CONTACT US OFFICE HOURS Main office - Kulshan Middle School

Si desea esta informaci?n en espa?ol llame al 676-6456.

CONTACT US Attendance: 647-6877 Main office: 676-4886 x2 Counseling: 676-4886 x3

In our Kulshan Community, we are courageous, kind, and committed!

OFFICE HOURS Main office: 8:45 - 4:30 Attendance: 8:45 - 4:30 Counseling: 8:45 - 4:00

KULSHAN MIDDLE SCHOOL ? 1250 KENOYER DR, BELLINGHAM, WA 98229 ? 360-676-4886

April 2018

Bellingham Foundation Funds KMS Snow School UPCOMING EVENTS

April 2-6: Spring Break

Hint: Read the book "The Distance Between Us" by Reyna Grande

April 9: First day of sports practice (Cross-country, football, girls basketball) 4:00-5:30 PM

April 10: PTSA Meeting, 6:15 PM, Library

April 11: 7th Grade Disaster Preparedness Event, 2:00 PM, KMS Commons

April 11: Kulshan Reads Community Book Club, KMS library 6:00 pm

May 8: PTSA Meeting, 6:15 PM, Library

May 11: SPIE Laser Assembly, 2:45, Commons

Learning the Science of Snow at Kulshan

Sports schedules and events will be sent home with athletes the week after Spring Break.

Is there a better way to spend a blue, sunny March day than learn about the science of snow in our incredible backyard? Ms. Frimml's Launch class attended Snow School at the Mount Baker a.k.a. Koma Kulshan. "It was really fun to get out of city limits," noted 6th grader Jenna LaMont. Educators from

the North Cascades Institute ing to the mountainous sur-

and Western Washington roundings, learned about

University led the students snow algae and avalanches,

through hands-on experienc- and made their own three-

es to study snowpack, snow dimensional maps of the

stability, watershed and cli- Mount Baker watershed.

mate issues, and map reading. Students strapped on snowshoes as they measured and weighed snow samples, oriented themselves accord-

Sergio Zamudio appreciated the new experiences: "I never used tools like that or used snowshoes before."

Kulshan Reads!

When: April 11, 2018 at 6pm Where: Kulshan Middle School Library Who: Students, Family Members, Kulshan Community members Why?: To celebrate and discuss the book.

Join us for our first (in recent history) Kulshan community book club. This book club is made up of kids, adults and good reads. We will meet to make connections and discuss the book. We have many copies of the book in the Kulshan library that students and family members can check out. This year's book is The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande. We have multiple copies of the book available in the library in the adult and young reader's edition. Parents and guardians can check these copies out too. Here's a summary of the book:

When her parents make the dangerous and illegal trek across the Mexican border in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are forced to live with their stern grandmother, as they wait for their parents to build the foundation of a new life.

But when things don't go quite as planned, Reyna finds herself preparing for her own journey to "El Otro Lado" to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years: her long-absent father. Both funny and heartbreaking, The Distance Between Us sheds light on the immigrant experience beautifully capturing the struggle that Reyna and her siblings endured while trying to assimilate to a different culture, language, and family life in El Otro Lado (The Other Side).

Questions? Email Nicky Cook Desler here. nicky.cook-desler@

Dear Kulshan Families: Happy Spring! The PTSA is beginning to plan for the next school year and would love you to join us for the April 10th meeting. We will meet in the KMS Library at 6:15 PM. If you are interested in becoming a board member, chairing an event, volunteering, or if your just curious about what PTSA does at Kulshan, we would love for you to attend. If you know families of 5th grade students that will be attending KMS next year, please invite them to come. The school year is not over yet! PTSA has events coming up that require volunteers and donations.

Teacher Appreciation week is May 7 ? 11. Please look for emails and Facebook posts near the end of April. The 8th Grade Celebration will be held on June 12th. The planning committee is working hard to make this a special day for our 8th grade students. A celebration for friends and family will be held at 2:00 PM. They are also planning a dance at 7:00 PM for students. Volunteers will be needed for the day of the event. Please contact Lisa Zerbes at 360931-1350 if you would like to help. A HUGE thank you to everyone that volunteered at the ASB Social. The ASB did a wonderful job organizing the event! Don't forget to support KMS by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card & Amazon account to the PTSA, and keep the Box Tops coming. We hope everyone has a great Spring Break! Kulshan Middle School PTSA

kulshanmsptsa@

Tuesday, April 10th at 6:15

Summer Enrichment Scholarships

Is your child interested in a summer camp that is just too expensive for your budget? For those interested in summer enrichment scholarship opportunities, the Assistance League of Bellingham (ALB) is offering scholarships for up to $400. These scholarships are available for programs or camps that take place during the summer months. There is a wide range of qualifying subjects including debate, chess, music, dance, theater, writing, art, leadership, science/technology, and much more. ALB will not fund sports camps, programs in foreign countries, private lessons, or religion-centered camps.

Our Kulshan counseling office has applications for the scholarships, which are due by March 28. If you are interested, please contact Kevin Terpstra or Aaron Tiger or call the school and ask to be transferred to student services. 360-676-4886

Kulshan Student Wins First Place

Congratulations to 7th grader Shahmeer Imran for winning 1st place in the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair competition held in Bremerton, March 24. The competition included over 250 participants in his division.

Using the Scientific Process of inquiry, Shahmeer devised a project which was able to harvest energy from oceanic wave action. His instrument used this movement to gain a mechanical advantage thus producing electrical energy.

Judges in the competition included officers from the Naval Base.

Safe Schools

Anonymous Reporting

Bellingham Public Schools is now using Safe Schools Alert to allow students to anonymously report safety concerns including bullying, harassment, intimidation and more. Students may report anonymously via:

Web: safe Text or phone call: 844-310-9560 Email: 1491@alert1.us

The safety of our students is a top priority. If you have questions about Safe Schools Alert or safety in our schools, contact the Director of School Safety and Emergency Management, Jonah Stinson at 360676-6470 ext. 6533 or emergency.

Taxes can seem complicated at best to many people, but that doesn't have to be the case. There are plenty of resources that can help you figure out your taxes, and even some places right here in Whatcom County that will give you free help preparing your return.

Free Tax Preparation in Whatcom County:

If You Need Help Filing Your Taxes

Does your household make less than $54,000/ year? If so, you can get free assistance filing your taxes at the Opportunity Council.

Call 360-734-5121 ext. 241 to schedule your appointment.

Parent Taxes Resource: money-management/taxes/

For Families & Parents:

Are you interested in monitoring your child's smart phone or device more closely? Here are some apps that other parents are using:

Life 360/ The New Family Circle: Life360 is a family locator, messaging tool and communication app all in one.

Qustodia Designed to supervise, control, and manage your child's app from your cell phone.

U Know Kids This app allows you to see what your child is doing on social media, to a certain degree. You can see their posts and activity on Instagram, for example.

Our Pact - Allows you to manage your child's cell phone use by turning on and off (or setting up a schedule) access to internet and/or certain aps or texting. You can do it by time of day (i.e. internet access on phone goes off at 8pm and back on at 8am), or you can do it manually at any time. This program also has a location feature.

Teen Safe This app gives you the ability to text messages, including deleted texts. And it offers a free trial.

Counselors Corner

Beginning April 12th our 8th grade students will be participating in a Healthy Choices unit through their MAP classes. We will be bringing in a variety of community members to introduce their work and some important topic areas and also engage in discussion with the students. The volunteers will rotate through the classes over the course of 8 sessions so that each student will get the information from each organization. A few of the participating organizations are Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center (WDRC), Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS), MAD HOPE (suicide prevention education), Common Sense Media, WWU Peer Sexual Health Educators, and Teen Council (a program run by Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood). and more. If you have more questions about which groups will be speaking to the students and what they will be covering there is information posted in the students' One Note MAP folder. We are excited to give students the opportunity to have these discussions and learn from community members!

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a free parent? child toolkit to discuss media usage and create a plan for safe and healthy use. Click here to use.

As an added reminder, you can monitor your student's school issued device outside of school hours using the apparent.online app. E-mail our EdTech Coach for access:

Tommy.Lingbloom@

Skyward Access

Kulshan Snow Routes

How do I find my snow bus route?

Snow bus routes are posted on our Snow Routes webpage. Search for a snow route by clicking on your school. If you have more questions, visit our Weather Procedures and Snow Routes webpage.

Our Kulshan students will now be viewing their schedules and progress reports in Skyward. Do you have questions about accessing Skyward?

Parent instructions can be found here.

Student instructions can be found here.

Both of these are available on our Family page here.

You can also download the Skyward App on your smart phone. Then you can check attendance, grades, and teacher notes on your phone!

Our Spa Water Choices

What's in the water? Every day students can access our water dispenser station at lunch time. There is always one plain ice water choice. And then there are flavored water choices including fresh lemon slices, fresh orange slices, sliced cucumber, peppermint and fresh basil. Many students were intrigued to try the fresh basil water. Students are welcome to get a glass of water with lunch at the dispenser and/ or fill up their water bottle. It's a good thing.

From the Garden to the Lunch Line

Coming soon! Fresh salad greens and radishes are almost ready to harvest in the Kulshan garden. Look for the Fresh from the Garden sign at the Salad Bar and you will know when they have arrived and are ready to eat. They are sure to be delicious!

The Battle of the Books winner is Rain, Reign!

Students spent four weeks voting from a list of 36 books and paring the list down each week until we found the #1 book for Kulshan Middle School for the 20172018 school year. The vote was really tight the this week where at many point there was a tie, but Rain, Reign pulled ahead 55 to 53 votes and has been established as the winner. Thank you for everyone who voted!

Annual Spring State Assessments

A reminder that students in grades 3 through 8 and high school will be taking state assessments this spring to measure English language arts (ELA), mathematics and science proficiency. Kulshan will be testing April 19-24 and May 8-11

We encourage students, families and staff to keep these assessments in perspective and to remember that state tests are only one benchmark. Your child's teachers are the best resource for a complete picture of your child's academic proficiency.

As with any day of important learning, a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast are an essential part of every school day. We recommend parents and guardians talk to their child about their learning and school day and keep things in perspective (and not overemphasize the test).

For more information, talk with your child's teacher or counselor.

Our Kulshan Counseling Team:

Aaron Tiger--Counselor Kevin Terpstra--Counselor Stephen Wallinger-- Counseling Intern

360-676-4886 #3

Spring Testing:

April 19-24 and May 8-11 are our tentative testing dates.

Summer Job Opportunity

If you have a student who will be 14 or older during the summer, the Department of Ecology Youth Corps has job opportunities that will pay $11.50 per hour, working 30 hours per week over one month of the summer. Please contact Mr. Terpstra or Mr. Tiger in Student Services if you would like to pick up an application.

We Are Growing Good Eaters!

Happy Spring! We're delighted to be back in the garden! Students are cultivating and planting garden beds with peas, lettuce, broccoli, radishes, and much more. At Kulshan we are also expanding our Permaculture Food Forest, adding in berries, herbs, flowers, and countless other plants. Come celebrate school gardens at Common Threads' 4th annual Dirt Fest on Wednesday, April 18th: Join the Common Threads team for a community-wide garden party at Parkview Elementary 2:30 - 4:00pm. PLUS, dine out at Goat Mountain Pizza 11am - 2pm & 5 - 8pm. For more info, or if you're interested in joining us in the garden, please email me here.

Marit Olson AmeriCorps Food Educator

Lunch News

Meal Account Charges

Families are now receiving charges notices regarding meal accounts through Skyward Messenger. If you have not been receiving balance updates, please call (360676-4886) or email (Viridianna.Ferreira@) She can check to see if email address and other information is correct. She can also help you update your contact info if it has changed. All charges should be paid promptly. Thank you.

Nota a las familias: Viry Ferreira habla espa?ol.

Emergency & Weather Procedures:

It's time again to think about snow and our procedures and impact of weather-related school cancellations. Depending on conditions (which could include snow, flooding, power outages, etc.), school could: ? close for the day ? open two hours late with regular bus routes or snow bus routes ? open on time with snow bus routes.

How can I get weather/emergency information?

Bellingham Public Schools uses a variety of methods to keep you informed:

An email alert will automatically come to you if you have an email address in SchoolMessenger or Skyward (via Skylert tab; go here for step-by-step directions). For an early a.m. text, please check your notification preferences in Skyward or contact 360-6766520.

Tune to local media: 790 AM, 96.5 FM, 104.1 FM or Seattle media.

Check Check @BhamSD on Twitter or @bellinghamschools on Facebook

Call 360-676-6400 for a recorded message. Call 360-647-6815 for a message translated in

Espa?ol, , t?nh t and Punjabi.

After-School Dinner Program Free

for all Students 18 and Under

Bellingham Public Schools currently offers free hot dinner to all children 18 and under in the community. These meals are offered daily Mondays through Thursdays through June 6, 2018. Dinner is served from 5 to 6 p.m. at Shuksan Middle School, located at 2717 Alderwood Avenue (at the corner of Northwest and Alderwood).

Please note: Accompanying adults are charged $4. All meals must be eaten onsite in the Shuksan cafeteria and to go options are not available. Dinner will not be served on the following Thursdays that are middle school early dismissal days: Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 8, April 26.

Did you know?

We ask our Kulshan students to charge their laptops every night. Often times, students forget, so they check out a charger from our library. But sometimes, we run out of chargers. We ask you to partner with us in our "Charged Up" reminder to students-- please ask your student to leave their laptop plugged in every night. Thank you!

Kulshan Middle School

MEMBERSHIP FORM

The Kulshan Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association invites you to make a difference in the lives of our students. Your membership and/or participation will support a better middle school experience.

How can you help? Join PTSA to become a voting member

Volunteer for KMS events Donate to the Middle School Fundraiser

Name: ________________________________________

Email Address: _______________________________

Address : _____________________________________

Phone/Cell: _______________________________

Name: _____________________________________

Email Address: _______________________________

Address : _____________________________________

Phone/Cell: _______________________________

Student Name: _____________________________________ Grade: 6th 7th 8th

Student Name: _____________________________________ Grade: 6th 7th 8th

____ Single Membership $10.00 ____ Family Membership (2 adults) $18.00 ____ Student / Teacher / KMS Staff Membership: $8.00

Total $__________

Please make checks payable to "KMS PTSA" Forms and payment may be returned to the school office or mailed to:

KMS PTSA 1250 Kenoyer Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229.

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Kulshan PTSA Meeting Schedule for the 2017-2018 School Year

September 12

October 10

November 14

December ? No meeting

January 9

February 13

March 13

April 10

May 8

June 5

Meetings start at 6:15 PM, and are held in the KMS Library.

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