by Lucille Clifton

won't you celebrate with me

what i have shaped into

a kind of life? i had no model.

born in babylon

both nonwhite and woman

what did i see to be except myself?

i made it up

here on this bridge between

starshine and clay,

my one hand holding tight

my other hand; come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

New in this week's Dragon's Fire

SPS will be offering free COVID vaccine clinics for students 12 and older starting this week, including a clinic at Memorial Stadium. We will be offering first doses on Tue, May 18 (1:30–4:30 pm) and second doses on Tue, Jun 8 (1:30–4:30 pm). In-person learners will be dismissed on those days to receive their vaccination and will be given an excused absence as with any medical appointment. No insurance is needed and the vaccine is free. Students must bring a parental consent form and fill out the daily health screening form. Walk-ins are welcome, but please be sure to fill out the required consent and screening before arriving. If your student cannot make the clinic at TCS this week, SPS is offering a number of clinics at schools around the city.

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.

All TCS students are invited to attend the first-ever SPS virtual Career Fair this Wed, May 19, 10 am–1 pm. There will be multiple career pathways to explore and advice from movers and shakers in Seattle’s business, service, and creative sectors. Our TCS students have interests in science, art, culinary, business, healthcare, architecture, design and more. This is their chance to join friends and make new ones and learn more about their interests. Register now to get the Zoom link.

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.

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.

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.

The PIP Program for Girls virtual summit is designed for girls, by girls, to learn about different areas of interest. The summit is two days long and is on Jul 10 and 11. On the day of education, you will hear from women across industries as they share how they have built their careers and overcome challenges. On the day of action, you will get inspired to pursue a mini project through workshops hosted by professional women. Over these two days, students will experience presentations by leading experts in several industries, panels discussing female-centered issues, live Q&A sessions, and connections with girls all over the country.

Sign up for the PIP Program. If you have any questions, please email thepipprogramforgirls@gmail.com. Visit the PIP website.