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A CSCA Publication

What's HOT the week of January 10, 2022

The Thing Is

by Ellen Bass

to love life, to love it even

when you have no stomach for it

and everything you’ve held dear

crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,

your throat filled with the silt of it.

When grief sits with you, its tropical heat

thickening the air, heavy as water

more fit for gills than lungs;

when grief weights you down like your own flesh

only more of it, an obesity of grief,

you think, How can a body withstand this?

Then you hold life like a face

between your palms, a plain face,

no charming smile, no violet eyes,

and you say, yes, I will take you

I will love you, again.

Thank you to everyone who organized and facilitated (and participated) in TCS's COVID test clinic last Thursday! Everyone tested negative for COVID! Together, our students and staff are keeping our school a safe place for learning. Let's keep it up!

New In This Week's Dragon's Fire

• TCS Open Houses
• Seattle Promise Scholarship
• 8 Ways to Help Your Child Speak for Themselves
• New Items on the Bulletin Board!

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.

Thu, Jan 20

5–6 pm

Link: https://bit.ly/center120

Mon, Jan 24

5–6 pm

Link: https://bit.ly/center124

See the flyer.

Seattle Promise Scholarship

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.

Service-Learning Requirement Waived for Class of 2022

The School Board has approved suspension of the service-learning graduation requirement for all students graduating in the class of 2022. The board took into consideration many factors including the impact of the pandemic on students, health and safety restrictions in schools and other public places, and people (including vaccinated individuals) getting ill from COVID. The class of 2022 has been impacted by the pandemic now for 3 years, causing them to have very little opportunity to complete service learning before and during the pandemic.

Please note that no change of requirements has been made for graduating classes beyond 2022. Students graduating in 2023 and beyond should continue to seek service hour opportutnities.

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

November 12 Make-Up Day

To make up for the lost school day on Nov 12, the Seattle School board has designated Thu, Jan 27 (a day initially scheduled as a break between semesters) as a regular school day.

Deadline to Request AP Exam Accommodations is Jan 18

To take an AP Exam with accommodations, a student must be approved for each accommodation by the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. The request for accommodations must be submitted by the College Board deadline of Jan 18. Read more on the SPS website.

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.

8 Ways to Help Your Child Speak for Themselves

As parents, we often jump in and speak for our children. We handle things for them because we mean well and want to protect them. But this doesn’t do our kids any favors. We need to help them speak for themselves.

Each time we solve our children’s problems and speak up in their place, we take away some of their power to figure things out on their own. While we may be doing this in part to calm our own nervousness and worries about wanting them to succeed, in the end it prevents our children from gaining confidence and learning to stand up for themselves.

When you get out of their way, you’ll discover that your kids don’t have to turn to you for every problem. Even if they struggle at first, eventually your children will develop an awareness of their own strength and can say, “I’ve got this.” They will find their own voice and develop self- confidence from the inside out.

Here are eight tips to help your kids to start speaking up and build the resilience they need to cope with life’s curveballs.

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.

Calling All Actors! 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 17 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.

Foundry 10 Sprint Student Internship Applications Open

Foundry 10's internship program is a great way to explore a passion or interest area. We invite you to apply with a specific project in mind, and if you are selected, you will have the opportunity to spend the semester collaborating with an expert mentor to complete your project. Foundry10 will provide all the materials and resources you need to the best of our ability.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundry10 internship program has shifted to remote learning. Therefore, all work on your project will be done remotely during dedicated internship school hours. All foundry10 intern meetings will be held online via Zoom (orientation and mentor meetings). How you choose to communicate directly with your mentor and group members (if any) is up to you.

Application Process:

• Applicants must be at least 14 years old and live in WA.
• You may apply with up to four people per group. Fill out only one application per group.
• Applications are due by Sun, Jan 9 at midnight.
• After you have submitted your application, your application will be reviewed and you may receive some follow-up questions via email.
• If selected, the internship will start on Feb 24 and end on May 19. Due to COVID and the school curriculum, dates may vary.
• Due to staff shortages, we can only select 5-6 projects this session.

Internship Details and Application Tips:

• The best intern projects are specific, well thought out, and can be completed within one semester. For example, instead of "a photography project", you might share more details and describe your project as “a portfolio of photographs that tell stories about local teachers.”
• Be creative! Pick something that has personal meaning to you and your team, and be ready to explain what that is and why you want to pursue it.
• You don't need to be an expert or have any experience in what you want to do, just excitement, an idea, and a willingness to learn.
• At the end of the application please give your project a name. For example, if you are creating a video game that is a similar version of Mario Bros. a project name could be "Mario Cousins."

The internship will be on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays between 10 am and 3 pm. These dates and hours are subject to change, and you will be notified accordingly.

Read more and apply.

Service Learning Opportunity

Join the Stroum Jewish Community Center’s Mitzvah Corps for a new year of making a difference with our Volunteer Challenge. From Jan through Apr, we’ll offer a variety of in-person and at-home volunteer opportunities for the whole family across the Puget Sound! Each time you volunteer through Mitzvah Corps, submit a photo of your family in action. We’ll track participation and the family with the most volunteer activities will be featured on our website and in social media. The challenge kicks off on January 17, when we celebrate a double holiday: Tu B’Shevat (Jewish Earth Day) and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, two holidays that focus on giving back to our community and our planet. Challenge begins Jan 17.

How to Participate:

• Register your family/team here.
• Sign up for in-person or choose at-home volunteer opportunities.
• Take a photo of you or your family doing each volunteer activity.
• Email your photos to us at community@sjcc.org.

The family with the most volunteer activities will be featured on the SJCC website and social media!

In-Person activities include: Dinner at our House for YouthCare, Rainier Valley Food Bank, Mary’s Place, Food Lifeline, Earth Corps, Washington Trails Association, Friends of the Burke Gilman Trail, BloodWorks NW, Friends of Lincoln Park, Lambert House, SJCC Kesher Garden, and many more! To register for any In-Person activity, sign up here.

For at-home activities and more info on the Volunteer Challenge, click here.

Questions? Email community@sjcc.org.

Gain Job Skills at Your Library

Seattle Public Library's Student Assistant Program provides jobs for high school, G.E.D., undergraduate, and vocational school students to gain work experience in a public library. Student Assistant positions are available at the Central Library and branches throughout Seattle.

Student Assistants work at the Library 12–15 hours per week. Their positions are temporary and can be held for up to two years (if they are enrolled in school). High school students must be available to work for at least four months.

How you can apply:

The Seattle Public Library is accepting applications for the Student Assistant Program until 5 p.m. on Jan 10, 2022. Please read the City of Seattle's job bulletin to learn about the job responsibilities, qualifications, and how to apply.

Students who meet the eligibility requirements are invited to complete their online application in NEOGOV (via the City of Seattle's Job Opportunities website) during the Library's open application period.

Students who are hired as Student Assistants will begin their employment at the Library in Feb 2022. Note: All new Student Assistants must provide proof of COVID vaccination as required by the City of Seattle.

To learn more about the Student Assistant Program, please join our virtual Q & A session via Zoom 4:30–5:30 p.m. on Wed, Jan 5. A current Student Assistant and a supervisor will discuss the job responsibilities, provide tips for a successful application and respond to students' questions.

BAM 20 Under 20 Applications Open

Bellevue Arts Museum and the Teen Arts Council are pleased to present an exhibition showcasing young artists in the Puget Sound area. Local artists under the age of 20 may apply to have their artwork featured in the 20 Under 20 exhibition, which will be on view in BAM’s Community Education Gallery between May 6 and Oct 2, 2022.

This year’s Teen Arts Council wants to know: How do you rise up from challenging times and envision a new future? Over the past two years, approaching our new normal has been a difficult transition for so many of us. As teens, we have faced the daunting return to in-person school, ever-shifting public health policies, struggles with our personal identity, and difficult conversations surrounding racism and systemic inequities. These challenges have left us to wonder: How can we find balance between uncertainty and optimism? To figure this out, we’d like to hear our communities’ thoughts on ways we can come out of these experiences stronger. We invite you to reflect upon your unique stories of growth, progression, and your vision for your community in our annual teen-made and teen-curated exhibition.

This exhibition will feature youth ages 13–19 as emerging artists and is juried by the Teen Arts Council in collaboration with Bellevue Arts Museum staff. 20 Under 20 is an exciting opportunity to display work in a public and professional space and will showcase a range of artistic media highlighting some of the best talent of the next generation of artists, designers, and craftspeople.

Deadline to apply is Feb 6.

Read more and apply.

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.

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