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What's HOT the week of October 4, 2020
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Things to do:
- Join the TCS School Counselor course on Schoology
- Attend an SPS financial aid presentation
- Update your student's Student Verification Form
- Save the date for the CSCA Parents & Guardians Meeting Oct. 27
- Let your kid relax! Friday is a day off school!
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Important Dates
Oct 5
SPS financial aid presentation
Oct 8
Extended School Verification Form deadline
Oct 9
No school (state in service day)
Oct 15
CSCA Board Meeting (6:30–8:30 pm, Zoom)
Oct 20
SPS financial aid filing support meeting
Oct 27
CSCA General/Parents & Guardians Meeting (6:30–8:30 pm, Zoom)
Nov 5
End of 1st Qtr
SPS financial aid filing support meeting
Nov 11
No school (Veteran's Day)
Nov 27
No school (Native American Heritage Day)
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New in this week's Dragon's Fire
- Join the TCS "School Counselor" course on Schoology
- Extended Student Verification Form deadline
- Learn about upcoming SPS financial aid events
- DiscoverU helps students prepare for careers
- New service learning opportunities in the Bulletin Board
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Ways to Become Involved
A great way to feel more connected to The Center School is to join the CSCA Board! We need new people to fill positions that are still open.
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Recruitment committee: Our recruitment committee reaches out to local public and private schools and spread the word about TCS open houses (which are run by the students). This role is really important because we are a choice school and not on everyone's radar.
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Various event helpers: We coordinate a variety of events throughout the year, including staff appreciation. We're not sure yet what those events will look like this year, but we need people who are willing to lead.
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2020–2011 Meeting Schedule
It's never been easier to attend our monthly CSCA meetings. Last week's Parent/Guardian meeting with the CSCA board, Dr. Casey, and TCS teachers had a fantastic turnout and a lively and informative discussion. We hope we'll see and hear from more of you at our upcoming monthly meetings. Everyone is welcome at both the board meetings and the parent/guardian meetings.
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Become a CSCA Member
To join online, go to MemberPlanet. Click "View The Packet" and then follow the prompts to log in or to set up your new account. It's easy to sign up and there are a lot of great member benefits!
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Note: Even if you choose not to join the CSCA at this time, please put your information in the database so we can keep you in the loop about what is happening at TCS.
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Support CSCA Every Time You Shop!
Amazon donates .5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the CSCA. Donations allow CSCA to fund the programs that make TCS the amazing place it is!
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"School Counselor" Schoology Course
Parents, please add yourself to the School Counselor HS Schoology Course using this access code: 7HXX-S3Z7-TMJFS
This course is loaded with helpful information about:
- Graduation Requirements
- Community Resources
- College and Career Readiness
- Scholarships
- Financial Aid
- Service Learning Opportunities
Ms. Hayes and Edward Rho also send updates through Schoology regarding upcoming events and opportunities.
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Attention 3rd Period Sculpture Parents
This year 1st semester sculpture students will continue a long tradition of partnering with Pottery Northwest, a professional clay studio on the Seattle Center campus. For five weeks, students will be taught by a Pottery Northwest artist-in-residence and TCS Visual Arts Teacher, Mr. Alex. All required clay and materials are being provided to sculpture students, free of charge. The clay and materials are somewhat heavy so transportation via car would be best.
Your responses to this survey will help Mr. Alex plan and coordinate clay and other materials pick-up and drop-off with Pottery Northwest on the Seattle Center campus. The survey is a little complicated and full of dates and times. Mr. Alex appreciates your understanding as he works to create an engaging and meaningful sculpture class experience for students during remote learning and the many challenges remote learning presents for all of us.
Pottery Northwest's address is 226 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109. Their phone number is (206) 285-4421. They have front parking and side street parking for easy pick-up and drop-off.
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Invest in TCS through InvestED
If you would like to donate funds that go directly to Center School students, please consider donating to InvestED. To donate:
- Log into InvestED
- Click on the blue button “Give Now”
- Designate your gift amount
- Complete the payment information (you will be able to designate the Center School as the recipient)
100% of donated funds go directly to student needs such as school supplies, test fees, household goods, etc.
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Students Can Help Build Our Online Community
One of the ways TCS stands out from other schools is the community we build: one which many students have been seeking throughout all their years of school. During this time of remote learning, we need to build our community virtually. And MS Teams is our way to do just that!
Everyone at TCS is part of the “TCS – All Community-O365” Team. This is our central communication hub outside of classroom meetings. It serves as a virtual community allowing for general announcements and channels for more targeted non-classroom conversations (career and college readiness, interfacing with administrative staff, etc.), faculty-sponsored clubs, and even a space to share student-created media (which is so important to us as an arts-based school). Basically, if the discussion would “normally” happen on campus, it can now happen in Teams!
Please make sure your student can see the TCS – All Community team. If not, have them go to the “Join or Create a Team” option and enter the code c1fhhh0. Be sure to download the Teams desktop app for full feature functionality.
In the TCS – All Community team, students will have access to all kinds of channels. They are welcome to explore! Here are some highlights:
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Career and College Corner: @edward rho, our Career and College Specialist, will host informational meetings here.
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Itchy Bees: This is TCS’ club focused on Intersectional Feminism. @gerardine carroll is the faculty advisor.
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MUN: This is the channel for Model United Nations. @nathan chipps is the faculty advisor, and MUN meetings will be held here.
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RJA: This is the Racial Justice Alliance club. @alex ng, @jonathan greenberg, and @beverly lackey are the advisors.
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TCS Gallery: This channel is open to all students to post their artistic creations for everyone to see.
Encourage your student to join in and help create a TCS virtual community!
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Attendance Procedures for Online School
Attendance will be tracked for online classes. If your student will have an excused absence or tardy, please follow the regular attendance procedures by calling or emailing Kathy Webb in the attendance office:
Phone: 206.252.9785
Parents will continue to receive robo calls notifying them of tardies and absences just like during regular school.
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Student Verification Form Deadline Extended
The deadline to update the Student Verification Form has been extended to Oct 8. In our remote learning environment, it is important parents/guardians verify their primary contact information and make sure all of the form fields are accurate. School and district communication with families are dependent on the accuracy of this data.
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College & Career Readiness
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Financial Aid Events
Seniors and their parents are invited to attend one SPS's many upcoming financial aid events. Experts will be on hand to offer support with completing the financial aid forms required to access money for college. Multiple languages supported. Read more on the SPS College Preparation Events page.
Upcoming Events (all events are virtual):
- Financial Aid Presentation: Mon, Oct 5, 7–8:30 pm
- Financial Aid Filing Support (Amharic, Somali, Spanish): Tue, Oct 20, 5–7 pm
- Financial Aid Filing Support (Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese): Wed, Nov 5, 4–6 pm
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I’m Shawna Murphy and I am your IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Advocacy) chair on the CSCA Board for the second year. My first year at TCS I served on the board as Advocacy Chair. From time to time I will bring you updates about SPS and local happenings, and this month I have 3, well 4, book suggestions.
Gender Queer, A Memoir by Maia Kobabe is a graphic novel published this year to much critical and popular acclaim. It is an autobiography about Maia’s path to identifying as non-binary and asexual and it has been highly recommended by my 11th grader, who said, “This is an essential piece of LGBTQIA+ media that every queer or questioning kid should read!”
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon is a very short but inspiring work by a gender non-conforming performance artist who challenges the way we think about the way gender is presented. I especially love Alok’s Instagram feed @alokvmenon.
ACE by Angela Chen is an exploration of what asexuality, the A in LGBTQIA is and what it reveals about our society. This book is part memoir and part cultural commentary with a little science journalism thrown in from a member of the Ace community, who is also a journalist and speaker.
And last but definitely not least, the School District has put together a beautiful 100 page hardcover book called Our Students, Their Stories in collaboration with artist Nate Gowdy, sharing the stories of our Seattle Public Schools LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and families. Through a generous grant, all schools will receive 2 copies of the book. Several TCS folx appear in the book and there will be an opening event coming soon. Stay tuned.
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Adopt a Grandparent
Be a pen pal with a resident at one of Merrill Gardens' many senior living communities in the Seattle area! Students can benefit from intergenerational relationships, contribute to the social and emotional health of an isolated senior, and earn service credits. Apply online.
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Henry Teen Art Collective
The Henry Teen Art Collective is a group of young people who create art projects of their choosing, meet local and exhibiting artists, and gain behind the scenes access to the museum. We are a youth-led art collective that prioritizes community, talking openly about the issues affecting teens now, youth leadership, and creative expression. Youth get an option for volunteer hours or a stipend for their participation!
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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.
If you have comments, corrections, or additions to Dragon's Fire, please contact the editor at dfsubmitarticle@gmail.com. We welcome your feedback!
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