This is a full edition of the Blast, with information about college prep matters and school district planning as well as the more mundane requests for kleenex and attention. After an entire summer of wondering where it had gone, the hour that we lost when Daylight Savings Time began last spring comes back next Saturday night, and I, for one, will be quite grateful.

And if you haven’t already voted, what are you waiting for?  Ballots due in the mail on Tuesday!

sandi kurtz

sandik@drizzle.com

206-523-6553

Remember, to unsubscribe to this newsletter, click on the link at the bottom of the page to get to the CSCA website.

This Week At Center School

1st quarter ends Friday, November 5!

More College Visitors

Representatives from Bard College (Simon’s Rock, NY) and the University of Puget Sound will be visiting the Center School over the next couple weeks.  Meetings are very informal, on the balcony during lunch, and are a great opportunity to hear more about these schools and ask whatever questions you’ve got.

November 5th (Friday)  Bard College @ Simon’s Rock

November 8^th (Monday)  University of Puget Sound

Check Your Bookshelves

from Kristin Storey’s Humanities class

“Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseni and “Persepolis,” by Mariane Satrapi, are great books.  Ms. Storey would like to use them in her World Language/World History class but doesn’t have enough copies.  If you have a copy you’d like to donate to the school please drop them off with Ms. Storey by the end of November.  Thanks

Request For A Different Kind of Paper Product

from Libby Simeon

Classrooms have used up the order that normally lasts us until mid year in two months. Please ask families to donate boxes of tissue to the school, they can have their student bring them to the front desk and we will distribute throughout the school.

Center School Community

Community Building Meeting

from Julie Vergeront

Join us for a Community Building Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 2 from 7:00-8:30 pm at Uptown Espresso on Fourth and Wall.  We'll brainstorm about events to build community and connections at the Center School and discuss upcoming events.  It's a great way to connect with other parents and to get involved, even if you have just a few hours to spare.  Uptown Espresso, 2504 4th Avenue.  Contact Julie Vergeront, jvergeront@yahoo.com, 206-459-1862, if you are interested.  Or just show up.

Post High School Planning

Sitting Still with a #2 Pencil

SAT registration 11/5 for testing 12/11

www.collegeboard.com

ACT registration 11/5 for testing 12/11

www.act.org

National College Fair Comes to Seattle!

from Barbara Quintana

National College Fair

Sunday-Monday, Nov 14-15

Sunday noon-4 pm

Monday 9 am-noon

Washington State Convention Center

Register www.gotomyNCF.com

Over 300 college and universities as well as local community colleges will be represented at this fair, all grades are welcome!

The Dreaded Personal Essay

from Barbara Quintana

“The Great Personal Statement”

College Essay Marathon!

November 13 & 14

~2 BIG DAYS~

12:00 – 6:00 p.m.

High School Aged College Applicants

Rainier Beach High School

8815 Seward Park Avenue South

Free  Free  Free

Attention College Applicants, SAVE THE DATE!

If you think that writing a powerful personal statement essay is hard, you are so absolutely right.  But friends, there is no need to suffer alone or procrastinate any longer.  In mid-November dozens of trained tutors, writers and professionals will converge for one crazy weekend in the beautiful library/computer center at Rainier Beach High School to help you write, revise, edit and/or polish your college personal statement essay!  That’s right, for two days we will support, help, and cheer you on as much as you need and/or want—heck, while we’re at it, we’ll even feed you.

There are way too many volunteers to mention here but this marathon is being lead by volunteer instructors Sonia Michaels & Rebecca Brinson (a longtime 826 Seattle volunteer, who has participated in tutoring, workshops, field trips, mustache-wrangling and the dancing-off of cash.  She loves essays and writing so much that she owns a personal statement editing service (www.northwestessay.com) and is the development manager at Richard Hugo House.

Barbara Quintana, College/Career Center Specialist

206-252-9854, ext 3

bbquintana@seattleschools.org

In the Larger Community

Arts Education Forum

The Seattle Arts Commission is holding an Arts and Education Forum, at the request of Mayor McGinn, to advocate for the role of the arts in general education and for arts instruction as well.  The mayor wants to hear directly from families, about their commitment to the arts in education – this is an opportunity to speak truth directly to power.  This topic is central to the curriculum of the Center School – come and speak up about your child’s education.

from Diana Falchuk, Seattle Arts Commission

A little context: Our greatest need - and challenge - is to fill the 400 seat auditorium that night. The Mayor, in particular, has come to the SAC with requests to hear from regular citizens (not just the SAC) about why arts education and creative learning in the schools actually matters. His leadership approach, as you both probably know, is to let the people tell and show him what is important. And so with the Forum we have this critical opportunity to have our voices heard by the Mayor in person. Dr. Enfield, the CAO of SPS, is already very supportive of the arts and in securing the looming potential private funding to increase arts across the board in SPS.

I feel strongly that the issues at the heart of the Forum go beyond the fact that many of us do or might have children in SPS who we want to have arts as part of their in school and after-school educations. It's really about how this city, this community, values the kind of learning that allows youth to think outside of the box, to invent, to dream - an education that teaches youth to keep that innovative and collaborative spirit and knowledge of their own potential close as they reach for college, join the work force and give back to their communities. It's about the culture that this creates for youth, their families and the entire city.

Please join us!

SEATTLE FORUM ON CREATIVITY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

Friends, cohorts, people who know just how much the arts matter for young people and all of us -

Please join us for the semi-annual Arts Education Forum, a critical opportunity for all of us who believe in the value of the arts to show our new Mayor and leaders of Seattle Public Schools how and why creative learning in public education, including arts classes, matters to the entire community. The Mayor and SPS leadership's perception of what City residents want is a key factor in securing private and public dollars for a planned investment in equitable, accessible arts learning for all students.

So please come and bring your words! There will be time for audience participants to ask questions to the Mayor and SPS leadership. Seattle University is hosting the event in the 400-seat Pigott Auditorium, and our goal is to have it brimming with passionate citizens like you.

I hope you can make it!

Diana Falchuk

Seattle Arts Commission

When:             Monday, November 8

                        Forum - 6:30 to 7:30 pm

                        Reception to 8 pm

Where:             Seattle University, Pigott Auditorium.

                         Pigott Building, 1017 E. Marion St.

Info:                 Stephanie Beechem, public relations specialist, 206-684-5962

The 2010 Arts in Education Forum is presented by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Seattle Arts Commission, Seattle Public Schools, and Seattle University . The city of Seattle and Seattle Public Schools are engaged in a multi-year partnership to support success for Seattle youth by ensuring that arts and creative learning are available to all students.

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs' Youth Arts program also provides funding that supports arts training for youth in out-of-school time.

Special Education Facilities Survey

Dear District staff, faculty, paraprofessionals, administrators, board members, and family/community members:

The Facilities Department’s Building Excellence Program (BEX) is in the process of developing uniform facilities standards or facilities educational specifications (ed. specs) to guide remodel/construction at all school levels.  One desired outcome of the ed. specs process will be to create standard square foot size ranges/configurations that will be used for at least the next 25 years:   classrooms, flexible learning spaces, stages, cafeterias, gyms, fields etc.

To provide your input into this important process and influence how future schools are designed, please follow the attached link and fill out the brief 10 minute survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SPSEducationalSpecificationsSurvey2010

Please feel free to pass the link on to parents, families and community members.  Your input and cooperation is appreciated.  The survey will be live through November 24th, 2010 and the results will  be available via a link a few days later.

Thank You

 Evelyn K. Hunter, CPM

Assistant to Don Gillmore, A.I.A

SPS - BEX Capital Program

PO Box 34165   Seattle, WA 98124-1165

Cell  206-391-7505

Phone 206-252-0635

Fax 206-252-0573

Last, But Not Least

Event Planner Position Open

Successful Schools in Action has an opening for a temporary, part-time event planner to help with our annual Breakfast Fundraiser. Position will last approximately two months, from mid-December through mid-February. For more information, please email Lisa Moore, SSIA Executive Director, at: lisamoore@schoolsinaction.org.