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E-News: April 30

Upcoming Events

May 4: 9th Grade Parents and Guardians Virtual Coffee

May 5: Music Classes on Campus

May 8: Parent and Guardian Suicide Prevention Conversation with Forefront

May 8: Senior Prom

May 12: Dance Classes on Campus

May 13: The Transition to College

Registration for 2021-22 Classes Underway!

All families should have received information for online registration for the 2021-22 school year via email this week. If you have any questions or need the email re-sent, please contact Registrar Susan Kurlinski.

The registration form due date is Friday, May 7.

Upcoming Performing Arts Wednesdays

On May 5, we will welcome our music classes to campus, and on May 12, it will be the second week of our dance classes.

Your student's teachers should be communicating whether or not their performing arts class will be on campus on Wednesdays. If you have any questions, please reach out to your student's performing arts teacher.

Spread the Word About Summer Camp

Do you know anyone who is looking for enrichment opportunities for their children this summer? 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. You can learn more about our camps here.

 

Sustainability Program Highlighted in Magazine

Thanks to Director of Environmental Education and Sustainability Jenny Cooper and Director of Facilities Tony Kaufman for showcasing our sustainability programs for Net Assets Magazine. Click here to read the article.

Join Us Tonight for Pizazz!

We are wrapping up our four-day online fundraiser in support of financial aid with our live Zoom event tonight, April 30. We’ll gather together to recognize the 40th anniversary of Northwest with Interim Head of School Dennis Bisgaard (as emcee), honorary guests, student performances, and a celebration (be sure to have your dessert and candle ready). You won’t want to miss it!

Contact Julie Lombardo with any questions.

Details:

  • 5:30 pm: Optional grade-level happy hours
  • 6:00 pm: Programming
  • Zoom Link (for both events)
  • Meeting ID: 968 1949 3741
  • Passcode: 472976

Yearbook Order Information

It is time to order your yearbook! With environmental sustainability in mind, we have paired up with TreeRing for our yearbooks because they partner with Trees for the Future to plant a tree for every yearbook purchased. Last year, through this partnership, our orders planted 356 trees! Another perk of TreeRing? Students get to customize two pages in their yearbooks!

See this flyer for specific directions on how to order. The regular price for yearbooks is $44.38, plus tax and shipping. The deadline for ordering is April 30.

Note for Financial Aid families: To order your yearbook, you will register on TreeRing and, optionally, customize pages. There is no need to purchase as this will be covered by The Northwest Experience Fund, so the school will mark your book as paid in TreeRing. You will need to email Jonathan Hochberg to let him know you would like a yearbook and to confirm your shipping address by April 26, at 3:00 pm.

Please contact Nathalie Hall with any questions.

Updates from Health Coordinator Sierra Maxwell

Magnus Vaccine Record

If your student has received an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, please upload their COVID-19 vaccination records to Magnus by following the instructions outlined below. 

  1. Open the Magnus Mobile V2 app and select “Student Health Tracker” in the bottom left of the Magnus home screen 
  2. Select “COVID-19 Vaccine Record Request”
  3. Select “Submit Requirement”
  4. Select “Add File." This will prompt you to either take a photo or select an existing photo/file from your device
  5. Once it has been uploaded, click the circle to the left of the uploaded file. Make sure you see the checkmark next to the uploaded file
  6. Click “Submit"

Vaccine Update

Washington state resumed the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Ready the full news release here

Anyone age 16 and over is eligible to get vaccinated. King County residents can get vaccinated at any high-volume vaccination site, including in Kent, Auburn, Seattle, Renton, Redmond, and Shoreline (more sites to be announced soon). You can also get vaccinated at local pharmacies and many healthcare providers. Learn more about getting vaccinated in King County here.

Notes from the Dining Room

Navigating the dining room looks and feels different this trimester. Here are some tips to help you navigate the line lunch successfully!

  1. Stay with your class during lunch at your assigned eating space for the entire period unless your faculty allows you to relocate.
  2. Maintain six feet between yourself and others while in the lunch line and when eating. Masks off only if you are eating or drinking.
  3. Wash or sanitize your hands before and after eating.
  4. Don’t forget to grab utensils and a napkin before exiting the dining room.
  5. Bring your water bottle every day.
  6. BE PREPARED! Know the daily menu so you are prepared in case you need to request a special meal (e.g. vegan, gluten-free, or allergy-specific meal). The menu can be found here.
  7. Still hungry? In addition to the daily entrée, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, and WB&J sandwiches are available at lunch. Make sure you request these items when you are in line. Need a couple of apples (one for now, one for later)? Just ask!
  8. Sharing is caring…but not during a pandemic. Please do not share food.
  9. Lunch isn’t over until waste is properly sorted and disposed of!

For questions about the dining program, please e-mail Bethany. You can check out next week's newsletter here.

Carry 5 Walk for Water Fundraiser, May 2

Every year, the Northwest School 8th graders take part in Water1st International's Carry 5 Walk for Water event. This year, everyone can take part in the event from the comfort of their own neighborhood. 

The Walk for Water event is a 5k walk meant to simulate what one billion people around the world have to do every day in order to get clean water. Often, these people are women and young girls, who jeopardize their health and education to retrieve water for their families. Funds raised by Water1st go to creating sustainable clean water, toilet, and hygiene education projects for communities in Ethiopia, Honduras, Bangladesh, and Mozambique. Since its founding, Water1st has raised a total of $26 million, completing 3,513 projects that provide easy access to clean water for 243,244 people.

Every $85 raised provides a child with clean water and a toilet for life. The 8th grade appreciates any and all support you can offer.

Upcoming Parents and Guardians Events

9th Grade Parents and Guardians Virtual Coffee
Tuesday, May 4, 9:00 am

Final 11th Grade Trivia Night of the Year
Friday, May 21, 7:00 pm

Virtual Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series: Ijeoma Olou

We are excited to invite our community to a talk featuring local bestselling author Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race) for the final Virtual Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series on Tuesday, May 18, at 6:00 pm.

Please click here to register for the webinar.

Volunteer Opportunities in the Urban Farm and Garden

Every Wednesday, 11:00 am-1:30 pm
Open to students, parents, guardians, and faculty. Sign-up here.

Saturday, May 1, 10:00 am-1:00 pm
Do you enjoy using drills and building things? Are you interested in learning how? Join us as we strengthen the planter boxes. We will also be separating plant starts, transplanting, and compost turning. Open to everyone. This will happen rain or shine, so dress accordingly and bring your own snacks and water. Sign-up here.

Sunday, May 16, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
We will be transplanting tons of plant starts as well as tending to the compost and weeding. This is open to everyone and will be happening rain or shine. Please bring your own snacks and water. Sign-up here.

Anytime, On Your Own
Sign-up here to care for the chickens, water the plants, harvest, etc. Open to students, parents, guardians, and faculty.

College Decision Day

May 1 is the deposit deadline for many colleges in the United States. If your student is planning to enroll at a college next fall, we encourage them to place an enrollment deposit as soon as possible to claim their spot. Please also remember that students should only commit to attending one college. If students are offered a spot off of another college's waitlist, they can first accept the waitlist spot and then immediately withdraw from the institution in which they had previously deposited. If you or your students have any questions about this process, please contact their college counselor.

Parent and Guardian Suicide Prevention Conversation with Forefront

Please join other Northwest School parents and guardians for a guided conversation about youth suicide prevention on Saturday, May 8, 9:30-11:00 am. This will be the last Forefront training of this school year. Topics will cover:

  • 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 to join the Zoom Meeting.

FCD Prevention Works Specialists to Join Classes

As part of our ongoing commitment to prevention and wellness, we have invited a prevention specialist from FCD Prevention Works to join our community during the week of May 3. FCD Prevention Works is a non-profit organization that provides substance misuse prevention and health promotion for schools.

This program will take place online, and will be offered to several of our grade levels with the support of teachers and our counseling team. This programming is voluntary and students may opt out or request an individual conversation with our prevention specialist as needed. If your Middle School student is opting out of this prevention program, please inform Sue Maul.

If your child is meeting with an FCD prevention specialist online from your home, we encourage you to provide your child with privacy during the sessions. This will help to ensure a safe space, for both your child and the other students participating, to engage in the discussion and ask potentially sensitive questions.

We partnered with FCD for a parent and guardian training earlier this year. For highlights from the meeting, including the recorded event, click here.

Please contact Erin North with any questions.

Announcing the Musical Theatre production: The Addams Family

The Northwest School Musical Theatre class is proud to present The Addams Family. The production will be available for streaming on May 27-June 6. Check out the promo here.

Community Fitness Sessions

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

Recordings of past workouts can be found here.

College Counseling Programs and Updates

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.