Charter Schools Office October Newsletter Visit our website

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL FALL IN PHILADELPHIA DON'T FORGET! The Fall Convening is November 4th. We will have chocolate for you, the most selected treat from our September newsletter poll. FEATURED OPPORTUNITIES  EdFest 2019: Education for the Culture FEATURED SCHOOL  Alliance for Progress Charter School WE NEED YOUR VOTE! Please participate in our poll below by clicking the corresponding box of your choice regarding our newsletter distribution. October 15, 2019 Greetings Sector Leaders, Please mark your calendars, the Charter Schools Fall Convening has been moved to November 4th . We plan to share out pertinent information to the sector as well as host several workgroups to garner your feedback on CSO initiatives. School CEOs and principals have received a personal invitation from me via email. Please ensure that you RSVP so that we can share information with you in advance of the Convening. Email Essence at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns. On October 31st, instead of the originally scheduled Convening, there will be an Intermediate Unit #26 FY20 IDEA-B Fiscal Training being held at the School District. Topics that will be covered include: FY20 IDEA reimbursement process, ACCESS billing, reports required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the use of IDEA funds for coordinated early intervening services, and IDEA sub grants and sub grantee monitoring. School leaders should reference the invitation for further information and to register for the event. Any school that receives IDEA funding should attend. Lastly, the CSO also had an opportunity to partake in the High School Fair held on September 20th and 21st. We were excited to see many of our Charter Schools also present to share more information about their programs to potential new students. It was an amazing turnout with Great Philly Schools reporting that nearly 14,000 people attended. On behalf of the entire CSO team, we are excited to continue to work with you throughout the school year and we look forward to seeing you on November 4th. Sincerely, Christina Grant Chief of Charter Schools and Innovation

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CSO UPDATES

Calendar of Collections Linked here is a list of all annual compliance documents. All documents have previously been requested via Epicenter.

Enrollment Process Verification The CSO is excited to share that we are partnering with an external organization to better understand how parents/guardians experience calling schools for enrollment related questions. Working with our contractor, Schools will receive three (3) scripted phone calls that monitor how Charter Schools support families seeking to enroll their child in the school. The results will be shared with the sector to identify strengths and areas for growth, and will serve as the basis for developing resources to ensure that Charter Schools are providing the best possible support to families seeking to enroll. This work is non-evaluative and will not be included in this year's ACE or renewal reports. The CSO will share more detailed information and solicit feedback during the November 4th Convening, but any immediate questions or comments should be directed to Roger at [email protected] .

New Charter Application 2019-20 Please visit the CSO website to access the new charter application materials for the 2019-20 cycle. The deadline for submitting all applications and supporting materials is Friday, November 15, 2019 . Letters of Intent are due today, Tuesday, October 15, 2019 . Questions can be emailed to [email protected] .

UPCOMING CSO EVENTS & DEADLINES

Calendar of Collections Listed below are items that were due on October 1st based on the Calendar of Collections. Schools have been notified via Epicenter of incomplete and/or missing submissions. Please email Seun at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns. Past Due Items as of October 1st: School Profile Survey Admissions Policy and Enrollment Practices for SY 2019-20 Student Application for SY 2019-20 Board of Trustees Approved Minutes (SY 2018-19) Board of Trustees Roster Resumes for Board Members Serving After 9/1/2019 ESL Certification

DPO Data Packet Process Round 2 Data Packets for the School Progress Reports (SPRs) were shared via Epicenter and are due on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 . Please note that there are several new data elements. If you have questions or need support related to data packets, please email [email protected] .

CHARTER SCHOOL FEATURE: AFPCS

Alliance for Progress Charter School held an exciting groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the school's new location, which is currently under construction. Students and staff gathered with partnered stakeholders to officially sod the new foundation. 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

Click the highlighted links to learn more! For Students & Families EdFest 2019: Education for the Culture AP 2019 Training 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 September Newsletter. Our November 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.