Focus on FACE Newsletter | February 2024

FEATURED

Check out our in-person AND virtual workshops happening in February!

Virtual via Zoom

Live at both 10:00 am and 5:00pm

Gender, Identity, and Pronouns 101

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Raising Resilient Children

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Supporting School Communities Healing from Trauma

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Self-Care Essentials for Parents

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Family Math Series: Session 2

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

In-Person (440 N. Broad Street)

Saturday, February 17 at 10:00am

Emotional Regulation through Mindfulness Techniques

Autistic Artistic Arts: Communicating With Me Through Art

Busy Bites: Quick, Simple, Healthy Meals for Busy Families

Exploring Non-Traditional Learning Opportunities

Visit the FACT Website

Interpretation is available for all workshops by request. Request by registering HERE at least eight days before the workshop you want to attend.

FAMILY NEWS & RESOURCES

Families Asking Questions (FAQs): "What is the Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination Policy?"

The School District of Philadelphia strives to provide a safe and positive educational environment for all school community members, free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form. Read the full article to learn more about the District's policy surrounding bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination Website

Read the full "Families Asking Questions" Article

District Families: Get Help Registering for Public Benefits at 440!

The Office of Student Health Services has partnered with Benephilly to provide free one-on-one help to enroll District families in public benefits. A Benephilly navigator is located at the School District of Philadelphia (440 N. Broad St.) every Wednesday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The navigator helps families with health insurance, prescription medication cost, groceries, property taxes, college cost, heat and other utilities. This service is open to ALL District families regardless of documentation status, immigration status, language spoken or citizenship. Interpretation services are available.

Make an Appointment

Special Education Services and Program: Family Information Sessions

Join us for a series of virtual sessions to learn more about the District's Special Education Services and Programs. Tune in live on Zoom from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. each day. Find workshop details & register here

Complete the Form

8th Annual FAFSA Kickoff Featuring Dr. Watlington

Please join The School District of Philadelphia at our 8th annual FAFSA kickoff featuring Dr. Watlington on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 from 3:30pm to 7pm! The focus of the event is to provide live support to students and families completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Registration is required to attend this event!

Join the Community Meeting on Policy 138

Join the Office of Multilingual Curriculum and Programs, as we share implementation updates on Policy 138. Attendees will learn about and have opportunities to provide feedback on SDP supports for multilingual learners and families. Educators, administrators, parents/guardians, students, community organizations, school district leaders and staff, and all other stakeholders are encouraged to attend. If you are in need of an interpreter, please RSVP by February 1st so we can secure interpreters for this event.

DISTRICT UPDATES

2024-2025 Kindergarten Registration is Now OPEN!

Please help us spread the word -- those who have a child who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2024, should register them by May 31 to give them an opportunity to Thrive at Five. You can register:

Online using the online registration portal
In-person at your catchment (neighborhood) school
In-person at the School District of Philadelphia Office of Student Enrollment & Placement - 440 N. Broad St. | 1st Floor, Suite 111

Visit 440 N. Broad Street

Complete the Form

District Partners: Connect with Parents and Guardians at our New Family Saturdays

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!

Lindback Award Applications Now Open!

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.

Submit Your Nominations

Learn More about the Math Performance of SDP Elementary and Middle Schools!

Are you interested in learning more about the School District’s elementary and middle school math performance? Join us on February 8th at 4 p.m., in the Education Center Auditorium, located on the second floor at 440 North Broad Street, for a conversation about student growth and proficiency on STAR Math and Math Curriculum Based Measures. We would love to have you join us in-person or virtually through our online streaming service.

Join Live Stream Here

The Student Well-Being Survey Opens SOON

Nearly 80% of our overall student population shared their voices with us through our Student Well-Being Survey during Window One. As Window Two opens, we are hoping to hear from more of our students in this window, and increase accessibility to ensure that we can hear from all of our students. We will use this information to improve student experiences and overall student well-being. The second survey window opens February 12, 2024.

Visit the Student Well-Being Survey Website

COMMUNITY PARTNER MESSAGES

Are you a community partner interested in sharing resources?

Email us at fact@philasd.org to submit your resources

Looking for STEM Out-of-School Time Program

It’s the beginning of the year, and many STEM programs for K-12 students are already accepting applications! Visit the Philadelphia Education Fund's STEM Education Directory to search for spring, summer, fall, or year-round programs.

For more information, contact Betsy Payne at spayne@philaedfund.org.

Visit the Directory

Learn more about STAMP

Calling All High School Students: Visit Local Attractions for FREE

Through STAMP, any Philadelphia high school student can visit 20 museums and cultural sites for free. Just show your high school student ID and enjoy the STAMP discount. Want to learn more about STAMP? Visit the Art-Reach program's website to hear about this exciting opportunity.

NEW: TRIVIA QUESTION!

School Advisory Councils (SACs) are peer-elected, collaborative teams who work to improve student achievement, effective teaching in the classroom, and parent and community engagement in the educational process.

Which groups are represented in the School Advisory Council (SAC)?

Hint: There is more than one answer!

A. Students (Grades 7-12)

B. Central Office Staff

C. Teachers

D. All of the above

The first parent/guardian and the first District staff member to email a correct answer to fact@philasd.org will win an exciting prize!

Stay Connected to FACE

Want to receive regular direct updates from the FACE Office? Focus on FACE comes out on a monthly basis. But if you're interested in receiving regular updates from the FACE Office about programs, events, conferences, and more, sign up for our email updates!