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SPIN GIRLS SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER
HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL AND SPIN GIRLS PROGRAMMING MONTH!
It is hard to believe that summer break is over and it is time to get back to our regular school year routines. But as most of you prepare for in-person learning, we hope that you carry some of the new skills and amazing memories you made over the summer into the school year. We are sending you all positive vibes for an amazing start to the school year! Please let us know if there's anything SPIN can do to help you with your school based 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 us know if you have any questions or concerns.
- SPIN Girls Program Team
MONTHLY RECAP
We truly hope that you our SPIN families were able to enjoy their summer break and make memories. We here at SPIN sure did. Though we work throughout the year having a few weeks away in August from direct student service for SPIN Girls staff allowed us to have have fun and make memories of our own with our full staff and other programs. Program manager Keshia and Executive Director of education Shana were lucky enough to be able to attend a trip to Yellow Island with the SPIN Fellows team and students. SPIN staff also had a painting in the park morning retreat.
Of course SPIN Girls staff have been busy preparing for the 22-23 program year by registering new girls into the family, recruiting mentors, and learning some new curriculum for our cohorts and adjusting lab and field day experiences. We also grew in programs and staffing over the summer! Please take a look at our website and our social media pages to get a glimpse at the amazing staffing additions. We are so excited to share all of this with you at the welcome back first lab day on the year on September 24th. Invitation with details will be emailed soon!
RESOURCES
SPIN Girls students attend multiple school districts throughout King County. We value our SPIN families and know that it takes a tremendous amount of resources to nurture a student and family to success. We want to remind everyone that there are always resources available to your families to ensure that they can reach their full potential, in whatever way they may need extra support. Below you will find direct links to each King County School Districts student, family and community resources page. We have also included links to WA public charter schools and WA homeschool organization. Our hope is that you use these links to inform yourselves of resources available to increase the success of your family at the beginning of the school year. We also want you to use these links throughout the year as more details or changes may become available on the district pages.
Washington Charter Schools Association for public charter schools in WA
Washington Homeschool Organization
LOOKING FORWARD
Registration links for Connect to our new students have been sent out. 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 24th 2021. If you are having trouble accessing these documents please let the SPIN Girls Program Manage know.
Orientation/Welcome Back on September 24th. More information will be emailed within the next couple weeks.
Here's the schedule for the 2022-23 program year. Add these dates to your calendar so you don't miss any!
Lab Day Saturday Time Schedules
Epic Cohort (8th grade): 9:30AM-1:30PM
Luminous Cohort (9th grade): 9:30AM-1:30PM
Stellar Cohort (10th grade): 12:30PM-4:30PM
SPIN GIRLS FELLOWS
Students who graduate from SPIN Girls are invited to apply for SPIN Fellows in the Spring of their 10th grade year. Fellows are accepted based on their commitment to SPIN Girls and their interest in pursuing a STEM career.
The goal of SPIN Fellows is to empower SPIN Girls students to feel confident in pursuing STEM college majors & careers. The vision is to grow a strong alumni community, supported by SPIN Girls mentors, staff, and other alumni. SPIN Fellows breaks down the barriers that girls of color face when exploring and pursuing STEM careers and shapes a more inclusive future.
For more information visit our website: https://www.stempaths.org/spin-girls-fellows
SPIN GIRLS AUGUST 2022 NEWSLETTER
SPIN GIRLS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2022
It's Happiness Happens Month!
August is known to be a month of many fun month long observances such as: national dog month, national family fun month, national black business month, national back to school month and one of our favorites happiness happens month. The secret society of happy people set a mission to remind people that happy feelings can linger inside of you every day. Remembering happiness does not mean that you are problem free. But that happiness is about the quality of your thoughts.
Happiness is not a destination, but rather a life-long pursuit. Joy can be anywhere at any time. Don't limit yourself to searching for pleasure. Enjoy all the things that make you happy even if they are unique to only your sense of happiness. Get out there and enjoy the freedom of the last month of summer and do something that makes you happy!
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in July and what students can look forward to in August. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. - SPIN Girls PM
MONTHLY RECAP
July held a week long summer retreat for SPIN Girls that wanted to explore and strengthen their bicycling expertise. SPIN Girls learned how to ride safely in groups and solo by working on strengthening their voices to be heard, signals to be seen and what to be observant of while biking in the city. They also learned how to preform maintenance on their bikes to keep them safely equipped to ride. Summer retreat SPIN Girls also learned personal growth skills such as what it is to be comfortable, to stretch and to be panicked and how all of these areas help us better understand ourself and goal. We hope all of the skills learned during this amazing week partnering with Bike Works and getting out doing something we don't normally do last a lifetime.
RESOURCES
Bike Works also has several of their own amazing summer programs for you to take a look at. We encourage you to get out and ride with them.
SPIN Girls Club: Summer Retreat: SPIN Girls Club is a free after-school program for 6th & 7th grade girls* of color to explore their interests in STEM+Arts, develop leadership skills, and complete creative hands-on activities together. We are serving students from Washington, Aki Kurose, Denny & Mercer Middle Schools. If you are interested in bringing SPIN Girls Club to your Seattle Public Schools middle school, please contact us.
Summer of Learning | Seattle Public Library: Fun and educational programs that reflect the diversity of Seattle. Activities to support reading for fun over the summer. Early literacy activities for families to do together. Learning experiences that center youth voice and interests.
School Supply Giveaway: FamilyWorks: is hosting an event where families can select a backpack for up to two children ages 0-17 as well as a variety of school supplies. This takes place on Thursday August 25 from 12-5 in the conference room across the hall from the food bank.
Where We Converge | Back to School Backpack Drive: Tre Simmons and Emergency Feeding Program will be hosting a Back To School backpack and supply giveaway on August 20th at Garfield High School. They’ll welcome students from throughout the community to come get the gear they need to be successful in school this year.
The event will feature appearances from Simmons and Nate Robinson, as well as the UW basketball team and other local icons. There will be music, food and haircuts, as well as hygiene packs and Covid tests. In addition, a raffle will be held for shoes, clothes and more.
LOOKING FORWARD
We will be having a fun end of summer back to school kick off celebration with SPIN Girls and Mentors at the end of the month. Please look out for details to come.
Here's the schedule for the 2022-23 program year. Add these dates to your calendar so you don't miss any!
SPIN GIRLS FELLOWS
Students who graduate from SPIN Girls are invited to apply for SPIN Fellows in the Spring of their 10th grade year. Fellows are accepted based on their commitment to SPIN Girls and their interest in pursuing a STEM career.
The goal of SPIN Fellows is to empower SPIN Girls students to feel confident in pursuing STEM college majors & careers. The vision is to grow a strong alumni community, supported by SPIN Girls mentors, staff, and other alumni. SPIN Fellows breaks down the barriers that girls of color face when exploring and pursuing STEM careers and shapes a more inclusive future.
JUNE MONTHLY RECAP
College Application/Essay Writing Workshop:
The Fellows have completed the first of four college writing workshops.
Summer Internships:
Each of the Fellows have been placed in internships. Some are paid, others are intensive job shadowing. The network built around SPIN has provided the Fellows with positions within organizations such as the University of Washington, Adaptive Biotechnologies, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and the VA.
Incoming Cohort:
Twelve SPIN Girls have graduated and are joining the SPIN Fellows! They are all excited and will have their first event in August. Introductions will be made and both of the cohorts will build connections to be able to support and/or guide each other. With the addition of the twelve, we will also be hiring a SPIN Fellows Program Associate. This position will support the Program Manager and focus on the 11th grade students.
LOOKING FORWARD
Aug 20, 2022: 2022-2023 Kickoff celebration at Yellow Island. SPIN Girls Fellows will be taking a day trip to the San Juan Islands to visit the nature conservancy on Yellow Island. This day will provide fellowship between the SF Epic cohort and the incoming Stellar cohort.
For more information visit our website: https://www.stempaths.org/spin-girls-fellows
SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | July 2022
Summer is here!
SPIN Girls July 2022 Newsletter
The PNW summer sunshine and warmth has finally arrived, this weeks heatwave reminded us that summer is truly here. We hope you all are able to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather!
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in June and what your students can look forward to in July, plus the schedule for next year. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. - SPIN Girls
MONTHLY RECAP
Capstone Presentation: We celebrated the year with our first in person Capstone event! The day was shared by so many of our SPIN Girl students, families, mentors and supporters. We filled our space to capacity with smiles, laughter, heartfelt speeches and lots of amazing presentations and food! Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope you enjoyed it!
We received photos back of our amazing capstone event from our photographer and you can go to the link and download your photos. You all are wonderful and thank you for making the day so special! https://marcellaratsamy.pixieset.com/spingirls/
RESOURCES
Bike Works: SPIN Girls is partnering with Bike Works for our weeklong summer retreat this year, July 11th-15th if you weren't able to sign up and are interested in attending reach out to the SPIN Girls program manager II. Bike Works also has several of their own amazing summer programs for you to take a look at. We encourage you to get out and ride with them.
SPIN Girls Club: Summer Retreat: SPIN Girls Club is a free after-school program for 6th & 7th grade girls* of color to explore their interests in STEM+Arts, develop leadership skills, and complete creative hands-on activities together. We are serving students from Washington, Aki Kurose, Denny & Mercer Middle Schools. If you are interested in bringing SPIN Girls Club to your Seattle Public Schools middle school, please contact us.
Summer of Learning | Seattle Public Library: Fun and educational programs that reflect the diversity of Seattle. Activities to support reading for fun over the summer. Early literacy activities for families to do together. Learning experiences that center youth voice and interests
Lavner Education: Summer tech camps: 2022 Virtual Tech Camps, Virtual Camps, and Online Summer STEM Camps in Minecraft, Roblox, YouTube, Among Us, Harry Potter, Coding, Game Design, Bitcoin & Blockchain, STEM & Medicine, Tech Stocks, Math Olympics, Science, Graphic Design with Custom Converse/Vans Shoes & Hoodies, Digital Art & More!
Life Enrichment Group: Sign ups available for virtual HBCU college tours and summer scholar programs.
Washington Swimming Camps and Programs: Get active and enjoy time in the water safely. You can also use this link to search other available camps in the Washington area.
LOOKING FORWARD
Summer Retreat, July 11-15, 9:30am-3:30pm each day. If you signed up for retreat, you should have received an email from us with more information. If you plan on attending retreat and have not yet registered, please do so ASAP as registration closes on July 1st. If you have missed registration and are committed in attending all 5 days of the retreat please reach out to the SPIN Girls Program Manager II.
Here's the schedule for the 2022-23 program year. Add these dates to your calendar so you don't miss any!
SPIN GIRLS FELLOWS
Students who graduate from SPIN Girls are invited to apply for SPIN Fellows in the Spring of their 10th grade year. Fellows are accepted based on their commitment to SPIN Girls and their interest in pursuing a STEM career.
The goal of SPIN Fellows is to empower SPIN Girls students to feel confident in pursuing STEM college majors & careers. The vision is to grow a strong alumni community, supported by SPIN Girls mentors, staff, and other alumni. SPIN Fellows breaks down the barriers that girls of color face when exploring and pursuing STEM careers and shapes a more inclusive future.
JUNE RECAP
College Application/Essay Writing Workshop:
The Fellows have completed the first of four college writing workshops.
Summer Internships:
Each of the Fellows have been placed in internships. Some are paid, others are intensive job shadowing. The network built around SPIN has provided the Fellows with positions within organizations such as the University of Washington, Adaptive Biotechnologies, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and the VA.
LOOKING FORWARD
Aug 20, 2022: 2022-2023 Kickoff celebration at Yellow Island. SPIN Girls Fellows will be taking a day trip to the San Juan Islands to visit the nature conservancy on Yellow Island. This day will provide fellowship between the SF Epic cohort and the incoming Stellar cohort.For more information visit our website: https://www.stempaths.org/spin-girls-fellows
SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | June 2022
Happy Summer!
June is Pride Month! Check out our resources section for some activities for LGBTQ+ youth. June 19th is Juneteenth! Find programming to celebrate with in our resources section below.
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in May and what your students can look forward to in June. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. - SPIN Girls PM
MONTHLY RECAP
Lab Day #5 :
Thank you to those that attended our last Lab Day event of this program year! I hope you had an amazing time seeing each other and working on your STEAM projects! Our 8th grade students finished their biology inspired backpacks, our 9th grade students finished designing their Lego robotics obstacle courses, and our 10th graders finished their climate change research projects!
RESOURCES
NAAM — Juneteenth Week 2022: Celebrate Juneteenth with free programming from the Northwest African American Museum.
Youth Events Calendar — Lambert House: Lambert House offers free and virtual activities and resources for LGBTQ+ youth including resources on parenting and supporting youth.
Children and Youth Summer Food Service Program: From June 27 through August 24, 2022, City of Seattle will run its annual Summer Meals Program for youth 18 and younger. Meals from identified partner sites can be picked up by parents for youth who are not present. Some sites might also follow a waiver guideline that lets them hand out more than one day's meals at a time to minimize the number of visits a family must make to the site.
LOOKING FORWARD
I want to thank you all for participating in our SPIN Girls 2021-2022 program! Please join us for the SPIN Girls Capstone Presentation 2022!
Date & Time: Saturday June 4, 2022 10AM-2PM
Where: Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave S Tukwila, WA 98178
The students will have the chance to showcase their biology inspired backpacks, LEGO robot obstacle courses, & climate change solutions projects that they've been working on all year. We will also celebrate our graduating Stellar Cohort of 10th grade students!
Each student and mentor that attends will be given a Capstone gift to recognize their hard work and dedication. We will conclude the event with a small award ceremony and lunch will be provided by caterers from Spice Bridge.
Please RSVP for the event here. Please let us know if you have any questions. I hope to see you there!
SPIN GIRLS FELLOWS
Students who graduate from SPIN Girls are invited to apply for SPIN Fellows in the Spring of their 10th grade year. Fellows are accepted based on their commitment to SPIN Girls and their interest in pursuing a STEM career.
The goal of SPIN Fellows is to empower SPIN Girls students to feel confident in pursuing STEM college majors & careers. The vision is to grow a strong alumni community, supported by SPIN Girls mentors, staff, and other alumni. SPIN Fellows breaks down the barriers that girls* of color face when exploring and pursuing STEM careers and shapes a more inclusive future.
MONTHLY UPDATE
New Program Manager:
SPIN Fellows welcomed their new program manager, MaryAnn Hartman, this month. As a group, they brainstormed the qualities that they desired in their ideal PM. From being a local woman of color with a STEM background to being committed and caring among other characteristics, MaryAnn possesses many of these preferences. A short bio can be found in our “About Us - Our Team” page here.
UW Campus Tour and Panel:
The Fellows visited the University of Washington - Seattle Campus and listened to members of UW’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) share their educational and career experiences. They were also able to ask their own questions and received valuable feedback and advice. The panel followed with a campus tour and ended at the University Bookstore where the Fellows chose some UW swag to take home to commemorate the visit.
LOOKING FORWARD
May 31, 2022 - College Application/Essay Writing Workshop
The first of four workshops instructed by Nylah Murphy. Through this series, the Fellows will be introduced to effective college application submissions and compelling essay writing. Nylah will also be providing independent guidance throughout the Fellows’ senior year in high school to ensure they are supported throughout the college application process.
For more information visit our website: https://www.stempaths.org/spin-girls-fellows