Weekly Catch-Up: 5 Tidbits of News You Can Use

Happy Monday!

 Local news

In much-awaited news for parents of littles, Moderna announced that it will seek authorization to vaccinate kids under 5 — here’s what you need to know. As pandemic restrictions recede, not everyone is quite ready to let go of precautions quite yet — Seattle students staged a walkout last week in protest of the lifting of mask mandates.

Meanwhile, young people are trying to recover some of what they have lost over the past two years — like these three youth music programs; or the grads of 2022 who are looking forward to celebrating a traditional prom. 

As the U.S. prepares to open its doors to Ukrainian refugees — with a staggering number of them children displaced from their homes — other refugee children in Seattle, who arrived earlier from Afghanistan, are embarking on a new chapter — and receiving a warm welcome — as they start school for the first time.  

And a birthday celebration is always a happy note to finish on, especially when it involves an adorable emu — this fuzzy guy from Woodland Park Zoo, named Windana, celebrated his 30th birthday last week, making him one of the oldest known emus in North America.

 Something to listen to

The third season of a locally-created podcast focused on social change in the Pacific Northwest is out and it's all about education. Episodes explore how the pandemic and adjacent events transformed public education over the last two years — and what is expected next. All six episodes are out and available for listening now.

 Something to read

From the creator of Finding Cooper's Voice, a popular blog for parents of children with autism, comes a powerful new read. In a memoir about raising a son with severe autism, author Kate Swenson shares the struggles, joys and her unconditional love on this challenging journey of motherhood. The release of “Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy” is slated for April 1, with pre-orders available now. 

 Something to watch

Venture into the mysterious, magical, and slightly spooky world of your favorite fairytale characters in this fun new show, “Into the Woods Jr.”  from Village Theater's KIDSTAGE. The adaptation of the Tony-award-winning musical is staged and performed by the program's grade 3–9 students and will appeal most to an elementary- age-and-up audience. The show runs April 15 through May 1.