Our Blog
SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | November 2021
Happy Fall Season!
It was so nice to see all of you beautiful people in person at the first Lab Day! I hope you all had a wonderful October and managed to celebrate Halloween in some way even with COVID. In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in October and what your students can look forward to in November. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. - Jaira
OCTOBER RECAP
Lab Day #1:
The Epic Cohort (8th Grade) learned about biomimicry and constructed some awesome animal shelters.
The Luminous Cohort (9th Grade) began to build and program their own LEGO robots.
The Stellar Cohort (10th Grade) chose and started collecting research for their climate change projects.
RESOURCES
King County Vaccine Mandate Verification: Beginning October 25, people ages 12 and older will be required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result to enter certain indoor and outdoor events and establishments in King County.
MyIR Mobile is an internet-based service that gives people access to their official Washington state vaccination records including COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
17 Tips to Steer Kids of All Ages Through the Political Season, along with some tips from Headspace for relieving election anxiety.
Map of Ballot Drop Boxes in King County: Ballots must be returned to a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day (11/2).
Health Professions Week (HPW) is an exciting and FREE week-long event for high school and college students interested in learning more about careers in the health professions. You will have the opportunity to explore 20+ diverse and rewarding health professions throughout a week of virtual activities 11/4-11/11.
Cal Poly's Engineering Possibilities in College is hosting a Summer program (virtual and in-person dates available). EPIC is open to all rising 6th-12th graders. The program’s primary goals are to attract more female, first-generation and low-income students to the field of engineering and inspire them to choose it as a career path. Application opens in January 2022.
LOOKING FORWARD
SPIN students and mentors will need to bring proof of vaccination or a negative test result within 72 hours to all future SPIN events. Visit our website for an update on our COVID-19 protocols.
Field Day #1 on November 6th. Light Snacks will be provided.
Epic (8th Grade) and Luminous Cohort (9th Grade), 9:30AM-12:30PM: UW Botanic Gardens at the Washington Park Arboretum - 2300 Arboretum Drive East, Seattle WA 98112
There is a UW home game at Husky Stadium on Nov 6th. This means traffic will be pretty bonkers around the park! Leave lots of extra time (especially if you are driving or busing) to get here so that you arrive on time!
Stellar Cohort (10th Grade), 1:30PM-4:30PM: Museum of Flight - 9404 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98108
SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | October 2021
Welcome New SPIN Girls!
If you just joined SPIN Girls this year, welcome to the SPIN Girls newsletter! You'll receive this newsletter once a month. In it, you'll learn about what we did the month before and what we have to look forward to this month. We'll also provide resources to help you with schooling, mentoring, and life. If you ever have any questions about the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me!
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in September and what your students can look forward to in October. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. - Jaira
SEPTEMBER RECAP
Orientation/Welcome Back: Students, mentors, & families had the opportunity to meet virtually, learn more about the program, and start getting to know their mentor and fellow mentees.
RESOURCES
The application for the ’21-’22 Henry Teen Art Collective can be found here and will be due by October 14, 2021.- The Henry Teen Art Collective is a group of young people who collaborate on art projects, meet local and exhibiting artists, and gain behind the scenes access to the museum. We are a youth-led art collective that prioritizes community building, collaboration, youth leadership, and creative expression.
The deadline to apply is October 25th at 5:00 p.m. Youth can learn more and apply at tinyurl.com/SeaSJYouthGrant. The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is thrilled to announce that applications are open now for the Youth-Led Social Justice Mini-Grant! DEEL is proud to support our City’s brilliant, passionate young people who are advocating for anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and positive change.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth.
Teen Mental Health First Aid Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in Teens.
LOOKING FORWARD
Lab Day #1 on October 16th at Tukwila Community Center: 12424 42nd Ave S, Tukwila, WA 98168
Breakfast snacks and lunch provided.
Epic Cohort (8th Grade): 9:30AM-1:30PM
Luminous Cohort (9th Grade): 9:30AM-1:30PM
Stellar Cohort (10th Grade): 12:30PM-4:30PM
*8th and 9th graders, feel free to arrive at 9:00AM for extra mentor-mentee hangout time.
SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | September 2021
Happy Back to School!
As most of you prepare for in-person learning, I hope you have an amazing start to the school year! Please let me know if there's anything SPIN can do to help you with your in-person or virtual learning experience.
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a summary of program changes, the schedule for September, a welcome to our new cohort, and some resources to help you out. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
- Jaira
AUGUST RECAP
Welcome 2021-2024 Epic Cohort! We will be meeting all of the newest and returning members of SPIN Girls (from all cohorts) at the Orientation/Welcome back event.
Student Feedback. Here's a summary of feedback we received from students during the 2021 Summer Retreat and our response:
Students acknowledged that their mentors did the best they could with the virtual circumstances. In addition, students would like more mentor hangouts outside of SPIN and more opportunities to job shadow. To facilitate this, we are encouraging more mentor-mentee hangout scheduling (can be in-person as long as guardians/students/mentors permit). We are also emphasizing the importance of offering job shadow opportunities to potential mentors before they commit to the program.
Students expressed that the zoom lab days were hard. In response, we have planned for the 2021-2022 program year to be mostly in-person. However, if things change and we have to go virtual again, we will plan for more simplified yet interactive zoom sessions.
Students enjoyed most of the curricula but wanted something a little bit more challenging than the App Development curriculum. So, instead Luminous will be learning a new Robotics curriculum (if the students like it, we will keep it for future cohorts).
RESOURCES
Seattle Public Schools Fall 2021 Resources Includes resources on health/wellness and important information regarding the transition back to in-person instruction.
King County Free COVID-19 Test Sites and Rite-Aid Free Test Sites includes a list of free test sites (including sites with language interpretation available)
Smithsonian Magazine is announcing Museum Day on September 18, 2021. Check it out for FREE tickets.
LOOKING FORWARD
I have sent out registration links for Connect to our new students. The email was sent from "STEM Paths Innovation Network" with the subject "Online Connect Access". Please use the link to make an account and fill out the assigned paperwork before the start of our program, September 25th 2021. If you are having trouble accessing these documents please let me know.
Orientation/Welcome Back on September 25th. More information will be emailed within the next few weeks.
Lab Day #1 on October 16th in-person at Tukwila Community Center.
Epic Cohort (8th grade): 9:30AM-1:30PM
Luminous Cohort (9th grade): 9:30AM-1:30PM
Stellar Cohort (10th grade): 12:30PM-4:30PM
For the entire schedule, visit https://www.stempaths.org/spin-girls under the Frequently Asked Questions section.
