Feb. 12: Student Play: The Princess and the Thief

Feb. 13: Beacon Hill Green Trails Walk

Feb. 15-19: No School (Mid-winter Break)

Feb. 22: Greenlake Loop

Feb. 24: Soccer at Woodland Park

Feb. 27: IslandWood Adventure

March 3: Middle School MOJO Begins (Mask On Join Others)

Here are the details about the hybrid schedule we will be adopting beginning Monday, April 5, the first day of Trimester 3. We will be using this schedule throughout Trimester 3 even though the first week back after Spring Break will be remote to accommodate travel quarantine. This will also be the schedule if we have to pivot to remote learning at any point before the year ends. The schedule was created on the underlying principles of Community, Continuity, and Care. A couple of key points to keep in mind,

• This is the first step in a longer process. There are many other details that are being worked out and will be communicated in the coming weeks.
• Parents and guardians can expect a survey to help us determine the number of students who will be participating in person.
• Parents and guardians can expect grade-level conversations in the coming weeks with NWS Administration to answer questions and work in partnership to successfully implement this hybrid schedule. Look for meeting information soon.
• Upper School students who are participating in Athletics during Season 2 or 3 will have an option to remain at school through the day until the start of practices or games.
• Faculty will be working closely with students in the coming weeks to help them understand the details and logistics of individual schedules.

Here are the calendar highlights for the 2021-2022 school year, including when the school year begins, the days off, the seasonal breaks, and when the school year finishes.

There will be no House Specialty Program during Mid-winter Break. Meals will resume the week of Feb. 22.

Reenrollment season is here. Your student(s) contracts will be published in your My BackPack account according to the following timeline:

• Returning Full Tuition Domestic Students published February 2, 2021, and due back February 15, 2021
• Rising 9th (returning) and 9th-grade Financial students published February 2, 2021, and due back February 15, 2021
• Early Decision 6th Grade Students published February 2, 2021, and due back February 15, 2021
• Returning Financial Aid students (Grades 7,8,10 and, 11) published March 1, 2021, and due March 12, 2021
• Returning Full Tuition International Students published February 8, 2021, and due February 22, 2021

The Lunar New Year is one of the biggest holidays for many of our international students, usually spent with family and friends. Last year, international students invited the entire community to the Dining Hall for a Lunar New Year 2020 party, featuring authentic food, a talent showcase, and a special video message describing the importance of the holiday. Click here to watch the video.

Unfortunately, this year we are unable to celebrate this important holiday with our students, but we are sending our warmest greetings to all students and their families who celebrate Lunar New Year in Seattle and abroad. We would like to share with you some memories from last year’s celebration. We miss you and cannot wait to see you soon in the House.

Transportation Safety

Considering using public transportation? Here are some tips from the CDC for how to stay safe.

Click here to see what King County Metro has done to bolster safety.

Masks

Public Health Insider provides us with some important mask reminders!

A CDC study revealed that double masking can block up to 92.5 percent of infectious particles, but is not changing the current mask recommendations.

Looking for a mask with high filtration efficiency and one that can handle multiple washes? Happy Masks provide five layers of protection that can filter up to 99.9 percent of bacterial and viral particles. Click here to find out more.

Updates from Washington State Department of Health

As we move towards a hybrid model, the Washington State Department of Health provides further understanding of COVID-19 transmission within schools.

The "fall" sports season begins this coming Monday, Feb. 15. Practices and game schedules are posted here. Please contact Britt Atack if you have any questions.

Note: There has been some confusion around the travel policy, which applies to out-of-state travel. Specifically, if one travels out of state they must quarantine for five days and have a negative COVID-19 test before returning to in-person activities with the team.

We are officially at mid-school year and would like to start providing programmatic updates over the next few weeks. To that end, here is a roundup of what some of our science classes have engaged in throughout Trimester 2.

Our next Environmental Sustainability Speaker Series is coming up on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7:00 pm. Join us as we hear from Johnny Buck, Wanapum Tribe and Northwest parent, as he shares his experiences and expertise in a session themed "Indigenous Responses to Global Change."

The Environmental Sustainability Speaker Series aims to build community and pique curiosity and informed action within The Northwest School community by convening engaging, informal, community conversations with rockstar people working on environmental and related issues from a variety of sectors and approaches. All are welcome--students, parents, faculty, alumni, and friends of the school.

• Meeting Link
• Meeting ID: 997 3895 3292
• Passcode: 865899

We are offering virtual campus tours for the friends and colleagues of our international families who are interested in sending their children to our school. During these tours, we will show them around the campus, talk about programs and community, and help with admissions questions. If you would like us to hold such an event for your friends and can help us organize it, please contact us at: international@northwestschool.org.

Alternatively, we encourage you to share the contact information above with anyone in your community who might be interested in considering our school for their children, or simply send them the link to the virtual meetings with our Admissions Office: https://calendly.com/nws-international.

Thank you for your help and continued support of our international admissions efforts.

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我们现在提供在线参观与访谈给对西北中学有兴趣的国际家庭。我们会安排校园与宿舍介绍，并进一步说明我们的学程内容与申请程序。如果您有亲朋好友也对西北中学有兴趣，敬请与我们联系以特别安排: international@northwestschool.org.

您除了可以将上述讯息传递外，也可以让他们直接与我们在线活动安排的入学申请部门联系： https://calendly.com/nws-international. 非常感谢您对这活动的协助!

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Hiện nay, nhà trường đang tổ chức các sự kiện trực tuyến dành cho bạn bè và đồng nghiệp của gia đình học sinh quốc tế, đặc biệt những ai mong muốn gửi con theo học tại trường. Tại sự kiện, nhà trường sẽ tổ chức tham quan khuôn viên, trao đổi về chương trình học, về cộng đồng nơi đây, và trả lời các câu hỏi về công tác tuyển sinh. Nếu quý phụ huynh mong muốn nhà trường tổ chức sự kiện như trên cho bạn bè và có thể hỗ trợ tổ chức, vui lòng liên hệ với nhà trường tại địa chỉ: international@northwestschool.org.

Ngoài ra, hy vọng quý phụ huynh có thể chia sẻ thông tin liên hệ của nhà trường với mọi người xung quanh, đặc biệt những ai đang cân nhắc cho con theo học tại trường, hoặc đơn giản là gửi họ đường link truy cập buổi họp trực tuyến với văn phòng tuyển sinh: https://calendly.com/nws-international. Chân thành cảm ơn sự hỗ trợ của quý phụ huynh trong công tác tuyển sinh quốc tế của nhà trườn

Over 30 students have joined Neighborhood Adventures in the past few weeks. After Mid-winter break, these opportunities will continue. Come join us for some informal face time with fellow students and faculty! In general, sign-ups and permission slips are due two days before the trip.

New adventures will be happening every week. Check the Outdoor Program webpage for regular updates.

Upcoming Neighborhood Adventures:

• Feb. 13: Beacon Hill Green Trails Walk with Scott and Jenn
• Feb. 22: Greenlake Loop with Flora, Malia, and Maddy
• Feb. 24: Soccer at Woodland Park with Britt and Mercy
• Feb. 24: Urban Farm and Garden Volunteering
• Sat. 27: Seward Park Walk with Amina, Leilani, and Amy
• March 3: Urban Farm and Garden Volunteering
• March 4: West Seattle Walk with Clarke and Peter

Ski Bus

The ski bus is back for a late-season run on Feb. 26. There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting for students on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 2:30 pm. Alex Chen will send an email to those who have signed up with the Zoom link.

IslandWood Day Trip

Join us on Feb. 27 for a day of exploration, curiosity, and togetherness amongst the local flora and fauna of IslandWood, an environmental education school on the land of the Suquamish people on Bainbridge Island. More information and sign-up forms are on the Outdoor Program webpage.

Chicken Care Volunteers Needed!

The chickens have been enjoying all the love from students, faculty, and parents! As we head into February break, they need some additional care. If you’re interested in helping out to replenish feed, water, etc., please sign-up here and watch the chicken training videos.

Wednesday Volunteer Times

We’ve had a great crew of volunteers coming to the Urban Farm and Garden the past two Wednesdays, chopping compost, planting radishes, garlic, and potatoes, and cleaning tools. Interested in joining the party? We’ll be continuing these Wednesday volunteer times (10:45 am-12:15 pm) throughout the spring. Keep an eye on the Neighborhood Adventures announcements from the Outdoor Program for sign-ups!

Questions? Contact Jenny Cooper.

Click here to join in live community fitness sessions every weeknight, at 5:00 pm PT.

Recordings of past workouts can be found here.

Thursday, Feb. 18, at 6:00 pm PT

A Gap Year is a post-secondary opportunity for self-exploration and personal growth. This “year on” (in contrast to a “year off”) can lead to clearer direction and motivation for college studies. Gap Year opportunities may include travel, cultural immersion, directed study, service, internship opportunities, and more. For more information about Gap Years and to register for this free event, click here.

Please click here to find other college counseling announcements.

About E-News: The weekly E-News covers a two-week period of upcoming events, parent reminders, and campus news.