Mercer News Oct. 20

Dear Mercer Families,
I hope your week is off to a great start. I have a number of things to share with you this week.
Orca Cards
We received Orca cards for students who automatically qualify for them through the school district and have mailed them to the home addresses. Income eligible students can also apply for an Orca card through the city. You can submit the application through the City of Seattle or email a completed application to Ms. Star in the Mercer office and she will submit it for you.
• Orca card application: https://www.seattle.gov/transit/orca-opportunity/youth
• Questions about Orca cards? Contact Ms. Star: amgill@seattleschools.org
Library Book Pick-up
We are adjusting our Library book pick-up hours at Mercer. The new hours are:
• Wednesday - 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
• Thursday - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
There will no longer be pick-up service available at Van Asselt CC or Rainier CC unless by special arrangement. Please contact Ms. Monroe for help. skmonroe@seattleschools.org
OST and Wednesday opportunities.
We are continuing to grow our Wednesday activities and are excited to start a new "Event Series" of one time opportunities.
Where to find this week’s link:
1. Open Schoology
2. Courses- Mercer OST Enrichment
3. Drop-in (Green Folder)
4. ‘Get Moving – Event 1/3’ Page (click ‘Join Microsoft Teams Meeting’)
Coping with COVID (drop in Wednesdays from 11:30 - 12:30)
Let’s figure out how to live through a pandemic and be healthy! Topics we’ll cover: What is COVID, How does COVID spread, What’s the right amount of social distancing, Tips for self-care, Let’s make a mask, How to find reliable information.
This Week: Wednesday, October 21st from 10 am- 11:30 am
"Get Up" with Samuel Corales: Get Up is a fun and energetic aerobic workout set to Hip Hop styles and music. This high energy workout dance craze is designed to make everyone want to Get Up and move! Included in the instruction are proper stretching techniques, follow the leader style group dancing, choreography and most of all.....FUN !
Next Week: Wednesday, October 28th from 2 pm- 3 pm
PAPER MAGIC MAKERSPACE with Jieyi Ludden: We will make illustrated Paper Fortune Tellers together, learning about design strategies, crafting, and storytelling. In small groups, we will then share our fortune tellers with each other, come up with stories together, and make small comics about those stories. We'll also explore some examples of other kinds of paper magic like pop up books, zines, paper puppets, and comic books.
Final Week: Wednesday, November 4th from 12 pm- 1:30 pm
BEAT BATTLE with Aaron Walker-Loud: Exploring the art of Table Drumming through Hip-Hip, Caribbean, Afro-Latin and Freestyle rhythms. Designed and led by Aaron Walker-Loud, artist, educator and founder/director of Big World Breaks; all we will need is our hands, a clean table or desk - and pencils or pens for extra sound options. No music experience is required - and all students are welcome to showcase their own beats!
Affinity Group Principal Engagements
Finally, over the coming weeks I will be offering different opportunities for family affinity group meetings and parent coffees. These are an opportunity to ask questions and learn about the work Mercer is doing in a smaller setting. All meetings will occur via Teams and we are asking that families pre-register.