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Hillside Student Community School
December-January Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight On…
Rogue’s Christmas
(from https://townhallseattle.org/event/short-stories-live-a-rogues-christmas-2018/)
A Town Hall tradition! The holiday edition of Short Stories Live (with host Jean Sherrard) brings together unconventional holiday tales for an afternoon of short stories, poems, and seasonal music by returning house band Pineola (comprised of Leslie Braly, John Owen, Josh Woods, Dirk Lebsack, and Ed Brooks). Favorite readers—including Kurt Beattie, Julie Briskman, and Paul Dorpat—take the stage to deliver stories with a gleeful, carousing nature only “A Rogue’s Christmas” can hold.
This year’s stories include: a new Christmas story by Jeanette Winterson (hilarious, magical, and moving by turns); a dark comic classic by John Updike called “The Carol Sing” about the keenly felt loss of one deep voice; “…And Two Eyes Made Out of Coal,” an outrageously funny tale by Augusten Burroughs; Harper Lee’s heartfelt recounting of the gift that forever changed her life (and ours) in “My Christmas in New York”; and KUOW’s Bill Radke reading an audience-submitted short story of holiday disaster!
And for the first year ever, we’re asking for folks to submit their stories with the theme of holiday disasters/humiliations/mishaps. The stories need to be no longer than 5 minutes long. 2-4 of the submissions will be selected and read onstage at the performance.
Open House
As the year changes and the sun lingers in the sky moments longer per day, we start planning for the upcoming year, full of fresh starts and connections with new and long-known people.
Hillside is no exception, and we hope you will invite any prospective families to join us on Thursday, 1/10 to learn about Hillside. We also encourage you to come and chat with Hillside staff, families, and potential new additions to our community.
Intermediate Myth Project
Where can you find endless dark seas, magically fruitful trees, and cosmic eggs? In cultural creation myths across the world of course!
During our Creation Myth Unit we talked about the purpose of myth, read myths from several cultures—then embarked on our own individual myth exploration. Students chose a culture that we will be studying during the year to set up pre-knowledge for when we begin that unit. Each student read a version of that culture’s creation myth, inferred cultural tendencies based on the evidence of the story, retold it to the class, created a poster or advertisement for the myth, and made (or brought) an object that represents the myth.
World Cultures
Brynne’s Latin America Unit for World Cultures was a sensory as well as an academic experience. In addition to learning the geography of Central and South America, students created Repousse Snake Art, individual Latin American Country Projects, and they enjoyed a field trip for some delicious Cuban food.
Events Calendar
8th graders sharing their gothic horror stories with 5/6
Friday, December 7
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, December 10
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 11
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 12
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 13
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, December 14
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, December 17—Tuesday, January 1, 2019
NO SCHOOL – Winter Break
8th graders testing chemical properties to identify mystery substances as covalent or ionic compounds.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, January 4, 2019
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
NO FENCING
Open House—6:30 p.m.
Friday, January 11, 2019
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Block IIB begins
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, January 21, 2019
NO SCHOOL – MLK Jr. Day
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, January 25, 2019
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
November Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight On…
Open House
Halloween decorations are coming down, pumpkins are softening on doorsteps, and you know what that means. No, not Thanksgiving. Before that! Do you know?
It’s time for Hillside’s first Open House of the 2018-2019 school year!
Please spread the word to any families looking for the next academic step for their students, and join us to connect and chat with current and prospective members of the Hillside Community on Thursday, November 8th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Prehistoric Art
The 5th/6th class is journeying through Ancient History, starting with our Paleolithic ancestors. We learned about how they crafted their cave paintings, and then worked to make our own. We ground pigments, made brushes and pencils out of natural objects, and worked to capture creatures important to each of us today in the style of the Lascaux cave paintings. These are hanging in our “cave,” so stop in the Alder Room to see the cave art in situ!
Jane Eyre
The 8th graders read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, enjoyed seeing the Book-It Theatre production in Seattle, and wrote their own gothic horror stories.
7th Graders or Clones?
The 7th graders are reading the award-winning dystopic novel about clones, House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer. One day, Brynne saw them all reading on the couch and realized they looked like clones as they all raised their books to cover their faces.
Conferences
Hillside’s Fall Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 21st. Keep a look out for the sign-up information coming to your email soon.
8th graders play the Atom Game in Science
Events Calendar
Thursday, November 1
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, November 2
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, November 5
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 6
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 7
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m. (early end time)
Thursday, November 8
Open House—6:30 p.m.
Friday, November 9
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, November 12
NO SCHOOL – Veterans Day (observed)
Kael and special guest Theodore
Tuesday, November 13
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 14
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 15
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, November 16
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, November 19
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 20
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 21
CONFERENCES – NO SCHOOL
Thursday, November 22-Friday, November 23
NO SCHOOL – THANKSGIVING BREAK
5th/6th Halloween
Monday, November 26
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 27
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 28
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 29
Block IIA begins
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, November 30
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Mary Poppins and the Book Fairy
October Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight On…
Community Building
September’s Community Building Day lucked out on the weather! What threatened to be a rainy hike was instead pleasantly cool with periods of sun. We enjoyed the Twin Falls Trail, scenic views, and then reconvened at Hillside for pizza and games. Thank you to everyone who made it to one or both sections, and we hope to see everyone at our next gathering!
New Life to an Ancient Tale 
If you know anything about the story of Gilgamesh, it’s probably that the epic bearing his name is the oldest existing written story. If you know anything else about Gilgamesh, it’s probably that he, king of a city, became best buds with Enkidu, a wild man tamed by the benefits of civilization. We may still have to wait for a blockbuster buddy movie about the two, but we can delve into the drama and the emotion with Lily’s project where she created her interpretation of the Bull of Heaven.
Jean’s New Book is Making History
Jean Sherrard has partnered with Paul Dorpat to create Washington Then & Now, “Westcliffe Publisher’s eighth offering pairing historical photographs with contemporary shots taken of the same locations.“
At 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28, at the Seattle Public Library downtown branch in the Microsoft Auditorium, Paul Dorpat and Jean are launching the book with a talk and book signing.
To learn more about this project, please visit http://www.washingtonthenandnow.com/index.htm. To order your copy, please visit http://www.washingtonthenandnow.com/purchase.htm.
Hillside Abroad
As you may know, this past summer was Hillside’s Europe trip! Please enjoy the snaps from Kael, including the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, some fine dining á Paris, and some great poses on a London street.
Events Calendar
Averie Garman visiting 7th grade students
Thursday, October 4
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, October 5
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, October 8
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
College Information Night—7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 9
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 10
PSAT for 11th graders—8:00 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Copper Lab
Thursday, October 11
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, October 12
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, October 15
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 16
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Copper Lab
Wednesday, October 17
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 18
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, October 19
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, October 22
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 23
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Math AHA moment
Wednesday, October 24
Block IB begins
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 25
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, October 26
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 27
Halloween Party (Upper School)—7:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 28
Seattle Then and Now Book Launch—1:00 p.m.
Monday, October 29
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 30
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 31
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
September Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight on…
Clubs
If you are interested in one (or more) of our clubs, please make sure to sign up with Joel (Joel@hillsidesc.org)!
Animation begins on Friday, 9/7
Games Club begins on Monday, 9/10
Fencing begins on Tuesday, 9/11
Drama Club begins on Wednesday, 9/26
Performing Arts
Hillside teacher Brynne Garman returns to the stage in Tacoma this fall, September 8-30, with Neil Simon’s award-winning, autobiographical coming-of-age story, Brighton Beach Memoirs. This production stars four talented teenagers, supported by three veteran adult actors. It is appropriate for ages 12 and up, dealing with sensitive and timeless issues such as racism, sibling rivalry, and the overall challenges of adolescence in an overcrowded two-family home in the 1930’s. The cast is very talented and the show promises to be both comedic and powerful. For ticket information, contact the Lakewood Playhouse.
Community Building Day
Dear Hillside Families,
You are invited to a Community Building Day for all students and their families in grades 5 to 12 who wish to join us on Saturday, Sept. 8, starting at 1:00 pm and ending at 8:00 pm.
We plan to drive to Twin Falls near North Bend, enjoy a hike in the woods, and return to Hillside by about 4:00 for pizza and an evening of games. Any potluck additions are welcome, but not required.
Please email Joel to let us know whether you and your student wish to attend.
For students riding a school van:
Notify Joel (joel@hillsidesc.org) by Wednesday, September 5, to reserve a space. To ride a van, students must be dropped off at the school shortly before 1:00. We can transport up to 26 students in the school vans. Please let Joel know so we can plan appropriately.
To meet us:
Meet us by 1:30 pm at the Twin Falls Trailhead off Exit 34 near North Bend. A Discover Pass is required for parking. We will hike about 3 miles round trip to the views of the Falls. See details about the hike at https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/twin-falls-state-park.
Attending part of the day:
If a student or family wishes to join us for one part, but not the other (the hike, but not the evening, or vice versa), again, please let us know. We expect to be back at the school by roughly 4:00.
For the hike wear/bring:
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comfortable clothes and hiking boots or walking shoes
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a small daypack with:
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a small snack
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a full water bottle
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a rain jacket just in case
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maybe a camera.
For the evening bring:
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Possibly a game (although we have several available)
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You may bring potluck dish, but as noted above, that is not required.These can be left at the school before the hike. A limited number can be stored in the school refrigerator.
PNWA Presents a FREE Young Author’s Day
Saturday, September 15thfrom 9:00 am – 1:15 pm at the SeaTac Double Tree.
This event includes a keynote address by iconic young adult horror author R.L. Stine, revision workshops, plot development workshops, craft classes, and a graphic novel workshop
Writing Workshops and activities for age groups 8-13 and 13-16 only.
Click HERE to register, and click HERE for a schedule .
Curriculum Night—Thursday 9/13
Please join us to learn about your student(s) upcoming year! You will get to meet your student’s teachers, experience a truncated version of their schedule, and meet other members of our community!
Events Calendar
First Day Teambuilding
Monday, September 3
NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
Wednesday, September 5
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Friday, September 7
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 8
Community Day—1:00 p.m.
First Day Teambuilding
Monday, September 10
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 11
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 13
No Fencing
Curriculum Night—6:30 p.m.
Friday, September 14
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, September 17
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 18
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 19
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Thursday, September 20
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, September 21
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, September 24
Block IA begins
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 25
Teachers’ Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 26
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 27
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, September 28
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
June Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight on…
Solar Panels
In mid-May, Julie organized a workshop with Nicholas Montoni, a PhD student from the Clean Energy Institute at UW. He came and helped the Environmental Science class build their own solar panels.
Community Service
Brynne and the Community Service elective have cleaned up Hillside, cleared trails, planted a garden
at a women’s shelter, visited an animal sanctuary, and more. In addition to their good work, they need our help with their food drive.
Brynne writes, “We are specifically serving the specific deficits for food in the Renton community, as the East side food banks did not need our help. Our school goal is at least 10 of each item on the wish list, and we are far short of this goal at this time.
Canned food can be directly deposited in the bin by the front door, and packaged, bagged or boxed food goes in the barrel you can see through the window in Huckleberry.
The last day for the food drive is Tuesday, June 19. Note: all donations are welcome, but there are shortages in the “wish list” areas.
Contact Brynne with any questions. Thanks!
Pioneer Farm Museum
Sigrid, Brynne, and some brave parents took 14 kids on an overnight to Pioneer Farm Museum and Ohop Indian Village. We learned about life in the 1800s for both American pioneers and the Nisqually people. Activities included shaping arrowheads, grinding coffee, learning songs, cooking over an open fire, and carrying a lot of water for the animals. This hands-on experience will be remembered long after the stains on our clothes have been washed out.
Keeping with the 1800s theme, the 5th/6th is planning a Pioneer Potluck on Wednesday, 6/13 for the students and their families. We will be bringing foods made by the Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie as well as foods that Zitkala-Sa, a member of the Dakota tribe and author of Impressions of an Indian Childhood, might have enjoyed.
Junior Projects Presentation—Noon, Tuesday, June 12
This month our Juniors will be presenting their Junior Projects to their classmates. These projects are self-designed, independent investigations by the student into an area of interest. If any parents would like to attend, please contact Karen at Karen@hillsidesc.org to insure enough space for seating. It is always surprising to see the variety and depth of our students’ interests.
Karen
Animation Night
This yearly event is great fun. Come see the hard work and wonderful imaginations of the student in the Animation elective in this showcase of their work during the year. Animation Night is on June 17th at 7:00 p.m.
Graduation/Play
You have two chances to see the Hillside production of Midsummer’s Night Dream: Friday, June 22nd and Saturday, June 23rd at 7:30 p.m.
However, you have only one chance to attend our 2018 Graduation! That is on Saturday, June 23rd at 4:30 p.m.
Civil War
To the 5/6 students, the Civil War project has been almost as epic as the Civil War itself, stretching over months and involving a lot of effort. The culmination of this project was to create 9-square quilts of paper or fabric, with each square graphically representing the student’s learning on a specific topic. The topic for each square was assigned, but the order of what square goes where was up to them.
Events Calendar
Monday, June 4
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 5
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 7
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, June 8
Animation Club (Term I)—3:00 p.m.
Monday, June 11
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 12
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 13
Little House at Hillside Pioneer Potluck—6:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 14
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, June 15
Animation Club (Term I)—3:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 16
Animation Night—7:30 p.m.
Monday, June 18
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 21
Half Day—Last Day of School
Friday, June 22
Drama Performance—7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 23
Graduation—4:30 p.m.
Drama Performance—7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 24
Set Strike—11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, June 26
All-School Outing/Picnic–stay tuned for details!
Wednesday, June 27
Work Party—5:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 30
Work Party—11:00 a.m.
Sunday, July 1
Work Party—11:00 a.m.
Monday, July 16
Europe Trip Begins!
Today is the day!
GiveBIG is on!
Thank you so much to those who have already donated–we are already at $2,800!
This will be my final reminder about GiveBIG, but I will give you all an update when we have our final numbers.
I hope that, if you have the resources, you take some time to support Hillside and other non-profits near and dear to you. Thank you!
Teacher Appreciation Day Today + GiveBIG Tomorrow
Usually the phrase “Teacher Appreciation” means families and communities demonstrating their appreciation for teachers.
I absolutely encourage that! In fact, a donation to Hillside as part of GiveBIG would be appreciated.
However, this year, I’m looking at Teacher Appreciation differently. I’m asking, “As a teacher, what do I appreciate?”
Appreciation for Teaching:
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The willingness of students to engage with class activities, share their thoughts, and grow
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How funny my students are–I cannot think of a single day of teaching without at least one hearty bout of laughter
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Fresh minds and eyes keep mine fresh too–No matter how many times I have read a book or a poem, my students will find new things and enrich my experience
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Working with people who care deeply about helping students develop who they are and what they can do
Appreciation for Teaching at Hillside:
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Small classes promote close connection between students and teachers–each student is an integral part of the class, and students learn to work together and support each other
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I can pay great attention to the work and progress of each student
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Passionate colleagues who care deeply about both their subject areas and life beyond the classroom
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The verdant forest and clean air cradling Hillside
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Hillside is a choice; each student here demonstrates the trust you place in us
I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and please know that I feel lucky to be a part of the Hillside Community. If you have things that you appreciate about Hillside or our staff, please let me know!
GiveBIG Two Days Away!
Good morning Hillside Community!
The sun is not exactly shining at Hillside right now, but the birds are singing merrily in the trees and new growth limns the plants throughout the forest. Hillside too is hoping to grow and refresh–and we would love your support to do it. You can schedule your GiveBIG donation today, tomorrow, or on Wednesday, the actual GiveBIG date.
May Bulletin
Hillside History Feast
