Charter School Feature 

Save the Date: CSO Fall Convening (Rescheduled!)

The CSO has rescheduled our Fall Convening for Thursday, September 29, 2022 from 10:00-11:00 AM. During this meeting, the CSO will share compliance and operational updates, as well as introduce future engagement and collective learning opportunities. Please register by clicking the link here. Many thanks to the sector for your patience and flexibility as we worked to get a new convening date on the calendar.

Calendar of Collections

The Calendar of collections for SY 2022-23 can be accessed here. Please refer to the following reminders and deadlines for the months of September and October:

All Schools

• List of 2020-21 Newly Appointed Board Members and their Board Training Certificates: Monday, September 12, 2022
• Code Website: Tuesday, September 27, 2022
• Board of Trustees Roster: Saturday, October 1, 2022
• Board Website: Saturday, October 8, 2022

2022-23 Renewal Cohort Only

• English Learner Student Files (Renewal Document Review): Wednesday, September 21, 2022
• Checks and Clearances (Renewal Document Review): Wednesday, September 21, 2022
• Student Health Records (Renewal Document Review): Wednesday, September 21, 2022
• Student Health Schedule (Renewal Document Review): Wednesday, September 21, 2022

SDP 2022-23 School Selection Process

Counselors at non-District schools (including charters) will be able to gain access to School Mint Enroll, the District’s 2022-23 School Selection application. . 

In order to gain access, school leaders were asked to use the form linked here to nominate up to two Counselors (or staff members that play a similar role in your school) to gain access to the system. 

• Nominations that were received by August 24 will be prioritized for system access when the School Selection process launches at 4PM on September 16, 2022. Note: Any nominations received after that date may experience a delay in receiving access.
• A mandatory webinar will be shared with nominees in early September. The webinar will include graded knowledge checks. Satisfactory completion of this webinar is required in order to gain access to the system.

In the event that a nominated staff member’s status changes and they are no longer employed by your school, you must communicate that change to [email protected]  in order to revoke their access to the system. 

For additional information on the District’s School Selection process, please visit the District’s School Selection website, linked here. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

New Charter Application Webinars

The CSO will host three identical informational webinars regarding the New Charter Application process for those interested in opening a new charter school. Registration is required, and the links are available on the new charter application page of the CSO's website. 

The webinars will take place on the following dates:

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 (2:00 PM)

Monday, October 3, 2022 (1:00 PM) 

Friday, October 7, 2022 (11:00 AM)

Data Packet Updates

Thank you for engaging with the CSO to complete the SPREE Phase I Data Packet. The CSO team is actively reviewing packets, and we are providing feedback through Epicenter. If your data packet is rejected due to an issue, please ensure it is re-submitted by the updated due date. 

Schools that have yet to submit data packets must submit them to Epicenter as soon as possible. Data packets are now overdue which may impact reporting on both the SPREE and ACE reports. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rebecca Dunn at [email protected].

SY 2022-23 User Verification Sheets

There are still a number of schools that have not provided user verification updates for this year. 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 continue to verify SY 2022-23 school-specific users for SDP systems including Infinite Campus, Compass, and Payments. 

Questions about the user verification process, including requests for links to school-specific and network-specific user information, can be directed to [email protected].

End-Dating Requests

The CSO recognizes some schools have had difficulty getting timely responses regarding student end-dating requests, and we apologize on behalf of the District for disruptions to students that may result, including coordinating appropriate transportation services. 

As much as possible, schools are encouraged to contact sending schools directly to request a student be end-dated. If a sending school has not been responsive, the CSO has been assisting with escalating end-date requests.

While the CSO does not have the ability to end-date students, schools seeking additional support after attempting to contact sending schools should send requests to [email protected] with all applicable student information: name, DOB, ID number, sending school, and effective end-date. The CSO will work to escalate requests for processing as soon as possible.

Updating Staff in School Information Sheets

All schools are encouraged to review their individual school sheet that shares key staff contact information. School sheets support the CSO by ensuring critical information is shared with appropriate personnel in a timely manner. If you are in need of the link to your school sheet, please reach out to [email protected].

Early Childhood Education MOUs

Section 1119 of ESSA requires any LEA receiving Title I funds to develop agreements with Head Start for Kindergarten transition. Schools that have MOUs with the District’s Office of Early Childhood for the 3-year period of July 2019 through June 2022 that require updated MOUs should reach out to the CSO via [email protected] to obtain an updated MOU for the 2022-2025 period.

Student Opportunity:

Congressional Academy Day

Greater Philadelphia Congressional Academy Day gives students the opportunity to learn about US Service Academies. Representatives from the Military Academy (West Point), Naval Academy (Annapolis), Merchant Marine Academy, Air Force Academy, and Coast Guard Academy will be available to discuss the service academy application process and life at and after the academies. Staff from each congressional office will also be present to explain the congressional nomination process for the 3rd, 2nd, and 5th Pennsylvania congressional districts. All Academies except the Coast Guard Academy require a Congressional nomination to be admitted. More information can be accessed via the flier here, and a registration link can be accessed here.

SY 2022-23 Teacher Induction

The District’s Office of Teaching and Learning will be launching teacher induction cohorts in the summer and fall of 2022. The Teacher Induction Program is a year-long professional development opportunity for beginning teachers, and is open to all teachers in years 0-6 of their tenure who currently hold a Level I teaching certificate and need to convert it to a Level II certificate. More information can be accessed via the flier here and the Office of Teaching and Learning’s website here. The deadline for teachers to sign up for the fall cohort is September 22, 2022.