[Launch School] Community Update - March 11, 2022

Welcome to another community update! I'm Sarah, and I live in Utah. I have a dog named Rocky that I am training to be my service dog, and I love clean socks. I also love being a TA so I can help people. It makes me really happy to see a student's "aha" moment when something they were struggling with finally clicks :) But, enough about me. I get to tell you all about the exciting and helpful things happening at Launch School, so let's get cracking. Global News Impact on the Community The news about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is all over the media and news outlets. As [Chris mentioned on Twitter]( we have students in Ukraine and Russia. I want to add that we're all individuals, separate from our governments. We are all part of a fantastic community. We have chosen the challenging mastery-based learning that makes our staff and students incredible people. This community is for us all, no matter where we live. Another global news item that [affects about ~40% of all nations](%7E:text=Fewer%20than%2040%20percent%20of,adopting%20permanent%20winter%2Fstandard%20time.) is Daylight Savings Time. Significantly for you, Launch School is affected by this practice since our events are scheduled using US Eastern time. Daylight Savings Time catches me off guard often. It starts at 2am US Eastern Time, March 13th, 2022, and the clock moves forward by 1 hour. You can read more about it in [this post](. If you're like me and forget things frequently, set a reminder right now to change your clock. No, not in 5 minutes. RIGHT NOW..... Ok, if that didn't stop you, just be careful you don't miss any interviews, study groups, or other events. Please? Assessment News Launch School is adding another assessment to the backend! The Ruby and JavaScript tracks will now have an interview assessment after the 185 courses. The assessment will involve a small coding project followed by an interview to review and ask questions about your application and the course content from the 175 and 185 courses. This is an excellent opportunity to make something cool and talk to someone about the cool thing you did. More information can be found [here](. An essential part of deploying this assessment is the calibration phase. [Pete is seeking volunteers to help calibrate the exam.]( Let him know if you're interested! Slack Channels that can aid in your study There are so many fantastic resources on Slack. If you are new to the Launch School Community or just haven't spent much time on Slack, you are missing out. Some channels I encourage you to join: [#thespot]( is where you can find and sign up for study groups. There are weekly study sessions for almost all LS courses. Once you pass the first exam, you can give back to the community by becoming a SPOT lead. I have spent time as a lead. It's an excellent opportunity to review the material and meet more people. Just send a message to one of the SPOT moderators to get started. There are also specific channels for each of the major course levels. For instance, if you are in one of the 101 or 109 courses for either track, I suggest joining [#101-109-study-group](. If you are looking for a study partner, this is a great place to find a study buddy. The [#general]( channel is the place to talk about coding in general. If you want to talk about non-coding topics, you can join [#random_banter](. I love the wisdom and humor from these channels. Besides these core channels, there are many, many more! One of my favorites is [#gratuitous-pet-photos](, which has a thriving conversation filled with pet photos and videos. I love sharing pictures of my dog here, so check it out, and other TAs like to show off their adorable cats and dogs as well. If a channel has been dormant for a while, feel free to jump in and start it up again like they are doing over on [#the-writers-bloc](. If you don't see a group doing what you are looking for, start a new one! Is anyone interested in a #file-your-taxes group to hold those of us accountable that are procrastinating the tax season? Ok. Maybe it's just me procrastinating that. ;) But, you get the idea. Creating Slack Channels is like meeting people in the halls of school and deciding to hang out outside of classes. Don't miss this opportunity! Launch School Events Besides all of the resources on the slack page, the [events page]( is another place you should be checking regularly. From study groups to tech talks, we have events to help you learn. Study Sessions I encourage you to join some study groups. On the Slack #spot channel, there are weekly signups for study sessions, but another great resource is the TA lead study sessions that you can sign up for from the Events page. They are a great way to solidify your learning and find gaps that you wouldn't have found on your own. There has been a big change to the 109 level study groups that I am excited to tell you about! We used to have one session for both interviews and assessments. Now, these are split into two different sessions. I think this is a great idea. The study process for the exam and the interviews are different, so having separate study sessions make sense. So, make sure to sign up for one of these study groups in preparation for your exam. Another exciting event is coming up on March 13: the [Launch School Women's Group]( meetup. You can find more information on their slack page [#ls-womens-group](. This event is limited to 25 attendees, so make sure to sign up early if you are interested. On March 16, we have an exciting chance to learn about a company that hires many Capstone graduates: GatsbyJS. Sign up for the "Tech Talk: GatsbyJS from a Launch School perspective" [here](. I am really looking forward to this webinar. Launch School Podcast Season 4 The Launch School podcast is another great tool among the many we have. It helps give me motivation and ideas. For instance, Season 1 was mainly about the different kinds of people who have joined LS and the stories of how they got here. Season 2 was all about the success stories. Former students came back to talk about their on-the-job experience and how Launch School helped prepare them. Season 3 has a theme of Community. We get to meet some of the TA's who help all of us, and we get to meet friends who help each other study and grow. At the end of Season 3, they discuss ideas for Season 4, which is coming soon! You don't want to miss it, so make sure to subscribe via your podcast app by searching for "Launch School." You can also visit . Sometimes I get discouraged or not as motivated. Listening to the podcast has helped get me through those rougher moments. Don't overlook this great resource. That's all the news for now. Reach out on Slack if I missed anything, and I will make sure it gets on the next community update. Thanks for all of you and the kindness I see every day. This is a great place to study, and I am excited that you are doing it with me. Sarah Bunker --------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to stop receiving emails from us, you can use the one-click link below to unsubscribe. [Unsubscribe From All Email]( [Unsubscribe From Weekly Summaries](