Thursday, November 4, 2021 Volume 16 Issue 9
Meet our Bullpups' Visual Arts Teacher, Ms. Strand!
What a thrill it is to be back in person making art together. My name is Laura Strand and I am in my 5th year teaching visual art at Thurgood Marshall, although I have been teaching elementary school for over 22 years. I also do mentoring/leadership work with the art department of Seattle Public Schools. This is truly my dream job. I am from Seattle but studied art at Otis College of Art in Los Angeles, where I also began my teaching career. My own art practice has included drawing, painting, ceramics, murals/set painting, and most recently, creating and editing art tutorial videos. I am amazed at all the art skills and imagination that students have been developing while at home. We also know that art is an important way for students to connect and express their inner and outer worlds, especially in challenging times. Our number one priority in the art studio is safety. I have changed the layout and procedures of the art studio to allow for more distancing. Each table team has their own materials station to avoid crowding. This becomes more challenging with wet materials, such as painting or printmaking, but we are finding ways to explore materials and stay safe. We are also focusing more on dry materials, such as pencil or pastel drawing, and will be learning realistic drawing. For younger students, I am trying to frontload some skills that may have been missed while we were remote, such as cutting with scissors. One artistic practice I am introducing this year is “thumbnail sketches.” These are small practice sketches (usually 4 or so) that are done in preparation for a larger, more final, art piece. Thumbnail sketches give students the chance to try out their ideas in a low-risk way. It expands their thinking to include multiple possibilities and perspectives. It pushes them to make artistic choices and increase their self-agency. This has proved to be especially helpful for students who get hung up on making their work perfect or aren’t sure how to get started.
Other projects I hope to get to this year include clay (all grades) and media arts (stop motion animation for grades 3-5). Stop motion has been a favorite at Thurgood Marshall. Unfortunately we no longer have access to class sets of iPads due to technology needs during Covid-19 (they’ve been loaned out to students).
I have started a Donors Choose fundraiser to purchase iPad for use our schools art studio. Any community members interested in supporting media arts at Thurgood Marshall, please see our donorschoose.com
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for Students 5 – 11 years old
The pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now approved for children 5-11 years old. Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is excited to partner with Public Health – Seattle & King County and with Othello Station Pharmacy in SE Seattle, to offer COVID-19 vaccination clinics for students 5-11 years old. Vaccination is the strongest protective measure against COVID-19, and being vaccinated also reduces the possibility of lost in-person instruction time for students. Families that wish to have their 5 - 11 year old student receive a COVID-19 vaccine have several options including vaccine clinics held at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. The first clinic at Thurgood Marshall Elementary is scheduled for Wednesday, November 10, from 2-5 PM, for students 5+ who are enrolled at our school. There will be a second clinic at our school on Saturday, November 13 from 9 AM- 3 PM, open to all SPS students who are 5 years and older.
Wednesday COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for Thurgood Marshal students:
1st dose: Wednesday, November 10, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m
(2nd dose: Wednesday, December 1, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m).
Students may attend without a parent/guardian if the parent/guardian has signed an (Othello Station Pharmacy) consent form in advanced. A parent/ caregiver may also give verbal consent to a school nurse. Parents are also welcome to accompany their student to this school day clinic. Because the clinics will be inside schools, adults must be prepared to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test from the past 72 hours.
Upcoming COVID-19 Saturday Vaccine Clinic at Thurgood Marshall, open to all SPS students 5-11 years old:
1st dose: Saturday, November 13, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.;
(2nd dose: Saturday, December 4, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m).
Students under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Adults must be prepared to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test from the past 72 hours.
Please use door to cafeteria on west side of the building
Insurance is not required for these vaccinations for your child, and there is no cost to students or families. Most medical providers will ask for insurance to cover administrative costs, however, please note that it is not required. The Pfizer vaccination requires two shots. Students should plan to be available for both school clinic dates to receive both doses of the vaccine. More information on the COVID-19 vaccine for children and other regional vaccine clinics in Seattle can be found on the SPS webpage here: https://www.seattleschools.org/news/flu-vaccine-clinic/
Virtual Town Hall - Kids & COVID-19 Thursday, November 4 from 4-7 PM
EDIT: If you weren't able to watch the Town Hall live you can view a recording of it here: https://www.facebook.com/BlackDoctor.org/videos/1257285201456881
The Washington State Department of Health promoted a virtual town hall about kids and COVID on Thursday, November 4th from 4:00-7:00pm.
This Special Facebook Live Event, hosted by the Black Coalition Against COVID and The We Can Do, will feature school community advocates and childhood health experts providing information on issues concerning COVID-19, including vaccinating children and other ways to keep kids safe.
Join the Virtual Town Hall tonight (Thursday, Nov. 4) @ 4PM at www.facebook.com/BlackDoctor.org.
Tree Planting Party! Saturday, November 13
Volunteers Needed to Plant Trees!
Thurgood Marshall Elementary was recently awarded 4 trees through the "Trees for Neighborhoods" program. The goal of this project is to make a positive impact to the school community by bringing trees into the large spaces at Thurgood Marshall.
We hope that students will find shelter under these trees when they grow taller from the sun and the rain, as well as bringing beauty to the student space. Trees are also quite the environmental rockstars in that they also absorb carbon, help with rainwater management and help decrease heat absorption in the summer. We have the fortune to have been awarded the following 4 trees: Douglas fir, Vanessa Persian parrotia, Turkish filbert, and Dura Heat river birch - and now we are organizing a small number of volunteers to help us plant the trees. We are seeking 20 volunteers (please note that volunteers must be masked and if vaccine eligible (over the age of 11) must be vaccinated; we are also limited to a maximum of 20 volunteers only).
The tasks we need volunteers to help us complete are:
digging 4 holes for the trees,
helping transport compost to the 4 tree holes by wheelbarrow and raking it around the base of the trees, and
establishing protective staking around each of the trees.
All the materials are already on site. When: Saturday, November 13 Time: 10:00am - 2:00pmm Where: Thurgood Marshall Elementary If you can volunteer to help please sign up below:
More Donors Needed!
40 more Thanksgiving Meal- in-a-Bag to reach our goal!
Thank you to those that have already contacted us that you will donate a Meal-in-a- Bag to provide to Thurgood Marshall families in need. We still need more 40 more Meal-in- a-Bag donations to reach our goal of 60 bags. If you can help please email Chantel at pta@tmlink.org with your name and the number of bags you will be shopping for.
More information about donating a Thanksgiving Meal-in-a- Bag and the items to shop for can be found by clicking the letter below:
