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| Blast | 5/16/11 |
| CSCA 2010-2011 - BLAST | The Center School Newsletter 2010-2011 | |||
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Somehow I wound up with a document from the government of Singapore a couple weeks ago that outlines "The Desired Purpose of Education." Oftentimes, a title like that will lead to truly dreary prose, but this one broke the stereotype. In this case, education results in someone who "has a good sense of self-awareness, a sound moral compass, and the necessary skills and knowledge to take on challenges of the future. He is responsible to his family, community and nation. He appreciates the beauty of the world around him, possesses a healthy mind and body, and has a zest for life." This is a busy week for Center School families -- full of "a zest for life." sandi kurtz submitarticle@csca.thecenterschool.net 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 the Center School Early to Bed, and Early out of School This coming Wednesday (May 18) is an early dismissal day, making short periods even shorter, and putting lunch firmly in the 'brunch' timezone. Period 1 8:15 - 8:55 am Period 2 9:00- 9:40 am Period 3 9:45 - 10:25 am Lunch 10:25 - 10:55 am Period 4 11:00 - 11:40 am Period 5 11:45 - 12:25 pm Period 6 12:30 - 1:10 pm MAP Testing, Part the Last! from Geraldine Carroll It's Spring, so that means it's time for MAP testing! Seattle Public School's MAP testing (Measurement of Academic Progress) will begin next week and continue for the month for all 9th graders. All 9th graders will be tested in Math and in Reading. Please remember that this includes any student with 9th grade credits, even if that student is in her second year of high school. If you are unsure of your child's status, please check the Source, where you will find the grade level listed. Testing is organized by students' Humanities teachers (see schedule below) and will take place on the assigned mornings beginning at 8:00 A.M. Please note this early time; it is necessary to provide enough time for students to complete the testing. Be sure your student arrives on time and well fed. In addition, speak to your student about the purpose of MAP—to determine how students are progressing in their math and reading skills as well as to guide teachers as they plan lessons. If students understand the test's purpose, they are more likely to try their best. You might even look at your student's MAP scores for past tests, which can be found under "Assessments" on the Source. Your 9th grade student will test according to the following schedule, beginning at 8:00 A.M.: WEEK OF MAY 16th: Tuesday, 5/17: Ms. Storey's Humanities 9th graders - Math test Thursday, 5/19: Ms. Storey's Humanities 9th graders - Reading test Friday, 5/20: Make-up for students who did not complete their testing NOTE: Parents, if it is possible for you to help us set up the testing—turning on computers and logging students in—we would greatly appreciate it! You would arrive by 7:40 and be finished by 8:05. If you are interested, please contact Gerardine Carroll at gpcarroll@seattleschools.org. Artrageous -- ArtsFest 2011 from Margaret Chodos-Irvine, Center School Arts Liason As members of the Center School High School's extended family, I would like to invite you to attend this year's Arts Showcase event, Artrageous. This is the main event of the year where the Center School students get to show off all their creativity and hard work in the Arts. Showcased pieces will include pieces in Visual Art, Graphic Design, Photography, Film and Poetry, as well as samples of arts integration projects in all disciplines. The Arts Showcase will take place at the Center School on Thursday, May 19th, from 6 - 9 pm, third floor. Complete Details: TCS 2011 Arts Showcase There will also be items for sale to benefit the school, including a series of hand-silkscreened posters by the 2011 Center School Flatstock Crew. (Loretta Aho, Ella Chodos-Irvine, Dana Keyes-Gibbons, Catherine Quinn, Pliny Stevens, Skye Stewart) These are beautiful, hand-silkscreened, signed, limited-edition pieces of art created by a select group of talented and hard-working students. Great art for your home, and better than a poster of Johnny Depp on your child's wall. The purchase price is $25 each, so remember to bring CASH or your checkbook to the event so you can buy one, two, three, or all six! Preview: 2011 Center School Flatstock Crew Coming Attractions and Past Accomplishments The Fruit of Their Labors Student writers all over the landscape have been working with the Seattle Arts and Lectures Writers in the Schools program this year (sponsored by that coffee company with the mermaid on their cups) and now we all get a chance to hear what they've been making. WITS students from as far away as the Lummi Nation School in Bellingham and as close as you-know-where (The Center School, duh!) will be reading on June 1 & 2, 6 pm, at the downtown branch of the Seattle Public Library. Wednesday is reserved for elementary and middle school writers, with high schoolers on Thursday, emceed by DJ Riz Rollins from KEXP. It's free, it's fun, and it's full of great work -- what's not to love?! Check out their blog at http://witsink.tumblr.com/ or just come down to the library... Credit Where Credit Is Due In the Seattle Times 2011 Poetry Contest, our very own Faye Thornburgh, Class of 2012, received the Editor's Choice award for her poem "Way Home." Many congratulations to Faye -- check out the article, and her poem, here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2014961410_poetrycontest08.html?syndication=rss And in Case You Missed It The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (or NFFTY, for those in the know) 48 Hour Film-Off Contest Award winner, "Jam the Jam," by Center School film crew Tara Conley, Riley Moffitt, Jasiah Ruby, Sophie Mitchell and Sam Wolk, is available here: http://nffty.org/watch/films/watch-jam-the-jam-48hr-film-off-winner Fine Tuning the Daily Grind There will be a few changes to the daily schedule for the 2011-12 school year, mostly fine-tuning the existing model, but there are a couple of small differences in the overall picture. School will start and end at the same time every day, which should make things easier for those of us without programmable alarm clocks, the time between the first two periods is longer, which should cut down on the "why I was late to class even though I'm already in the building' conversations at dinner, and tutorials will stay in the morning before school, rather than shifting to the after-school slot. As someone who didn't know that was being considered, I feel like I've dodged a bullet without even trying. Here are the details. 2011-12 schedule Outside the Center School So Tell Them Just What You Think School board member Michael deBell's monthly community meeting -- caffeine-fueled conversation. Saturday 21 May, 9 - 11 am, Caffe Appasionato, 4001 - 21st Ave. W (next to Fisherman's Terminal). How to PTA: Dinner and Details from the Seattle Council PTSA Seattle Council PTSA's annual Spring Meeting is coming up! Monday 6 June, 5:30-9 pm, at Mercer Middle School (1600 Columbian Way S.) We provide PTA Training for new incoming PTA Boards, and encourage all incoming and outgoing PTSA/PTA Boards to attend. Cost is $40 per school including all parents/teachers/students who wish to attend (cost includes dinner). Look for more information in upcoming issues of the Blast, and/or contact Liz Clayton for more info: 206-795-7025, southsideneighbors@gmail.com Parent Engagement for the 21st Century from CPPS (Community and Parents for Public Schools of Seattle) Share YOUR definition of quality neighborhood schools with the Superintendent, Executive Directors and the community. Learn about and support parent leadership training initiatives to increase YOUR education voice! This is the CPPS annual event, and will be a great chance to hear from district leadership about the next step. Tuesday 24 May, 6:30-8:30 pm, Lincoln High School Library, dessert and discussion, RSVP to stephaniej@cppsofseattle.org Tell Them What to Do With the Statistics from the SPS Demographics Review Task Force Seattle Public Schools is looking for a few volunteers from the community to participate on a Demographics Review Task Force. Current demographic projections suggest that up to 7,000 new students may enter Seattle Public Schools over the next 5 years. The total student population could rise from 47,000 students today to 54,000 students over the next 5 years impacting every school in the District. The purpose of the task force is to review the impact of demographics on the New Student Assignment Plan and Capacity Management for 2012 and beyond. The task force will also review national best practices, clarifying planning assumptions and current SPS enrollment projections. The task force includes SPS staff, local experts and community participants and will meet weekly, beginning May 31, and will report to the Superintendent and school board by June 30. To be considered, applications are due Thursday 19 May at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. For more information, or to apply, contact Janet Chin, 206-252-0102, jchin@seattleschools.org. If leaving a message, please include your name, school, phone number, and email address. Summertime Don't Put the Pencil Down This Summer If you're looking for a way to keep your student writing over the summer before they've got enough material for the classic "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" essay, you might want to investigate the UW Summer Youth Program -- they're offering classes in essay writing, screenwriting, playwriting and self-publishing. Check their website for more information. http://www.summer-camp.uw.edu/courses/high-school/ Students, Start Your Engines The Seattle Public Schools will be running their drivers education course over the summer, June 27-July 27. Mail-in registration packets and information is at the front desk at school, but if you have questions you can contact the Traffic Education Office directly at 206-252-4735. Or visit the website at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/trafficed/index.dxml Last, But Not Least If you use Google at all, you may have already seen this little animation last week, celebrating the birthday of American modern dance legend Martha Graham. So have another look, or see it for the first time here. http://vimeo.com/23562061
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The Center School Annual Report
Principal Letter for School Reports 2011