Nov. 21: Snoqualmie Valley Day Hike

Nov. 23-27: No School (Fall Break)

Nov. 24: BIPOC Parent and Guardian Listening Session

Nov. 30: Trimester 2 Begins

Dec. 2: Environmental Sustainability Speaker Series: Heidi Roop

Dec. 8: Learning Support and College Success Event

Dec. 9: Parent and Guardian Forefront Suicide Prevention Training

Dec. 11: No School (Student/Parent/Guardian/Advisor Conferences)

Due to Fall Break, there will be no E-News on Nov. 27. The next edition of E-News will be on Dec. 4.

With the transition of Senior Systems (our student information system) to a hosted service model, our provider will now perform all system maintenance and updates monthly. During these planned outages, My BackPack and the mobile app will be unavailable.

The next scheduled maintenance window will begin Friday, Nov. 20, at 8:00 pm PT, and last until Saturday, Oct. 21, at 5:00 am PT.

Each week we will be providing a COVID-19 update to keep you informed about our decision making processes and safety protocols. For any questions, please contact our Health Coordinator Sierra Maxwell.

Our Planning and Operations Continuity Committee meets on a weekly basis to review all of the data and guidance and apply them in real-time. Here is a complete rundown of the sources informing our decisions:

The Northwest School is compliant with all local and federal mandates. Starting at the federal level, we reference the CDC's Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making. Then, we reference guidance at the state and local levels. We are in alignment with the K-12 Schools Fall Guidance provided by the Washington State Department of Health. This guidance can be referenced regardless of which county or phase we are in of Governor Inslee's Safe Start Plan. The K-12 Fall Guidance informs us how to return to in-person learning. We then use the accompanying document, K-12 Decision Tree for decisions about if/when to resume school in person. This tool provides us with clear metrics to guide our decisions based on the COVID-19 activity in the community surrounding the school, which in our case is King County.

To monitor the levels of disease activity in King County, we use this dashboard, provided by Public Health - Seattle & King County. It's important to recognize that as the pandemic develops, so does the guidance.

Thanks to all of you who have donated or purchased books. This online event in support of our library ends tonight! Visit this website to learn how to participate. Contact Julie Lombardo for more information.

Join us for a day hike along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail near Carnation. This beautiful hike will include walking along the Cottonwood Loop in Tolt-MacDonald Park and along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. We will have scenic views of northwest forests and Snoqualmie Valley farmland. The hike will be between four and six miles in length, and most of it will follow an old railroad grade to accommodate physical distancing. All levels are welcome and encouraged to be a part of this day hike!

A few notes regarding this experience and COVID-19:

• We will continue to monitor COVID-19 case numbers and risk factors in King County as the trip date nears. While we hope for the best, we also prioritize the health and safety of our students and faculty. With that in mind, we want to remind you that this trip may be cancelled if the risk of COVID-19 transmission becomes too high.
• With the help of Sierra Maxwell, our Health Coordinator, we have drafted a set of Outdoor Program COVID-19 Guidelines. Part of the pre-trip meetings with students and faculty will be to review and set expectations for following these guidelines.
• Students and families must provide their own transportation. If this creates a barrier to your student coming on the hike, please contact Nathan Franck.

Sign-up information can be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact Nathan. 

The Northwest School invites all BIPOC parents and guardians to a listening session on Nov. 24, at 5:00 pm. The purpose of this listening session is to hear your expectations for the next Head of School, including desired professional qualifications, personal strengths, and priorities you believe are most important for our learning community through the lens of the Board’s governance and fiduciary responsibilities.

We recognize this is happening during the week of Fall Break, and hope we can get a good group together to represent BIPOC parents and guardians. It is important that your voices are heard. Below is the link provided to us by the search firm.

• Zoom Link
• Meeting ID: 910 2471 7619
• Passcode: 874930

The kitchen is closed next week for Fall Break. We hope your holiday is filled with tasty bites and good company, whether it's in person or virtual. We will resume the House Specialty Program the week of Nov. 30. Be sure to check out the menu here. You'll want to preheat your oven for this one!

How can scientists most effectively communicate with decision-makers? How can leaders most effectively use science to inform their decisions? How might we adapt our roads, bridges, water systems, and food systems to changes in the climate in the near-term and long-term?

Come join us for a conversation on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 7:00 pm, with Heidi Roop, Assistant Professor of Climate Science and Extension Specialist, University of Minnesota, to learn more about climate science communication and climate change adaptation. This session will round out our Autumn theme of climate change adaptation and resilience.

The goal of the Environmental Sustainability Speaker Series is to convene engaging, informal, community conversations with rockstar people working on environmental and related issues from a variety of sectors and approaches.

Students, parents, guardians, faculty, alumni, and friends of the school are invited and encouraged to join. (Thanks to all the folks who participated in the last two months! It was wonderful to see you all!) Note: Each session of the speaker series is off-the-record, so the conversations are not recorded.

Zoom link here.

On Dec. 8, at 7:00 pm, we invite all 10th and 11th grade parents and guardians of students with learning support plans to a meeting with our College Counseling and Learning Resources teams. We will converse about how to support your student with a diagnosed condition that impacts learning through the college search, application, and enrollment processes. Questions about the event? Please contact Erin Miller or Hillary French.

• Zoom Link
• Meeting ID: 967 6878 0718
• Passcode: 813768

Be sure to check out parent/trustee Kim Armstrong’s creative approach to why she supports the annual fund. Visit Uniquely Northwest to view her video and to donate.

Questions? Contact Julie Lombardo.

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

Recordings of past workouts can be found here.

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

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