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Inside Billings
April 23, 2026
| | 🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | | |
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is at the heart of how students engage with their learning in meaningful, lasting ways. Through PBL, students dive deeply into real-world questions, problems, and challenges over an extended period of time—building knowledge not in isolation, but through active exploration and application. This approach shifts the classroom dynamic from teacher-directed lessons to student-driven inquiry, where curiosity leads the way. Students collaborate, research, think critically, and problem-solve as they work toward creating authentic final products that showcase their understanding. Along the way, students reflect, revise, and grow—valuing the process as much as the outcome. Check out some of the exciting projects recently completed and underway.
The Outdoor Legacy Project offers 8th graders the opportunity to design and implement functional art installations and meaningful improvements to Billings’ outdoor campus—projects that future students will use and enjoy for years to come. Working in small teams, students take on leadership roles as project managers, guiding the planning, design, and execution of their ideas from concept to completion.
After three years of building strong relationships with their peers and developing a deep, place-based connection to the campus, this student-led experience allows 8th graders to translate those connections into lasting, physical contributions. These projects not only expand student-created art across campus but also enhance outdoor spaces and strengthen the sense of community—giving students a chance to truly “leave their mark” on the vibrant life at Billings.
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The Artifact Project is a long-term, interdisciplinary experience designed to help 7th graders build and strengthen essential academic skills. Co-taught by Amy (Social Studies) and Rob (English Language Arts), this project challenges students to conduct research, synthesize historical information, and evaluate the historical significance of an artifact connected to Washington State history.
Each student has selected an artifact and is exploring not only the object itself, but also the broader historical context—examining the time period, key issues, and connections that bring deeper meaning to their chosen piece.
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Our Spanish program is bringing creativity and language to life across grade levels!
7th graders are designing their very own “Casa de Ensueño” (dream home), applying new vocabulary in a hands-on way. Each student has created a detailed blueprint and is labeling every part of their design in Spanish. To wrap up the project, students will share their homes with classmates through a guided “walk-through,” practicing speaking and listening skills along the way.
Meanwhile, 6th graders are diving into “En Mi Mochila” (In My Backpack), a project focused on building everyday vocabulary. Students are “filling” their backpacks with school supplies and essential items, learning how to identify and describe what they use throughout their school day—all in Spanish.
Both projects highlight how language learning comes alive through creativity, collaboration, and real-world application.
| | Please monitor the road closures and traffic flow near campus as the construction projects have been progressing closer to our campus. Details of the overall project may be found HERE. | |
Upcoming Events: 📅
- Spring Dance: May 1, 6pm-8pm
- 7th Grade Backpacking Trip: May 6-8
- 8th Grade Backpacking Trip: May 18-22
- 6th Grade Overnight Trip: May 20-22
- NO SCHOOL: Monday, May 25
- 8th Grade Parent Dinner: May 27
- End-of-Year Conferences: Friday, May 29
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See our full calendar below:
Community Calendar
| Billings Family Association | |
DATE CHANGE
Are you or your child in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community? You are invited to a potluck hosted by Billings parent Shannon Otto the afternoon of Saturday, May 2nd! Our goal is to foster intergenerational community relationships and enjoy some good food and fun together. Email Shannon to RSVP.
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Get Ready for SPIRIT WEEK: April 27 to May 1, 2026
Our Associated Student Body invites students to participate in a fun-filled week to show their Class Spirit.
- Monday: Twin Day
- Tuesday: Dress like an Occupation Day
- Wednesday: Teacher/Student Swap Day
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Thursday: Class Colors/Monochrome Day
8th grade is Black
7th grade is Red & Pink
6th grade is Blue
- Friday: Pajama Day
| | We enjoyed hearing from 6th graders about various spring-break adventures and now we’re looking forward to the exciting school events and experiences coming this spring! Students noted many of these events in their planners during advisory this week, including the dates of the spring dance, Mt. St. Helens Trip, and conferences. We also discussed cybersecurity during advisories, particularly phishing emails. If an email seems too unique, urgent, or just “off”, it is probably a phishing attempt. Another important discussion theme this week was being sensitive to how humor and jokes can affect others. Thanks to Dean Rob for leading these productive conversations in Warm & Fuzzy classes this week. | | |
The 7th grade team had a wonderful time with the students in Central WA! Check out our SmugMug gallery to see some snapshots from it, and reach out to the Front Desk if you need the password. Fortunately, we get to head back out to the field in just a few weeks with the Baker Lake trip. Nathan sent an email with all the information and deadlines this week. Please make sure you look it over! Since it’s a backpacking trip, we prepare differently than the other trips your students have gone on. One key difference is that we ask that students bring their gear in early for a “pack check.” It’s critical that students have the right gear for this experience, and we go through each item and where it might go in a student’s pack. The first pack check is next Thursday (4/30). Please ensure your students bring their gear to school on this day. If they don’t have all the gear, that’s okay! Please just bring what you have. If you’ve requested gear (deadline to request gear is this Friday 4/24), we’ll make sure students get those items. We are so excited for this upcoming adventure!
In less than four weeks, 8th grade students will venture out to the Olympic Coast for their final Billings Expedition! The coast trip holds a place in the hearts of so many Billings Alumni and we can't wait for your students to take part in the tradition. While the Fall Leadership Backpacking Trip was a place to see students rise and take ownership of the expedition, the Olympic Coast challenges them to show their backcountry competency. To successfully complete the expedition, students must navigate and respond to the changing tides, climb in and out of the coast line, and adapt to the weather patterns the coast throws at them. We cannot wait for the memories this year has in store!
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7th graders are currently in their cell biology unit of Science. This week each student chose a specific organelle to create an informative poster about, and together the class will co-create a whole cell out of each poster. Next week students will be conducting a lab in which they will view onion cells under a microscope, and they are encouraged to bring anything from home they would like to look at under the microscope!
7th grade Math is beginning its penultimate unit, this time covering angles and triangles and the angles in triangles! This is the start of the final push for the school year and we’re using this as a soft reset in both math courses, emphasizing notetaking (especially in such a vocab-heavy unit), using our class work time wisely, and double-checking our work. They’ve been engaging very well with it in our limited time thus far on this unit, and they’ve been doing an excellent job of taking on optional extension tasks as well!
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6th graders started their last major Math unit, Expressions & Equations. Ask your student to distinguish between the algebraic terms we discussed this week: expression, equation, variable, constant, coefficient, and like terms. We’re back into our homework rhythm, with a Delta Math assignment given every Wednesday and due the following Monday.
6th grade Vocals students are building their musical knowledge by learning key singing vocabulary and exploring what makes a song a strong fit for Billings Vocals. Students are discovering that choosing music goes beyond simply liking a song. Together, they’ve identified important criteria such as selecting pieces within an appropriate vocal range for the group, ensuring there is a variety of parts, and considering the preferences of the ensemble as a whole. This thoughtful approach helps set the stage for successful and engaging performances.
| | Join Mindy Ward, LMFT virtually on 4/29 at 5:00pm for an evening of learning. She will speak about navigating the transition from teen to emerging young adult and all the fascinating developmental milestones we encounter. | | |
Spring 2026 BIPOC Voice Summit
The Art of Becoming: Reshaping Ourselves
and the Spaces We Lead
This retreat creates space for educators to step away from the daily demands of school life to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their leadership during challenging times in which we are caring for students in community with one another. Through community-building, guided reflection, dialogue, and creative practices, participants will explore how intentional, healing-centered leadership can deepen belonging in schools. Facilitators will lead experiences that reconnect participants to their purpose, strengthen relationships, and highlight their impact as educators and administrators. Participants will leave with new insights, resources, and a renewed sense of grounding for their leadership. Join us and learn more about our Presenters.
May 1, 2026
8:30am— 2:30pm
Hamlin Robinson School
1701 20th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144
Free for POCIS NW member schools
RSVP Here by April 20
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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.
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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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