View this email as a webpage

A CSCA Publication

What's HOT the week of November 1, 2021

Read about Edward Gorey.

New In This Week's Dragon's Fire

• 2021/22 CSCA Annual Fund Kick Off
• SBAC & WCAS Testing Schedule
• CORRECTION: World Language Not a Requirement
• New Items on the Bulletin Board

2021/22 CSCA Annual Fund Kick Off

The Center School is a unique community with a small group of dedicated teachers and students from all over the school district. The Center School seeks to extend learning beyond the classroom and involve our students in the city and world beyond. To help support that effort, the CSCA seeks additional funds from families twice a year: the Annual Fund in the fall and the auction in the spring are the primary way the Center School Community Association raises money. You can donate now online via Paypal, where you have the option of choosing a one-time or monthly donation. You do not have to have a Paypal account to make a donation. Or look for the Annual Fund letter coming soon where you can contribute by check or credit card with the enclosed form. Thank you!

SBAC & WCAS Testing Schedule

SBAC

9th and 11th grade students will be taking the exam during 1st and 3rd periods on Mon. Estimated time to complete = 2.25 hours.

Testing Locations

9th Grade: 355 & 353 (Chipps/Cooke)

11th Grade: 365 & 369 (Carroll/Neel)

Small group testing: SpEd Room + Computer Lab

Students Who Are Not Taking the SBAC

1st Period:

Wolk & Neel + students to (454)

Chipps’ students to Greenberg’s (458)

Lackey’s students to Dr. Grays (460)

Scilletta’s students to Sidman (456)

Carroll’s students to Miller (Art Room)

3rd Period

Cooke’s students to Dr. Grays (454)

Chipps’ students to Kaparos (460)

Scilletta’s students to Lackey (456)

Carroll’s students’ to Miller (362)

WCAS

9th grade students will be taking the exam during 2nd period on Tue. Estimated time to complete = 45 minutes.

Testing Location

9th graders taking the test to Scilletta’s (460)

9th graders needing small group or other accommodations to Cooke’s (353)

9th graders NOT taking the test to regular classes

Because of Monday's disrupted schedule, Wed may have a revised scheduled. Please stay tuned for more information from the school regarding the Wed schedule.

View the testing information slide show.

Final 2021/22 Club Schedule

1st Quarter Ends Nov 4

Now is the time to check in on your student's progress this quarter. Check your student's progress on Schoology or have a conversation with them about how their coursework is going. If your student seems to be having trouble completing assignments, reach out to their teacher and make a plan for getting work done. Planning and time management are emerging life skills in high school students. 9th and 10th graders in particular might need your help developing strategies such as planners, calendars, task lists, and alarms. Don't be surprised if your teen resists adopting tools, but keep nudging, suggesting, and supporting.

11th Grade Graduation Requirements

Now is the time to make sure your student is on track for graduation. Students need to meet requirements in the following areas:

• 24 credits minimum (with required classes)
• Graduation pathway
• High School and Beyond Plan (Naviance)
• Service Learning
• PE
• Washington State History

Last week Ms. Hayes and Mr. Rho visited 11th grade Language Arts classes to present to students on 2023 graduation requirements. Use the following tools to check your student's progress and start planning with your student:

• View the 11th Grade Graduation Plan slide show
• Read the 11th Grade Graduation presentation notes
• Read about Graduation Pathways below
• Set up your view only access to your student's Naviance account
• Check your student's progress toward graduation on The Source (including PE credits and Service Learning hours)
• Read about the Service Learning requirement and download the Seattle Schools Service-Learning Form and Reflection
• Read about the PE requirement and download the Alternative Physical Education Credit Form
• Email Ms. Hayes at mrhayes1@seattleschools.org if you have any questions about how your student is progressing toward graduation

Understanding Graduation Pathways

With Smarter Balance Assessments coming up on Nov 1 and 2, families need to understand graduation pathways in order to make informed decisions for their students. In addition to graduation requirements (the classes and credits students must take in order to graduate, which include PE and service learning), students must meet state requirements for one of three graduation pathways:

• Career/Technical Field
• Military Career Interest
• Postsecondary Education

If your student will be following the Postsecondary Education pathway, Smarter Balance Assessments are one way of fulfilling the English Language Arts and Math requirements. Other possible ways to fulfill that requirement include AP courses, SAT or ACT exams, or Running Start courses. Please plan carefully to avoid issues in your student's senior year. If you need help planning graduation pathway requirements, contact school counselor Ms. Hayes at mrhayes1@seattleschools.org. Seniors can discuss requirements for class of 2022 graduates during their October credit checks.

Read the OSPI explanation of graduation pathways here.

CORRECTION: World Language is Not aGraduation Requirement

Thank you to Ms. Hayes for checking with SPS about the world language requirement. SPS does not require 2 credits of world language for graduation (please note that this language is currently misleading on the SPS website, but hopefully will be clarified soon).

For students who are interested in studying a world language for college readiness, personal interest, or who are already fluent in another language, there are alternatives to the limited course offerings currently available at TCS.

Alternative and Online Learning

For students looking for an alternative pathway for studying a world language, the State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction provides a Guide to Online Learning through the new Alternative Learning Department. Currently, Seattle Public Schools is not providing support for individual students to complete courses available through the OSPI Online Learning Course Catalogs. Families who would like to can register and pay for these courses on their own. If the students are seeking high school credit for such a course, they need to complete the Equivalency Course of Study Proposal form and obtain approval prior to registering for or beginning the course. The Equivalency Course of Study Proposal form can be requested from the school counselor and is used for online, Summer Running Start Courses, and college courses outside of school. Note that any courses that are approved through the Equivalency Course of Study Proposal appear on the transcript as Out of District (OOD) credits with a generic course title, such as “World Language.” The high school transcript would not indicate which language or which level was completed.

World Language Credit Testing

As an alternative, students who take out of district courses may prefer to complete Competency-Based World Language Credit Testing in our district, because these credits are entered on the high school transcript as course titles by language and level, and are more informative to colleges (or employers) looking at the student transcript. Students who plan to earn credits through World Language Credit Testing do not need to seek prior approval for any learning experiences outside of school that help them develop language skills and demonstrate that proficiency to qualify for credits. Credit testing is also an option for students who can already speak, read, and write a language other than English. Learn more at SPS International Education > World Language Credit Testing. Be sure to plan ahead because tests do fill up in advance.

Seattle Promise Scholarship Applications Now Open

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.

Applications are due by Feb 1. Apply here.

Final District-Wide Deadline for AP Exam Registrations

The final AP exam registration and ordering deadline for all SPS students for first semester and yearlong AP courses is Nov 5 by 5 pm. The fee is $103 per exam. Families must plan to pay the exam fees or make a plan for payment by Nov 5. Students who are eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch should work with their school’s AP Coordinator to receive an exam fee waiver for 2022. No late registrations will be allowed for students currently enrolled in AP exams. All unused or cancelled AP exams will incur a $40 fee per exam. Additional information about AP exam schedule, registration, and fees is available on the SPS website.

TCS students, show off your creativity and skill! Reflections is an annual competition put on by the national PTA. This year's theme is "I will change the world by ...". Students have the opportunity to win and move on to state and even national competition. Students can enter in one or more of the following categories (follow the links to read the rules for each category):

• Dance Choreography
• Film Production
• Literature
• Music Composition
• Photography
• Visual Arts (2D and 3D)

Entry deadline is Wed, Nov 3 by 5 pm. Entries should be submitted digitally using the electronic entry form, which will be available soon. If you need help photographing 2D or 3D art, please contact Reflections Chair, Monica Payson, at monica@paysley.net. Please also reach out for help with artist's statements, supplies, entry forms, and general support.

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.

Deconstructing the Superhero

Epic Youth Programs presents a teen

writing workshop with Ebo Barton.

Sat, Nov 6, Noon –1:30 pm via Zoom

Free to local teens

Using the Superhero as a metaphor for our group discussions, we’ll write poems, tell personal stories and discover different parts of our stories with different elements of a Superhero: masks, villains, sidekicks, superpowers etc.

Ebo Barton is a genderqueer Black and Filipino poet and artist. They are a six-time finalist of the Seattle Poetry Slam Grand Slam. In 2016, they placed 5th in the World at the Individual World Poetry Slam. Their 2021 debut poetry collection, Insubordinate was named a Washington State Book Award Finalist in the Poetry Category. A leader in arts and activism, Ebo is committed to creating opportunities for others to organize, heal and rejoice. Follow them on Instagram ebobarton.

Register here.

NOAA West Photography Contest

To enhance our understanding of the diverse ways climate change impacts people and places in the Western United States, NOAA West is asking students in grades 5 through 12 for photo submissions showcasing what climate change means to you.

Winning photos will be featured next Spring (2022) on the NOAA Western Region website in conjunction with responses developed by NOAA's climate experts.

Each entry must include a photograph showcasing an example of climate change or an impact of climate change in the western United States, as well as a 3-5 sentence description of the climate change or impact, from your perspective. Entries will be judged on the photo's impact, creativity and relevance to the theme, and the written description (grade appropriate).

Deadline for submissions is Nov 15. Read more and register here.

Teentix Internship at Seattle Opera

Are you a storyteller who wants to work in the arts or for a nonprofit someday? Are you passionate about making the arts a space where more young people and People of Color feel seen and represented? Or—are you an artist who wants to learn about how to market your work? The TeenTix Internship at Seattle Opera is the ideal opportunity for you!

Currently, Seattle Opera’s marketing and communications department spends a lot of time trying to provide context about old works for our adult audiences. How should we be telling these stories today, in 2021? What kind of context would attract young people to attending an opera? Bring your ideas to a major arts organization while gaining real-world experience. With supervision from both TeenTix and Seattle Opera staff, the intern will serve as a youth adviser for Seattle Opera’s marketing efforts, and help the company inspire more youth to attend Seattle Opera events and performances.

Interns will focus on communications surrounding the opera Blue, and gain experience in supporting the success of a production through social media copy, email copy, press releases, blog articles, interviews, and more. Blue is an award winning opera about contemporary African American life, love and loss, church, sisterhood, and most importantly, family. The story follows a Black family in the joy of the birth of their son, and later in the grief of his death at the hands of a police officer. This story contains difficult, complex, and emotionally nuanced themes that the intern will learn to navigate and present from a communications perspective.

Teens 17– 20 are encouraged to apply.

Read more about qualifications, compensation, expectations, and how to apply.

True Colors' Next Narrative Monologue CompetitionTM

NNMC) features newly created works from fifty of America's leading contemporary Black playwrights that engage students of all backgrounds in artful exploration of 21st century themes, while instilling confidence in all to find their voices.

Founded by True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, the NNMC mission is to celebrate the rich tradition of Black storytelling while giving voice to bold artists of all cultures. This Black storytelling lens is not exclusionary, but provides an inclusive portal to new worlds and the truths therein.

In each participating region, students progress through three competition rounds: Preliminaries, Semi-Finals, and Regional Finals. Then, the top two winners from each regional competition participate in the National Finals, receiving an all-expense-paid trip to New York City that includes workshops with theater professionals, tickets to a Broadway show, the chance to win a cash prize, and more!

Register here.

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!

Sign up to receive the Dragon's Fire, and stay up to date on what's hot!

Miss an issue? Check out the archive.