• Special Education & Diverse Learners
  

Items Due

Professional Development Assessments

Summer Program

Important Dates

02.01-02.02

02.09.2024

02.19.2024

2nd Term Report Card Conferences (Half Day);

Three Hour Early Dismissal for Students

Payroll Approval Due

Building Bridges Professional Development

Presidents’ Day

School closed for students and staff; Administrative offices closed

Monthly Observances and Celebrations

Black History Month

CTE Month

National School Counseling Week

Lunar New Year

Presidents’ Day

Bus Driver Appreciation Day

02.05-02.09

02.10.2024

02.19.2024

02.22.2024

Attention: HIGH SCHOOL Principals

Class of 2024 High School Graduation Survey Reminder

As high schools begin to prepare for graduation ceremonies, principals are asked to please complete this initial google survey to identify proposed plans for the Class of 2024 Graduation Ceremony. The survey should take ~five minutes to complete. Please note that the graduation ceremony window dates are June 12, 2024 through June 14, 2024. All costs associated with graduation ceremonies will be the responsibility of the school.

ACTION: Please complete this survey by 1:00 pm today, Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

Contact: Melinda Mammi | Senior Project Manager | mmammi@philasd.org

CareerPrep School-Based Internship Opportunity

The Office of Pathways to Graduation is excited to announce that we are expanding our CareerPrep Internship Program to include a school-based option. Students who participate will earn a stipend of $595 that will be paid at the end of the experience. This program will help students earn evidence towards Act 158 Pathway 5.

ACTION: Please click here for more details.

Contact: Ariel B. Peterson | School Improvement and Data Specialist | abpeterson@philasd.org

215.400.5749

SY 2024-25 Enrollment Projections

The SY 2024-25 enrollment projections process will run from February 8, 2024 through February 16, 2024. Key dates include the following:

• February 8th, 3:00 PM:
  
• School specific enrollment projections will be shared with you via a report in the SIS.
  
• School specific adjustment request forms will be included in the communication. Principals will have until 3pm on Friday, February 9 to enter their enrollment projections adjustment requests.
  
• February 9th, 3:00 PM: Enrollment projections adjustment requests due to Associate and Assistant Superintendents.
  
• February 12 and February 13: The Enrollment projections team will meet with Associate and Assistant superintendents. During these meetings, the adjustment requests you submitted to your Associate and Assistant Superintendents will be reviewed. Ultimately, Associate and Assistant superintendents will be responsible for providing their final recommendations regarding adjustment requests to Dr. Dawson for review.
  
• February 13, 5:00 PM: Recommendations from Associate and Assistant Superintendents regarding adjustment requests due to Dr. Dawson
  
• February 14: Dr. Dawson and senior leadership review of recommended enrollment projections adjustment requests.
  
• February 15 and 16: Enrollment projections updated to reflect adjustment requests approved by Dr. Dawson.
  
• February 16 at 10:00 PM: Updated and final enrollment projections shared with Assistant Superintendents and principals via the original report that was released in the SIS on February 8.
  

Contact: Evelyn Nuñez | enunez@philasd.org or Tomás Hanna | thanna@philasd.org

Attention: HIGH SCHOOL Principals

62nd Annual Talent Hunt

The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity is hosting their 62nd Annual Talent Hunt on Sunday, March 17 at School of the Future from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. The competition is open to high school students, grades 9 through 12, in instrumental, vocal, drama, dance and visual arts. There are cash prizes for the over winners and the overall 1st place winner moves on to a competition in April in which she/he will be up against other 1st place high schoolers from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.

This contest was created in 1945 in response to a lack of opportunities for some American youth in order to develop and fully express their talents and gifts. The first Talent Hunt Program was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 19, 1946, and made its national debut at the 1953 Cincinnati Grand Conclave (National Convention).

ACTION: Please share this flyer with your staff, students and families. Be sure to encourage your seniors to submit their audition video by Friday, February 5th.

Contact: Marissa Orbanek | Communications Office | morbanek@philasd.org | 215.917.9973

Science PLC Support

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction's science team would love to support your Science PLC. We are willing to support you whether you have never held a science PLC session before and want support to get one off the ground, OR you have a regularly scheduled session that you would like us to support, OR you are somewhere in between.

ACTION: Please complete this form if you would like support.

Contact: science@philasd.org

Supporting ELA instruction in Term 2 (K-8)

In preparing students for the PSSA and specifically, explicit instruction in responding to Text Dependent Analysis prompts, one resource that teachers can turn to is The Center for Assessment. The Center for Assessment has provided resources to support this work.

ACTION: Please review these documents to learn more: Understanding Text Dependent Analysis, The Anatomy of a TDA Prompt, Text Dependent Analysis Learning Progressions

Contact: ela@philasd.org

Supporting ELA instruction in Term 2: 6-12

What is the goal of secondary ELA instruction? The goal is for students to read, discuss, and write about rich, grade-level, complex text. Here is a resource that will support you in understanding secondary ELA structure and serve as a guide for planning and supporting all students in your school. We call this resource and it is broken down into three core components that align with the Common Core State Standards and call for ensuring that reading, writing, speaking and listening occur each day in an ELA classroom. This resource is designed to enhance teaching practices and help to create a dynamic learning environment for our students.

ACTION: Please review the Secondary ELA Instruction in a Nutshell Resource.

Contact: ela@philasd.org

Core Instructional Resources Leader Training

On January 15th we asked you to identify a Core Instructional Resource Lead (CIRL) to serve as the designated lead for the upcoming textbook deliveries to your school. Thanks to your timely responses, we have confirmed the CIRL in 100% of schools! To support the CIRLs and to ensure a seamless delivery, the Operations Team is providing optional office hours in addition to a training course, steppers, and a resource website by February 6th. As a reminder, the CIRLs will assist with the confirmation of school enrollment numbers and provide key delivery information. We are on track to start deliveries as early as March.

ACTION: You can view all of these resources on our Google Site here.

Contact: textbooks@philasd.org

Math Leader Updates

Our February sessions will focus on extending and applying our learning from the first half of the year (building community, supporting instruction, etc). The sessions are open to anyone who supports teachers. We also have a link to sign up for Office Hours where we can support you with any questions or concerns that you have. We hope to see you there!

ACTION: Please review the updated Leader Support Calendar with more sessions, linked here (also found on the principal page of the math website).

Contact: math@philasd.org

Building Bridges PreK and Kindergarten Transition Meeting is February 9, 2024

The annual Building Bridges PreK and Kindergarten Transition Meeting is right around the corner on February 9, 2024 during the District-wide ½-day PD session. Elementary schools with Kindergarten are required to submit a Transition Action Plan after the event; plans are submitted electronically via Google Forms and will be collected from each school by the Grants Compliance Monitor. All Kindergarten teachers are required to attend. If no PreK sites are in attendance, Kindergarten teachers are still required to complete and submit a Transition Action Plan with a focus on preparing for the Kindergarten Open House and developing relationships with local childcare centers. The Office of Early Childhood Education is providing an Information Chart that includes the list of PreK Centers registered to attend. There may be changes to this information up until the day of the event

ACTION: Ensure that your Kindergarten teachers and school staff are preparing for this year’s Building Bridges meeting. If you have opted for an in-person Building Bridges meeting, please remind your office staff to welcome and direct your PreK visitors on Friday.

Building Bridges Information Chart

Building Bridges Accompanying Documents

Contact: Shelley Crognale ​| Program Manager, Operations and Grants Development/PreK-3 Alignment scrognale@philasd.org | 215.400.5585

Upcoming Kindergarten Transition Events

With Kindergarten Registration underway, the Office of Early Childhood Education is preparing for several upcoming Kindergarten Transition events. The annual Building Bridges PreK and Kindergarten Transition Meeting will be held on February 9, 2024, during the District-wide ½-day PD session. On this day, PreK and Kindergarten staff will collaborate to create a Transition Action Plan for the remainder of the school year. District-wide Kindergarten Open House Day will be held on March 5, 2024, and Kindergarten Open House Week is May 13 - 17, 2024. These are excellent opportunities for you to meet your neighborhood families and provide important information about your school.

ACTION: Prepare your building and staff to welcome local PreK staff and neighborhood families into your school.

Contact: Shelley Crognale ​| Program Manager, Operations and Grants Development/PreK-3 Alignment scrognale@philasd.org | 215.400.5585

This Week in FACT - Free Workshops for District Families

Join us on Feb 6th at 10AM & 5PM via Zoom for an enlightening exploration of gender and identity. Gain insights, enhance communication skills, and support your child's journey. Later in the week, on Feb 8th at 10AM & 5PM via Zoom, dive into an exciting workshop on emotional regulation and coping strategies. Strengthen resilience and conquer challenges as a family. Don't miss out!

ACTION: Learn more here. Families may register here. Request workshop marketing materials for your school here. February 5th & 8th flyers here.

Contact: Lauren Rowland | Assistant Director of Operations, F.A.C.E.| lrowland@philasd.org

Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Priorities Survey

You are invited to participate in the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Priority Survey which closes on Monday, February 5, 2024 at 11:59pm. In alignment with Accelerate Philly Strategic Action 5.8, we are starting the conversations around the budget earlier than we have in the past, in order to limit the impact on students and schools. Your feedback is critical to this conversation! By completing the survey, you are providing us with valuable information about how we can create a budget that is reflective of the things students and families – the communities we serve – find important.

ACTION: Please share with your staff. Complete the survey here.

Contact: Office of Finance

FY25 School Budget Memo

Please see the FY25 School Budget Memo. The purpose of this memo is to share the timeline and expectations for the 2024/2025 School Budget process.

ACTION: Please share with your staff.

Contact: Office of Finance

Technology Equipment Disposal Reminder

This is a friendly reminder from IT that the deadline for schools to request technology disposal is Wednesday, May 15. Schools are encouraged to complete technology disposals on an as-needed basis.

ACTION: For more information on what is eligible for disposal and how to request a disposal pick-up, please review the process document here.

Contact: Stephanie Sullivan Brouse' | Deputy Chief, Technology Services | ssullivan@philasd.org

Philadelphia Regional Media & Design Student Competition!

Register now for the Philadelphia Regional Media & Design Student Competition! The registration deadline for ALL projects is February 28, 2024. Participation is open to any student enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia in grades 3-12 as well as those in a private or charter school within the boundaries of Philadelphia or in an approved home school program residing in the City of Philadelphia. The competition and award ceremony will be on Friday, March 22, 2024.

ACTION: Check out our website for more information here. For more information, see the flyer here.

Contact: Jessica Ross | Director Special Projects | jqross@phila.org

Consider Adding Digital Literacy as a Course for the Upcoming School Year!

Is your school offering Digital Literacy? Join the 112 schools that offer this special K-8 course to students across the district. Digital Literacy provides opportunities for students to learn skills in following modules: Computing & Society Computer Science Fundamentals and Coding Media & Information Literacy Digital Tools & Collaboration By teaching digital literacy in Elementary and Middle school, educators empower students to become informed, responsible, and confident digital citizens capable of thriving in an increasingly digital world. Students explore Artificial Intelligence and other new innovative tools to gauge risks, benefits and responsible use. See attachment for more detailed info and if you have a moment, check out the course curriculum here.

ACTION: Please see the Digital Literacy & Technology Curriculum 1-Pager

Contact: Jessica Ross | Director Special Projects | jqross@phila.org

School Safety Mediation Team

The Office of School Safety offers a School Safety Mediation Program that aims to address conflicts and promote a safe and harmonious school environment for students, parents and staff . By utilizing mediation techniques, our mediators seeks to foster empathy, communication, and understanding among all parties involved, leading to peaceful and productive resolutions. School administrators, teachers, parents, and school safety officers can refer conflicts to the School Safety Mediation Response Team. The conflicts can include but are not limited to bullying, interpersonal disputes, or any situation affecting the school environment, and community negatively.

ACTION: For School Safety Mediation Program Guidance, click here.

Contact: Kynisha Johnson | kjohnson8@philasd.org, Terrel Roby | troby@philasd.org, Karen Barrett knbarrett@philasd.org, Tyisha Godwin | tlwright@philasd.org

Principal Professional Development: February 13, 2024

Our next Principal professional development will take place at Strawberry Mansion High School on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. We are excited to announce that this PD will be different, in that all school leaders will be able to choose their development path! Please review the PD catalog for more specific information.

ACTION: Please view the catalog here which contains the schedule, session offerings and session descriptions and link for the registration form. You will choose 2 sessions for your morning learning.

Contact: Shakae Dupre | Executive Director, Leadership Development| | sdupre@philasd.org | 267.688.0840

Professional Learning for New/Novice Teachers

The Office of Professional Learning is committed to supporting new hires throughout the entire school year. February sessions for #teachPHL relevant for all new hires are focused on higher-order thinking and fostering independent learners. Teach Right Now sessions relevant for emergency-certified teachers will explore ways students demonstrate understanding.

ACTION: More information about timely and transformational professional learning for this audience can be found here.

Contact: Elizabeth McAnally | Director of Teacher Development | emcanally@philasd.org | 215.400.5692

SDP Educators Weekly Update

The link to the Office of Professional Learning's SDP Educator’s Weekly Update email for the week of 1/29-2/2 can be accessed here.

Contact: Meredith Mehra | Deputy Chief | mmehra@philasd.org | 215.400.6539

Situational Awareness for Schools

The Office of School Safety would like to reinforce maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff by sharing emergency preparedness and school safety tips.

ACTION: View the emergency preparedness and school safety tips here.

Contact: Tricia London | Director, Emergency Management | tllondon@philasd.org | 215.400.5429

Extended School Year (ESY) Teacher Memo

Principals please share the Extended School Year (ESY) Teacher Memo to Special Education Teachers. This memo has also been shared with Special Education Case Managers (SPECMs) for distribution. The Office of Special Education and Diverse Learners is providing the following information on Extended School Year (ESY) Services in an effort to assist school-based IEP teams with the timely completion of ESY eligibility determination and IEP goal development.

ACTION: Review the memo here.

Contact: ESY@philasd.org or your Special Education Director supporting your Learning Network

Policy 138 Annual Community Meeting

The Annual Community Meeting for Policy 138: English Language Development and Bilingual Education Program, will be hosted by The Office of Special Education and Diverse Learners on Thursday, February 15, from 4-6 pm via Zoom. The meeting is open to educators, administrators, parents, students, community organizations, school district leaders, and staff. Program updates for Multilingual Learners will be shared and attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions regarding Policy 138. Interpretation services will also be available.

ACTION: Please see the flyer for more information.

Contact: Miulcaeli Batista, Ph.D. | Executive Director of Multilingual Services | mbastista@philasd.org | 215.400.4240

Fall MMS Release Window Closes on Feb. 9; New Evaluation Deadlines for Assistant Principals

Effective Tuesday, February 6th, the Academy of Continued Education (ACE) will enter the appropriate attendance code in SIS for students participating in ACE. This change is being made in order to provide school teams with efficient, accurate information about student participation in ACE and to ensure that SIS reflects the appropriate student attendance coding. ACE will continue to provide attendance information to home school teams via email but will now also apply the appropriate coding in SIS.

ACTION: Please click here to review the updated Evaluation Calendar. Leadership evaluation now has it's own tab.

Contact: Amadi Hayes | Observation Evaluation Coordinator | ahayes@philasd.org | 215.400.6194

Academy of Continued Education (ACE) Participation and Attendance in SIS

Effective Tuesday, February 6th, the Academy of Continued Education (ACE) will enter the appropriate attendance code in SIS for students participating in ACE. This change is being made in order to provide school teams with efficient, accurate information about student participation in ACE and to ensure that SIS reflects the appropriate student attendance coding. ACE will continue to provide attendance information to home school teams via email but will now also apply the appropriate coding in SIS.

Attendance coding will be entered to SIS on a one day delay. Participating students will be coded as follows, and “Attended ACE” will be written in the Notes section.

Appropriate Codes: These attendance codes, approved for use for these reasons, mark students as present but let the school and District know that they are not in the school building receiving instruction.

• Code 17 Quarantine/Isolation - Received Instruction: Student attended ACE due to isolating for being Covid positive
  
• Code 18 Homebound or Home Instruction - Student is attending ACE due to approved Homebound: Student attended ACE due to being approved for Homebound Instruction
  
• Code 20 Attended Virtual Instruction - Student attended ACE due to another scenario (i.e. pregnant/parenting, illness, etc.)
  

ACTION: Please share this information with your secretary so they are aware of the change in process.

Contact: Christine Godfrey | Principal | cgodfrey@philasd.org | 215.400.6175

After School Programs and Out of School Time (OST) Cancellation Processes

Schools that operate after school programs and/or Out of School Time (OST) programs via external organizations should remain accessible to students and families to the extent possible when schools are open and running on a regular schedule, as well as on scheduled half days. If extenuating circumstances arise that may necessitate cancellation, from either the school or from the provider. Please reach out to Abbey Gunn, Executive Director in the Office of Student Life, to explore options and receive support before making a cancellation determination. OST programs that are funded via the city's Office of Children and Families (OCF) must acquire clearance from both OCF and the District via the Office of Student Life if a cancellation needs to take place, which Abbey can help to facilitate. Thank you for your continued collaboration in successful implementation of these important programs.

Contact: Abbey Gunn | Executive Director | agunn@philasd.org

BrainSTEPS Brain Injury Consultation Program

The Department of Health, Department of Education, and Bureau of Special Education would like to inform you about a jointly supported initiative that not only supports our students but also equips our educators with valuable resources - the BrainSTEPS Brain Injury Consultation Program. BrainSTEPS is a nationally-recognized initiative that specializes in providing support and guidance to students who have experienced acquired brain injuries, encompassing both traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, and non-traumatic brain injuries.

ACTION: We invite you to participate in raising awareness about BrainSTEPS within your school community. To facilitate this effort, we encourage you to display posters in areas frequented by staff (Front Office, Staff Lounge, and School Health/Nurse Office). The posters were sent out the week of January 15th to all schools.

Contact: Michael Dettloff | Student Support Specialist (BrainSTEPS Team Leader) | mdettloff@philasd.org | 215.400.6631

IBHS and SDP: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Completion Process

The Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) and SDP MOU completion process has been updated. The updated process can be found HERE. Your IBHS provider will directly contact you to obtain information needed to complete these documents.

ACTION: We are asking that all school leaders collaborate with their IBHS provider to ensure that all documents (example: Exhibit A) are fully completed.

Contact: Cynthia Van Otoo | Director, Behavioral Health | IBHS@philasd.org | 215.400.6994

MMR Vaccination Messaging + Exemptions

In light of the measles outbreak, in partnership with Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the School District is sending out communications (robocall, text and letter) to families of students with less than 2 MMR vaccines. These students are at risk of exclusion if they do not present documentation of their MMR vaccines or exemption by February 16th. The risk of exclusion for students noncompliant with their vaccinations is per Board of Education Policy 203 and state regulations.

ACTION: Please refer to the SY 23-24 Immunization Non-compliant exclusion process for further guidance. In addition, we have added information about measles to the student health services website.

Contact: Kendra B. McDow MD, MPH, FAAP | School System Medical Officer | kmcdow@philasd.org | 215.400.5862

National School Counseling Week 2024

National School Counseling Week 2024 will be recognized from February 5th-9th to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students have increased success as a result of the work school counselors do. Please utilize the resource linked below for ideas on how you can highlight the work your school counselors are doing each day. Look out for counselor highlights throughout the week on the SDP webpage and social media.

ACTION: Please review the National School Counseling Week 2024 Resource.

Contact: Meghan Smith | Director of 504 and Counseling Services | measmith@philasd.org | 215.400.5374

COVID Response Team (CRT) and COVID Reporting Changes

On February 9th, the COVID Response Team (CRT) will sunset and the CRT telephone number will no longer be functional. Employees and parents can continue to email coronavirusreport@philasd.org to submit COVID related questions. Please expect a response in 24-48 hours. Employee Health Services will continue to respond to employee-related COVID questions. Student Health Services is responsible for handling student COVID cases and responding to student-related COVID questions. The sunsetting of the CRT is in alignment with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s (PDPH) transition of COVID into the established and routine public health response for communicable diseases.

• Positive school employees should email coronavirusreport@philasd.org to report their positive case. Employees no longer need to submit the case notification form. School nurses can only submit student cases and are not responsible for submitting employee cases.
• Positive students should continue to have the Positive Case Notification Form submitted.
• School leaders will continue to receive notification emails for positive students. School leaders and/or school nurses are still responsible for providing notification letters to impacted students.
• Positive employees will receive an email from Employee Health Services on when to return to work and coding absences.
• PPE/masks can be ordered through ODP Punch Out. If you have questions about this process contact the Office of Procurement.
• School nurses are responsible for notifying PDPH if there is a school-level outbreak.
  
• School leaders can continue to enroll positive students who are isolating into the Academy of Continued Education for virtual instruction
  

ACTION: Please review these helpful resources: COVID Workflow for School Administrators and Nurses PPE/Mask Ordering Instructions (ODP Punch Out).

Contact: Kendra B. McDow MD, MPH, FAAP | School System Medical Officer | kmcdow@philasd.org | 215.400.5862

Assistant Principal MMS Release Window

The Office of Employee Effectiveness & Evaluation is sending you a notice about the Spring evaluation window for Assistant Principals. We listened to the community and came up with the following in hopes of creating a better process for everyone. This school year, we will be shifting the Assistant Principal MMS release window from June 24-28 to June 10-14, and in order to do so, we are shifting all evaluation deadlines for APs up by 2-3 weeks as well. The goal is for all APs to receive their MMS ratings before summer break.

ACTION: Please review the updated Evaluation Calendar. Leadership evaluation now has it's own tab.

Contact: Amadi Hayes | Observation Evaluation Coordinator | ahayes@philasd.org | 215.400.6194

Fall MMS Release Window Closes on Feb. 9; New Evaluation Deadlines for Assistant Principals

all Multiple Measure Summary (MMS) Release Window Extended to Feb. 9: The Fall MMS release window for non-tenured teachers and non-teaching professional employees (NTPEs) has been extended to February 9. The original deadline was January 31. Please release <b><u>all</b></u> MMS reports available to you in Cornerstone for your to in Cornerstone. If an employee does not have their MMS report released to them before the deadline, they will have a blank document in their record instead of their summative rating. Here is a stepper for releasing Fall MMS reports</a>.

New Evaluation Deadlines for Assistant Principals (APs): In order to facilitate APs receiving their final End-of-Year ratings before school is dismissed on June 14, we have revised the Spring evaluation deadlines for APs, making all deadlines approximately 2 or 3 weeks earlier.

ACTION: Please review the updated 2023-2024 Evaluation Calendar for more information.

Contact: Employee Effectiveness and Evaluation | effectiveness@philasd.org