Jan. 8: Financial Aid Information Evening

Jan. 9: 11th Grade College Night

Jan. 10: Parent Education Forum: Consent

Jan. 15: Admissions Applicatons Due

Jan. 17: Middle School Parent/Guardian and School Counselor Coffee

Jan. 18: MLK Day Celebration: Early Dismissal at 12:00 pm

Jan. 18: Basketball Fan Night

We recognize that part of being on an urban campus means it can be a bit difficult to find parking during busy times, such as when school is starting and when school is ending. We encourage parents to exercise courtesy, common sense, and most importantly, patience, when picking up or dropping off students. Here are some tips to help make the process go as smoothly as possible:

• Drive southbound (uphill) on Summit (enter the pick-up zone from Pike).
• Drive northbound (downhill) on Crawford
• If your student is in Upper School, potentially arrange a meeting point a block or so away from campus.
• Keep the line moving: If your student isn't ready, please circle around the block.
• Do not block the parking garage entrance to Pagliacci's on Pike Street or the Dunn Automotive Residence Building on Summit Avenue.
• For an overhead visual, please click here.

Students will find out their Summits placements on Jan. 7, the first day of school after the Winter Break. Announcements will be emailed to students' school email addresses. There will be an add/drop period from Jan. 8 until Jan. 14. Add/drop forms and instructions will also arrive via email. Questions can be sent to summits@northwestschool.org.

The deadline to apply for financial aid for returning families with a student in next year's 9th grade is Friday, Jan. 11, 2019.

For all other grade levels, the deadline is Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Director of Financial Aid Jonathan Hochberg at 206-816-6210.

When you and your students arrive on Monday, Jan. 7, you may notice newly installed video cameras on every door on the exterior of our main school building. The safety and security of our community is a top priority at Northwest. We have always had cameras on our 401 building, which have been very helpful in combatting graffiti, theft, trespassing, and other petty crimes. The cameras on the main building will assist in our efforts to keep our community a safe and clean learning environment.

The College Counseling process for 11th graders launches in January. We have three events to help your student prepare for the college search. Click here for more information.

11th Grade College Night
Wednesday, Jan. 9, 7:00-8:30 pm

SAT and ACT Workshops for 11th Graders
Sunday, Jan. 27, 12:30-3:30 pm

National Portfolio Day
Saturday, Jan. 5, 11:00 am-3:30 pm
Cornish College of the Arts Main Campus Center

Talking with our kids about sex and consent can feel daunting at times–in different ways and at different ages. Are you interested in hearing about positive ways to engage with them about this topic? Were you taught to honor your sexuality, and to give and receive consent in positive ways? Join us on Jan. 10, at 6:30 pm, in the 401 Dining Hall for an exciting panel talk with Greg Smallidge, Bonnie Rough, and Mattie Mooney, a healthcare access coordinator at the Ingersoll Gender Center. It will be an evening of inspiration, comfort, and valuable guidance. The Parent Education Committee hopes you will make time to join us for this important parent education event.

Limited copies of Bonnie’s book, Beyond Birds and Bees: Bringing Home a New Message to Our Kids About Sex, Love, and Equality, will be available for purchase. Bonnie will be available for book signings and a Q&A after the panel discussion.

Please note that the Middle School Parents/Guardians/Faculty Night date has changed to Thursday, Jan. 24, 7:00-8:30 pm. More information about the night's program will be in future E-news.

What’s better than Meatless Monday? Meatless Days! Meatless Mondays have been a tradition at Northwest for many years. It started as a way to draw attention to the environmental impact of meat consumption. While Meatless Monday has helped to define the Dining Program and make a strong statement about our values, there also has been a negative stigma associated with the day itself, the meal, and vegetarianism.

In 2019, the Dining Program will change the way it plans menus and move away from Meatless Mondays. Vegetarian meals will instead be woven throughout the monthly menu. By making this small change, we hope that the menu will get closer to representing the diverse palates/diets/cultures at Northwest, and vegetarian meals will become as common as serving chicken, pork, curry, or pizza. Moreover, we hope that by moving away from Meatless Monday, we send a message that our community considers the environmental impact of our meat consumption daily, not just on Mondays—it’s merely what we do because of who we are. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact Bethany Fong.

The Outdoor Program will be busy in the winter with some great trips lined up. Students have the opportunity for snow camping at Mt. Baker, cross country skiing at Snoqualmie Pass, snowshoeing in the Cascades, and cycling around the San Juans. More information for the trips can be found on the Outdoor Program webpage.

In addition to these trips, Northwest will also run a ski bus for night skiing at The Summit at Snoqualmie Pass on Friday, Jan. 11. Registration forms for the ski bus trip can be found on My BackPack and are due on Jan. 9.

Planning is now underway for our fun and engaging annual spring fundraiser. Care to join us and help out? We are looking for committee volunteers and table captains. Please contact Julie Lombardo (206-816-6208) to learn more.

On Friday, Jan. 18, The Northwest School will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day from 8:00 am-12:00 pm. There is a scheduled early dismissal for the day, so we have organized an optional community service event with Seattle Parks and Recreation from 12:00-3:30 pm for Middle School students.

Students participating in the event will eat lunch and then leave the school to plant native plants along the Burke-Gilman Trail until 3:00 pm. We will return to school by 3:30 pm, and students can be picked up at the main entrance.

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.