The Digital Dragon
Student, Family & Community
November is Native American Heritage Month, a month set aside to pay tribute to the ancestry, traditions and contributions of Native Americans. It is an opportunity to educate the general public about tribes, their cultures, traditions and languages. To learn more click HERE.
SPIRIT DAY UPDATE
11/18- Throwback Thursday (Decades Day)
11/19- Twin Day
11/22- Cultural Day
11/23- Color War
11/24- Spirit Day/ School Pride
BLA Operations
BPS DAILY HOME HEALTH CHECKLIST
Please use the BPS daily checklist everyday. The checklist is available in many languages and found HERE
MORNING SAFETY
Please watch your speed during school arrival times. For the safety of our students, no U-turns.
POOL COVID TESTING
Covid-19 Pool testing will take place every Wednesday at BLA from 6:30am to 2pm in the Medical Waiting Room (Rm 142).
HAPGOOD LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
Please check out this month's newsletter HERE
BLA Opportunities
The Inclusion Done Right Committee welcomes all families, educators and community members to the Inclusion 101 - Family Forum on November 15th @ 6:30-8:00PM. Families will have a space to ask questions and receive answers and resources, as well as connect with other families. Topics covered will include: IEP meetings, family rights, services, summer support and much more! Translation services will be provided for Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Kriolu and Vietnamese. If you are interested in attending, please fill out this short form: https://forms.gle/9jYYW8nNMo5k7QYb9
Student Support
Academic Mentoring: Now Accepting Applications
The BPS Academic Mentoring Program is accepting applications and nominations for interested BPS students in grades 6 to 12. Please see the website for details.
For more information, email:
Brian Marques, bmarques@bostonpublicschools.org
College Essay Boot Camp
Register here for 826 Boston’s FREE Virtual College Essay Boot Camps 2021. Join us Saturdays: November 20, and December 11. Space is limited, so sign up now to be paired 1-on-1 with a trained writing tutor to work on your college essay. All students at all stages of the writing process are welcome. If you have any questions, please contact will@826boston.org.
COLLEGE PLANNING
Stay up-to-date with college admissions information, scholarships, P/SAT/ACT testing and more college planning resources: https://www.collegevigorbla.com/
Upcoming Events
MONDAY
7:20a 7th Grade Thompson Island Trip
TUESDAY
7:30a November Retakes MCAS English Session 1
WEDNESDAY
7:20a 7th Grade Thompson Island Trip
7:30a November Retakes MCAS English Session 2
THURSDAY
7:20a 7th Grade Thompson Island Field Trip
7:30a November Retakes MCAS English Makeups
All Day: Throwback Thursday (Decade Day)
4:00p: virtual creative writing workshop for teens. For details and to register, click HERE
6:00p: MassArt's sparc! Free virtual Paint Night open to all ages. Registration is required and art supplies for this program will be available for pick up at the Grove Hall Branch Library. For more information or to register for this event, please email sparcpaintnight@gmail.com
FRIDAY
All Day Twin Day
BLA Spotlight
Meet one of your Digital Dragon's Media and Communication Assistant:
Elsa is currently a Senior involved in 'Dragon Tales', the Mock Trial team, Student Council and Student Ambassadors. Outside of school, she works at the MFA as part of their Teen Art Council, serves as an Orchestra Student Teacher in Dr. White-Hope's classes, and part of a Social Justice Program with the Family Research Center. Elsa thinks that the greatest part of being a BLA student are all the opportunities given academically and elsewhere within the school. She is currently applying to colleges for a Bachelor's in Journalism degree and something many people don't know about her is that she used to be a classical ballet dancer.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you would like to be featured or would like to have a student, student group, teacher, or staff member featured in the next Digital Dragon, please email Ms. White (mwhite8@bostonpublicschools.org) by Thursday of the week.
If you would like to make any announcements on the Digital Dragon fill out this form
Support Block and Activity Block Offerings for New Rotation
Gender Sexuality Alliance
Girls Who Code
Resume and Career Exploration
iBlossom
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
Current 9th, 10th, & 11th graders
AFH fuses art-making, entrepreneurial and business training, and experiential learning to create empowering and transformational experiences for Boston teens. Our Youth Arts Enterprise employs teens to work with creative mentors on commissioned art projects for Boston businesses.
No artistic experience is necessary, just passion for being creative and learning on the job - all while earning experience and money! Participants start at minimum wage and work for up to 9 hours per week during the school year, and up to 25 hours per week during the summer.
This opportunity is for current 9th, 10th, & 11th graders! Please click the link below to read more about this opportunity and for directions on how to apply!
If you have any questions please reach out to Gary Chen at gchen@afboston.org
The Theater Offensive (TTO). We are currently recruiting creative and talented queer youth and allies between the ages of 12-17 for our Fall 2021 True Colors Troupe Devising Ensemble. True Colors Troupe is an after-school program for LGBTQIA+ youth and allies who work with teaching artists to create and develop skills in performance, social justice, and community activism. When youth join our ensemble, they not only join a community supported by others, but benefit by being part of a chosen family. Some of the benefits include:
$300 monthly stipend
Devising and performing a collective piece of artwork.
Work with TTO staff and teaching artists
Tuesday & Thursday Rehearsals from 6pm-8pm
Collaborative and artistic skills
Professional development for young artists
Touring opportunities locally and nationally
Networking with other LGBTQIA+ & BIPOC artist
Virtual Grubhub gift cards for meals
The Theater Offensive's mission is to present liberating art, for, and about queer and trans people of color that transcends artistic boundaries, celebrates cultural abundance, and dismantles oppression. For more information about our programs, please visit our website to learn more about what we offer at https://thetheateroffensive.org
If you know of any potential candidates who may be interested in joining, please feel free to share this email along. Interested youth can submit their inquiry in the required fields here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RRTZ66L
Questions? Please reach me at ricky@thetheateroffensive.org. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Youth & Police in Partnership I am excited to announce that we are currently accepting new applications at YPP for the fall. We’ve increased our capacity to 30 youth for 2021-2022! We want to offer this great opportunity to as many teens from the city of Boston as possible. New candidates are being interviewed now! We are looking for young people eager to lead and develop their skills while being exposed to new and exciting experiences! Youth must commit to Monday-Friday 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. They will receive an hourly rate of $13.50 per hour. They must be between the ages of 15-18 to be considered. This can be a great start if youth are looking for their first job or wanting to improve their leadership and public speaking skills. I attached our flyer and provided a link below to help youth apply! Please let me know if you would like to meet or if you have any questions about our program. Thank you!
Please share the link below with youth interested in participating in YPP this fall:
CALLING ALL 10th GRADERS- Apply for SUMMER SEARCH!
Summer Search Boston – a student centered organization on a mission to help young people expand what they believe is possible for themselves.
Summer Search’s overarching goal has long been to help young people graduate from high school, matriculate to a post-secondary education and successfully earn a 4-year college degree within six years. Their services include:
1) Year-round mentoring by full-time, professional staff who encourage students to reflect on their experiences to better understand themselves and to prepare for their futures.
2) Two summer enrichment experiences for high schoolers (wilderness experience, international service trips, pre-college academic programs, or internships) that put students into highly challenging, unfamiliar environments.
3) Support and advice for high school seniors as they plan for and transition to college or another post-secondary pathway.
4) Continued mentoring as needed, connections to internships and career coaching for up to six years after high school.
You can view our updated student video here: https://bit.ly/3k1etcN
With subtitles in 3 languages
Online application is open: https://www.summersearch.org/apply
Note: There are two parts to the application. Students have a section they will need to fill out, sign and submit. Once their part of the application is complete, a link will automatically be sent to the parent/guardian whose contact information they provided. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will need to fill out the second half of the application, upload income documentation then sign and submit.
The Boston Public Schools (BPS) Teacher Cadet Program develops strategic partnerships to identify, cultivate, and support middle school and high school, students. These high school students reflect the cultural, linguistic, and racial diversity of BPS to successfully navigate high school, graduate from college, and return as teachers in BPS. If you're interested in making a change in your community, working with children as a career, and/or have a passion for education, fill out the Teacher Cadet Application. BLA teachers and staff: If you'd like to nominate students into the Teacher Cadet program, please fill out Nominate form.
Want to get started with Photography? In Photo Sessions, get the fundamentals under your belt and meet other ICA Teen photographers. We will explore the ICA and the Seaport District to capture the creativity and vibe around us; be inspired by art and the city. Get to use professional photo gear and learn the tricks of the trade as we develop essential camera skills and composition techniques.
BigSister Boston Opportunity for 8th grade girls! There are a few spots still available. 8th grader girls enroll as Little Sisters and are matched with Big Sisters from Edelman Financial. This free program offers a mentoring and enrichment experience for BLA girls. The program occurs twice a month virtually, from November 2021- May 2023, Thursdays 3:30-4:30 PM. There is a potential to transition to in-person visits at Edelman depending on CDC guidelines. Participants will have an opportunity to apply to be Big Sisters to Trotter School students when they are in high school! For more information call, text, or email Karla Venegas at
kvenegas@bigsister.org or (617) 433-8446 To sign up go to: https://forms.gle/pJdpU4LXudMDCYtD7
Applications for SMASH Northeastern are officially open and we will be IN PERSON this Summer (conditions permitting). APPLY here www.smash.org/apply. The deadline to apply will be March 1st, 2022. If you want more information, please contact Ms. White, mwhite8@bostonpublicschools.org
How to Apply to Successlink:
Are you still looking for a school year job? Apply for teen jobs through Successlink! Note that the Successlink application deadline is November 30th. If you would like to apply please click HERE
Youth interested in applying to work with SuccessLink must meet the following requirements:
Must be a full-time resident of the City of Boston
Youth must be between the ages of 15-18 years old
Must be legally permitted to work in the United States
For more career help the PIC officers at school hold weekly meetings on resume writing and career exploration! Join them during support block to learn more.