May 11: PreACT

May 15: Forefront Suicide Prevention Training

May 16: Head of School Coffee for Middle School Parents/Guardians

May 16: Family Ed Forum - Tech Panel

May 15-16: 11th Grade Trip

May 17: 10th Grade Activity Day

May 17-18: Rock Climbing in Leavenworth

May 19: Upper School Music Construction Performance

May 20-21: Advanced Theatre Performance

May 22-24: 8th Grade Class Trip

May 22-23: Upper School Spring Play: Robbery

The 39th annual ArtsFest Gala is on Tuesday, June 4, at 7:00 pm, at Town Hall. We have the honor of being one of the first events held in their newly renovated space.

The in-school ArtsFest celebration will take place on June 3. Details and logisitcs for each day are below:

June 3: Our annual celebration of the arts will begin at 8:10 am. The day will include a combined student and faculty talent showcase and an all-school activity designed by the visual arts faculty. The day will also include lunch and an end-of-trimester extended Environment period. The day will end at 3:30 pm.

June 4: School begins at 8:10 am and ends at 11:15 am. At 11:15 am, those students not involved in the Gala will leave school. The performers/crew (over half of the student population) will eat lunch and then walk to Town Hall for an afternoon of rehearsals.

June 5: School will begin at 9:00 am. Middle School students will attend morning meeting from 9:00-9:10 am, and 1st period will begin at 9:15 am. There will be no community meeting.

Congratulations to our varsity girls' ultimate squad and coaches Mark Burton and AnnaMaria Pape on their Emerald City League (ECL) championship. It is the ninth consecutive year Northwest has won the league title--every year since ultimate was adopted as an ECL sport in 2011.

Please use the Yearbook Order Form to pre-order your book(s) by May 10. Please note: the order form has been emailed to both parents and students, so we ask that you coordinate with your students to avoid duplicate orders.

There will be a limited number of yearbooks available for sale during pick-up, so we highly encourage you to pre-order. Families currently receiving financial aid are eligible for a yearbook for each student at no cost, but we ask that you still complete the order form.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu

Take a step towards your journey in tech on May 16, at 6:00 pm, in the Dining Hall. Join us for a unique Family Ed event. All students and parents/guardians are invited to an evening of discussion, fun, and good food. You will hear authentic stories from people working in various roles in the tech industry and learn how they entered the field and about the challenges they’ve faced.

Our tech panelists are:

• Michael Forzano - Software Engineer, Amazon Retail Accessibility Team
• Aliya Marder - Co-founder and Product Design, Ridwell
• Wei Gao - Vice President, Amazon Technical Advisor to CEO
• Paul Kotas - Senior Vice President, Amazon Advertising
• Jeremiah Wilton - Principal Engineer, Amazon Web Services

Come prepared to ask questions and participate in the conversation. Please RSVP by completing this online form. If you have questions, please contact Shie Benaderet.

You are invited to join me for a division-level parent coffee each trimester. These coffees, attended by myself, the division director, and other school leaders, will offer an informal opportunity for us to answer your questions about all things Northwest: mission, philosophy, culture, pedagogy, academics, and co-curriculars—just about anything, really. The coffee begins at 8:15 am, in the Dining Room.

• May 16: Middle School Parents and Guardians

In partnership with the University of Washington Forefront Suicide Prevention Program, we will be offering our annual parent training on Wednesday, May 15, 6:30-8:00 pm, in the Main School Building. This training is geared to support and empower the role parents play in keeping our children safe and supported. Northwest School Parent Trainers will guide you through the warning signs, possible interventions, and resources for students and families in distress. We welcome all Northwest School parents and guardians and ask that you RSVP here to help ensure we have an appropriately sized space.

For more information on the event, please contact School Counselor Erin North. For more information on Forefront in the Schools, click here.

On Monday, May 13, 3:30-5:00 pm, in the gym, we will be holding our annual 7th Grade Spring Olympics event. Students are grouped into teams and compete against each other by playing fun, and often, silly games. This event is for 7th graders only. We will provide snacks.

Please pick up students at 5:00 pm in the gym. If students will be finding alternative ways home, parents and guardians need to inform Maria Moses. Please RSVP here.

On Wednesday, May 22nd from 6:30-8:30 PM, we will be holding a grade-level parent/guardian meeting for 10th grade parents. The purpose of this meeting is to create a conversation space for discussing grade-specific topics that are of particular interest to our parent community. The meeting will take place in the 401 Dining Hall. Please RSVP here.

Join the Outdoor Program on one of two final trips of the school year. We will camp near Leavenworth and then enjoy a full day of climbing in that beautiful area. Students coming on this trip will have the opportunity to climb on some excellent granite routes on cliffs alongside Icicle Creek. The climbing will be supervised by Northwest School faculty. More information is on the Outdoor Program page of our website.

On May 17, 10th graders will not have normally scheduled classes and will be together for a day of bonding. Students will begin the day at 9:15 am with a pancake breakfast before traveling to the Tukwila Family Fun Center. Students will return to school for a final group activity to end the day.

On May 4, families and friends of The Northwest School extended tremendous generosity at Pizazz, raising more than $232,000 for The Northwest Experience Fund and the Raymond Taussig Terry Financial Aid Endowment Fund. Thank you to all who attended and gave in advance. You made the evening a great success!

Thanks to all of the amazing volunteers and sponsors, including the table captains, graphic designer Barbara Chin, and in-kind contributors and donors Flume Family Vineyard, Sun Liquor, Kaspars, the NWS Dining Hall, Rooftop Brewing Company, Le Panier, Monica Maling, Dahlia Bakery, New Seasons Market, Mala and Suri Raman, Wells Fargo Foundation, Julie Lyss and Davia Loren, Emily and Dan Raymond, Genna Gormley and Ian Freed, Frances Tee, Little Lago, Patricia Nef, Wally and Val Long, Alexis Ortega, Peter Woodburn, Tiffany Lobner, Dena Parmer, Kevin Alexander, Jeff Blair, Cecilia Tung, John Calac, Nate Kinne, and the NWS A Capella Choir with Elliot Weeks. We could not have done this without you!

We are excited to announce two sports camps for students this summer.

Basketball Camp for Rising 4th-9th Graders
July 1-3, 9:00 am-3:00 pm
Cost: $140 before June 1, $170 after
Register here.

Soccer Camp for Rising 4th-6th Graders
Aug. 19-22, 9:00 am-12:00 pm
Cost: $200 before Aug. 1, $240 after
Register here.

On May 22-23, at 7:00 pm, in the Main School Building Theater, The Northwest School Theatre Department is proud to announce the Upper School spring performances of Robbery, a play written by alumni Frank Garland '16 specifically for our theater students. Robbery follows a woman who informs the audience of 10 easy steps to rob a bank. Full of wit, wacky situations, possible aliens, and an appearance by Wonderman (seeing is believing), this hour-long comedy should not be missed! There will be free cookies and popsicles!

Featuring: Ben H. '19, Natalie T. '19, Anna H. '20, Jonah T. '22, Becca S. '19, and Emma R. '20. Directed by Ellen Graham.

For over 10 years now, Northwest students have been collaborating with students from other Seattle-area schools as part of the Seattle South African Scholarship Foundation (SSASF). This student-founded and student-driven group emerged after Seattle students hosted a visiting group from the Hector Peterson Senior Secondary School (in the Wallacedene Township near Cape Town, South Africa). The students from the two countries found that they had a great deal in common, including shared dreams for attending college and university. When the South African students described their challenges with affording tuition, the Seattle students decided to contribute what they could by putting on a fund-raising dinner. Ever since that first year, SSASF has been offering full scholarships to accomplished Hector Peterson graduates.

The 11th Annual SSASF Dinner will be on May 18, and all members of the Northwest community are invited. Details can be found on the SSASF website, and questions can be directed to Isobel M. '19 or to Jeff Blair.

Senior philosophy students would like to invite you to the Northwest School's philosophy symposium, on May 28, at 6:30 pm. Come listen to students deliver their most scholarly, provocative, and inspirational papers! There will be treats and beverages. Please RSVP to Adina Meyer.

Invitations have been mailed for this year's rescheduled Grandparents & Special Friends Day, May 30, 9:00-11:30 am. Guests enjoy a special breakfast, followed by a visit to a class with their student. Want to add someone to the invitation list, or update your family's information? Fill out the online form here. If you're interested in volunteering for the event, please contact Maria Mazcorro.

Please click here to view college counseling announcements, upcoming visits and events, and admissions updates.

About E-News: The weekly E-News covers a two-week period of upcoming events, parent reminders, and campus news. For a complete listing of events and important dates, please visit the all school calendar.