School Leaders Newsletter
DECEMBER 4, 2023
Dear School Leaders,
Last week, the Academics Division and Evaluation, Research, and Accountability hosted the workshop titled: “Setting Realistic Enrollment Targets and Reaching Projections for 2024-25,” with criteria-based school leaders on November 30 and citywide school leaders on December 1. A third workshop with school leaders from targeted catchment schools is scheduled for December 4.
During the strategic workshops, principals engaged in design thinking and data analysis activities to:
- Develop a shared understanding of how city and district enrollment has changed over time;
- Align on the purpose and implications of enrollment targets and their downstream effects;
- Reconcile historical enrollment data, application data, acceptance rates, and facility capacity to establish enrollment targets for SY24-25; and
- Identify ways to increase the acceptance and matriculation rates and fill all of the seats in a given school while minimizing disruptions to other schools.
Continued collaboration between the Central Office and school leaders is critically important as we work to move the needle and accelerate student achievement. Having all voices at the table, with a laser-focus on the data, helps us to improve processes that have system-wide impact–like the enrollment projections process.
I would also like to thank the schools that supported 300 students attending the District’s 5th Annual Food Show. School lunch was a top priority identified by our students throughout the listening and learning tour and strategic planning process. The food show provided an opportunity to hear directly from students and allowed them to shape their school menu for the 2024-25 school year.
Finally, I look forward to attending the Academic Services Town Hall meeting on Friday, December 8 with Dr. Dawson as we strive to further our shared commitment to educational excellence in our District.
In Partnership,
Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed.D.
Superintendent
Mark Your Calendar
Items Due
Professional Development Assessments
Summer Program
Important Dates
12.07.2023
12.08.2023
Assistant Principal Summit
(Choose one day to attend 12.7.2023 or 12.8.2023)
Office Hours with Deputy Commissioner James J Kelly and Chief Kevin Bethel; 8:00-9:00 am
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Winter Fair Registration Forms are Due.
Assistant Principal Summit
(Choose one day to attend 12.7.2023 or 12.8.2023 )
Monthly Observances and Celebrations
Hanukkah
Christmas Day
Kwanzaa
12.07 - 12.15
12.25.2023
12.26 - 01.01
academic services
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Attention: Middle School and High School principals
Junior Achievement Spring CCL Offerings
The Office of Pathways to Graduation is excited to announce that we have partnered with Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania to bring Middle and High School Career-Connected Learning Programs to our District during the spring. There are 6 distinct Spring Career Awareness offerings for both Middle and High Schools described in this table. Each experience outlines the description of the experience, the application process and deadline, and the maximum number of classrooms or schools served in the experience.
ACTION: Please see the full list of JA Spring CCL Programs.
Contact: Ariel Peterson | School Improvement & Data Specialist | abpeterson@philasd.org | 215.400.5749
Academy of Continued Education
The Academy of Continued Education (ACE) team shared information about the program during last week’s Leadership Convening. ACE provides students who are experiencing temporary barriers to in-person instruction with the School District of Philadelphia teacher-led academic programming in a fully virtual setting. Principal Christine Godfrey is hosting drop-in office hours on December 13th from 3:00 - 4:00 and January 4th from 3:00 - 4:00. The Zoom link for office hours can be found here.
ACTION: Find more information about ACE here along with a link to the referral form.
Contact: Christine Godfrey | Principal | cgodfrey@philasd.org
Attention: K-12 Principals
career and technical education
reminder
Attention: High School Principals; Schools with CTE Programs
CTE Winter Fair
The Office of Career and Technical Education is hosting our Annual County Fair at the Education Center - 440 North Broad Street on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, from 10:30 am - 1:00 pm (set-up starts at 9:00 am). The County Fair will not only allow your students to showcase and promote the skills and competencies mastered as a result of their CTE education but your school will be able to earn extra income that can be reinvested in the program. The Annual CTE Winter "County" Fair will take place at the Education Center, 440 N. Broad Street - Atrium from 10:30 am - 1:00 pm on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Please see the flyer for more details.
ACTION: Participating schools must submit their registration form by Thursday, December 7, 2023.
Contact: Reginald Moton | Academic Planning Coordinator | rkmoton@philasd.org | 215.400.5912
COMMuNICATIONS
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Congratulations Frankford High School
Principal Calderone and the Frankford High School Pioneers won the American Education Week School Spirit Social Media contest in November, and have earned a pizza party for the entire school, courtesy of The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. Congratulations Frankford High School!
Contact: Adam Northam | anortham@philasd.org
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Interactive STEM Field Trip Opportunity
Science and STEM activities are important in helping to develop the scientist in all of our students and also aids in deepening their levels of intellectual curiosity, exploration, and critical thinking. An opportunity to do just that is upcoming on Wednesday, December 13th. The Grand Hank Science/STEM presentation field trip for K-8 students will allow students to engage with their senses, see the future in science, and experience the fun in science.
ACTION: Please see the included information flyer for more details.
Contact: Dr. Kwame Williams | Executive Director | kwilliams5@philasd.org | 215.400.5810
Math Leaders Newsletter
This week our Teacher Update highlighted the free Illustrative Mathematics webinars.
Leaders have shared that pacing is one of the biggest challenges right now. We suggest watching the “Pacing for Rigor” webinar. It provides insight into the structure of IM which allows us to be purposeful in the pacing decisions we make moving forward.
Check out Tune-Up Tuesday for additional math professional learning opportunities.
ACTION: Please encourage teachers to take a look!
Contact: math@philasd.org
Supporting ELA instruction in Term 2
As we coach teachers in ELA in term 2, we should begin to ask questions that push teachers to consider the application of decoding, vocabulary and morphology strategies in all grade bands. Leaders, consider asking questions, such as:
1. What process did the teacher use for teaching new vocabulary?
2. How did the teacher help students record and store new vocabulary knowledge for reflection?
3. How did the teacher connect to prior-knowledge of concepts and vocabulary?
4. In what ways did the teacher build background knowledge to assist students with ‘limited’ vocabulary?
5. What scaffolding techniques did the teacher provide for students with ‘limited’ vocabulary?
ACTION: Please see the ELA Instructional Guide p.62.
Contact: ela@philasd.org
Scripps Spelling Bee Registration Now Open!
The Office of Curriculum and Instruction is offering FREE Scripps Spelling Bee registration to all schools, Grades 4-8th. The registration deadline is December 21st.
ACTION: To register, email: ela@philasd.org. Learn more here.
Contact: Danielle Schultz | Senior Project Manager | dschultz@philasd.org | 215.400.6266
Attention: Grades 4-8 PRINCIPALS
District Performance Office (Dpo)
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QlikBAM Load Issue - Resolve by clearing browser cache and cookies
We have received several reports that QlikBAM has not been loading properly in Google Chrome since the recent upgrade. To resolve the issue, you must clear your browser history, cookies, and cache. Periodically clearing your browser cookies and cache is a best practice. Instructions for doing this are available at the following links:
Helpful steeper from the SISHelp Team with more detailed instructions on clearing data in Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox -- see pages 3-9.
ACTION: Based on user reports, we recommend the following:
* Clear your browser data for at least the "Last 4 weeks," but preferably for "All time."
* Ensure all checkboxes are marked (Browsing history, Cookies, and Cache).
* After you've cleared your data, close all browser windows and restart your browser before trying to reopen Qlik.
* On some occasions, you may need to repeat this process 2-3 times to resolve the issue.
As a reminder, when you clear your cache you might be prompted to re-enter your login information for some websites. You can also open QlikBAM with a different browser, like Firefox, and it should open without a problem.
Contact: performancedashboard@philasd.org
QlikBAM: Enrollment - October 1 Snapshot app now includes the 2023 snapshot
The QlimBAM Enrollment - Oct 1 Snapshot app in the Enrollment & Projections stream now includes the October 2023 snapshot enrollment, demographic, and catchment data.
Contact: performancedashboard@philasd.org
QlikBAM: Dropouts Monitoring app refreshed with data through November
This week the QlikBAM Dropouts Monitoring app in the Enrollment and Projections stream will be refreshed with data through the end of November 2023. The application provides a monthly and cumulative summary of enrollment records for SY2023-24 that ended in a dropout exit code (WD01 or WD09).
The data in the app will refresh monthly, about the 8th of each month, to reflect student exit records for the whole school year through the end of the prior month. We know that student exit dates and exit codes are applied/updated retroactively; each time the data in the app is refreshed it will capture the data for the current school year, including any changes made since the prior refresh date. Note: Data for prior school years are frozen.
Contact: performancedashboard@philasd.org
QlikBAM: School Employee Attendance app refreshed with data through December 1
This week, the QlikBAM School Employee Attendance app in the Talent stream will include employee attendance data through the end of the last payroll cycle (December 1, 2023). The application now includes a complete set of data through the month of October. This application loads new data a few business days after the close of each payroll cycle (every two weeks). NOTE - Any retroactive corrections made to leave codes/dates will be reflected in the data refresh that occurs after the corrections are processed in the payroll system processed in the payroll system..
Contact: performancedashboard@philasd.org
early childhood
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Kindergarten Transition Professional Development Opportunity
The Office of Early Childhood Education is offering a Kindergarten Transition Professional Development (PD) session for teachers and staff who will support Kindergarten Open House and other Transition Activities this year. It is highly recommended that all new Kindergarten teachers and those identified as this year’s facilitating Kindergarten Transition teachers attend this training. All other Kindergarten teachers are welcome to participate, as well as other school staff such as Counselors and School-based teacher leaders.
Kindergarten Transition PD sessions are available on the following dates: 12/7/23, 12/13/23, 1/16/24, and 1/22/24 (all sessions are 4:30- 6:00, via Zoom). Participants will receive Act 48 credits and compensation will be provided.
ACTION: Please encourage your Kindergarten teachers and other supporting staff to register now in Cornerstone.
Contact: Geoff Thornton | Program Manager, Operations and Grants Development/PreK-3 Alignment | gthornton@philasd.org | 215.400.5533
Final Reminder: PreK and Kindergarten Registration Great Start Banner Form
To spread the word about PreK and Kindergarten Registration, each school was given a “Great Start” Registration Banner to be displayed outside of school buildings. This is a final reminder to fill out the “Great Start” Banner Form by Wednesday, December 6. This will inform us of the condition of your school’s Banner. The Office of Early Childhood Education will follow up in December to let you know if a replacement banner can be provided. Thank you to those who have already submitted your Banner Form.
ACTION: Please complete the Great Start Banner Form here.
Contact: Geoff Thornton | Program Manager, Operations and Grants Development/PreK-3 Alignment | gthornton@philasd.org | 215.400.5533
Employee Effectiveness and Evaluation
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Network Rankings for Informal and Walkthroughs and Fall Formal Observation
The Employee Effectiveness and Evaluation Team is providing progress ranking for the following tasks: Informal Observations and Fall Formal Observation. This is an overview of all learning networks. *Please note that this data was pulled on November 28th. Changes may have occurred since this date. To retrieve updated information, please pull the report on Cornerstone via Reporting 2.0.
ACTION: Please see a glimpse of the current rankings here.
Contact: Amadi Hayes | Observation Evaluation Coordinator | ahayes@philasd.org | 215.400.6194
Evaluation, Research & Accountability
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Winter Keystone Principal Responsibilities
Principals have several tasks they are required to complete to support the administration of the upcoming Winter Keystone Exams (January 4-17th). A description of these tasks is detailed in the Principal Responsibilities for Winter Keystones Document.
ACTION: Please review the document, discuss it with your school's Test Coordinator as needed, and contact the Office of Assessment with any questions.
Contact: assessment@philasd.org
PASA First Contact Survey and Personal Needs Profile
PASA Coordinators will receive a communication on 12/4/23 explaining that now that rosters have been completed, all Teacher Administrators need to fill out the First Contact Survey for every student they will be testing and the Personal Needs Profile for those students who need specific accommodations to take the PASA assessment.
ACTION: Please view the communication sent to PASA Coordinators here.
Contact: pasa-assessment@philasd.org
information technology
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SIS Computer Assignment Verification
Each year, schools are required to submit an accounting for the computers in their building and Chromebooks assigned to their students. This was previously called your school’s Computer Inventory. The process has been renamed to Computer Assignment Verification and the due date moved to February 15 to reduce confusion with the Personal Property Inventory submission.
ACTION: Please see the full memo HERE.
Contact: Darrin Kall | Program Manger | dkall@philasd.org
HOUR OF CODE IS THIS WEEK!
Join Us in an Hour of Code during Computer Science Week December 4-8. Hour of Code is an event during Computer Science (CS) Education Week. The goal of the Hour of Code is to expose students to coding and elements of Computer Science. Last year, 197 K-12 schools comprised of 23K student coders participated across the district! Will your school be the 2023 Coding Champs?
ACTION: Click here for more information and resources. For quick ways for any teacher to participate, click here. See the flyer for more details.
Contact: Jessica Ross | Director of Special Projects | | jqross@philasd.org
PSTV Contest Series
The PSTV Contest Series is a great tool to integrate into your current curriculum and offers a fun opportunity for students to engage in a fun way. Students can submit many different forms of media for the Superhero contest and/or the Wellness Quest. This contest is open for students K-12!
ACTION: View the website for more details.
Contact: Shelley Wolfe | Executive Director, Media Arts & Product Services | SWolfe@philasd.org
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
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SDP Educators Weekly Update
The link to the Office of Professional Learning's SDP Educator’s Weekly Update email for the week of 11/27-12/1 can be accessed HERE.
Contact: Meredith Mehra | Deputy Chief | cornerstoneelp@philasd.org | 215.400.4280
Assistant Principal December Summit
The Office of Professional Learning is hosting professional development for all Assistant Principals on December 7th or December 8th. This event is required for all APs in the District. In an effort to accommodate many schedules, assistant principals may choose from one of two dates to attend; either December 7th or December 8th, where the day will begin with registration from 8:30-9:00 am and programming will conclude at 3:00 pm. The summit will take place at Strawberry Mansion High School located at 3133 Ridge Avenue. If you have not already registered and selected your choice sessions for the summit, please review the December AP Summit and "click" to access the registration link located on the first page. The deadline for early registration is Tuesday, December 5th.
ACTION: Please see more info here.
Contact: Shakae Dupre | Executive Director, Leadership Development | sdupre@philasd.org | 267.688.0840
Student Health Services
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School Immunization Law Report (SILR)
The Office of Student Health Services is providing information on The School Immunization Law Report (SILR) to school leaders for situational awareness. The SILR is a yearly report submitted by school nurses to the Pennsylvania Department of Education in December. The SILR provides school-level data on state-mandated vaccination noncompliance, including exemptions and exclusions. This report is submitted yearly and has been submitted in previous school years. You can find more information about the SILR here. School nurses will be working throughout December to prepare your school's report.
ACTION: Work with your school nurse as they complete this required report. The state has reiterated that ALL students require state-mandated vaccinations for school attendance, including McKinney Vento students, students in foster care and students experiencing homelessness. McKinney Vento students, students in foster care and students experiencing homelessness should not be included in the exclusion process.
Contact: Kendra B. McDow MD, MPH, FAAP | School System Medical Officer | kmcdow@philasd.org
student support services
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December Family Academy Workshops: Spread the word to your school's families!
Families can join Family Academy: Courses & Training (FACT) in December 2023 through TWO great formats: Live virtually via Zoom mornings and evenings and in-person during our new Family Saturday whole-family sessions.
Virtual: Stress management (12/5), Paying for College (12/12), FAFSA Prep (12/19), Raising Confident Children (12/21) In-Person (12/16): Life with Asthma, Improv for Families, Introduction to Trauma Interpretation is available upon request. Every workshop has a raffle offering and in-person events include breakfast, books, and other giveaways.
ACTION: Use THESE flyers and graphics to advertise to your school community.
Contact: Lauren Rowland | Assistant Director of Outreach and Education (FACE) | lrowland@philasd.org