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Inside Billings
March 28, 2024
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🎒 What's Happening at Billings? 📚 | |
Thank you to everyone who joined us Friday or Saturday to see Billings Middle School's performance of Gretel! The Musical. We welcomed Billings alums to the Friday performance as well as prospective students on Saturday - a wonderful reminder of how the arts can bring a community together! If you enjoyed the performance and want to aid in future productions, go to this site to leave a donation for the Arts Department. | |
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Alumni from Class of 2020, 2022, and 2023
To see pictures from the musical, visit our SmugMug gallery. If you need the password to the SmugMug account, ask the front desk. You can also upload pictures that you took at the event here.
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A reminder that sign-ups are still open for our summer program!
Week One will run June 17-21 with a day off on Wednesday, June 19, in recognition of Juneteenth. Week Two will run June 24-28.
AM sessions take place from 9am to 12pm, and PM sessions from 1pm to 4pm. These half-day classes will have a variety of fun, specialized, and engaging topics like writing D&D campaigns, learning animation, cooking delicious dishes, and playing flag football or Ultimate out in the Seattle sun! Summer program also offers an all-day course where students hop on the buses to explore the history and culture of Seattle. Please read the program descriptions and then sign up below!
Contact Melissa or Becca with any questions.
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Mike on the Mic 🎤
One more round of applause for an amazing musical last weekend that brought our whole community together! As we continue to feel the glow (and stress relief!) of a musical-well-done, we are excited to spring into our Spring Term that will be full of growth both inside and outside of the classroom. This week, our 8th graders enjoyed a final winter experience with ice skating at the Kraken Community Iceplex and next week, our 7th graders will put their new climbing skills to use on natural rock faces in Eastern Washington.
Please save the date for the 8th Grade Project Community Presentations on Friday, April 26th at 8:45 am – 10:30 am. This Annual Showcase is one you don’t want to miss, even if you don’t have an 8th grader! Students will showcase their unique interests and passions and the research they have done over Winter Term. We would greatly appreciate your support in attending as it is so meaningful when students share their passions with our entire parent and guardian community, faculty, and students. As usual on Fridays, we will have coffee and treats starting at 8:00 am, followed by the opportunity to celebrate the Class of 2024 and their wide array of 8th Grade Projects from approximately 8:45 to 10:30.
Reminder that Billings Bowling Night at the University of Washington HUB Bowling Alley is this Saturday from 5 – 7 pm, exclusively for Billings Families and Faculty. Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect. There is no cost for this event, though we would appreciate a donation to defray costs of food and rentals, if you are able. Adults are expected to hang out and socialize too!
Thank you for your support,
Mike
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From April
I hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy the cherry blossom trees in the front of the building on 125th and in the breezeway at the entry. They are in abundant and breathtaking bloom, as is our Spring term of new classes, student trips, activities, and community celebrations. We are filled with anticipation about the learning and joy that we hope this term brings our students, staff, and families. The new schedules for each grade level are provided below.
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After school club offerings for spring start after Spring Break Tues-Thurs from 3:45-5:00pm:
Tuesday: Dungeons & Dragons, Flag Football
Wednesday: Art Club, Math Club
Thursday: Yearbook (3:30-4:45), Manicure Club
Please complete the sign-up form here if your student is interested in participating.
Read on and stay tuned for future updates about other spring activities and events. We look forward to seeing you!
April
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Philanthropy at Billings
Last chance to purchase your tickets to the auction!
Thank you to everyone who has already purchased your tickets! I am thrilled to share that we will have over 120 attendees already. Ticket sales will close on April 3rd, so don’t wait! If you would like to make requests about seating preferences or who you would like to sit next to, please email them to Koby by April 3rd and I will do my best to accommodate your requests.
If trying to figure out what to wear to the auction is a concern, have no fear! This is Seattle, after all, and this is a “Come as You Are!” kind of event. Still not sure? Your fashionable auction committee is here to help!
See the pictures provided for examples of what to wear and a peak at what the vibe will be like the night of. From fancy dresses and rainboots to snazzy pants and an umbrella, your personal Seattle style will fit right in. As you can probably tell, anything goes and the most important thing is getting together as a community and having FUN!
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Starting next week on April 3rd, the Buy-In Items will be open online. You will have the chance to buy your spot at one (or more!) of our five fabulous Buy In items. From sending your kids off on a floating murder mystery party with Billings staff and the Sea Scouts to rockin' away with other adults in the Billings community during a karaoke session, there is sure to be something for everyone! Head on over to our auction catalog to preview the items today. |  | |
Billings Bowling Night This Saturday, 5-7pm!
As of today, we still have some tickets available for Saturday’s evening of bowling fun! Bowling, shoe rentals, pizza, and drinks will be provided. Parents/guardians, siblings, and students are all invited to join in the fun.
There is no cost for this event, though we would appreciate a suggested donation of $15 per attendee to defray costs of food and rentals, if you are able. To make a donation, you can enter an amount in the "add a donation" box in the top right of the checkout page when you RSVP.
Space permitting, we will be happy to register families at the event. Email pga@billingsmiddleschool.org or text 206-330-1308 to find out if we expect to have space!
Event FAQs
Is this a drop-off event for students?
Nope! Students must be accompanied by an adult, and we hope you’ll bring the whole family! Students, parents/guardians, and non-Billings siblings are all invited to attend.
I’m super-good at bowling, but um, I’m just curious if bumpers will be available.
You betcha! Bumpers are available on all 12 lanes.
Will the gaming lounge be open during the event?
No, gaming will not be available for our group, but there will be oodles of bowling to go around.
Where is the UW bowling alley?
The University of Washington’s bowling alley is located in the Husky Union Building (HUB) at 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle WA 98195.
Is there parking nearby?
Parking is FREE on Saturdays after noon in most campus parking lots. However, it is the driver’s responsibility to read and abide by all parking lot signs. The closest free parking on Saturdays after noon is the Padelford Parking Garage (N18-N21) which can be easily mapped on Google Maps, or in C19 which is across the street under the University of Washington Club.
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From the PGA:
PGA Meeting Tomorrow
The next PGA meeting will be this Friday, March 29th from 8:30-9:30am. Come join this creative, thoughtful round table of parents and guardians, as we plan a community service event and May’s Faculty Appreciation Week and dig further into how the PGA engages our family community. View full agenda here.
Next Meeting of Neurodivergence Affinity Group
The group’s next virtual meeting will be Tuesday, April 2nd at 7pm. In addition to an online discussion board, the group meets virtually every 3 weeks, and members are welcome to drop in and participate as able. All discussions are confidential, and examples of recent topics include high schools, 504s vs IEPs, helpful resources, and parenting tips. To join the group, please sign up here.
Issues Posting to Google Groups via Mobile Site
If you’ve been having issues using your phone to post to one of the Billings Google Groups, you’re not alone. Apparently, this is a known Google bug.
Unfortunately, posting new messages is only possible through Google Groups’ desktop site or by sending an email to the group’s email address from your usual email interface.
If this doesn't address the problems you're having with a google group, please email us so we can troubleshoot.
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From Marina:
8th grade is working on applying their understanding of kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and linear momentum to their roller coasters (right).
6th grade finished up their culminating extreme climate projects as well as an individual “customer empathy” project. These projects have been everything from 3D printed artifacts, short stories, Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, and more!
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From Ian:
6th graders are combining geometry review with measurement conversions. Ask them why the US should switch to the metric system… and, arguably, why it should not. 📏
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From Melissa:
The 8th graders had a fun-filled outing to Kraken Community Iceplex for GO on Tuesday. Regardless of their experience or comfort level on skates, students dove right in and challenged themselves at their own level. It was amazing to see how the students came together both for fun and skill building on the ice. Check out some photos to see the joy!
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Additionally, spring sports are underway! Tennis had their first practice this Tuesday led by our amazing coach and parent, John Irick! Ultimate will have their first game this weekend at 1PM on Saturday at Georgetown Playfield, Field #N. | |
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Upcoming Events: 📅
- PGA Meeting - Friday, March 29 8:30am-9:30am
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Billings Bowling Night - Saturday, March 30, 5pm-7pm
- 7th Grade Eastern Washington Trip - Tuesday, April 2-Thursday, April 4
- Spring Break [NO SCHOOL] - Monday, April 8th-Friday, April 12th
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8th Grade Project Showcase - Friday, April 26th, 8:45am-10:30am
See our full calendar below:
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A reminder: if you are participating in or leading a local event, we'd love to hear about it! We're always happy to facilitate families getting together and supporting our community. Send a message to the Front Desk with the details! |
Ruha Benjamin
Race to the Future? Reimagining the Default Setting of Technology and Society
May 23, 2024 6:00–7:15 pm
RSVP
From automated decision systems in healthcare, policing, education and more, technologies have the potential to deepen discrimination while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to harmful practices of a previous era. In this talk, Ruha Benjamin takes us into the world of biased bots, altruistic algorithms, and their many entanglements, and provides conceptual tools to decode tech predictions with historical and sociological insight. When it comes to AI, Ruha shifts our focus from the dystopian and utopian narratives we are sold, to a sober reckoning with the way these tools are already a part of our lives. Whereas dystopias are the stuff of nightmares, and utopias the stuff of dreams… utopias are what we create together when we are wide awake.
| Join alum parent Sara Wetstone (Tally '22, Harper '23) for basketball over break! Click here to learn more. | |
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Executive Function Workout!
FEEL THE BURN!
Join me (Greg: Director of The Learning Center at Billings) for a regular Monday morning EF workout from 8:30am to 9:15am. 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.
We will be meeting in person in the music room, Mercury, during first period. 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. Masks are not required but can be provided upon request.
Great question for parents to reflect on: What is the difference between “studying” and “getting your homework done”? Drop in on Tuesday morning and share your thoughts!
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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