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A CSCA Publication

What's HOT the week of January 24, 2022

The World Has Need of You

by Ellen Bass

               everything here

               seems to need us

               —Rainer Maria Rilke

I can hardly imagine it

as I walk to the lighthouse, feeling the ancient

prayer of my arms swinging

in counterpoint to my feet.

Here I am, suspended

between the sidewalk and twilight,

the sky dimming so fast it seems alive.

What if you felt the invisible

tug between you and everything?

A boy on a bicycle rides by,

his white shirt open, flaring

behind him like wings.

It’s a hard time to be human. We know too much

and too little. Does the breeze need us?

The cliffs? The gulls?

If you’ve managed to do one good thing,

the ocean doesn’t care.

But when Newton’s apple fell toward the earth,

the earth, ever so slightly, fell

toward the apple.

New In This Week's Dragon's Fire

• What You Missed at the CSCA Meeting
• Please Vote Yes on School Levies this Week
• Center Field Day
• Seattle Promise Scholarship New Deadline Mar 1
• Lots of New Items on the Bulletin Board

Thanks to everyone who attended our CSCA meeting last Thu, Jan 20. Dr Casey reported that there were no new COVID cases detected at the Jan 20 on-site testing clinic. Yes, we are getting a lot of robocalls about COVID exposures at school. If you get a call that your student was exposed, pleased treat that as an exposure and act according to the district guidelines provided with the call. Don't wait to hear from district contact tracers (there aren't any, though SPS hasn't updated the script they provide to principals). Nonetheless, cases remain low at TCS in spite of the uptick in robocalls. Our one staff case this year turned out to be a false positive rapid test result confirmed negative by a PCR test.

ASB has been busy handing out the 600 N95 masks provided by the CSCA. Students can grab a bag with two masks and masking instructions on the balcony before school. Please continue to remind your student about the importance of masking all day at school. Some students have expressed concerned about peers unmasking in the bathrooms, hallways, and other social areas. Thank you ASB for this effort to keep everyone safe and educated!

While we are all concerned about the upsurge with Omicron, Dr Casey and TCS staff remain committed to keeping school in person. We had a dip in attendance after the winter break, but our student and staff numbers remain high enough to keep the building open. There's no doubt the last couple of weeks have been stressful for our students, but our fabulous TCS staff is there for them every day. And a huge thank you to Ms Kathy for keeping track of our ever-shifting numbers!

Ms Wynn and our CSCA president, Erika Borges, reported on the Building Leadership Team. It's budget time again. While budgeting sounds boring, it's everything for a small school like ours. Did you know that our budget is based on projected enrollment and SPS consistently underestimates our enrollment? If our actual enrollment is higher than our projected enrollment, the district does not adjust our budget. We have to adjust. Dr Casey is trying to get the district to look at our numbers over a five-year period rather than guessing from one year to the next.

There's a lot that goes into running a small school like ours. Add a pandemic and things are kind of crazy. CSCA thanks our students and staff for everything they do to make TCS run from day to day!

Remember, attending CSCA meetings is the best way to stay informed about what's happening at school. Hear from Dr Casey, staff, the ASB, and the CSCA from the comfort of your home. There's always time to ask questions too.

If you would like to become more involved in the CSCA, we could use your help. Contact CSCA president, Erika Borges, at erikaborges@me.com.

Two upcoming levies renew funding for students, staff, and schools. Feb 8, Seattle voters will consider renewing two levies that continue funding for our students, staff, and schools. Ballots will be arriving next week for the Feb 8 election. Propositions 1 and 2 replace current levies that expire later this year. These levies help bridge the gap between what the state funds for our schools and what it actually costs to support our SPS students.

Proposition 1

Educational Programs & Operations Levy Renewal continues funding to help educate all our students by providing:

• Staff such as school nurses and custodians
• Funding for programs like special education, English Language Learners, and nutrition services
• Funding for student opportunities such as art, extracurriculars, and athletics

Proposition 2

Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics Levy Renewal continues our investment in school buildings and technology, so every SPS student has access to a safe, welcoming learning environment. This levy funds:

• Building maintenance and repairs
• Student computers and classroom technology
• Academic and athletic building projects and equipment, including new grandstands at the SPS-owned Memorial Stadium

Learn more.

Center Field Day

Center Field Day is an annual community-building day organized and led by The Center Field Day Subcommittee, an official body of ASB. CFD 2022 will feature a virtual keynote speaker along with two workshops that students will sign up for in advance. Workshops in the first session are serious, often focusing on education or social justice topics. Workshops in the second session are fun and can be pretty much anything that follows school rules and COVID-19 district policies. We hope to improve community connections and provide opportunities for students to socialize across grades, classes, and interests. Look for more details and the schedule for the day as we get closer to Feb 9.

Upcoming Vaccine Booster Clinics

Wed, Jan 26, 4-6 pm, South Shore PreK8 School

Medical provider: Othello Station Pharmacy

Walk-in only. Please bring your student’s vaccination card to the clinic.

Vaccines provided: Pfizer for 5-11, Pfizer 12+, Moderna (18+) and Pfizer (12+) boosters

Sun, Jan 30, 9 am–12 pm, Olympic Hills Elementary School

Medical provider: Othello Station Pharmacy

Walk-in only. Please bring your student’s vaccination card to the clinic.Vaccines provided: Pfizer for 5-11, Pfizer 12+, Moderna (18+) and Pfizer (12+) boosters

Other places where you and your student can get vaccinated:

City of Seattle: https://www.seattle.gov/covid-19/vaccinations/

Kaiser Permanente, open to non-members: 800-352-3610 or visit https://k-p.li/3oLcuhO

Downtown Public Health Center: call 206-377-3977

University of Washington Medicine: call 844-520-8700 or visit https:bit.ly/3Flp4Kh

TCS Open Houses

Please spread the news! The Center School will be hosting two virtual open houses (via Teams) for prospective students and families. Please forward the flyer to anyone you know who might be interested.

Mon, Jan 24

5–6 pm

Link: https://bit.ly/center124

See the flyer.

Seattle Promise Scholarship: New Deadline Mar 1

Seattle Promise is a college tuition and success program launched by Seattle Colleges, Seattle Public Schools, and the City of Seattle following passage of the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy in 2018.

Seattle Promise has three core components:

1. Free tuition at any of the Seattle Colleges: North Seattle College, Seattle Central College or South Seattle College for up to two years, 90 credits or a student's first degree, whichever comes first.
2. Equity scholarships, which provide flexible funding to students, for books, transportation, housing, etc. for those with financial need.
3. Student support and advising beginning in the junior year of high school and lasting through completion of a degree, certificate, credential or transfer to a four-year institution.

All Seattle Public High School graduating seniors are eligible for the Seattle Promise program regardless of grade point average (GPA), income, ability or country of birth. Applications are now open. Learn more and apply here.

9th & 10th Grade Classroom Presentations

Ms Hayes and a guest TCS student will be visiting 9th and 10th grade Language Arts classes on Feb 9 and 16 to present on graduation requirements and study strategies. Ms Hayes will email out the presentation to families after the presentation dates. Find more information on graduation requirements here.

Wed, Feb 9

Period 1, Ms. Neel 8:55–9:40 am

Period 2, Ms. Neel 9:45–10:30 am

Period 3, Ms. Carroll 10:40–11:25 am

Wed, Feb 16

Period 1, Mr. Grays 8:55–9:40 am

Financial Aid Applications Now Open

Seniors and parents of seniors: It's time to secure college funding! Applications for federal and state financial aid (FAFSA and WASFA) are open. A complete FAFSA or WASFA is required for most scholarships, grants, and loans. Apply early to get as much financial aid as possible. Read more on the SPS website.

The Bulletin Board section publishes information about art, photography, film, theater, writing, and other programs and competitions outside of TCS that might be of benefit and interest to our students. If you know of an opportunity that our students might want to hear about, contact the Dragon's Fire at dfsubmitarticle1@gmail.com.

Penguin Youth Leaders invite teens to join them for the next Penguin Artistic Cohort retreat Mon, Feb 21.

Retreats are our time to connect, play, deepen our skills, work with special guests, and hone our performance piece.

• Explore leadership through acting
• Bring a social justice lens to both leadership and theater
• Connect with peers
• The PAC is collaborating on a multi-disciplinary exploration of empathy and connection that weaves together their passions and interests: Shakespeare, Original Work, Music, and Movement. They are working towards a public performance in the spring.

No prior PAC involvement necessary. Teens are welcome to join at any time in the process.

Register for the retreat.

TeenTix is proud to announce a new creative writing workshop series in partnership with On the Boards! Participants will have the chance to develop a piece of creative writing based on viewing a show at On the Boards and with the mentorship of professional writers. Sessions are in March, April, and May 2022, and are free to participate! For full workshop details and information about the performances you’ll attend, see here!

Sign up for one, two, or all three workshops!

This workshop is open for teens 13-19 years old. Must be a TeenTix member to participate.

The Vera Project is seeking applicants for Digital Production Lab, a free, multi-month media production career training program for youth ages 15-24.

Program participants get hands-on experience in audio, video, and design production; opportunities to meet with diverse artists and industry leaders; and direct access to paid production work with local organizations.

Learn more apply by February 7!

How to Make a Documentary: From Soup to Nuts

Feb 19 from 3-4 pm

In-Person Only

From Northwest Film Forum. Learn the nuts and bolts of documentary filmmaking in a presentation by Sally Rubin, including an overview of how to develop a story, how to prepare for production, how to complete your film, and how to ensure that your film will have a life out in the world after completion. This workshop is suitable for people of all ages, including kids, and will have you up and running with your film idea in less than an hour!

Read more and register.

Want to stage manage? Join Penguin Productions for a World Premier Play

Join us for the exciting world premiere of "Welcome to the Landfill"—a dark comedy by youth playwright Valentine Wulf and directed by Annika Prichard. 

When three estranged siblings get a call that their deadbeat, small-time grifter father has died and they need to pay for the funeral, their families are forced to reunite. But as their road trip goes from bad to worse, tensions rise as they uncover their father’s most elaborate scam yet. From youth playwright Valentine Wulf comes a dark comedy featuring three generations of liars whose secrets have the potential to tear a family apart—or bring it back together.

Rehearsals start on Jan 31 with performances on Mar 19 & 20 at Taproot's Isaac Studio! Youth are encouraged to register for the ensemble now as space is limited.

Read more and register.

An Exploration of Shadow Puppetry

Feb 12 from 1:30-2:30 pm

In-Person Only

From Northwest Film Forum. Puppetry artists Cassandra Bray and Zane Exactly will lead participants through a 1-hour workshop, using overhead projectors and a projection screen to explore the fundamentals of shadow puppetry manipulation and construction. This workshop will guide participants of all ages on how to transform simple materials into unique and bold shadows. Experiment and play with us as we explore different shapes, textures, colors and characters to breathe life into new stories and ideas.

Read more and register.

Ink & Tape: All Ages DIY Animation on Film!

Feb 13, from 1-3 pm

Online & In-Person

NWFF, Henry Art Gallery, and Interbay Cinema Society present a fun, hands-on, DIY 16mm film animation workshop in which students will decorate film strips with markers, washi tape, and scratches to create thrillingly analog animation. Absolutely no experience necessary! This free workshop will be offered both in-person and online, but virtual access is limited to WA & OR residents.

Read more and register.

Creative Storytelling with Sockz Theatre

Feb 20 from 1–2 pm

Online Only

From Northwest Film Forum. Become a dynamic storyteller in this hands-on virtual workshop with Sockz Theatre! Learn how to integrate character voices, sound effects, and found-object puppetry to tell original stories or classic fables. This workshop is designed to help encourage imagination and radical creativity for the entire family.

Read more and register.

Listings in the Bulletin Board section for any specific commercial or organizational product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by The Center School or the CSCA.

Dragon's Fire wants to hear about what's going on in our school community. Please submit articles and images to Dragon's Fire by 5 pm Friday afternoon for inclusion in the next newsletter. Read our submission guidelines.

If you have comments, corrections, or additions to Dragon's Fire, please contact the editor at dfsubmitarticle1@gmail.com. We welcome your feedback!

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