We are excited to announce a new program for parents of tweens on Bainbridge that Hyla is co-hosting with Raising Resilience and the Bainbridge Island School District. The program is called “Right in the Middle: Coolheaded – Warmhearted Tools for Parents of Tweens Grades 5-8.” We know that when it comes to parenting tweens, the stakes are higher than ever. The traditional challenges of this age (identity, sexuality, risk-taking, communication with parents, etc.) are complicated by the dominance of technology and media in a broader culture of busy-ness, strain and stress that threatens the quality of…

What a wonderful visit from Arbor School! Thank you to all of the families who volunteered to host Arbor students overnight, and to Mike Fosmark for coaching soccer this fall. In a special morning meeting on Friday, we received a new book for the Hyla library and two origami duo-decahedron constructions from the Abor team. We sent them home with the game ball, signed by all of our players. As Mike explained to the kids in morning meeting, the power of such a school exchange goes beyond the walls of any classroom to create meaningful connections…

The 6th grade production of a full-length Shakespeare play is a proud Hyla tradition. Our 6th grade class just finished “retellings” – an important phase of the curriculum where students effectively translate each line of the play to claim the story as their own and reach a deeper understanding of the text. With retellings complete, students now move on to another important part of interpreting the text: characterization. Characterization is both internal (like understanding the emotions and motivations of their characters) and external (how to express their characters physically). Students learn to ground all character details, like costume,…

To conclude their biology study of native plants, 7th graders worked with Clarice Cutler from “Let’s Pull Together – Scotch Broom Control of Bainbridge Island” to eradicate this non-native plant from the Hyla Campus. Clarice spent a week with the 7th grade science class to teach them about invasive plants and design a study to determine best eradication techniques. Students identified two plots on campus for eradication and monitoring over a 2-year period. The data collected by students will be shared with “Let’s Pull Together” for their records. Students also rolled up their sleeves and pulled…

Round 2: PE and General Elective Choices On Monday, October 27th, 2014, during last period, students will sign up for the second round of electives. This second round will begin after fall conferences on Monday, November 3rd, 2014. Students will be choosing one PE elective and one General Elective. Take some time to discuss the choices as a family! Students should have their top three or four choices in mind for both categories to ease the signup process. You will notice that some electives are designated as Community Service electives. We expect each student to sign…

Click here to download the school calendar for the upcoming year.

Hello sixth grade students and families. Here are the suggestions I mentioned in the drama letter you received. Whether you decide to see a live performance or view a filmed version of a play, please enjoy the experience. Remember to write a short refection about the play you see and bring it with you on the first day of school. If you have any questions please email me (joycem@hylamiddleschool.org) or call (206)780-9235. Live theatre suggestions in the Seattle area: Seattle Childrens’ Theatre school summer productions: https://www.sct.org/Shows/Drama-School-Student-Productions-2014/ Seattle Public Theatre at the bathhouse on Greenlake – Actors-in-training ensemble…

Please join us for this FREE event: Astronomy Talk and Night Sky Tour with an astronomer who works on the Hubble Space Telescope! Friday, 6/20 8 pm – 10 pm Hyla Middle School 7861 Bucklin Hill Road, Bainbridge Island, WA We are thrilled to host Henny Lamers, internationally acclaimed astronomer who works on the Hubble Space Telescope, who will talk about the life of stars – where do they come from? How long do they live? How is a star born? What will happen when the sun’s energy runs out? Prof. Lamers will answer these questions…

Take a read through the exciting Exploration Week offerings for 2014 Portland Culinary Arts Leaders: Jill Elliott and Laura Jones Funny hats, food trucks, obsessive baristas, urban gardening, and bike lovers: Portland is practically a laboratory of all that’s hip and cool in North America right now. If you love food, cooking, and cool cities, this is the trip for you! Each morning, after a bounteous breakfast at our hostel, we will board a streetcar and head to the Portland Culinary Workshop. In our culinary workshops we will take the following classes: Knife Techniques, Principles of…

Hyla’s mini-term is fast approaching! The Hyla community is making plans to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 20, 2014.If you have checked your calendar, you may have noticed that we will be participating in Seattle’s March on Martin Luther King Day. We invite you all to march with us. The 8th grade delegates have been attending committee meetings in Seattle to prepare for the march.  In fact, this year’s Seattle theme, “Rise Up!  Restore the Dream!” originated with our students! We are excited to spend time continuing Dr. King’s work.  On Martin Luther King Day, we will make…