Sector Community Engagement
The CSO recently shared a survey with family personnel to collect feedback on potential areas of interest as it relates to community engagement and support. Our hope is to use this information to guide our outreach efforts as we continue to target organizations that are interested in collaborating with the charter sector community, and sharing a myriad of opportunities for our educators, families and students. Please encourage applicable personnel to complete the survey, linked here. The survey should take no more than five minutes to complete. Please contact Jasmine at [email protected] with any questions.
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Quarterly Newsletter Report
We are happy to share with the charter sector our first Quarterly Newsletter Report, which captures various sector data points including how many subscribers are opening the monthly newsletter. Our goal is to transparently share readership data and also encourage engagement by way of feedback, as we continue to work to ensure newsletters meet your expectations.
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Trauma Kit Distribution
We recently informed the sector that the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is offering charters the opportunity to pick up free trauma kits prepared by the City. The kits, which are designed to aid “Stop The Bleed” procedures, will include the following content: Massive Bleeding Sub Kits (SOF-T Tourniquets), Wound Care Sub Kits, Chest Injury Sub Kits, Caregiver Protection Sub Kits, Trauma Sheets, and a User Guide.
The CSO will coordinate pick-up schedules with schools who express interest in receiving trauma kits, and will also organize a virtual meeting at a later date for schools to take part in an active shooter training. Interested schools should complete the form here. Instructions will be shared in the coming weeks with those who complete the form. Please contact Jasmine at [email protected] with any questions.
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APC Application Update
Apply Philly Charter (APC) lotteries were held on February 10th. Please inform your families to monitor their mail as application results are shared, and also ensure to remind them of the deadline for accepting invitations to enroll, if applicable, which is Friday, March 12, 2021.
You can review APC’s shared ‘Reference Materials’ folder here as guidance for several processes. The folder contains various training videos, including preference verification and action items in reference to the lottery timeline. Please contact Haki Perry of APC at [email protected] with additional questions.
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Transportation Survey
Please ensure that you complete the 2021Transportation Winter Survey by Friday, February 26, 2021 to share feedback with the Department of Transportation on the garages that are assigned to your school.
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Epicenter Webinar Recap
Epicenter is now sharing their latest training webinar video, which covers a variety of topics including a refresher on some of the system’s basic features. Click here to watch the video. For more information on Epicenter visit their website linked here. Any questions regarding training material or updates should be directed to [email protected].
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SY 2020-21 District-Wide Surveys
As a reminder, the District-Wide Survey will open between Monday, March 1, 2021 and Friday, April 16, 2021. The School District of Philadelphia’s (SDPs) Survey team will email applicable information and links at the open-date. As per the Calendar of Collections, please submit a list of teacher names and emails via Epicenter to ensure they receive their survey.
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School Staff Vaccine Information
Thursday, February 18, 2021
12:00 PM
If a school needs to provide additional staff information for vaccination registration, submit a new spreadsheet via the Epicenter submission entitled: School Staff Vaccine Information Round 2.
If a school had to provide any updates to their Round 1 submission, complete the Epicenter submission under the requirement entitled: School Staff Vaccine Information Round 1 Error Collection. Schools were notified in an email from Essence Caleb on Tuesday if they needed to make any updates; such schools will also have an Epicenter scheduled spreadsheet to adjust and resubmit.
Please reach out to Tom at [email protected] if you have any questions about the Epicenter submission.
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COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall
Various Dates & Times
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) will be hosting two virtual informational town halls for families and caretakers. The first town hall meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 17, 2021 from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM and will cover various topics, including the current state of the virus, vaccines available, and CHOP’s plans to vaccinate eligible older children. The second meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, February 24, 2021 from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM will cover the same topics for Spanish-speaking families and caretakers.
Families interested in attending the first virtual hall can register and also submit questions here. For Spanish-speaking families, the registration link is here. For more information, visit CHOP’s website here.
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Fresh Artists
Applications Accepted Through Sunday, February 21, 2021
10:00 PM
Fresh Artists, a Philadelphia-based non-profit with the mission to empower K-12 children through art-making, is now accepting applications for their 2021 Art Kit Grant. The grants, which are open to all qualifying full-time art teachers, are designed to help schools struggling with cuts in art funding by providing free classroom art supplies. Click here to learn more about the Art Kit Grant. For more information about Fresh Artist, click here. Questions regarding the application should be directed to Katie Latona at [email protected].
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Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter Scholarship
Applications Accepted Through Saturday, February 20, 2021
The Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an organization dedicated to supporting youth growth and development, is accepting applications for their 2020-21 Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter Scholarship. Scholarships will be awarded to qualifying seniors who will be furthering their education. Interested students are encouraged to visit here for more information. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
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NewSchools Venture Fund Opportunity
Applications Accepted Through Friday, February 26, 2021
NewSchools is launching a funding opportunity worth $6 million in grants to educators and entrepreneurs who are building new, innovative public schools or working to diversify education leadership. Those interested can apply here. The application deadline for the Diverse Leaders fund is Friday, February 26, 2021. Learn more about NewSchools by reviewing their page, linked here.
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STEAM in Action
The Futures Channel, a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-oriented organization, encourages schools to visit their website, linked here, to view over 100 STEM-related movies and lesson plans designed to engage students. The movies feature professionals who talk about how they implement the STEM studies into their daily lives. Over 200 lesson plans (with 4 to 5 activities each) are available for free access. To review a list of topics and plans, click here. Contact [email protected] with additional questions.
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Penn Law Pre-College Academy
Applications Accepted Through Saturday, March 6, 2021
The Penn Law Pre-College Academy, a three-week program through the University of Pennsylvania that explores U.S. Law, the legal profession, and topics such as business law, legal advocacy, human rights, and sports/entertainment law, is offering a limited number of full scholarships for Philadelphia high school students this summer. Scholarship students will receive full admission to the program, covering all lectures and materials, as well as housing on campus and most meals during the three-week period. More information about the overall program can be found on Penn Law’s website, linked here. Feel free to also share this flyer with your students.
Penn Law also participates in the UPenn Provost Summer Mentorship Program, which provides a cohort of approximately 15-20 Philadelphia students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through specially designed curricula at the Law School at no cost. More information can be found here. Questions regarding the Pre-College Academy application should be directed to Phoenix Diller [email protected].
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2021 Annual RPA Scholarship
Applications Accepted Through Friday, April 30, 2021
The Raymond Pace Alexander (RPA) Scholarship Foundation is inviting students to apply for the Raymond Pace Alexander Annual Scholarship. The Foundation wishes to award high-achieving, graduating black male seniors from Philadelphia with a $1,000 scholarship to support their educational pursuits at post-secondary institutions. The RPA is entering their third year of operations and to date, has distributed three scholarships.
Please encourage qualifying and interested students to apply here. For additional information, view the flyer linked here, or visit the Foundation’s website here. Questions should be directed to [email protected].
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2021 ELD Professional Learning Summit
Various Dates
The Center for Schools and Communities and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) are co-hosting a professional learning summit, beginning on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 through Thursday, April 15, 2021. The theme is "Teaching for Equity in a Multilingual World," with a focus on a range of English Language Development (ELD) topics. Sessions include English Learner (EL) instruction best practices as well as addressing issues of racial equity in the classroom. Schedule and session details can be found here via the Summit’s website, and the link to register can be found here. Please note: you must register with your school email address, as attendees must be current employees of a Pennsylvania Local Education Agency (LEA) or higher education institution.
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Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective
The Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective (PSEC), a program within the Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem, is an initiative aimed to increase the number of women as well as Black and Latinx Philadelphia students going into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by 2030. The objective is to foster equity, access and inclusion within STEM career pathways for Philadelphia students who are historically underrepresented within these occupations. To learn more about PSEC, click here. Read more about the Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem here.
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Click here to view the CSO January Newsletter. Our March newsletter will include pertinent deadlines and further updates. Please email Jasmine at [email protected] if you have feedback, questions, submissions, and/or if you would like to have your school or one of your scholars featured in an upcoming CSO newsletter.
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