Summer Arts Improvisation Camp

May 8, 2013 By

The Explorer West Summer Arts Improvisation Camp - Theatre, Circus, Fine Arts, Dancing & Singing

WHAT: The Theme of the Camp is IMPROVISATION and interconnected art! A two-week performing and fine arts camp

  • Designed for any incoming 6th grade to outgoing 8th grade middle school students
  • Tell your friends about the camp – any student (not just Explorer West) can join the camp

WHERE: Explorer West Middle School

WHEN: June 17th – June 28th, Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 3:00pm
WHO:
  • Britt Williams – Dance: Britt began teaching dance to middle school students ten years ago. Campers will experiment with a diverse selection of movement styles accessible to beginner and advanced dancers. As a team, they will choreograph several pieces for the final performance.
  • David Kelly – Theatre and Circus Arts: After teaching in summer camps and creating professional training programs for young actors, David has directed more than 30 youth theatre productions. Summer is a time to let lose and enjoy creative play.
  • Kimm Stammen – Music: Kimm is a musician with many years of experience as an instructor and performer, in many different musical genres. She had a great time teaching at Explorer West recently, and is looking forward to working again with the creative energy of middle school students.
  • Mystery Art Teacher – Art: Sarah can’t make it this year. We are close to finding an amazing replacement for her. While Sarah can never really be replaced, we are sure you will be happy with her sub for the camp.

WHY: Because it is fun! During camp, students will explore dance, acting, circus arts, music, and fine arts in the theme of improvisation. How does a painting inspire a work of dance? How does a song inspire a scene? Students will create their own world of art in a camp that is designed for any skill level. Students will work towards a one-of-a-kind student created final performance for families and friends.

COST: $395
HOW: Student spots are limited.

Please contact the school for an enrollment form and submit materials to Explorer West Middle School (10015 28th Ave. SW Seattle WA 98146) with a non-refundable deposit of $95 to hold your spot. ENROLLMENT ENDS: May 15, 2012.

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Questions? Please contact David Kelly via email: davidk@explorer-west.org or call Explorer West Middle School. 

Filed Under: Community Outreach, Education Program

Win for Plastic Prevention – Environmental Slam

April 25, 2013 By

The Explorer West Middle School community congratulates the three groups of students chosen to represent Explorer West at Washington Foundation for the Environment’s “3rd Annual Great Environmental Issues Slam” last night at The Flagship REI Store. The 6 students (across three teams) had 5 minutes to present their issues to a packed room of audience members who had the chance to vote at the end. The other contestants were all talented, adult speakers from a range of non-profits.

Although all of the students gave strong presentations on their issues, one of the EW student teams, presenting on “Drastic Plastic,” won the slam and the opportunity to donate $1,000 to the charity of their choice that is working to deal with the issue of plastics in our world’s oceans.

Students excited to win the slam for “Drastic Plastic” presentation.

Explorer West students have decided to hold a vote this week to decide which non-profit receives the donation from Washington Foundation for the Environment.

At the event, the foundation recognized Explorer West for being the only school asked willing to take on the challenge to participate. We thank teacher, Tim Owens, for building this new relationship for the school and for running the school-wide slam (with 20+ participating teams) to narrow it down this final group.

Thank you for all of the people who attended to support our contestants!

Here are some of our other speakers in action:

An issue close to home/school – “The Duwamish: A Danger in Our Backyard.”

Sharing info about “The Duwamish: A Danger in Our Backyard.”

Topic “Who takes out the trash?” with a memorized script.

Thank you to the Washington Foundation for the Environment: www.wffe.org for including us in this event. We hope to make it an annual tradition.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

2013-2014 Student Registration Forms

April 23, 2013 By

 The student registration forms for the 2013-2014 school year are now ready to download. Please find the forms you need in the folder below and return them to the office at your earliest convenience.

March 2013 Letter to Returning Families

Student Supply List

Photo Consent

Outdoor Education Release of Liability

Medication Administering

Field Trip and Program Permission Slip

Drivers Form

Concussion Information and Acknowledgement

Auth. for Administ. of Oral Medication at School

2013-2014 Emergency Data and Release Form – Student Information

13-14 Physical Exam Form

certficate of immun status

Thank you for helping us prepare for the 2013-2014 school year!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Thanks for Attending – Cybersafety Education Night

March 18, 2013 By

Thank you to all of the families and community members who participated in the Cybersafety Education Night on May 7th. We will be following up with materials provided by the Seattle Police Department Speaker. It was an informative evening for both parents and students!

PCN Education Night: Cybersafety

May 7th, 7pm – Explorer West Middle School Gym

Presented by a local expert: Stefanie Thomas from the Seattle Police Department, where she is a victim advocate with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Stefanie will be sharing information about:

  • Cyberbullying
  • Social networking
  • Online posting
  • Sexting
  • Safety tips
  • Teens as targets

We invite parents/guardians to attend with your Explorer West student. You are welcome to invite other family or friends who might be interested, but please note that the speaker has recommended that the program is geared for parents/guardians and middle school aged children or older. The PCN is sponsoring the event, so there is no charge to attend but we will request RSVPs closer to the date. Please contact Amy French at  with any questions or to find out ways to get involved in the event.

Filed Under: Parent Community, Save the Date, Uncategorized

New Gear Lists – Spring Outdoor Ed

March 18, 2013 By

Check out the new gear lists posted on the Outdoor Education Spring Program page. More information about the Spring trips will be shared soon. Also, look out for upcoming volunteer opportunities to get involved in repacking supplies for the trips. Please contact Phil with any questions: philg@explorer-west.org.

Thank you!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

This Week – Students Compete in Regional Environmental Issues Slam

March 11, 2013 By

Congratulations to the three groups of students chosen to represent Explorer West at Washington Foundation for the Environments’ “3rd Annual Great Environmental Issues Slam” on April 24th at The Flagship REI Store.

Lily Reed, Annie Steinberg, and Maryellen Fleming

Jasmine Alvarado-Salinas and Marvin Hernandez

Makenzie White

Students and families are welcome to attend and offer their support! More information on the poster below or contact Tim Owens: timo@explorer-west.org.

Filed Under: Community Outreach, Education Program, Sustainability, Uncategorized

Families Connect at 1st Supper Circle

March 11, 2013 By

Four families joined together this past weekend for the first PCN Supper Circle.  Conversation flowed throughout the evening as food and stories abounded.  It was such a wonderful time to come together in a beautiful home to get to know one another a little better.  We left feeling like the creation of community was furthered as we shared our love for Explorer West and our appreciation of being a part of a vibrant community of parents!

Please join the next PCN Supper Circle which is taking place on Sunday, May 19th!  You can sign up via Sign-Up Genius at www.signupgenius.com or by contacting Shari Leid at .

Supper Circles are small, organized dinner groups consisting of 3-4 families that are held in the home of one of the families. When families volunteer to be involved, they sign up to be either a guest or a host family.  The dinners are potluck style.  The host provides the main dish (anything from pizza to a family favorite, etc,….)  The purpose of the Supper Circles is to give families from different grades a chance to meet one another, an opportunity to learn about events and opportunities at EW, a fun evening filled with lively discussions related to the wonders of parenting middle schoolers, and a vehicle to foster a supportive parent community at EW. Attendance by your middle-school student is optional.

Thank you to Shari for bringing the idea of Supper Circles to the EW Community!

Filed Under: Parent Community, Uncategorized

Team Read Volunteer Work

March 6, 2013 By

EW student volunteers weekly for Team Read.

Since October, Explorer West 8th grader Liam has been matched with his student reader Jorge at a nearby elementary school.  The pair meets twice each week after school to work on Jorge’s reading skills.  Together, the pair works on vocabulary development, fluency and reading comprehension. 

Jorge clearly enjoys working with Liam.  The second grader reads out-loud proudly for his tutor and answers the challenging comprehension questions Liam asks about their books. Together, the pair has read 46 books since October.  Liam has Jorge read each book 3 times to practice fluency and to build Jorge’s comprehension skills. The pair has also practiced hundreds of vocabulary words in their Power Reader Journal.
Liam is one of several Explorer West 8th graders currently volunteering their time as tutors in their community.  “It is important to me that all [students] get the education they deserve,” Liam wrote in his application to Team Read.  A big “Thank you!” to Liam for making good on his commitment to help another student. 
Filed Under: Community Outreach, Student News

Rome Trip – Prep Time

February 10, 2013 By

8th graders work on Roman architecture projects.

“Rome Prep” has taken many forms in the 8th grade class. Students took lecture notes on aspects of classical architecture, the chronology of the Roman state, and Roman building techniques and materials. They have also read, written comments on, and discussed the sections “Building the City of Rome” and “Building Techniques and Styles” in Roman Architecture by Nigel Rodgers.

Each student developed a PowerPoint presentation or poster on a structure in Rome. The topics ranged from ancient buildings, such as the Colosseum or the Pantheon, to Renaissance and Baroque structures, most of which were built atop ancient buildings. In addition, the students have used Google Earth to “walk” the neighborhoods of Rome and see bird’s eye and street views of many of the buildings they will be seeing in Rome.

The Web projects Rome Reborn and The Plan of Rome have provided enlightening reconstructions of Rome at the height of the Empire, in the fourth century AD. All students have attended several “Rome Meetings” at lunch, in which we go over the itinerary and explain to students what they’ll be doing and seeing when in Rome, teach some handy Italian phrases, and the trip’s leaders and organizers answer as many questions of a practical and general nature as we can.

With all of that important prep work behind them, now the students just need to pack and get to the airport on time.

Have a wonderful trip 8th graders!

Filed Under: Education Program, Rome, Student News, Uncategorized

Geography Bee Winners

January 31, 2013 By

Explorer West Winners of the National Geographic Bee.

After several rounds of elimination, sixth grader, Brendan Moore, took the top prize and won the school-wide National Geographic Bee. Brendan will now await word of his results on a written test to see if he is invited to compete at the state level.

Taking second place was fellow sixth grader Nicholas Sandford who battled Brendan through several tie breaker rounds until Brendan’s answer of “Somalia” earned him top honors. Seventh grader Mia Bilick took third place.

Prior to the championship round with Brendan and Nicholas, ten (of the original thirty) school-wide contestants made it to the 2nd round.

Congratulations to Brendan, Nicholas and Mia!

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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