Not Too Late to Apply:  Girls Rise Up! Three Week Summer Program that Combines Dance & Coding 

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Great Scholarships Available - cost can be reduced from $425 to $50 (based on need). Exciting field trips and guest speakers. Last year they visited the Spotify offices, Palantir, and NYU Tandon School of engineering. They also had professional women in tech come in and speak about their experience.

Also here are some highlights from last summer. 

Girls Rise Up by STEM From Dance: 2019 Summer Program 
Spend three weeks falling in love with code and dance - and the magic that happens when you bring the two together. Over the course of the program, girls will be introduced to software and electrical engineering principles, as well as choreography fundamentals. They will learn to write code, construct circuits, and create movement. By the end of the three weeks they will have a tech project they imagined and brought to life, and a dance routine that incorporates it. This is an opportunity to collaborate with inspiring instructors, build community, and let creativity flow. This program runs July 8 - July 26 (M - F) from 9AM - 3PM. Learn more here, and apply by May 5!

Details:

  • July 8 - 26 | Monday - Friday | 9AM - 3PM

  • Location: Bishop Loughlin High School |  Brooklyn (Fort Greene)

    • Accessible by 2/3/4/5/B/D/C/G/N/Q/R trains and several buses

  • New York City girls ages 12 - 18

  • Only 100 spots available

  • No code/dance experience necessary

  • Apply by May 5th

  • Read our brochure for more info 

ICE PAC

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Help spread the word on test refusals beyond ICE!

In case you missed it, ICE PAC announced in the last edition of this newsletter that 89% of ICE middle school students had refused the New York State ELA tests. (It actually turns out to be 90%, but that's not the subject of this item.) Families in other schools around the city may not have realized they had the right to refuse or were incentivized or intimidated not to opt out. In fact, the scare tactics reached such heights that NY's highest education officials were compelled to issue a statement reaffirming parent rights of refusal (and chastising school and district actors who have blocked information, or worse, misled parents). 
 
While that statement is appreciated, it is long overdue and we're not sure it will make it to parents on the ground. So, in advance of the math tests in early May, we at ICE PAC ask YOU to help get the word out. Do you have children at another school? Does your neighbor have a 5th grader? Your sister an 8th grader? Let them know that they can refuse the math tests even if they took the ELA. (And for the record, word on the street and online is that the ELA tests were BAD: children as young as 8 testing from 8:30 to 2:30 with just a brief lunch break, students staying beyond dismissal, passages rated at reading levels multiple grades above that of the children being tested, and computer system malfunctions so egregious the state had to suspend computer-based test administration.)

Need resources to help you out on this mission? Check out NYC Opt Out on Facebook or Twitter or optoutnyc.com on the web.

Free Feminine Products in ICE Girls' Bathroom

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Around a year ago a group of young women who were soon-to-be graduating 12th graders gathered at ICE to talk about ways to improve the experience for other girls at ICE. One of the important recommendations that arose from that meeting, was suggestion that the ICE Girls' Bathroom should always have a supply of feminine products available to students for free. The group felt this would be helpful for many reasons, and for students of all ages. 

Since that time, our school has been committed to keeping a steady supply available. If you would like to help us in this effort, please see our amazon wish list here. Contributions of any size are welcomed and appreciated! 
 

ICE Community Lunches

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Our community lunches have been a huge success this year! Thank you so much to all of you who have so generously contributed food! Kids from all grades and advisories have come together to eat beautifully cooked food and spend time in community. Thank you so much for all your support in making these happen! 

If you would like to contribute to the upcoming meal on Tuesday April 16th, please fill out (the very short) form. 

Thank you as always for your time, commitment and love! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Marlyn Gomez.