
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Creative Nights for Teens & ’Tweens (Ages ~10–16)
at Squirrelly Art Studio.
💌Valentine Pop-Up Cards & Poetry (All Ages) – Fri, Feb 13 | 6:30–8:30pm, $55
🍝Pasta Making – Fri, Feb 27 | 6:30–8:30pm, $55
✍️Poetry Workshop (All Ages) – Tue, Mar 10 | 6:30–8:00pm, $40
🎨Acrylic Painting – Fri, Mar 27 | 6:30–8:30pm, $50
🖌️Stencils & Spray Paint – Fri, Apr 25 | 6:30–8:30pm, $55
Hands-on, social, and screen-free.
Register at squirrellyworkshop.com (spots are limited, invite a friend!).
Located in NE Seattle at: 5414 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105.
| | Embodied STEAM and/as Liberation:
Science, Imagination, and the Right to Be Free in Learning | | |
What happens when education honors the full humanity of every learner—their bodies, their cultures, their histories, and their radical imaginations? In this powerful address, Dr. Christopher Emdin calls us to reclaim education as a site of embodied liberation. Rooted in his work at the intersections of race, science, justice, and the arts, Dr. Emdin explores how learning environments that celebrate the rights of the body—movement, rhythm, expression, rest—and center imaginative thinking can transform not just classrooms, but communities. This is more than a talk. It’s a blueprint for rehumanizing education—and a celebration of what’s possible when we teach and learn with our whole selves.
Join us on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 5-6:15 PM (PT) to welcome Dr. Christopher Emdin, a writer and professor at Columbia University’s teacher college who holds a Ph.D in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology. He is best known for his book For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education, which he wrote from his own experiences growing up as a young person of color feeling undervalued in the classroom. He will be speaking to us about his writings, Hip Hop, and much more! “Education is not memorization. It is the activation of the imagination and a path towards liberation”- Dr. Emdin. Learn more about Dr. Emdin at his website.
This event is free and open to the public hosted by POCIS Northwest. Please RSVP to get our Zoom Link.
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Billings Swag Clearance Sale!
Hop on over to our online apparel store here to grab any items you've been needing while they're on sale!
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Executive Function Workout!
Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular morning EF workout from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM 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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