Charter Schools Office July Newsletter Visit our website

WORKPLACE INNOVATION! DON'T FORGET!  Requesting Student End-Dates   Updates for Participating APC Schools Transportation Chargebacks FEATURED OPPORTUNITIES Free Opportunities and Resources from Lesson aLIVE  EduConfident Virtual Seminar United Language Group CHARTER SCHOOL FEATURE Charter Sector Convening: SY 2020-21 Reopening DEADLINE REMINDERS Calendar of Collections SPR Phase 1 Data Packet Infinite Campus Oracle Supplier Portal Department of Licenses & Inspections Reminder July 22, 2020 Greetings Sector Leaders, On behalf of the CSO, I would like to thank everyone who joined us for the Charter Sector Convening on July 8th. If you attended the Convening but have not completed the two-minute feedback survey, please do so by clicking the link here . Your insight informs our follow-up as well as our planning and delivery of future convenings. We encourage all schools to continue reviewing shared materials regarding school reopening, including the School District of Philadelphia’s (SDP) SY 2020-2021 Advancing Education Safely reopening plan linked here , Public Health Guidance Regarding COVID-19 for Phased Reopening of Pre-K to 12 Schools linked here , and the Pennsylvania Department of Education's (PDE) guidance regarding the implementation of school day service models and the approval process linked here . The CSO will review Health and Safety plans and amended components regarding academic scheduling to provide feedback for schools prior to implementation. As a reminder, plans have to be approved by school boards’ and submitted to PDE. Additionally, as you consider hybrid and remote learning models, we want to remind you that it is our collective commitment to ensure that all students in Philadelphia have reliable, consistent internet access and 1:1 technology so that they can fully participate in whatever form of distance learning your school may offer this year. To this end, 69 schools have responded to the City’s Digital Access survey and 75 schools have agreed to the City’s address matching initiative. Our goal is to reach 100% participation! If your school has not completed the survey, please do so here ; if your school has yet to provide a response regarding authorization to release a de-identified list of addresses for students we have enrolled in Infinite Campus (IC), please email Peng at [email protected] .  In celebratory news, in previous newsletters we shared that SDP has partnered with the University of Pennsylvania to pioneer a bold, free, new program for Summer, 2020: an adaptive, post-pandemic Penn Rising Senior Summer Academy (PennRSSA). I am excited to share that we have 170 charter high school students currently enrolled in the program! If you would like to know the names and the week one attendance data of your school’s enrolled students, reach out to Essence at [email protected] .   Lastly, thank you to all schools who took advantage of the June 30 Priority Deadline for Submissions. In the coming weeks, we plan to share initial findings with schools via Epicenter. While no action is required, schools may choose to provide us with feedback on findings and in doing so, save time during the Annual Charter Evaluation (ACE) preview window. If you have questions about this process, email Roger at [email protected] . I know we are all planning, but I am hopeful that your summer is also restful. Please remain safe and healthy and as always, we look forward to continuing our partnership with you. Sincerely, Christina Grant Chief of Charter Schools and Innovation

CSO UPDATES

Requesting Student End-Dates The School District of Philadelphia's (SDP) Office of Student Enrollment & Placement (OSEP) has updated their email address for all charter requests regarding end-dating. All requests must be submitted to [email protected] as necessary. The former email address ([email protected]) is no longer applicable . Please note, the [email protected] should only be contacted if and when previous attempts to a charter or district school to withdraw a student have been unsuccessful. Please allow up to a 72 hour window for responses and processing.

Updates for Participating APC Schools The application open date for Apply Philly Charter (APC) is Friday, September 25, 2020 , and the closing date is currently set for Monday, January 25, 2021 . In addition, families are now able to submit current year applications and see which participating APC schools have seat availability in the grade for which they are applying.  Participating schools with open seats for SY 2020-21 should update their open seat data by logging in to their GreatPhillySchools (GPS) profile. For assistance with this process, please contact Lucy Maffei at [email protected] .

Transportation Chargebacks Finance will be processing 2nd half of FY20 transportation and attendant costs (up to March 13) with the September payment. A file with itemized charges will be uploaded to Epicenter by Thursday, July 30, 2020 . Please ensure that this information is shared with the appropriate staff (i.e. Epicenter users) at your school.

UPCOMING CSO EVENTS & DEADLINES

SY 2020-21 Calendar of Collections Friday, August 28, 2020 The CSO has scheduled Epicenter submission requirements in alignment with the Calendar of Collections . Friday, August 28, 2020 is the deadline for a number of items in the following Framework Categories: Board Governance, English Learners, Special Education, Demographics, Enrollment, Discipline, Academic Success, Fiscal Management, Food, Health & Safety. Information related to the School Progress Report (SPR) Phase 1 Data Packet (Academic Success) can be found below. Any other questions regarding Calendar of Collections submissions should be directed to Tim at [email protected] .

SPR Phase 1 Data Packet Data Packets will be shared via Epicenter in early August. They will be modified to account for the statewide school closures. More information will follow. Questions about data packets should be directed to Chad at [email protected] .   Decisions on what will be included on the SY 2019-20 School Progress Report (SPR) are pending. As information becomes available, the CSO will be sure to share it with you.

SY 2020-21 Infinite Campus Reminder The Infinite Campus (IC) Charter Module is open for SY 2020-21. Please ensure that your calendars in IC reflect your actual first and last day of instruction as well as any planned days off (e.g. holidays, PD days). All students in non-terminal grades that are not returning should have been end-dated in the system, and all students in grade 12 should have been graduated as appropriate. For reference, please review the linked document here . For information on how to end-date students, please refer to The Charter Module Manual located at sishelp.philasd.org .

Oracle Supplier Portal Reminder As a reminder, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) recently activated the Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) for finance and procurement. SDP is also replacing its Financial System with a more modern, user-friendly system. Please go to the SDP Employee Portal and click on the tile labeled ‘ERP Finance’ to access the new system. The Technology Help Desk will be able to answer or escalate your questions. Please contact the Help Desk at 215-400-5555 or send an email to [email protected] . Additional questions should be directed to [email protected] .

Department of Licenses & Inspections Reminder As a reminder, the Department of Licences & Inspections (L&I) is updating its protocols for annual school inspections. The notable changes will affect how schools provide them with evidence of various certifications, as well as updated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocols for on-site inspections. Look for communication directly from L&I regarding these changes. The CSO is working to stay abreast of these changes and will share any details as received.

CHARTER SCHOOL FEATURE

Charter Sector Convening: SY 2020-21 Reopening The Convening held on July 8th, 2020, provided an opportunity for over 160 charter sector leaders, personnel, and stakeholders to receive guidance around SY 2020-21 startup operations. Specific discussions included general school considerations regarding the health and safety of a safe return for students and teachers, transportation guidelines, physical education and activity expectations, as well as technology and internet accessibility. You can access the Convening slide deck here to review shared materials and guidelines. Also, please find the Q&A for Brian Rell’s presentation linked here .

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLS

Free Opportunities and Resources from Lesson aLive Free Middle Reader Science Adventure Books : Through a grant from the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Lesson aLIVE is offering 50 free copies of marine scientist Dr. Ellen Prager’s middle reader adventure novel regarding her work in the Galápagos islands, and one free 45 minute live (virtual) lecture in the Fall.  Jobs of the Future: Lesson aLIVE is offering a virtual live lecture to introduce students to the skills they will need in the 21st century job market. Lectures are available for free this Summer or Fall.  Please contact Valerie Cerra at [email protected] if you are interested in either of these opportunities.

EduConfident - Each One Teach One School Sharing Series for K-12 Online Learning Various Dates 3:00 PM EduConfident, the education consulting group, will be hosting a free panel series entitled: Each One Teach One School Sharing Series for K-12 Online Learning. Discussions and Q&A will focus on online learning and virtual experiences to support students. For more information and to register, please click the link here . Additional questions can be shared with Shira Woolf-Cohen at shirawoolfcohen@gmail .com .

United Language Group United Language Group is offering a complete portfolio of translation and interpretation services to charter schools with flexible rates and the capacity to support over 200 languages. Services generally include basic translation, full translation, desktop publishing, quality control, and proofreading. For more information, check out the flyer linked here , or visit their website here . For additional questions, please contact Dr. Mladen Cvijanovic at [email protected] or Miranda Herz at [email protected] .

Click here to view the Special Edition Family Newsletter. Click here to view the CSO June Newsletter. Our August 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.