Charter Schools Office November Newsletter Visit our website

COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING! DON'T FORGET! Student Enrollment Packets SAC Engagement Survey FEATURED OPPORTUNITIES  HBCU Fair Apply Philly Charter Application Event FEATURED SCHOOL  Memphis Street Academy Charter School at J.P. Jones WE NEED YOUR VOTE! Please participate in our poll below by clicking the corresponding box of your choice regarding our newsletter distribution. November 19, 2019 Greetings Sector Leaders, First and foremost, thank you to those leaders who were able to come to our Fall Convening. Based on your feedback, we are thrilled to know that overall the sector is content with the direction our office is taking to build our collaborative relationship. We were equally excited to hear directly from you on things the CSO can do to ensure convenings meet your needs. To address some of those needs, our November Newsletter contains the slide deck from the Convening. Additionally, thank you for participating in our public poll questions throughout the Convening. Your responses related to your school glows and grows are helping us to discern potential professional learning communities that the sector may be interested in. We are looking forward to building out this work with you and providing resources and guidance to charter schools. As we plan and execute the various types of informal site visits that can occur, we are also still very much interested in attending any celebrations, special events, or showcases that you may be having throughout the winter months . As such, we encourage you to complete the survey here or email Essence at [email protected] with the event details so that we can coordinate accordingly. On behalf of the entire CSO team, we look forward to working with you this year and we hope that you have a Happy Thanksgiving! Sincerely, Christina Grant Chief of Charter Schools and Innovation

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CSO UPDATES

CSO Convening The CSO’s Fall Convening took place on November 4th with representatives from over 70 charter schools in attendance, the CSO’s highest attended convening to date. Board of Education President Joyce S. Wilkerson and Superintendent Dr. William R. Hite, Jr. welcomed attendees and echoed the importance of working collaboratively to truly deliver on a system of great schools. Sector leaders had an opportunity to network and discuss important updates and CSO initiatives. Materials as well as a couple of pictures from the Convening are below. Convening Agenda Convening Presentation

CSO Speaks at NACSA Members of the CSO were invited to appear as guest speakers at the NACSA Conference in St. Louis to share various authorizing practices. Peng Chao presented on accountability and the importance of keeping a steadfast focus on students and families, while Roger Kligerman and Stephanie Waller presented on codifying an evaluation process and its impact on compliance.

UPCOMING CSO EVENTS & DEADLINES

Student Enrollment Packets Monday, December 2, 2019 The Student Enrollment packet is due Monday, December 2, 2019 and should include all information given to families before their enrollment is confirmed. The packet will be released to students who are or will be selected in the lottery process during SY 2019-20 (or general admission for schools without a lottery) for enrollment in Fall 2020. If you have any questions, please email Tim at [email protected] .

FY19 Audited Financial Statements Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Audited financial statements are due to the CSO in Epicenter on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 . If you have any questions, please email Tim at [email protected] .

SAC Engagement Survey Friday, November 22, 2019 The CSO recently shared a SAC (Student Advisory Council) Engagement survey for Renaissance Charter School Principals to complete, via email. If you have not yet done so, please complete the survey here . Responses are requested to be submitted by Friday, November 22, 2019 . Please share the survey with appropriate members of your team/school as necessary. If you have any questions, please email Jasmine at [email protected] .

DPO SPR Review The District Performance Office (DPO) shared links with schools for Round 1 of the School Progress Reports (SPRs) Preview Window via email. The preview window, which contained data related to attendance, suspensions, reading levels, survey data, graduation rates, and student demographics closed on November 17, 2019 .   A second preview window containing the remaining data elements will open in December . Schools are encouraged to review the SPR User Guide and Public Business Rules if they have questions regarding how a metric is calculated. Questions about the SPR can be sent to [email protected] .

CHARTER SCHOOL FEATURE: Memphis Street Academy

Memphis Street Academy Charter School at J.P. Jones and its community partners celebrated the school’s newest library by holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The library is equipped with technology and career and college readiness preparatory stations for its students. To read more about the exciting event, click here . Would you like to have your school or one of your scholars featured in an upcoming CSO Newsletter? If so, please email Jasmine at [email protected] .

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS, FAMILIES & SCHOOLS

Homeless Awareness Week In an effort to raise awareness about the homeless crisis in Philadelphia, The Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) initiative is encouraging School District of Philadelphia employees to participate in wearing a red shirt on Friday, November 22, 2019 in honor of individuals experiencing homelessness. The CSO encourages Charter Schools to participate and send a picture demonstrating their support for us to highlight in our upcoming newsletter! To learn more about how the District supports youth and students experiencing homelessness, please visit here .

Click the highlighted links to learn more! For Students & Families Apply Philly Charter Application Event HBCU Fair AP Central Low-Cost Home Internet Access College & Career Readiness Resources FACE For Schools PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)

Click here to view the CSO October Newsletter. Our December newsletter will include pertinent deadlines and further updates on the CSO team. Please email Jasmine at [email protected] if you have feedback, questions, and/or submissions for the newsletter.