Kulshan Connect
September 11, 2020
In our Kulshan Community, we are courageous, kind, and committed!
Si desea esta información en español llame al 360-676-6456.
Celebrating Back to School!
A huge thank you to our parents and extended family members who supported KMS students this week during their first few days of school. We appreciate your time, patience, energy, and curiosity. You are learning all the tech tricks right beside us! As you know, our goals for the first week of school were:
- Make connections with students and build community
- Make sure students understand their schedules and have working technology
- Start building routine for students
We met all of these goals and more! It was great to see students engaged, learning, laughing, and connecting with friends. I'm so relieved that in this time of being apart, we can also be together.
KMS Attendance
kmsattendance@bellinghamschools.org or call (360)647-6877.
KMS Library Book Checkout
Do you want to check out some fun books this coming week? Students can use this link to look at the online catalog. If you see something you want that is unavailable, you can log into Destiny and place a hold (same login as for your laptop). To request books, use this form. Mr. Shaffer and Ms. Stephanie will get your books ready for pickup. The first pickup will be Wednesday, Sept 16 from 4:00 - 5:30 PM. Please enter your requests by Tuesday, Sept 15. Requests received after Tuesday may not be ready for next-day pickup (but we'll do our best). As always, email Mr. Shaffer for book recommendations, or any other questions!
Sept 15: You Are Invited!
Do you want to connect with an awesome group of parents dedicated to creating a magnificent experience for their middle schoolers? Come to our September PTSA meeting! And remember, you don't have to be a member to come to our meetings! See you there! Si necesita un intérprete para esta reunión, llame al 360-676-6456 para programarla.
When: Tuesday, September 15
Time: 6:30 PM
Click this Zoom Link to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 929 772 2053
Passcode: 1EqJ61
Do you need Tech Support?
If students are unable to see the Zoom invites in their MS Teams or Outlook, here are some ways you can get your questions answered:
- take a look at this 2 minute video. The video is also available here in Spanish.
- check out these frequently asked Zoom questions
- call Kulshan at 360-676-4886
- fill out this Tech Support form
Mood Meter
Wednesdays 4:00-5:30 PM: Meal Boxes
Our food boxes were so popular, we ran out at many of our sites. But don't despair! We are making even MORE boxes for this next Wednesday. Visit any of our 21 sites on Wednesday anytime from 4:00-5:30 PM for your 10-meal/5-day box. Si desea esta información en español llame al 360-676-6456 o via email.
Reminder: meal boxes are free for all children 0-18. Any family can go to any location and pick up a meal box. We are shifting to incorporating more Central Kitchen made-from-scratch items in meal boxes in the weeks to come, and really want to encourage families to pick up and try out meal boxes. School sites: Alderwood, Birchwood, Carl Cozier, Cordata, Geneva, Happy Valley, Northern Heights, Roosevelt, Wade King, Fairhaven, Kulshan, Shuksan, Whatcom, Bellingham, Sehome. Community sites: Sterling Meadows, Eliza Court, Villa Santa Fe, Evergreen Ridge Apartments, Regency Park, Sudden Valley Community Center.
Sixth Grade News!
Hello 6th grade families! Welcome to Kulshan! We wish we could have hosted an in-person orientation for our incoming 6th grade students this year. Unfortunately, that can't happen right now, although we will do our best to host an in-person orientation when we are allowed to do so prior to any return to the building. We did want to resend out a link to some videos that we filmed in the Spring. These videos contain helpful information about life as a student at Kulshan Middle School, just keep in mind that when we filmed these videos we were hopeful that we would be meeting in person for school this fall. We also have a couple of videos from 6th grade teachers introducing themselves so you can match faces to the names you see on your schedule! If you have Band, Orchestra, Music, or Choir, here is a video of Ms. Barrett! We are so excited to have you with us for this exciting school year! We are excited for this school year and looking forward to seeing you Tuesday morning!
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
KMS Student Artwork
2020-2021 Kulshan PTSA
KMS Counselor Corner
We are super excited to welcome all of you back to school and can’t wait to meet all of our new families. Please feel free to reach out with any student or family specific needs and we will see how we can help. As always, our goal is to support the social and emotional needs of all our students. Take care and see you soon!
Aaron Tiger - Counselor (cell 360-739-3991)
Jen Newbauer - Counselor (cell 360-739-4138)
Viry Ferreira - KMS Registrar
How to Support Teens' Emotional Well-Being
While some people think of "Back to School" as a time to buy items from a long list of supplies, we want to kick off this school year with a 2020 Back-to-School List for Teens’ Emotional Well-Being. If you are unable to access the link/ article, here are the key things that teens need for September 2020:
- Safe ways to see their friends: Teenagers need the emotional support and they need time to strengthen ties with peers. They can connect online or in person, but they will need some COVID reminders if they are wanting to meet up at a park or go on a bike ride with a friend.
- Time with other adults: Teens benefit from spending time with adults who are not their parents, like teachers, mentors, bosses, coaches, and advisors.
- Reliable routines: A reliable daily schedule with designated time for learning, leisure, physical activity and sleep promotes overall well being and reduces stress.
- Warmth and support at home: This whole online, pandemic version of school will be a bumpy ride for everyone. As parents, we are also feeling fatigued and stressed. But creating strong, steady, calm relationships will help our teens feel our love.
Kulshan Garden
Fall 2020 Food Bank Locations
The Bellingham Food Bank schedule:
Tuesdays: Shuksan Middle School from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: Christ the King on Meridian from 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Thursdays: Civic Field from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Check out the Bellingham Food Bank to learn more or to make a donation.
District Resources Website
We Miss You and We Love You!
Kulshan Contacts
Kevin Terpstra, Assistant Principal
Jeneen Durand, Attendance Secretary
We love you and we miss you and we hope you are staying safe and healthy!
Kulshan Middle School 1250 Kenoyer Drive Bellingham, WA 98229 360-676-4886