by June Jordan

Tell them that I stood

in line

and I waited

and I waited

like everybody

else

But I never got

called

And I keep that scrap

of paper

in my pocket

just in case

New in this week's Dragon's Fire

We are planning to deliver the yearbook in June (ideally, by the end of the year). The yearbook team is awaiting word on setting up the orders via SchoolPay (we are hoping for updates on this next week), and the cost will likely be $25. Look for more information next week on:

Thanks to hard of work of seniors and the support of the CSCA, Senior Celebration is back! After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, seniors have elected to revive the Senior Celebration tradition, an event showcasing seniors’ hard work as they embody the Center School mission to “positively impact the world.”

This year, Senior Celebration is virtual, using the CSCA’s Zoom account, and is preceded by a ASB-led, 30-minute community meeting. Note that Senior Celebration will be filled with seniors who volunteered to present, not all seniors.

Families of seniors are invited to join the event at 10:30 am, following the community meeting. 

Join Zoom Meeting:

Meeting ID: 821 0130 3740

Passcode: 559112

Course registration is now open for the 2021–2022 school year. Visit our website for detailed instructions on how to register for classes: https://bit.ly/2PQz8GD.

Before registering for classes, please review the SPS Graduation Requirements.

If you have any questions about registration, email our registrar,Tracey Lott, at tlott@seattleschools.org, for assistance.

Is one of these critical positions a good fit for you? Please reach out to Erika Borges at erikaborges@me.com for interest or more information.

While public health agencies begin to loosen restrictions on COVID-19 safety precautions, this is a reminder that we must continue to adhere to our high levels of health and safety strategies while in SPS buildings, including wearing masks/face coverings, daily health screening, physical distancing, and hand hygiene.

CDC and DOH guidance recommend schools continue to follow the current COVID-19 prevention strategies for the remainder of the school year. Additionally, the agreement between SPS and SEA requires staff to adhere to safety precautions which includes wearing face coverings, daily health screening, physical distancing, and hand hygiene. This agreement is in place through the end of August.

We must all do our part to help protect our most vulnerable populations, including those who may not be vaccinated. We are excited to partner with the City of Seattle, the Seattle Fire Department, and Public Health – Seattle & King County to offer vaccine clinics for our students and their families across the district. Please see the list of clinic dates.

We ask for your continued partnership in reminding your student about the required proper mask-wearing, physical distancing, and handwashing while at school.

We are hopeful and excited for a full return to school in the fall and a decrease in community transmission of COVID-19 will help us get there.

Summer school will be available to students currently in grades 9–12 who need credit for language arts, math, or social studies classes they did not previously pass. Preference will be given to grades 11 and 12. Students may enroll in up to two classes and earn up to one credit toward graduation. Students can recover up to 1.0 credits (two .5 credits) this summer from the courses found on the course description document. To ensure that students are placed in the correct class, they must register through their counselor. Students will be assigned an SPS teacher who will provide live instruction and 1:1 conferring sessions over the course of the summer. Student grades will be uploaded to their historical grades before the start of the 2021–22 school year.

For our third and final round of virtual community forums this year, we invite families to join us to share their experiences. Special Education department leadership and staff will be present to provide information, listen to feedback, and answer questions. All sessions will be facilitated, and language supports will be available. Specific links to each session can be found below (click on the title of the event you wish to attend at the time the meeting is scheduled):

Please contact spedcommunications@seattleschools.org if you have questions or need information on how to join a meeting via phone.

If you need help figuring out your ORCA card or which buses to take, SPS can help. Read more about what you need to know about taking Metro now that in-person learning has resumed.

The district is in the process of revising the Isolation and Restraint policy and procedures to align to our values of anti-racist actions and working towards de-escalation and trauma-informed responses. Our goal is to ensure our students are treated with dignity and respect while providing staff with essential de-escalation strategies and response techniques that do not cause physical or social emotional harm to the student, family, or the school community.

We will share the draft policy to be brought in front of the board during this session. Please see the attached timeline of events. The community forum will be providing feedback on the draft policy before it is brought to the school board for review. Members of the ACLU, NAACP, Special Ed PTSA, SCPTSA and other community groups have provided input to the draft policy changes, and we have also partnered with OSPI. School leaders are invited to attend this session. Our secondary student focused group is this Thu, May 13, 5:30–7 pm via Zoom. Again, the policy is a draft and all input in this session will be reviewed.

Meeting ID: 826 7044 0535

Passcode: 842418

Or join by phone: +1 253 215 8782

The Swedish Ballard Teen Health Center is open and has both in-person and virtual appointments available to TCS students. Students are welcome to visit us on the Ballard High School campus.

Seniors need to complete the Naviance Tasks before graduation. This is part of the HSBP graduation requirement. There are two tasks that need to be completed:

If your student already completed the resume, please move on to the next task (Senior Graduation Survey). If you need any assistance, please contact Mr. Rho via email or Teams chat/call.

We have appreciated your flexibility and patience as we worked to navigate the logistics surrounding AP Exams at Seattle Public Schools.

Due to the unique challenges of remote learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board announced that they will be offering AP exams in three separate administration windows this year to provide equitable access to AP exams for all students. Based on a thorough review of the testing options and the most current health and safety guidelines in King County, Seattle Public Schools has reached the following decision regarding AP testing this year.

All students who wish to take an AP exam will take the test during the College Board’s administration window 3 (Jun 1–4, 7–11). This decision was made to provide all AP teachers and students the most amount of time possible to prepare for the full-length AP exams, knowing that remote learning has posed different challenges for all students.

More importantly, to ensure the health and safety of all students and staff, all exams will be administered digitally and at home when this option is available. For the exams that only have the option for in-person testing, Seattle Public Schools will offer these exams to students in their respective high school during administration window 3 (Jun 1–4, 7–11). More details about preparing students for at-home digital testing will be shared in the coming days.

At this time, all exam fees must have been paid in full. However, based on this testing update, if you would like to opt out of testing and would like a full refund of the fees, please work with your student’s high school AP coordinator and fiscal specialist to begin the process of requesting the full refund. Please note that refunds take time to process and will likely not be available until summer of 2021.

Detailed information and FAQs about AP testing are available on the Seattle Public Schools website.

OneWorld Now is offering Level 1A and Level 1B Arabic, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese as part of their Summer World Languages & Leadership Program via Zoom. Students can earn 0.5 World Language credits for each session. If they complete 6 weeks (Level 1A and Level 1B), they will get 1.0 credit, which is a year's worth of language study. Cost is $25 per session. Registration deadline is Jun 6. Classes are filling on a first-come, first-served basis and may fill quickly. Seattle Public Schools & Highline Public Schools students will be admitted first off any waitlist.

Get more information and register on the OneWorld website. Read the flyer.

Your Library helps you get free admission to participating Seattle museums. Enjoy exhibits on aviation, nature, science, and industry—all for free! Have a favorite museum you’d like to revisit? You can reserve one pass to the same museum once every 30 days. New passes are available each evening after 9 pm. Read more about SPL and museum passes.