CSCA Publication
What's HOT the Week of April 12, 2020   
DISTRICT CLOSURE CURRENT NEWS
 
On Monday, April 6, 2020, Governor Inslee made an emergency proclamation extending the closure of all schools through the end of the school year. As a result, Seattle Public Schools will not reopen school buildings for the 2019-20 school year.

On March 30, in response to revised guidance from OSPI, the state education agency, all educators were asked to begin providing ongoing, remote learning for grades PreK-12. You can view the schedule for TCS remote learning on our school website. 

Spring Break April 13-17: no remote learning. Essential student services including child care and food distribution at the 26 school sites will continue through the break.

REMOTE LEARNING SCHEDULE
You can now view the weekly schedule of remote learning events and instructor office hours on the  School Calendar .
IMPORTANT DATES 

APRIL 13 - 17
Spring Break.  No Remote Learning scheduled.  


JUNE 5
Annual Auction
 

STUDENT RESOURCES

The following resources are available for you and your students during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Email and profiles of TCS Staff

A resource for students and their families with shortcuts to the Source, Schoology and other online tools.  To learn more about Schoology, read the Schoology Parent Guide .

Learn more about how the district is rolling out distance learning during CV-19. 

This link to the At Home Learning page contains useful information for continued learning. At the bottom of the page you will find a document folder called  Communication from Teachers to Students, where we are posting all relevant news for continued learning opportunities.

Writers in the Schools (WITS), a program of Seattle Artists & Lectures, connects professional writers with public school classrooms throughout the Puget Sound region. Read more about this program .
TEEN HEALTH CENTER REMOTE SERVICES

While TCS is shut down,  Teen Health Center  services are still available! Services include consultation and refilling prescriptions.  Visits will likely be done via telephone. Your teen can reach out and arrangements will be made based on their needs.

Contacts:
Mental Health Counselor:
Chelsea Clark MSW, LICSW
206-321-4373

Nurse Practitioner: 
Karen Boudour

You may also reach the Clinic Coordinator, Say, at 206 390-3355. (Text her at this number for the process to initiate services if you have not been seen in the Clinic before.)

COLLEGE AND CAREERS 
Edward Rho,  Career Center Specialist for TCS, has created Instagram and Zoom accounts to connect with students. Please follow "tcscareers" on Instagram for career opportunities, scholarships, internships, and financial aid posts/updates. 

You can also check out the Career Center page on The Center School website. And if your students need to speak with Edward about their career choices after high school, please email him to schedule a Zoom appointment.
CENTER SCHOOL COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (CSCA)
The CSCA is our PTA. Our purpose is to work for the betterment of Center School for all students. 

2019-2020 Executive Board

Co-Presidents
Christina Hill
 Open
Co-Vice Presidents
Christine Heckman
 Open
Co-Secretaries
Erika Borges
 Open
Co-Treasurers
Frank Lockhart Open

 
The Center School Parents is a closed group.
 
 
Join CSCA 



Amazon donates 5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases  to the CSCA which funds the programs that make The Center School what it is. 
 

ONLINE MEMBER PORTAL   
For the first time you can pay your membership fees online via the new membership portal.  This is a brand new tool to us and we look forward to adding features in the coming weeks and months on this platform.
 
PLEASE NOTE:  Only individual memberships are available via the online portal.  All Center School students are automatically honorary members and do not need to buy a membership.     
 
Dragon's Fire wants to hear about what's going on in our school community.

Please submit articles and pictures to Dragon's Fire to be included in the following newsletter.   
PRINCIPAL'S CORNER

Greetings TCS Student and
 Families,

This is Dr. Casey, your Principal reaching out to the TCS community to provide news on what's happening in the new learning experiences for students. 

I was in an Administration meeting yesterday with Superintendent Juneau who started the meeting saying, " There are so many unknowns as we navigate through the rest of this school year" and her quote continues to resonate for everyone collectively as we work to understand the knowns in how we create the new normal in providing learning opportunities and engagements for your students. That these learning experiences are labelled as optional and ungraded is due to the realities that are being faced in all school communities around the issues of equity and access for students. Technology concerns in terms of students having access to District lap top computers and wi-fi connections is real for many of our students at The Center School. For our students and families, I would like to ask your support of your students in completing the work that is presented by your teachers. Students, it is within your high school experience that you are now understanding the importance and accountability of learning and how your learning allows you to create a platform of preparation for next steps for next courses and future life choices in navigating your educational journey.

For seniors, the District is working to ensure that seniors are prioritized for in terms of their graduation and needing computers, so a computer deployment for seniors who were identified at The Center School will end at 7pm tonight at Washington Middle School and Ingraham High School. High school students are next in that deployment, so please respond to the tech survey that has been posted on the website and in the newsletter. The planning is to provide an immediacy of laptop computers to students without computer access or wi-fi as first priority in the next deployment.

In terms of grading, the District continues to work with OSPI and all stakeholders in constructing expectations around grading guidelines for the upcoming third quarter grades with the deadline extended and for final course grades, so that information will be posted by May 1st and sent to the SPS community. Seniors and TCS students, there are Naviance requirements that the Career Specialist will connect with you on completing. Teachers are taking attendance in class to identify students who are absent to make the connection with students and families. If your student isn't in online classrooms during the week, please contact their teachers and make those connections. Seniors we support you and your graduation so keep the focus and know that you are at the core of a lot of positive and proactive conversations.

We are in unprecedented times in terms of teacher instruction and student learning, so it is imperative that everyone understand that as a teacher shared "We are experiencing school closures in terms of school access, not in terms of ongoing learning." Teachers have worked diligently to create an online school schedule of classroom supports and office hours that will be posted on the website this evening. I share with another staff member, there are still a few scheduling issues to resolve as teachers may change class times to maximize student engagement, so it is still a work-in progress and subject to change so please contact teachers directly with questions or concerns. We are in weekly staff meetings working to serve students and families. I will continue to respond to all emails.  We are all responding to a pandemic crisis and its impact and we are all in this together. 

There is some good news to share. We currently have 264 students enrolled for 2020-2021. Congratulations to everyone for supporting recruitment and retention. Please read the Dragonfire newsletter and the parent link in the TCS website for community resources and staff postings. Have a wonderful spring break everyone. Be safe and stay healthy. 

Dr. Casey (Barbara)
Principal TCS
TECHNOLOGY NEEDS SURVEY

TCS wants to make sure that all students have as equitable experience as possible in this time of coronavirus. 

Distance Learning for students will require the student to have remote access to lessons and school staff. We ask that a ll current TCS families fill out the following survey. Our staff will then follow up with those families who indicate a tech gap AND with families who do not respond at all. 

Even if you have your tech needs already met, please respond so TCS can focus our calls and outreach to those who need more support.

FINANCIAL AID INFO FOR SENIORS

Otterbot is a free texting service provided by the Washington Student Achievement Council designed to help Washington high school seniors navigate financial aid for college and career education.
  • Students can access Otterbot via text message 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by texting "Hi Otter" to 360-928-7281.
  • Otter sends periodic messages with financial aid information, resources, and deadlines.
  • Students can text Otter with questions about financial aid, college planning, and more.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE

United Way is pleased to announce an expanded program of rental assistance beginning on Friday April 10, 2020. Thanks to generous donations to the Community Relief Fund and a variety of community partners, one month of rental assistance is being offered to people in King County struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus. 

If you're a King County resident who has been impacted financially by COVID-19 and are behind on your rent, you may qualify for assistance.

View the program requirements at  https://www.uwkc.org/renthelp  or call 2-1-1.

AUCTION NEWS

In support of CDC guidelines, the annual auction has been postponed until June 5th.

Early Bird pricing has been extended through May 15th. 

Ticket purchases and donations can be made through the official website:
 
ONGOING SPECIAL SERVICES 
During these extraordinary times, SPS has stepped up to offer information and services for families who need assistance. All the services are listed on the COVID-19 Resource Page.

Meal Service
SPS is providing meal service for students via 26 school sites across the city. Student meal sites will operate from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Locations are listed on the Student Meals resource page.

Mental Health Services  
If you or your family needs emotional support during this time, the district has shared a list of agencies that provide crisis support. To view the complete list, please click here.
The Center School Website | http://centerhs.seattleschools.org/