Charter Schools Office March Newsletter Visit our website

TOGETHERNESS! DON'T FORGET! Calendar Updates via Infinite Campus  PDE Guidance Food Distribution During School Closure  Update from Apply Philly Charter  Charter Communication from Finance FEATURED OPPORTUNITIES Prioritizing Your Mental Health PLEASE LET US KNOW! Please participate in our poll below and a member of the CSO team will reach out to you so that we can share that information with the sector at large. March 17, 2020 Greetings Sector Leaders, The City of Philadelphia, including the Office of Children and Families, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Office of the Mayor, and the School District of Philadelphia has released a list of locations in which all students and families in Philadelphia may find free meals and other services (linked below). There are also some Charter Schools that are offering free meals to their students and all students of Philadelphia, such as Richard Allen Prep Charter School located at 2601 South 58th Street. We thank each of you for supporting students and families during this time. Please participate in our poll below and let us know if there is information you would like us to share to the sector regarding any open services your school is providing during this time.  It is important to note that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will not penalize schools that fail to meet the minimum 180-day/hours requirements of COVID-19 response efforts. Their press release is linked below. Please note that PDE has not yet given formal guidance on virtual instructional days.  From the CSO, please note that we have drafted a proposed Calendar of Collections for the 2020-21 School Year based on the feedback we have received from you in our focus groups. At this time we would prefer to give everyone a moment to focus on the health and safety of themselves and their communities. We will hold on sharing the new Calendar of Collections until we have confirmed updates regarding school closures, should we need to adjust anticipated timelines. Let me reiterate that while these are uncertain times, we want you to know that the CSO is here to support. Essence ( [email protected] ) is sending updates as we get them to sector CEOs/principals and operations staff. The CSO is also regularly checking all emails and voicemails to ensure that we are responding to questions and concerns from schools, families, or constituents. If there is anything else that you need from us during this time, please do not hesitate to ask. Please take care of yourselves and each other. We are in this together!   Sincerely, Christina Grant Chief of Charter Schools and Innovation

Is your school providing resources to all Philadelphia children during the school closure? Yes Select No Select

CSO UPDATES

Calendar Updates via Infinite Campus Ensure that your calendars in Infinite Campus are updated to reflect non-instructional days from March 16th through Friday, March 27, 2020. If your school was also closed to students before March 16th, please also make this update in Infinite Campus.

PDE Guidance  The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) shared that they will not penalize districts/schools that fail to meet the minimum 180-day/hours (900/900/450)requirements of Coronavirus response efforts. Please see their press release here .

Food Distribution During School Closure Food Services, Facilities, and The Office of School Safety will be managing and supporting the School District of Philadelphia sites on the linked list where they will be operating food distribution from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Students will be able to "grab and go" two meals. All students (district and charter) in Philadelphia may participate. Should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Tricia London at [email protected] , or Kevin Bethel at [email protected] .

Update from Apply Philly Charter Although next Tuesday, March 24, 2020 is the earliest that participating schools can expire seat offers to students selected from the initial lottery, Apply Philly Charter (APC) is recommending that, schools consider extending this deadline date and/or loosening requirements for securing a seat (for example, allowing families to submit enrollment packets via email). If required by policy or bylaw, schools should work with their Board of Trustees to get guidance on adjusting their deadline dates. If a decision is made for accommodations, APC has requested that schools provide all changes via this form , including providing a phone number or email address for families to contact if they have questions (if applicable). This will allow APC’s staff and Helpline to be equipped to answer questions from families in an efficient way.

Charter Communication from Finance The School District of Philadelphia is working to ensure that critical business operations are maintained during this school closure period. At this point in time, the Finance team will continue to make Charter School payments within the normal payment timelines. If you need to get in contact with Finance, they are asking that charter schools send all communications via email to [email protected] . Please also copy (cc) [email protected] when sending enrollment forms, withdrawal forms, and IEPs. The Finance team apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciates your continued partnership as we all work through this difficult time. If you have any questions or require additional information, please feel free to email the team at [email protected] . There may be longer response times to questions or requests due to the team not physically being in the office; however, the team will do its best to get back to you in a timely manner.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLS

Prioritizing Your Mental Health The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shared tips for managing stress and anxiety amid the Coronavirus, with guiding practices that can be valuable for the now and future, regardless of circumstances. To read more, click here .

Click here to view the CSO February Newsletter. Our April newsletter will include pertinent deadlines and further updates. Please email Jasmine at [email protected] if you have feedback, questions, and/or submissions for the newsletter. Would you like to have your school or one of your scholars featured in an upcoming CSO Newsletter? If so, please email Jasmine.