Kulshan Connect
December 11, 2020
In our Kulshan Community, we are courageous, kind, and committed!
Si desea esta información en español llame al 360-676-6456.
Free Student Masks Available at KMS
We are continuing to distribute our Kulshan Thunderbird student masks this week! Each Kulshan student will receive one student mask with the Kulshan logo on the front. Parents can pick up a mask for their student or students can come on their own – walking, biking, or WTA bussing is encouraged. Please follow all COVID safety procedures: wear a mask, keep 6 feet distance from others, and wash/ sanitize your hands before you arrive. If you have any COVID symptoms, please ask a friend to pick up your mask for you. We are open:
- Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
- Tuesday and Wednesday: 4:00-5:30 PM
3rd Wednesday: Bellingham Public Library Book Club
We are so lucky to have Jen Lovchik, the Teen Librarian at the Bellingham Public Library, join us each month for a Book Club! The format will change a little bit in January, but we have one more meeting for 2020, this Wednesday! 6th grade: 1:00-1:45 PM-- 7th grade: 2:00-2:45 PM -- 8th grade: 3:00-3:45 PM. Contact Mr. Shaffer for the Zoom link and calendar invite!
College Bound Scholarship
Hello families of 7th and 8th grade students! Have you heard of the Washington College Bound Scholarship? This is a scholarship that is given out by Washington State and can be used to go to a 4-year University, Community College, or a Tech School. The scholarship won't cover the entire tuition but it will cover a large portion of it over 4 years. Click here to see if you qualify for the Washington College Bound Scholarship. Students must be signed up for this scholarship before the end of their 8th grade year to be eligible. If you apply before January the required signature will be waived due to COVID, so fill it out now. If you have further questions you can reach out to Jen Newbauer or Aaron Tiger . To learn more and apply click this link.
Gift Certificates!
Who wants to win? Get ready for Winter Break reading! Any student who picks up a book from our library in December will be entered to win a gift certificate from either Village Books or Lafeen's. If you picked up this week, you are already entered! Contact Mr. Shaffer if you have questions. Scroll down further in this newsletter for our general KMS Book Pick up information.
District Meal Distribution
The last food distribution of the year will be Wednesday, December 16 at the regular 21 locations. The Dec. 16 box will contain 21 meals to cover additional days during winter break. The Dec. 16 box will also include a recipe for carrot ginger soup created by the Central Kitchen and Common Threads. All the ingredients needed for this soup are in the Dec. 16 box. Important note: there will be no meal box distributions on Dec. 23 and 30. The Bellingham Food Bank will continue to operate around the holidays. Visit their website for more information on times and locations. If you need additional support, please contact the Family Resource Center (FRC) now by filling out the help form or calling 360-676-6456. Meal box distribution will remain on Wednesdays starting in January 2021.
Student STEM Items Available
Did you make a project in Mr. Hendrick's class? Did you ask him to print it on the laser printer? On Tuesday December 15th from 4:00 to 5:30 PM, Laser-cut projects from all three grades of STEM classes will be available for pick-up in the bus loop of Kulshan. These are some fun projects, using Inkscape, that students have created. Please note that some students did not create a project or asked that it not be printed, so please check in with your child before pick up.
KMS Counselor Corner
With upcoming holidays and the likelihood that we will be unable to spend them with family in the same way as usual we know that this could be a challenging time for our students. Jen Newbauer and Aaron Tiger have noticed a recent increase in self-harm talk from students and want to provide you with some information in case you hear similar talk from your own student or a friend of theirs. For more information on suicide prevention and how to respond to suicide/self-harm talk click here.
Aaron Tiger - Counselor (cell 360-739-3991)
Jen Newbauer - Counselor (cell 360-739-4138)
Viry Ferreira - KMS Registrar
Updated WA State COVID Recommendations
Check this WA State COVID website for updates regarding restrictions and social gathering. Specific information about travel recommendations can be found here. Bellingham Public Schools have also added their own COVID 19 dashboard, available on the district website and at this link.
MS Teams Chat Enabled
As you know, we have been using Teams to support classroom instruction. An important feature within Teams is the ability to chat (text, audio, video, or screen sharing) with other students or staff. In order to support student learning, we are enabling this feature for middle school students. Similar to district email, students logged in to their district accounts will only be able to use the chat feature with other school district members (teachers and students). Students will be reminded of the acceptable use for Teams Chat in their Homeroom classes. If you would like to more actively monitor student technology use, please reference the recently sent invitation to apParent - an app based tool for families to manage student computers. If you have any concerns about inappropriate student behavior, please reach out to your students’ teacher.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in BPS
We are happy to share this December 2020 newsletter listing heritage months, cultural celebrations, holidays and other information supporting the important work of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in Bellingham Public Schools. Please visit the EDI webpage for an ongoing dialogue and focus on this key strategy of The Bellingham Promise. You can also reach out directly to the director of equity, diversity and inclusion Janis Velasquez Farmer.
Free COVID Tests in Whatcom County
Did you know that our Whatcom County Health Department has free, drive-up COVID tests? To arrange a COVID test, visit testdirectly.com or call 360-778-6075. Also, our Kulshan school nurse is Amy Eisenhauer, BSN, RN and she can be reached at 360-303-4667.
Dec 16: KMS Book Checkout
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. Books will be available to be picked up during Food Pick Ups: 4:00 - 5:30 PM.
Our last food pick up of the year is Wednesday, Dec. 16. Please enter your requests the day before. Requests received after that 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! Books not picked up on Pickup Day will be in the office and can be picked up (as well as returned) from 8am-3pm on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri.
It's Easy to Join KMS PTSA
LGBTQ Support for Families and Youth
How to Join a Club
Free Cooking Classes
Weekly Announcement Videos
Power Outage?
If there is a power outage, our staff will help your student catch up. Please notify Jeneen Durand, our Attendance Secretary by calling 360-647-6877 or emailing kms.attendance@bellinghamschools.org . If a teacher loses connection during a class, students should stay on the class for a few minutes while the teacher logs back in. Then check students’ email and MS Teams for instructions from the teacher. More information can be found here on our KMS website.
Skyward/ Family Access
Are you in need of family support?
If you are in need of services or help with domestic abuse or sexual assault the local agency DVSAS (Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services) is able to help. Here is a link that helps to explain their role and provides contact information. You can also call our KMS Counselors Aaron Tiger 360-739-3991 or Jen Newbauer cell 360-739-4138.
Wednesday Attendance
Did you know that we take attendance for all classes every Wednesday? Students will be marked present if they at least log in and check their MS Teams page. Please remind your students to do this every Wednesday for periods 5-8. Thank you!
KMS Attendance
(NEW!) Bellingham Food Bank Schedule
Tuesdays: 1175 Jersey Street from 1:00-4:00 PM
Wednesdays: CTK, 4173 Meridian St. from 3:00-6:00 PM
Thursdays: 1175 Jersey Street from 1:00-4:00 PM
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