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Inside Billings
October 24, 2024
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🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | |
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Picture retake day will be Wednesday, October 30. If your student was absent on picture day or you would like your student to have their picture retaken, please have your student plan on taking their picture next Wednesday!
Club forms for Fall B and Basketball registration forms have been sent out! If your student is joining any after-school activities in the coming months, make sure to fill them out and turn them in soon!
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Mike on the Mic 🎤
From parent volunteers to student ambassadors, long-tenured teachers and teachers who bring new ideas to the community, each person plays a critical role in the execution of our mission and success of building a community to be proud of. We have a number of community events coming up and we’d love to invite you in!
- Fall Goal Setting Conferences are tomorrow. Advisors are looking forward to meeting with you and your student to discuss goals, areas of focus, and work strategies for the year ahead.
- Tuesday, October 29, we have our first Open House for prospective families from 5:30-7:30pm.
- On Friday, November 1, we will celebrate Día de los Muertos on campus with learning activities for students.
- Friday, November 1 is also our Billings Family Association meeting at 8:30am.
- Saturday, November 16 is our second Open House, followed by the Pinehurst Craft Fair from 12:00 – 4:00pm. We are growing this Craft Fair into a fall community-building event for current and alumni families, so please come!
Thank you for your support,
Mike
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Newest Billings Bear! 🐣
Maya, our 7th grade Science teacher, and Henry's baby, Tavi Oakes Jacobs, was born last Thursday, October 17th! Both mom and baby are healthy and happy. Welcome Tavi!
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✒️ Deans on the Scene 🎓
It’s official! We are one week away from Halloween, and the students are buzzing with excitement! Rob talked with the students during All School Meeting last week about Halloween at Billings. Here are a few important reminders that will help us ensure that we have an amazing day:
- Students are welcome to wear costumes to school. Masks (that cover a student’s face), props, or overly large/noisy costumes are not allowed in class.
- Please help students ensure that their costumes do not portray a stereotyped image of a culture or group of people.
- Our school code of conduct applies to student costumes and references to violence, weapons, drugs, or alcohol are not allowed.
Thanks for your support!
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Please join Dean Rob and Laurie Alexander (Billings Family Association Chair) for our fall family event: Framing the Year - The World of Middleschoolers! During this event, Rob will give a short talk on the middle school brain followed by a Q&A. We'll then turn to breakout sessions with targeted questions so that parents and caregivers can share experiences, ideas, and wisdom!
This event will run from 6:00-7:30pm on 11/7. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP via this link so that we can get a head count. Light refreshments will be provided.
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Spirit Week!
Next week we will have a community Spirit Week! Here are the themes for each day:
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Monday: Dress as a famous person (artist, athlete, actor, etc.)!
Tuesday: Comfy Cozy Day. Wear your comfiest (school-appropriate) clothes!
Wednesday: Decades Day. Dress from an era of your choosing!
Thursday: Wear your Halloween costume!
Friday: School Spirit! Wear blue, green, and Billings gear!
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Break Camps at Billings - Steve & Kate's Camp
With Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks quickly approaching, we wanted you to know that Billings will be hosting Steve & Kate’s Camp on our campus for Fall, Winter, Mid-Winter, and Spring Breaks this year.
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Mike had the pleasure of touring a Steve & Kate’s Camp location this summer and it was a joyful experience where children planned their own days with all kinds of activities. As soon as we put up a flyer outside the main office this week, we immediately had staff and student interest and excitement about it!
Steve & Kate’s Camp is very flexible - families can buy any number of days to use whenever and drop off and pick up any time between 8 am and 6 pm. Many large companies like Microsoft provide Bright Horizons Enhanced Family Supports benefits that can be applied directly to Steve & Kate’s Camp.
For more information or to help spread the word, please visit their website and check out their Fall Break Flyer and Winter Break Flyer.
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Philanthropy at Billings
We have just over a week to go to hit our goal. So far we have raised $73,643 towards our goal of $100,000. Thank you to every family who has made a gift, volunteered and shared how they hope to empower, explore and excel! This year especially, your gifts are truly vital to the ongoing success of Billings Middle School. We are so close to making our goal!
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As with most private schools, tuition alone is not enough and we rely on the generosity of our families and community to be able to continue to offer a competitive curriculum, a fabulous team of teachers dedicated solely to middle school education, and the incredible hands-on programs that expand your student’s education. Board member and alumni parent, Laurie Demeritt, shares why she supports the annual fund: “I am supporting the Annual Fund because my son Davis benefited from the small class sizes, the dedicated faculty, the robust academic programing and the experiential education and I want other students to have this same amazing experience!”
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Participation standings:
- 6th Grade: 63%
- 7th Grade: 73%
- 8th Grade: 53%
It looks like 7th Grade is in the lead for the race to the first pizza party. Help your grade meet the 100% participation goal by October 31st and win that party!!
You can make a donation by dropping off a check at the front desk or by clicking here to make a donation online. You can also click here to make a pledge for a future donation. Don’t forget to check with your employer to see if they will match your donation! Boeing, Microsoft, Nintendo, Pokemon, and many other major employers offer an employee match program. This is a really great way to double the impact of your donation!
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- Friday, 10/25 - Fall Conferences
- Tuesday, 10/29 - Open House, 5:30pm-7:30pm
- Friday, 11/1 - BFA All Family Meeting, 8:30am
- [NO SCHOOL] Monday, 11/11 - Veteran's Day
- Saturday, 11/16 - Open House, 10:30am-12:00pm
- Saturday, 11/16 - Pinehurst Craft Fair, 12:00pm-4:00pm
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6th graders are preparing SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to share with parents at conferences this Friday. Our goal-setting is inspired by three main themes: Academics, Social & Community. Planning out how to achieve specific goals can be challenging; we look forward to guidance and suggestions from parents during our conference conversations. We have a few exciting field trips planned for November and December! Our first is a visit to the MoPop Museum and Pike Place Market on November 8th. Stay tuned for more details about this trip and two others later this fall.
8th graders got together for a SMART Goals launch breakfast last week. The students worked together with Amy and Emily to work on their goals for the Fall Conferences. This was a great way to bond as an 8th grade team and to get some valuable work in. Students have been working to complete their goals all week.
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The 6th graders recently completed their first solo presentations of the year in science class. Students researched different planets and presented their findings to their peers. Every student got the opportunity to present and watch other presentations in a gallery style class. The students were very creative and did a fantastic job on their presentations! | |
8th graders completed a Potions Lab to learn more about different types of chemical reactions. Students got to observe a pH color changing reaction, a cold to hot reaction, and a bubbling reaction. Students worked with their lab groups to explain the chemistry behind each reaction that was occurring. | |
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7th Grade Family Request! In 7th Design Lab, students will be working on projects in Fall and Winter that require the use of various recycled materials. If you are able, please send your students to school with any egg cartons, paper towel rolls, empty tissue boxes, clean milk cartons, clean plastic food containers, bottle caps, soda bottles, etc. There will be an ongoing dropbox in Bill where materials can be left. Thank you! Questions about what materials to send? Please reach out to Amira.
8th grade ELA students finished the “Gadgets and Glitches” unit of the textbook, and have been learning more about the role of technology in society from recent articles on automation in professional sports, new cell phone bans in schools, and a video about an AI robot whose artwork recently sold for £150,000. They are wrapping up the unit by working on projects to answer the Essential Question from the unit: “does technology improve or control our lives?”. Student groups are creating PSAs, Ads, videos, and podcasts to share their opinions and insights.
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From the BFA:
Neurodiversity Affinity Group Meeting on 10/29
The group’s next virtual meeting will be Tuesday 10/29 at 7:30pm. The group is open to all parents and caregivers of neurodiverse students. To sign up for the group, register here. Not sure if you’ve already signed up? You can view your google group memberships here.
Looking for Help with Día de los Muertos Celebration
On Monday, Kruthi Isola emailed families information on how we can help our students participate in creating an ofrenda at school as part of the school’s Día de los Muertos celebration. She is also looking for volunteers to bring in treats and help hand them out to students on Friday 11/1. Please sign up here.
BFA Meeting Next Friday 11/1
The November BFA meeting will be Friday 11/1 from 8:30-9:30am. You can preview the agenda here. Come learn about upcoming events at Billings!
School Lunch Registration Reminder
A quick reminder that registration for Lovely Lunches is open. New menus are posted each month. Information about their school lunch delivery program and the registration link are posted here.
November Parenting Event: The World of Middle Schoolers
On 11/7 from 6-7:30pm, Dean of Students Rob Heavner and the BFA will co-host an in-person event for Billings parents and caregivers. Rob will speak on the big-picture social-emotional themes in middle schoolers’ development and parents’/caregivers’ roles in supporting them. There will be time for Q&A and small group discussion. Mark your calendar!
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Theresa (Sam, Class of 2027) and Rebecca (Jake & Avi, Class of 2027) are hosting a 6th grade family get-together on Sunday, October 27th at 12:30pm at Phinney Station. Join your student's cohort to connect outside of school! | |
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Hello 8th grade families,
If your student will be considering private high school applications, click this link (English & Español) to learn about the test prep sessions Billings will be offering from September 9th through December 19th.
Executive Function Workout!
💡 FEEL THE BURN! 💡
Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular Tuesday morning EF workout from 8:30am to 9:30am starting Tuesday, September 10th. 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 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 Tuesday mornings. Regular attendance is not a prerequisite. I don't need advanced notice. Drop in any Tuesday morning.
We will be meeting in person in Mercury, during advisory and the beginning of first period. Check-in at the front desk before heading down to Nadia. 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 provided upon request.
And if Tuesday 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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