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Charter Schools Office
April Newsletter
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Philadelphia Charter School Highlights
Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter High School
On March 20, Philadelphia Electrical and Technical Charter High School welcomed award-winning author Jason Reynolds to speak to their ninth-grade students about his book, "Long Way Down." Mr. Reynolds shared his story, discussed the writing process, answered questions about the book (which was read by the ninth-grade class), and encouraged students to put in the work to follow their dreams.
The school was also pleased to welcome their Councilperson, Jeffrey Young, who also spoke to the students and shared in this huge event for their community.
Please email the CSO at: [email protected] if you would like to have your school or one of your scholars featured in an upcoming CSO newsletter.
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Click on each link to view standing resources:
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Safety and Security | Emergency Drills
We are sharing the following information on Act 55 School Safety and Security Training of 2022 because the trainings below are very important for school safety, and they are also a PA Public School Code requirement. Please note that the Charter Schools Office is not currently tracking schools’ completion of these trainings.
Act 55 School Safety and Security Training of 2022 mandated school safety-related training for all Pennsylvania public school employees. Section 1310-B of the PA Public School Code requires that all school entities provide employees with two hours of mandatory training on any combination of one or more of the following topics, based on the needs of the school entity and aligned with training standards adopted by the School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC):
- Situational awareness.
- Trauma-informed approaches.
- Behavioral health awareness.
- Suicide and bullying awareness.
- Substance use awareness.
In addition, school entities must provide employees with one hour of annual training that addresses emergency training drills (including fire, natural disaster, active shooter, hostage situation and bomb threat) AND identification or recognition of student behavior that may indicate a threat to the safety of the student, other students, school employees, other individuals, school facilities or the community.
To assist charter schools with satisfying the one hour of annual training requirement, as described above, IU 26/School District of Philadelphia is hosting a series of virtual train-the-trainer sessions for Emergency Drills. If interested in participating, please designate one or two individuals from your school to attend a session of their choice by registering using the links listed below:
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Bullying and Harassment Support and Prevention | PLC Information
On Tuesday, April 9, at 11:00am we will be hosting the third and final session of our Professional Learning Community (PLC) series on proactive Bullying/Harassment Support and Prevention on Zoom.
This PLC is an opportunity to connect with other charter schools, as well as with external (community and city-wide) organizations to explore ways to intervene or prevent instances of bullying and harassment.
Please register HERE by Monday, April 8. Once registered, a calendar invite will be sent, including the Zoom link for the session.
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Student Expression Refresher | PLC Information
On Thursday, April 25, at 12:00pm we will be hosting a Professional Learning Community (PLC) session focused on reviewing PCHR-9 and the aligned Student Expression standard requirements within the Charter Performance Framework.
This single-session PLC will offer school leaders an opportunity to collaborate with one another, while working towards crafting compliant policies.
Please register HERE by Wednesday, April 24. Once registered, a calendar invite will be sent, including the Zoom link for the session.
Please contact Mela Still ([email protected]) or Dr. Sonya Sedegui ([email protected]) with any questions.
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Computer Support Specialist
Since 2002, the District’s Urban Technology Project (UTP) has deployed over 500 Computer Support Specialists (CSS) to provide valuable tech support to schools across the district. UTP hires and prepares young adults for careers in Information Technology through hands-on work experience, mentorship, and training.
The CSS will work alongside the school technology coordinator (STC) to provide immediate, on-site technical support for laptops, smartboards, printers, and Chromebook repairs. Additionally, the CSS will maintain the school’s computer labs and SIS inventory, update its website, and social media, and provide on-site tech support for teachers and administrators.
The cost of a full-time CSS is $49,000. A part-time CSS is $24,500 and must be shared with another school. The position is budgeted as a contract.
Complete the CSS School Interest Form to confirm your interest in hiring a Computer Support Specialist for the 2024-25 school year. The deadline to complete the form is Friday, April 12. For questions, please contact Shana Savage at: [email protected].
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Philly School Experience Survey (PSES)
The online Parent/Guardian Philly School Experience Survey is now open!
Parents and guardians can complete the survey using this link: philasd.org/parentsurvey
Here are some updates and reminders about the survey resources available to you:
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Links to the survey flyer (in 12 languages) and the social media image are now posted on our PSES website and on the last slide of our PSES Resource Packet.
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The resource packet also includes a flyer template and suggested email messages that you can customize with your school name and contact info, your school's goals, the specific ways your school uses the survey, etc.
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Parent/Guardian survey PDFs can be used to preview or reference survey questions as needed are available now in English and Spanish. The remaining languages will be posted by Friday.
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The survey FAQ page is now updated for 2023-24. You can find lots of helpful information there including an explanation of how parents will indicate which school their child attends.
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The response rate tracker will go live by Thursday, April 9.
- For charter schools that opted in to receive paper survey for parents/guardians, they are currently scheduled to be shipped by mid-April.
We are hosting Zoom office hours on Wednesday, April 3, from 10:00 to 11:00am. If you have any questions, just drop in using this link, and we will help! You can also reach us at: 215-400-6565 or
[email protected] at any time.
Finally, remember that all other PSES surveys (students, teacher, principal/assistant principal, and support staff) will open on Wednesday, May 1. All surveys will close on Friday, June 14.
If you nominated any survey champions for your school, they received this information by email. If you would still like to nominate a champion to receive email updates, use this form.
If you have any questions, you can reach us at [email protected].
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Wilt Chamberlain Memorial Fund Scholarship
The Wilt Chamberlain Memorial Fund scholarship application is open now through Monday, April 22. High school seniors living in Philadelphia (as well as surrounding counties) with financial need are eligible to earn $5K/year at a 4-year college or $2.5K/year at a community college or vocational school.
More information about this opportunity, as well as the application, can be found here.
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SY2023-24 Calendar of Collections
The Calendar of Collections for SY 2023-24 can be accessed HERE. The Calendar of Collections has been updated to reflect submissions for the upcoming school year.
Upcoming Submission for All Schools:
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Extended School Year (ESY) Transportation Calendars- due April 5, 2024, via Google Form
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Final Deadline: Statements of Financial Interest- due May 1, 2024, via Epicenter
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Current Year Approved Board Minutes, Quarter 3- due May 1, 2024, via Epicenter
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SY 2023-24 ESY Planning
The Department of Transportation Services is preparing for ESY 2024 Programs. In an effort to adequately plan and ensure students participating in these programs are routed timely, they have established three options of ESY start dates for your school to choose from. More details will be forthcoming regarding transportation ESY scheduling.
The possible start dates are as follows:
- June 24, 2024
- July 1, 2024
- July 8, 2024
To support next steps, please complete this brief form by Friday, April 5. indicating whether your school will or will not be hosting ESY programming.
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SY 2024-2025 | Infinite Campus Rollover and Student End-Dating
The Infinite Campus Charter Module will open for SY 2024-25 on Wednesday, July 10. In order to facilitate calendar rollover, your school is expected to complete the calendar submission survey HERE by Friday, April 26.
Failure to complete this form may impact 2023-24 operations (e.g. transportation, enrollment, payment).
As a reminder, you can review the CSO Charter Calendar & Rollover Process slide deck and memo for all schools detailing the process and deadlines. In the calendar rollover memo linked above, there is also information about the process of end-dating students in Infinite Campus. Please review it carefully to ensure SY 2023-24 end-dating occurs appropriately for applicable students.
It is critical for schools serving high school seniors to end date students with the appropriate end codes (i.e., WD04 for graduation). Adjustments to graduation codes cannot be made after the rollover, unless students are a summer graduate.
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Updated Head Start MOUs (Early Childhood Education)
As previously shared, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has updated its guidance on Head Start Coordination Requirements. The multi-year MOU is permissible, however, rather than the LEA (charter schools) signing this MOU once during the effective term, PDE now requires that it is reviewed and signed annually by the LEA. You can find these requirements here.
Based upon this guidance, we have updated the MOU template to include three signature lines for the charter school to sign, for the three years that the MOU is in effect. Please email [email protected] if you would like the updated template reissued for your school. If you prefer, you may also add additional signature and date lines to your school’s current MOU.
Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
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ESY 2024 SIS Requirements | Compass Scenario
The Department of Transportation Services has released the ESY 2024 Scenario in Compass. Please click HERE to view the required steps schools should take prior to submitting TARs. The submission deadline for TARs is Friday, April 19.
If you have any questions or do not have access to the ESY scenario, please contact
[email protected].
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2023-24 System Access and User Verification
The CSO wants to ensure school-based staff have no delays or disruptions to system access related to student data or District operations services. As such, charter school leaders and operations contacts should verify SY 2023-24 school-specific users for SDP systems including Infinite Campus, Compass, and Payments.
As a reminder, Network Administrators need to request access for users for each site/location, as necessary. To do this, the Network Administrator should include all codes in Column L of the ‘External User’ tab, via the school-specific User Verification Form. Please include all location codes where the user needs access. Failure to do so may result in a delay in gaining access to SDP systems.
Questions about the user verification process, including requests for links to school-specific and network-specific user information, can be directed to [email protected].
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Withdrawal Requests | School Year Process
The Office of Student Enrollment and Placement has updated their process for processing end-dating requests. A full overview of this process can be accessed via the letter linked HERE. In Summary:
If a school has a student that needs to be withdrawn from a District, Renaissance Charter,
or Brick and Mortar Charter School, please reach out to the sending school directly, via email. Please include the following information: the student’s full name, date of birth, state or local ID, and effective dates. If the sending school is non-responsive after 2 email attempts and 72 hours, please email studentenddate-[email protected].
If a school has a student that needs to be withdrawn from a Cyber or non-Philadelphia Charter School, please email: [email protected] and include the following information: the student’s first and last name, DOB, state or local ID of the student requesting to be end-dated, the date you are requesting the student be withdrawn, and proof that the student has been attending your school (i.e. attendance record). Please note, Cyber and non-Philadelphia charter schools do not manage their enrollment in Infinite Campus (SIS). As such, please do not email or call the school to request a student be end-dated in SIS. All end dates for these schools must be processed by the Office of Student Enrollment and Placement (OSEP).
While the CSO does not have the ability to process withdrawal requests in Infinite Campus, we do want to ensure the sector has the most up-to-date information regarding receiving support. As much as possible, issues with withdrawing students should be resolved at the school-to-school level to ensure timely transportation arrangements for students as well as accurate payments to schools.
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Please email the CSO 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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