Jan. 22: 12th Grade Families Virtual Trivia Night

Jan. 23: 9th Grade Families Virtual Trivia Night

Jan. 23: Parent and Guardians Forefront Suicide Prevention Training

Jan. 27: Environmental Sustainability Speaker Series

Jan. 27: 7th Grade Parents and Guardians Happy Hour

Jan. 28: Researching College Workshop for 11th Grade Parents and Guardians

Feb. 1: No School (Faculty In-service)

Feb. 2: Researching College Workshop for 11th Grade Parents and Guardians

Feb. 6: Cascade Range Snowshoe Trip

I’m writing with the news that Sue Maul has decided this is her last year at Northwest and that she will depart at the end of June. Sue started at Northwest in 2005 as a Math teacher and in her time here she has served as the Math Department Co-Chair, 7th Grade Coordinator, and Middle School Director. Sue has led a White Anti-Racist Group pod, has served as a mentor to faculty and colleagues, and has leaned into leading challenging conversations in different spheres – all with a passion for continuous learning and with grace, humility, and humor. It is hard to put into words how Sue will be missed – her care and compassion for our Middle School students and their families has had an impact on countless members of our community. She continuously asks, ‘How can we make things better for faculty?’ She has brought a lens of equity and compassion to all of her work at Northwest and she will be missed!

I am also writing to share that Maria Moses has agreed to serve as Interim Middle School Director for one year and we will launch a search for a permanent Middle School Director under the direction of our next Head of School. In her third year serving as Assistant Middle School Director and Dean of Students, Maria is best situated to take on the role of Interim Director and I am thankful that she has agreed to step into this role. Maria will have the opportunity to spend time learning from Sue and will assume this interim role on July 1. I know that both current and former Middle School families now in the Upper School will find time over the next five months to thank Sue personally and wish her well.

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

• Returning Full Tuition Domestic Students: published Jan. 29, due Feb. 12
• Rising 9th Grade Financial Aid Students: published Jan. 29, due Feb. 12
• Early Decision 6th Grade Students: published Jan. 29, due Feb. 12
• Returning Financial Aid Students: published March 1, due March 12
• Returning Full Tuition International Students: published Feb. 8, due Feb. 22

Thank you once again for entrusting your children to us for their education. We appreciate our partnership with you in this important work and look forward to our ongoing work together with your family next year. Please do not hesitate to contact Michele Sanchez if you have any questions about this process.

With Mid-winter Break coming up, I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce our travel policy. “Travel” is defined as long-distance, overnight travel by any conveyance (e.g., aircraft, train, bus, ship, shared ride, personal vehicle). It does not include one’s usual commute to work or day trips to neighboring cities.  

All persons planning to travel must either quarantine for 14 days or complete the following steps before returning to campus: 

1. Quarantine for five days AND 
2. Receive a negative PCR (molecular) COVID-19 test
3. Confirm test results with Health Coordinator Sierra Maxwell

You also may have read that Governor Jay Inslee announced and updated the statewide vaccine distribution and administration plan. Here are some key takeaways and answers to commonly asked questions.

We are gearing up for the start of the "fall" season. If your Upper School student is interested in playing boy's ultimate, girl's volleyball, or running cross country, please fill out this form by Sunday, Jan. 24. The form may be completed by students or parents/guardians. Contact Britt Atack with any questions.

12th Grade Families Virtual Trivia Night, Jan. 22, 7:00 pm

You can join as parents and guardians only, or as families, or play alone! There will be 30 questions across six categories. No need to RSVP!

• Meeting link
• Meeting ID: 856 9771 4139
• Passcode: 006184

9th Grade Families Virtual Trivia Night, Jan. 23, 7:00 pm

• Meeting link

7th Grade Parents and Guardians Happy Hour Catch-up, Jan. 27, 5:00 pm

• Meeting link
• Meeting ID: 869 5781 1943
• Passcode: 345719

Please join other Northwest School parents and guardians for a guided conversation about youth suicide prevention on Saturday, Jan. 23, 9:30-11:00 am. We will cover these topics:

• Learning how to start and sustain conversations with your teen about mental health and suicide awareness.
• Learning the signs that someone you care about may be struggling with thoughts of suicide, practice and role-play how to ask about suicide, and learn about resources and ways to support someone who may be hurting.
• Connecting with other parents and guardians to build and strengthen your network of support and prevention.

Click here for the meeting link. Please contact Erin North with any questions.

Happy 2021! Are you curious about the world around you? Interested in learning about the connections between food systems and racial justice? How Indigenous environmental science can restore balance in society and planet earth? Or perhaps how the state of Washington works to reduce highly potent greenhouse gases found in air-conditioning units and refrigerators? Or maybe you’re keen to learn more about the connections between science and justice? You’re in luck! Come join the conversation in the Environmental Sustainability Speaker Series! We have an outstanding line-up of speakers scheduled for this winter and spring:

• Wednesday, Jan. 27, 7:00 pm: Abbey Brown '07, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Specialist at Washington State Department of Ecology, focused on reducing highly potent greenhouse gases
• Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7:00 pm: Johnny Buck, Cultural Resource Specialist, Grant County Public Utilities District; Co-Founder, Native Youth Leadership Alliance; Northwest Parent
• Wednesday, March 24, 7:00 pm: Amaury Avalos, Planning & Development Specialist, City of Seattle Human Services Department, focused on food access and racial equity
• April  28, 7:00 pm: Dr. Heather Price, Professor, North Seattle College; atmospheric chemist and climate justice activist
• May  26, 7:00 pm: Washington state Senator Joe Nguyen, representing the 34th legislative district (West Seattle and White Center)

Zoom link for all sessions can be found right here.

Celebrate the wonders of winter on Feb. 6 with the Outdoor Program on a Cascade Range snowshoeing adventure. We will meet at the Cayuse Horse Camp near Salmon la Sac, then embark on a 3-5 mile snowshoe adventure along Cooper River. If transportation will be difficult for you, please contact Nathan or Flora. We have limited capacity on our buses.

To ensure the safety of everyone, we follow protocols and guidelines outlined in the NWS Event Proposal Checklist and the Outdoor Program COVID-19 Guidelines.

That is a long drive; can parents and guardians join the snowshoe?

Since many parents and guardians will be driving the distance to the trailhead, we want to open this trip up to parents and guardians who are driving. We haven’t determined all the logistics for grouping, but most likely we will have one or two student groups, and a separate parent/guardian group, each with trip leaders. This will allow students to have their own space.

More information about the trip here.

As a reminder, we are unable to make up missed meal pickups due to the complex nature of the program. All meals that are not picked up are donated to local community dining programs.

The House Specialty will run as usual until Mid-winter Break and will then take the week of Feb. 15 off. Interested in what’s coming next week? Check out the menu here.

Planning is now underway for our spring financial aid fundraiser, Pizazz! Care to join us and help out as an event planning committee member? Please contact Julie Lombardo to learn more.

• Thursday, Jan. 28, 5:00-6:00 pm
• Tuesday, Feb. 2, 8:15-9:15 am
• Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7:00-8:00 pm

How can students and families best utilize the many resources available in the college search? The college counselors will lead parents through tools in SCOIR and Canvas, deconstruct college websites, and provide a list of resources that we’ve found most useful.

While student workshops will take place during the school day (both for juniors living in the Pacific Time Zone and for international students living abroad), we wanted to make this information available to parents and guardians as well.

Each session will be limited to 15 participants/devices. Families are welcome to attend together using one device. If demand exceeds our capacity, we will schedule additional workshops to accommodate participants. Sign up here for your preferred session. We will close registration for each session at noon, one business day prior to the session, or when filled, whichever comes first. Participants will receive a Zoom link and additional information about the program a few days prior to the workshop.

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

Recordings of past workouts can be found 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.