DISCOVER YOUR GIFTS!
Hillside Student Community School
April Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight On…
Award Update from Jean about Seattle Now & Then
So far, we’ve received two awards – we’re finalists in the Independent Book Publishers of America’s Benjamin Franklin award (https://www.ibpa-online.org/news/440987/31st-Annual-IBPA-Benjamin-Franklin-Awards.htm#reg). We’ll find out on April 5th – following the award ceremony in Chicago – whether we are awarded gold or silver.
Also, just got notification that the Association of King County Historical Organizations have given us the 2019 Virginia Marie Folkins Award (http://www.akcho.org/awards/).
Cooking Elective—Guest Chefs
Brynne is looking for parent Guest Chefs for our spring Tuesday/Thursday cooking elective. If any parent would like to teach a guest lesson in the kitchen, please contact Brynne (brynne@hillsidesc.org)!
Drama Club One-Acts
If you want to see the performances again, or missed out on seeing them the first time, rejoice! Jean has posted them online for your viewing pleasure.
Brynne’s Summer Study,
I am proud to announce to staff, parents and students that I got a scholarship to study East Asian Literature in Indiana this summer, funded by the Freeman Foundation. This will directly support my teaching of World Cultures-China course for grade 7 as well as my grades 7/8 Humanities courses.
Good Luck Kael!
If you see Kael, wish him luck fencing at the North America Cup in Salt Lake City on 4/14 & 15 (He will be arranging a sub for 4/15).
GiveBIG May 8th, 2019/T-Shirt Design Contest
Since this is Hillside’s 50thyear, I decided to connect GiveBIG with some big thinking about what a special place Hillside is. I am going to be sending out (in batches) 50 Hillside connections or memories leading up to/on the day of GiveBIG along with a few possible action items for our community members.
If you have a Hillside connection or memory you would like to share, please email it to me!
My first action is to kick off our 50thyear T-shirt Design Contest!
Rules:
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Design can be digital (email me a file) or hard copy (hand me the art)
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Art/Graphics should be created specifically for this (i.e. no stealing someone’s idea from the internet)
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Design should have 1-3 colors used
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Must celebrate Hillside’s 50 years
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Designs should be submitted no later than Thursday, 4/28
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All designs that meet these criteria will be posted for voting!
7th Grade Poetry Project
Events Calendar
Tuesday, April 2
Block IIIB begins
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 3
8th Grade Sharing Stories with 5/6
History Feast Practice—3:00 p.m.
Friday, April 5
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, April 8—Friday, April 12
NO SCHOOL—Spring Break
Monday, April 15
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 16
Chicken Wing Dissection
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 17
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
History Feast Practice—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 18
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Monday, April 22
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
History Feast Practice—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 23
PSAT 10—8:00 a.m.
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 25
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, April 26
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, April 29
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 30
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Hillside Weather Report – School open and on time!
Friday, March 8th. School is back in session!
March Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight On…
Pi Day Open House
We are having our Open House on 3/14, actual Pi Day! Whether you like tasty math-related food or just want to connect with the Hillside Community, please join us.
As always, encourage those students and families you know who might be good matches for Hillside to come along and check us out. Feel free to bring your own Pi Day contribution to share if you would like!
Drama Club Showcase—Rescheduled!
Despite the weather, the show must go on—and it will! On Friday, March 15th at 7:30 p.m. please come and see what the Drama Club has been working on! Some of their work is rated PG13, so be aware of that when planning…
Gawain and the Green Knight
The Medieval-Renaissance Literature class has been reading Gawain and the Green Knight and learning about life in the medieval time period. Here are some of their visualizations of their learning.
Apple Mummies
The 5/6 class is wrapping up their study of Ancient Egypt by making tombs. Of course, any good Egyptian tomb needs a mummy, so we used apples. First we carved faces, then buried them in salt to desiccate them. Following that, we wrapped them with protective amulets and coated them with wax, before carefully tucking them into gold coffins. Below, please see the apples before salt and after.
Events Calendar
Monday, March 4
Drama Club rehearsal—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 5
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 6
Drama Club rehearsal—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 7
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, March 8
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 9
Drama Club Dress Rehearsal—1:00 p.m.
Monday, March 11
Drama Club rehearsal—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 12
Fencing —3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 13
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club rehearsal—3:00 p.m.
History Feast Practice—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 14
Pi Day Open House—6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 15
Drama Showcase Performance—7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 19
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20
History Feast Practice—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 21
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, March 22
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 26
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
History Feast Practice—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 28
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Friday, March 29
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
February Bulletin
What’s Happening at Hillside
Spotlight on…
World Cultures field trip for an African meal
Poetry Out Loud
Please congratulate Lily Maltz and Harrison Lin for their fine performances in the 2019 Poetry Out Loud Competition! Lily edged out Harrison by one point (Lily, 153, Harrison, 152) with her fine recitations of “Dulce Et Decorem Est” by Wilfred Owen and “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman.
Lily will be advancing to regional competition at the Tacoma Little Theatre at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 2. I will be there to cheer her on, and I hope some of you can make it as well. If she places in the top 2 spots at regionals, she will advance to state competition in March, which can qualify her for scholarship money and a trip to Washington, D.C. later in the spring.
Special thanks to Jess for supporting this program with the high school language arts students, Laura for allowing the 8th graders to attend, and to Kael and Sigrid for assisting with judging. I also hired 2 outside judges who volunteered their time to help us create truly objective scoring.
Please let me know if you would like to hitch a ride in my car to regionals…I can carry 4 people in my car. We will be home by 1:30 p.m.
Happy Friday!
Brynne
Poetry Out Loud Coach/Coordinator
Open House
Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, we hope to see you at February 7th’s Open House. As always, we love connecting with you, and we encourage you to connect any prospective students with us! It’s wonderful to share Hillside with students looking for the right fit, so please send any families that are looking for the right school in our direction.
Drama Club Showcase
Valentine’s Day can be rife with drama—but this year, we invite you to see drama of a different sort. The Drama Club’s annual showc
ase will be on Thursday, February 14th, and we hope you’ll make your evening special by attending!
Conferences
Our spring round of conferences is on Friday, February 15. The sign up link will be emailed out on Monday, 2/4.
Games Club Hiatus
Games Club Families! Please note that there is a hiatus in the club between Mid-Winter Break and Spring Break. Games Club will return after Spring Break in April!
Edible Egypt
The 5/6 students have been studying the art, architecture, and mythology from Ancient Egypt. Just before winter break, we recreated Egyptian landmarks using graham crackers and candy, a la the more typical gingerbread house. Students studied the purpose, history, and architecture of their landmarks before, like the Egyptians of old, building them. Unlike the Egyptians, we could eat the final products.
5/6th Topographical Maps hands-on activity
Events Calendar
Friday, February 1
Animation Club—3:00 p.m.
Monday, February 4
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 5
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 6
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
5/6th Topographical Maps hands-on activity
Thursday, February 7
No Fencing
Open House—6:30 p.m.
Friday, February 8
No School—WEATHER MAKE-UP DAY
Monday, February 11
Games Club—3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 12
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 13
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Drama Club—3:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 14
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Drama Club Showcase—7:30 p.m.
Glorious caprese skewers for theStaff Secret Pal Reveal Potluck
Friday, February 15
CONFERENCES – NO SCHOOL
Monday, February 18—Friday, February 22
NO SCHOOL – Midwinter Break
Monday, February 25
No Games Club—on hiatus until after Spring Break
Tuesday, February 26
Block IIIA begins
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 27
Teacher’s Meeting—11:35 a.m.
Thursday, February 28
Fencing—3:00 p.m.
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.
