Blast | 10/24/11

Sunday, May 20 2012

BLAST Information Center

BLAST Subscriptions

The Weekly Newsletter Published by the CSCA. A must if you want to know what is going on at Center (and in case you haven't noticed, teenagers are not the most forthcoming, so really, you'll know nothing without it.

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BLAST Article Ideas

Do you have an idea for a BLAST article?

We want to know what you know, and we want to know what you need. Send us your specific content, or your ideas for content. If you have Blast content to get out this week - please submit it by Friday at 3 pm. The Blast goes out late Sunday night, and covers school life for the following week.

Things we like to know:
- School News, in and out of the building
- Opportunities for Center School students (volunteering, classes, performances, etc)
- Student, staff and faculty accomplishments beyond the school.
- And the ever-favorite "misc."

By now you've seen the motley collection of stuff that qualifies for the Blast -- if you've got something that fits that very elastic category, send it in. Make sure you tell me what's going on, where and when it's happening, and how to get in touch with the people involved, if participation is the goal. And let me know how long you think it should run.

To submit news, events, or calendar items to be included in the Blast, send an email with subject line "News" to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Event Submissions

If your happening or event has a time and place, is of general interest to the CSCA and TCS community, tell us about it. Your event will be listed on the CSCA site and appear in various places depending on your event category.

Basic Essential Event Information

Title: Title of your event. Should be an official name.

Date: When is it? Include all dates, start and end date.

Time: When, again. Please provide a Start and End time. If we do not have an official End time, we will estimate a reasonable length but would really rather not. Make a guess so we don't have to.

Event Description: The narrative description of your event, or, "the Blurb." What will happen at the event? Who will be presenting the event? Is someone of interest appearing, e;g., Superintendent, School Board Member, Principal, etc.? What do attendees need to know? This should be a brief overview.

Because date, time and venue are already published, this information is not as important in the description. Plan to restate date, time, and place after your blurb. If you restate title, date, time and place at the beginning of your blurb, it will be redundant for readers who will already have that information in the preceding text.

Place: Event Venue.
Where is it? Use official names, e,g. "Seattle Repertory Theatre," = good, "The Rep" = bad. Just assume your reader is unfamiliar with the area and may have to look up the address. In the case of the SRT, it is already in the system complete with the official address and automatic directions using Google Maps should the reader require the information. Complete, accurate information is crucial. Please include:

Address: - As in street address. Include city, sate and zip code at minimum.
Website URL: - As in internet address.
Images: If at all available - and they usually are. Bonus Points: Provide an image of the venue or space. These are usually readily available on the venue webpage. Simply right click on logos or images and download to your device and attach or send a link to the images.

Note that once an event venue has been entered, it is permanently in the system. Therefore a number of frequently used venues are already entered.

Additional Information (useful, but not required)

Event Contact: Name, email and phone

To add your event to the CSCA Calendar, email details to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If your event has a longer description or ties to broader issues, feel free to include it and submit the story to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Deadlines

Deadline Submission Guidelines

Deadlines are just that, but for our purposes, events requiring less description. Deadlines will appear on the calendar for the day and time they are set to expire. Less information is required for deadlines. These are typically published to keep readers mindful - and provide them with a resource they can find - of important deadlines throughout the year. e.g., SAT Test Dates, Registration Deadlines for programs, colleges, what have you. The following information is necessary.

What's the Deadline? For example, SAT test sign ups, Financial Aid forms, register for this or that.

When: Date and Time necessary. When is it due? In the case of Mail-in, dated material, e.g., Postmarked by April 15th, 2012. Otherwise, provide time and date.

How do I meet the deadline: Describe what needs to be done to fulfill the deadline. e.g., All forms must be completed and postmarked by April 15, 2012, or, "delivered to the Hall of Arts and Sciences office located at room 267, University Building by 5:00 p.m. October 18, 2011. Admittedly, there are fewer "drop off" deadlines, but they exist.

Where can I find more information? Typically, this deadline notice is not the primary communication for readers. This is intended to be a courtesy reminder, therefore we don't need to provide in depth details in our notice. However, we should include a link to more information on the deadline. As the Deadlines tend to be nationally known in the case of SAT or ACT testing, providing a URL for the deadline is both easy and helpful to readers.

To add a deadline to the CSCA Calendar email the above details to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TCS & CSCA Event Calendar

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Blast | 10/24/11

CSCA 2011-2012 - The BLAST | The Center School Newsletter 2011-2012

View The BLAST Online | View BLAST Archives

24-30 October 2011

Another long Blast -- if this keeps up, we'll have to think of a different title for these things. "Long Playing Records?"

sandi kurtz
submitarticle@csca.thecenterschool.net
sandik@drizzle.com
206-523-6553

Center School Connections
The Center School - http://www.centerschoolseattle.org/
Center School Community Association (aka PTA) - http://csca.thecenterschool.net/
Facebook - Center School on Facebook
CSCA Meeting Minutes - CSCA minutes

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

CSCA Forms and Fees
If you've gotten a phone call in the last couple weeks from a CSCA volunteer, reminding you to get your forms and fees in by the end of the month, please make sure that gets moved to the top of the to-do list this week. We're hoping to close out the books on that project, and move along to the next exciting chapter, but we'd like to get everyone tidied up. Lost the forms? Don't be embarrassed, just look here
CSCA forms

This Week at the Center School

The Regular Stuff
Homework Club meets after school Tuesday and Thursday.
Coffee with Ms Britsova Friday 10 am at the Center House Starbucks

The Unusual Stuff
Spirit Week -- time to plan your ensembles for the week
Monday: Pajama Day:
Tuesday: Crazy Hair/Hat Day:
Wednesday: Class Colors Day (9th-White, 10th-Black, 11th-Silver, 12th-Red):
Thursday: Black Tie Day:
Friday: Halloween Colors Day (Orange/Black/Green/Purple)
Monday 31 October: Halloween Costume Day

Party Like A Zombie
Or waltz with a werewolf? The Center School ASB is sponsoring the annual Halloween Dance on Friday 28 October, 7-11 pm, so put on your costume and come to the Olympic Room at the Seattle Center. The event will be chaperoned by Center School staff/faculty -- for more information, or to offer donations, contact Dana Keyes-Gibbons at danamkg@gmail.com.

Early Dismissal Wednesday
Per. 1 8:30-9:10 (40 min.)
Per. 2 9:15-9:55 (40 min.)
Per. 3 10:00-10:40 (40 min.)
Per. 4 10:45-11:25 (40 min.)
Lunch 11:25-11:50 (25 min.)
Per. 5 11:50-12:30 (40 min.)
Per. 6 12:35-1:15 (40 min.)

Coming Attractions and Past Accomplishments

CSCA is seeking a new Secretary
The Center School Community Association (CSCA), the school's Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is seeking a new Secretary. The primary duty of the secretary is taking notes during the CSCA monthly meeting. We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month (except February - we don't want to meet on Valentine's Day) from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the school. The Secretary is a member of the CSCA executive committee along with the president, co-vice presidents, and treasurer. In addition, the secretary may be called upon from time to time to write a short article for the Blast. If you would be willing to step forward and serve as Secretary for the remainder of the school year, please contact Sam Star at president@csca.thecenterschool.net.

Is It Snowing Yet?
Snow may not be accumulating yet, but details about the Center School ski bus are. It will run on Wednesdays, leaving Center at 2:30 pm and returning by 10:00 pm (skiing from 4 to 8:15) for six weeks in January and February. The group lift ticket price is $180 for six weeks. Bus cost will depend the number of students but will be about $150 for six weeks (so $330 for both). We need at least 30 students to sign up and pay in advance up to make it work. Registration forms will be out next week. Contact Julie Vergeront, jvergeront@yahoo.com, 206-459-1862 for more information and look for signup sheets at school.

Ole!
18 Center School students and parents enjoyed the start of the opera season with a great performance of Bizet's Carmen! Janet Gryczan would be grateful if those who have yet to reimburse her for the tickets send payment to school and/or leave it with Tracy at the front desk. Tickets were 8 dollars each. Our next opera will be Verdi's Attila the Hun in January, where Attila will belt out his deepest feelings in Italian, while we read the supratitles in English.

Family Pizza Party Kicks Off the New School Year
Thank you to everyone who made TCS's first beginning of the school year pizza party a success. There was lots of good food and a chance to meet and socialize with TCS community members. It was a great opportunity for both new and returning families to hear about arts integration projects planned for this year from staff-member Ms. Wyn and CSCA's arts coordinator Margaret Chodos-Irvine, and to get an update about our Model United Nations program. And we enjoyed student music and poetry performances as well as student-produced film and visual arts. Thanks to Ms. Britsova and the CSCA volunteers who organized this event!

Outside the Center School

Special Education Conference
Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle PTSA are presenting "Student-Centered Collaboration: Strategies for Effective IEP Teams" on Saturday 29 October, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. If you have a child in the Seattle schools with an IEP, or work with special populations, this will be a great opportunity to network with other families and hone your advocacy skills. The conference includes a panel discussion and workshops on creating a team with other professionals and families to support special needs students. The event is free, and will be held at the John Stanford Center (2445 3rd Ave S.) -- for more information, or to RSVP, contact seattlespedptsa@gmail.com.

Diversity for Dinner
The Seattle Public Schools' Health Intervention Office, Office of School Family Partnerships, and Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield invite you to join lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families and friends for dinner and conversation at NOVA/SBOC-World School (formerly Meany Middle School, 300-20th AVe E) on Thursday 3 November, 6-8 pm. SPS hosts this annual event to support the diverse communities that come together in our schools, and to offer everyone a chance to share a meal and their stories. There will be activities for younger children as well as opportunities to talk with school board members and other district staff. This has always been a popular event. so please RSVP by November 1 with Lisa Love at 206-252-0983 or LLove@seattleschools.org to make sure they save you a seat! For more information, look here LGBT Dinner

Competitive Arguing
The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (IEB) is a team competition that combines the excitement and fun of a competitive tournament with an innovative approach to education in practical and professional ethics for undergraduate students. In the IEB, each team receives a set of cases which raise issues in practical and professional ethics in advance of the competition and prepare an analysis of each case. At the competition, a moderator poses questions, based on a case taken from that set, to teams of three to five students. Questions may concern ethical problems on wide ranging topics, such as the classroom (e.g. cheating or plagiarism), personal relationships (e.g. dating or friendship), professional ethics (e.g. engineering, law, medicine), or social and political ethics (e.g. free speech, gun control, etc.) A panel of judges may probe the teams for further justifications and evaluates answers. Rating criteria are intelligibility, focus on ethically relevant considerations, avoidance of ethical irrelevance, and deliberative thoughtfulness. The Northwest Regional Ethics Bowl is held at Seattle University this year, Saturday 5 November, 9 am - 6 pm in the Engineering Building. The event is free and open to the public -- this is an unusual opportunity to hear serious arguments about ethical issues outside a legal or religious setting.

Families and Education Levy
Election Day is Tuesday 8 November -- if you don't vote, you don't get to complain about anything later. For more information, check Friends and Families Levy

Beyond High School

College Visits
Tuesday 25 October -- Arizona State University in Tempe will be on the balcony during lunch. Meet with Andrea Roehre Anderson who is the Academic Success Coordinator for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. http://herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/

Thursday 3 November -- Art Center College of Design - Pasadena, CA will be here on the balcony during lunch. Visit with Nicola Vruwink, Associate Director of Admissions. "Learn to create. Influence change. This is our mission at Art Center College of Design. " http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/index.jsp

Friday 4 November -- Naropa University – Boulder, Colorado, will visit on the balcony during lunch. Visit with Kelly Tweet who will also be at the NACAC Fair. "The pursuit of wisdom at Naropa University means learning both about academic subjects and about one's own place in the world." http://www.naropa.edu/academics/

Seattle University Preview Day
General college tours and department open houses, all on Saturday 29 October, 8:30 am - 2 pm. For more information, and a link to online registration, check their website http://www.seattleu.edu/admission/fpd/

Kind of Like Costco
The NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) National College Fair, Friday 4 November, 9 am - noon, and Saturday 5 November, noon - 4 pm is the big box equivalent of college shopping. Over 200 schools participate, from the US and elsewhere -- schools you're already familiar with and schools you've never heard of before. There are information workshops on scholarship applications and financial planning, but mostly it's booths full of admissions workers bags worth of print information. Like I said before, wear comfortable shoes and bring a shopping bag -- this is the motherload of full-color brochures. For more information" College Fair

Last, But Not Least

Another Example of Arts Integration
Winners were announced last week in the 2011 "Dance Your Ph.D." contest, where young scientists create dances that illustrate or prove some aspect of their doctoral dissertations. Dances about fruit fly sex, dances about wikipedia use, dances about algorithmic modeling of biochemical networks. No, I am not making this up, and as a dance critic, I am very excited about the possibilities!
Dance Your PhD

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CSCA Mission

The Center School Community Association (CSCA) works to support the students, teachers and staff of The Center School in Seattle, WA. Your membership and support makes this possible. Our goal is to provide our members with opportunities to help shape the present and the future of CSCA and The Center School through the sharing of ideas and experiences.