Focus on FACE Newsletter | December 2023

The School District of Philadelphia's Welcome Center has undergone renovations to improve visitors' experience and service. The Welcome Center offers a welcoming and engaging environment for parents/caregivers, community members, and employees to access information and resources to support the success of all students. Check out this video to hear more about the updates.

Lauren Nocito and Teisha Cavanaugh from Eat Right Philly join us as we explore the issue of food insecurity. In this interview, we discuss what puts families at risk and the measures being taken by the District and Eat Right Philly to address this pressing issue within our school communities. Gain deeper insights into our conversation by reading the full interview here.

Congratulations to the ten schools selected to receive receive family engagement mini-grants! Schools used their PSES family response data to propose projects or initiatives in their schools that center on family partnership. Look out in future newsletter for updates on these projects. Thank you to the William Penn Foundation for their support.

Star Assessments are a suite of tests and curriculum-based measures that:

• measure students’ reading and math skills
• monitor achievement and growth, and
• track how well students understand skills aligned to the Common Core standards.

Star results are used to identify students who are meeting grade- and term-level benchmarks in literacy and math, as well as those who may need additional support or interventions. Visit the Star Assessment website to learn more.

For the 2023-2024 year, the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation will award 60 distinguished teachers and seven principals from School District of Philadelphia public schools who demonstrate excellence in promoting learning at the highest levels. Click here to learn more about the nomination process and when applications are due. For more information, email lindback@philasd.org.

The Board of Education wants to hear from you! Every month, the Board holds action meetings, which are regularly scheduled meetings where formal actions are taken by the Board of Education regarding the School District of Philadelphia and Intermediate Unit 26. Board Members encourage the public to attend and participate in these meetings. Learn more about the Board of Education on their website and check out their monthly calendar to stay updated!

Interested in sharing your organization's resources and services with District families? Every third Saturday of the month starting in November, FACT will host in-person workshop sessions with the hopes of providing learning opportunities to empower personal and professional growth for our families. Complete the Vendor Interest form to be considered!

Philly Reading Coaches is a program funded by the Office of Children and Families that focuses on early literacy. The program pairs trained volunteers with Kindergarten through third-grade students to read with them one-on-one. The program aims to increase students’ motivation to read and improve their literacy skills. If you’re interested in learning more about the program, please visit here.

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