by Lucille Clifton

may the tide

that is entering even now

the lip of our understanding

carry you out

beyond the face of fear

may you kiss

the wind then turn from it

certain that it will

love your back may you

open your eyes to water

water waving forever

and may you in your innocence

sail through this to that

New in this week's Dragon's Fire

It's been a long year away from school, and TCS is thrilled to be welcoming students back to campus starting this afternoon. Dr. Casey sent a welcome letter with details last week (read Dr. Casey's welcome letter). Key points are outlined below.

Students who have opted out of the hybrid model will continue with asynchronous learning on Mon and Tue afternoons, but please do note the timing changes on the schedule below for synchronous classes on those days.

You can view the current bell schedule any time using the Bell Schedule link in the sidebar at the top of the newsletter.

From Mon, Apr 12 through Fri, Apr 30, Seattle Center Monorail will be closed during high impact phase of construction. Read more and get alternate routes.

What a fantastic Auction Week we had! Because of generous folks like you, we were able to raise $26,690. We anticipate receiving another $2750 in company matching gifts!

Thank You: Thank you to everyone who helped make our 2 auctions so successful! The volunteers, donors, attendees, bidders, students, teachers, and staff. So many came together to make it all happen. Thank you!

Pick Up: If you need to pick up your prize(s), please contact Angie Johnson at angiejohnson@usa.net to make arrangements.

Matching Gifts: If you contributed to one of our auctions please ask your HR Department and let us know if your company has a matching gifts program. Email Rosina at RosinaAuction@gmail.com to make arrangments. Some companies who have participated in the past are: Starbucks, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Boeing, Paccar, QuoteWizard, Liberty Mutual Group, and Alaska Airlines.

Thanks everyone for supporting our students at TCS!

We invite all of our families and their students to join us on Tue, Apr 27 from 6:30–8:00 for an evening in celebration of and solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ students! We’ll have a presentation from Seattle Public School’s Health Education manager, Lisa Love, on the making of the book Our Students: Their Stories as well as presenters from our Center School community and Q&A with Brandon Knox, Program Director at Lambert House.

Keep an eye out for more information as we get closer to the event.

As we get ready to return to in-person school, you're probably thinking, "How can I help my child with this transition and how can I support the teachers and staff at The Center School?" The answer is easy! Join the CSCA!

The CSCA has many positions to fill for next year. Now, more than ever before, it's important for our school to have a strong parent community to support staff and especially students. Board positions require minimal time and make a big difference for our school. (Bonus: Being a board member is a great way to feel connected to the school community and know what's happening at the school.)

Please volunteer and help make next year the best year ever! If you can help or have questions, please reach out to CSCA president, Erika Borges (erikaborges@me.com) or volunteer coordinator, Molly Goldman (molly.goldman@gmail.com).

The Board of Directors for Seattle Public Schools voted on Wed, Mar 24, 2021 to appoint Erin Dury as the District IV Director representing Central and Northwest Seattle including Magnolia, Queen Anne, and southern neighborhoods in Ballard. The District IV seat became vacant after the resignation of Eden Mack. Read more.

These are tough times for teens. If your student needs extra support as navigate this phase of the pandemic and contemplate reentry into live school, these resources might help:

More and more substances are being laced with fentanyl. In just two years (2018–2020), King County saw a 167% increase in the number of fentanyl overdose deaths. Read more about life-saving steps everyone can take to bring the death count down.

Join TCS Career Center coordinator and college counselor, Mr. Rho, for an informative meeting on attending junior college after high school. Tue, Apr 27, 7–8 pm via Teams (https://tinyurl.com/274uurwv).

Check the Career Center page for more information. Questions? Contact Mr. Rho at ewrho@seattleschools.org.

The 2021 Leaders of Today competition is centered on exploring the evolution of youth perspectives during the pandemic. We will be accepting 1–2 minute creative video submissions or 500-word writing pieces in response to the following prompt:

Ever since we can remember, adults have been asking us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This leaves the impression that we don’t have the ability to create change now. So let’s ask ourselves, “What is one specific change you want to enact in your category as a Leader of Today? Why?" 

Participants may respond to the prompt within the context of one of the following three categories (our judges strongly encourage students to choose the category that they are most passionate about):

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Reward: Winners will get the unique opportunity to gain advice and collaborate with adult ambassadors in their respective categories. More details about the reward can be found here.

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Please ensure that your submission adheres to the competition guidelines.

Deadline is May 2, 11:59 pm. Sign up now.