Feb. 26: 11th Grade Families Trivia Night

Feb. 27: IslandWood Adventure

Feb. 27: Seward Park Walk

March 1: Parenting in the Time of COVID

March 3: 8th Grade MOJO (Mask On Join Others)

March 3: Urban Farm and Garden Volunteering

March 4: West Seattle Walk

March 4: 7th Grade MOJO

March 5: 6th Grade MOJO

March 5: 8th Grade Parents and Guardians Coffee

March 8: 8th Grade Parents and Guardians Town Hall

March 8: 7th Grade Parents and Guardians Town Hall

March 9: 6th Grade Parents and Guardians Town Hall

March 10: No School (In-service Day)

March 13: Beacon Hill Walk

We are excited to welcome our Middle Schoolers back to campus for their first week of MOJO. Please note: The 6th Graders have an updated schedule for their MOJO day.

• March 3, 9:00 am-12:00 pm: 8th Grade
• March 4, 9:00 am-12:00 pm: 7th Grade
• March 5, 9:00 am-11:30 am: 6th Grade

On the week of March 8, Upper School students will have the opportunity to come to campus from 9:00-11:30 am for their second round of MOJO days.

• March 8: 11th Grade
• March 9: 12th Grade
• March 11: 10th Grade
• March 12: 9th Grade

Upper School students will attend these MOJO #2 days either on-campus indoors or remotely. The goal of these days is to have students engage in class together and provide a trial-run of hybrid learning that will begin in Trimester 3. The days will be structured around student's current non-arts classes and more details will be available next week with a sign-up form. For planning purposes, please respond to the survey below to indicate whether your Upper School student will join the remote or on-campus version of MOJO #2.

Parent/Guardian Survey: Trimester 3 Plans and Upper School MOJO #2

We are asking parents and guardians to share their thoughts about their student's participation in hybrid learning at this point in time. Please become familiar with the hybrid plan for Trimester 3 and talk it over with your student(s) to understand their schedule(s). Then, answer the questions on this survey to help us with our planning. Please submit a separate survey for each student.

Food Policy

To ensure the health and safety of our community, when we begin our in-person hybrid learning schedule in Trimester 3, the following food and beverage policy will be in effect. More details will be made available in future communications.

• No food can be consumed indoors on campus. All food must be consumed outside, either before school, after school, during free periods, or during passing time. 
• Beverages can be consumed indoors but must be in a closed container.
• Students can apply for a medical exemption to the food and beverage policy.
• Faculty will be assigned areas to oversee before school, after school, and during breaks to ensure guidelines around food and beverage consumption are followed. 
• Students (both upper and middle schoolers) may not leave campus at any time unless they are leaving for the day.
• Campus is closed to all food deliveries.

The administration, in partnership with the PGA Co-chairs, will host grade-level parent/guardian meetings in the coming weeks. The goal will be to answer any remaining questions about hybrid learning, offer brief academic program updates, and create space for parents/guardians to connect with one another. Here are the dates and times of these Town Halls (Upper School Zoom links to come later):

• Monday, March 8, 6:00 pm: 7th Grade
• Monday, March 8, 7:15 pm: 8th Grade
• Tuesday, March 9, 7:00 pm: 6th Grade
• Monday, March 15, 6:00 pm: 11th Grade
• Monday, March 15, 7:00 pm: 12th Grade
• Thursday, March 18, 6:00 pm: 9th Grade
• Thursday, March 18, 7:00 pm: 10th Grade

Vaccine

We are still in Phase 1B Tier 1 of vaccine distribution. You can visit CovidVaccineWA.org for the most up-to-date and reliable information about the COVID-19 vaccine in Washington.

COVID-19 Variants

The latest news release from Washington State Department of Health (DOH), announced that the B.1.351 variant has been detected in King County this week. Additionally, the lab discovered 19 additional cases of the B.1.1.7 variant strain which brings the total number of known cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in Washington state to 39. Currently, there are no confirmed cases of the P.1 variant that originated in Brazil. 

Public Health officials provided us with these guidelines to reduce the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 and its variants.

Sign up for Washington Exposure Notifications (also known as WA Notify). This is a free tool that alerts smartphone users if they have been exposed to COVID-19. It does not share personal information or track where you go.

Weekly COVID-19 Testing of Faculty Members

Beginning next week, we will require routine submissions of negative PCR COVID-19 tests on a weekly basis for all faculty members who are on campus and those engaging in in-person activities off-campus. We believe this is the best course of action to keep our campus safe, healthy, and open. 

Faculty members have the choice to get tested anywhere, but to make it simple, we will be offering weekly access to COVID-19 testing here at Northwest. We are assessing the option to offer voluntary testing for students who are interested and will keep you informed. 

As we learn more about the role testing plays in mitigating the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19, we will reassess the frequency of testing and will make modifications as needed. For now, we are planning weekly testing of faculty until the end of the school year.

11th Grade Families Trivia Night, Feb. 26, 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: 841 3716 4869
• Passcode: 718922

Parenting in the Time of COVID, March 1

Back by popular demand, Sarina Natkin, LICSW, Parent Coach, and NWS parent, and Peter Berner-Hays, former NWS counselor and retired Head of School will co-facilitate a conversation about the ongoing challenges of parenting in the time of Covid. As families who are continuing to navigate ongoing isolation and the risks of returning to more in-person gatherings, join others in talking through the challenges this presents.

We will be splitting this up by division for families. Each session uses the same zoom link below. The Middle School discussion begins at 6:00 pm, and the Upper School at 7:00 pm.

• Meeting link

Video Games, Online Communities, and Anti-Racism: Becoming Self-Aware of White Supremacy Groups and Hate Language within Online Spaces, March 3, 7:00 pm

We live in a time when young people are choosing to participate and interact with others on platforms such as YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, Tiktok, Twitter, and whatever is next! While these platforms have the potential to be inclusive and enriching sources for information and socialization, research from the Southern Poverty Law Center noted that “Online platforms allow individuals to interact with hate and anti-government groups without joining them, as well as to form connections and talk with likeminded people… and both white nationalist groups and neo-Nazi groups are becoming more diffuse and difficult to track and quantify as they proliferate online.” Without an awareness of manipulative racist ideology within online spaces, young people are susceptible to recruitment strategies and propaganda of white supremacist organizations.

This workshop seeks to raise awareness about the prevalence of online hate groups and equip parents with strategies and resources to support their child(ren). As the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League stated, “…being aware of how they [hate groups] manipulate information online and use propaganda to spread their worldview is critically important.”

• Meeting link

8th Grade Parents and Guardians Coffee, March 5, 5:00 pm

Please join us for a March Mayhem virtual parent and guardian coffee (or other beverage). This is a good chance to connect with other parents and guardians of 8th graders, ask questions, and share thoughts.

• Meeting link

Our Northwest School Counselors, Erin and Lynn, would like to share a few resources and upcoming opportunities to help support the health and wellness of your teen and family. Click here for more information,

Over 30 students have joined Neighborhood Adventures in the past few weeks. 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. 27: Seward Park Walk with Amina, Leilani, and Amy
• March 3: Urban Farm and Garden Volunteering
• March 3: Woodland Park Soccer with Britt and Mercy
• March 4: West Seattle Walk with Clarke and Peter
• March 13: Beacon Hill Walk with Scott and Jenn

We’ve had a number of folks ask: Where does food get donated if a meal doesn’t get picked up or if there are leftovers from the week? Here are some of the places that we have made donations to:

• Orion Center
• Salvation Army Women's Shelter and Food Bank
• Musang Community Kitchen
• That Brown Girl Cooks! Community Kitchen
• Asian Counseling and Referral Services Food Bank
• Rainier Valley Food Bank

A couple of reminders:

• Pickup at neighborhood stops: 4:00-6:00 pm
• Pickup at Northwest School:12:00-6:00 pm

Click here to see what is on the menu for next week!

We have asked faculty to share some highlights of what is happening in their classes during Trimester 2. Here is a sampling of what some of our performing arts students are engaging in.

We are planning an in-person Summer Camp experience focused on social connections and academic enrichment based on The Northwest School's liberal arts curriculum and social justice mission. We will have six one-week sessions, beginning July 5.

Due to ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and because of local restrictions, we will not be offering a boarding program. However, we will still welcome international campers who have alternative housing arrangements.

The schedule this year will look a little different. Campers will work in cohorts rather than having personally designed schedules, but we will have a range of class combinations that will hopefully offer something for everyone.

Registration will open Monday, March 1, at 8:30 am. Learn more about our camps here.

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, Feb. 26, at 8:00 pm PT, and last until Saturday, Feb. 27, at 5:00 am PT.

Please help spread the word! For the safety of our community, we have decided to cancel Grandparents & Special Friends Day, scheduled for the morning of April 16. We are hard at work planning something unique as an alternative and will email all invitees with our new plans. If you haven’t already done so, let Maria Mazcorro know of any new names and email addresses. We want to be sure that all grandparents and special friends are included!

Planning is now underway for our spring financial aid fundraiser, Pizazz! Please save-the-date for this virtual event which takes place on May 1. Contact Julie Lombardo to learn more.

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

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.