PPS Parent and Family Update
Keeping PPS Families Engaged and Informed
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Pittsburgh Public Schools welcomes Dr. Wayne N. Walters as Interim Superintendent. But, he is no stranger to this school district. Dr. Walters has worked his entire professional career for the Pittsburgh Public Schools and has 30 years’ experience with PPS, the second-largest public school system in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He has experience as a Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Assistant Superintendent of 6-12 Schools, and, most recently, Assistant Superintendent of Professional Development and Special Programming. |
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Pittsburgh Steelers DE Chris Wormley Gives Back to Pittsburgh Mifflin |
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Chris Wormley worked with The Education Partnership to purchase back-to-school items for Pittsburgh Mifflin. In addition, Mr. Wormley also purchased books for all grade levels. Interim Superintendent, Dr. Wayne Walters, joined him for the special distribution and answered questions from the students. |
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Reimagined Code of Student Conduct |
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At PPS, we have shifted our strategy for student supports and behavioral interventions by reimagining our Code of Student Conduct. We have placed a greater focus on restorative practices, positive behavior interventions, mental health resources, and other supports necessary to ensure safe and successful learning environments. To review the 2021-2022 Code of Student Conduct and Infractions, visit www.pghschools.org/codeofconduct.
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In partnership with UMPC, the District will hold a vaccination clinic for the public this Saturday, October 9, from 2:00 – 4:30 PM at Cupples Stadium on the Southside - 800 E. Carson Street, Pittsburgh PA 15203, Gate D. To reduce wait time, registration in advance is encouraged:
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Food Services – Supply Chain Update |
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Due to extreme supply chain deficiencies and ongoing labor shortages with manufacturers and distributors across the country as a result of COVID-19, the Department of Food Service is unable to guarantee menu items at this time.
Schools will be providing breakfast and lunch with the food items available at their building. Entrees have been reduced to one main entree and one alternative entrée to stretch food supplies and eliminate waste. Special menu items related to food allergies are limited but will be provided.
At this time, we cannot predict when supply chain and labor shortages will return to normal. We will continue to update families as the situation changes.
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COVID-19 Decision Tree Update
The COVID-19 decision tree was recently updated in two ways.
- Permits acceptance of either a rapid antigen or a PCR test, per the recommendation of the Allegheny County Health Department.
- Allows a household exposure the ability to reduce their 20-day quarantine if the positive person can quarantine entirely away rom other household members.
COVID-19 Dashboard
Families can check the 14-day rolling tracker online to review the number of COVID-19 positive cases in District facilities. The tracker is updated each day, counting cumulative positive cases for 14 days. Visit www.pghschools.org/COVID19dashboard. If a school, Early Childhood Site or District facility is not listed, no positive cases have been reported.
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We’re Making Improvements to Our Website and Want Your Feedback |
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To help us make improvements to our website, we are seeking feedback from PPS families. Please visit www.pghschools.org/websitesurvey to help inform us how we can better serve the PPS community with our website. The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. The survey closes on October 22, 2021.
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On Friday, October 29, all students will dismiss early from school. For the dismissal time for your child’s school, check online. Early dismissals will occur on December 3, February 4, and March 4.
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Don’t forget to sign and submit Your Child’s Acceptable Use Policy.
All students must have a signed acceptable use policy on file before a district device can be distributed. The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is available for review and signing online at www.pghschools.org/techform. Please have your child’s student ID handy to complete the AUP. Student personalized mailers, including student IDs, are anticipated to arrive this weekend. Signing the policy acknowledges parent/guardian understanding of expectations regarding student internet and email use, security, network use, proper handling of equipment, and fees when a device is damaged. The online Acceptable Use Policy is available in Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Uzbek, Arabic, Nepali, and Japanese.
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View our Welcome to PPS Webinar |
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On Thursday, September 30, families new to Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) were invited to attend the inaugural Welcome to PPS virtual event. The event provided a general overview of the District and informed parents, guardians, and family members about the many services offered internally and by our partner organizations. Topics covered include the structure and leadership of the school district, Academics, Testing and Assessments, Student Support Services, Enrichment Opportunities, and Athletics. If you missed the event or would like to watch it again, please click below.
Questions and feedback can be sent to Larry Meadows, Coordinator of Stakeholder Engagement and Recruitment at lmeadows1@pghschools.org.
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District's Fiscal Outlook |
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On Monday, October 4, 2021, Chief Financial Officer Ronald Joseph updated the Board of Directors on the District's 2021 operating budget and shared the forecast of operating budgets through 2023. The current 2021 operating budget of $671.3 million includes a deficit of $39.4 million. While utilization of funds earmarked through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund can help to stabilize the 2022 General Fund Budget, immediate action is necessary to avoid the exhaustion of the District's Fund Balance in 2023.
With real estate revenue down 7 percent, charter school expenditures up 21 percent, and state funding staying relatively neutral, the District narrowed in on three critical courses of action to address its financial challenge, including workforce reductions, reduction to the capital plan, and millage increases. Since staff salaries and benefits account for 51 percent of the budget and outpace student enrollment, the Board heard options for potential workforce adjustments.
Among options shared, the District recommends using ESSER funding to provide short-term stability through the 2022-2023 school year to prevent school-based workforce reductions.
The Board will hold two additional workshops in November and December to encourage public participation in the budget process and provide multiple opportunities to share budget priorities and ideas to best address students' needs. The meeting is available for viewing online, and the entire presentation is available for download.
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Middle School Interscholastic Athletics |
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Running athletic programming during a pandemic presents a unique set of challenges. In addition to ensuring health and safety protocols for all students engaged in highly interactive sports, securing personnel and transportation challenges continue to impact sports physicals and travel to competitions. As a result of these challenges, the Athletics Department is adjusting its focus from holding a traditional middle school interscholastic season. It will instead have students engage in in-house play at their school.
An in-house program means that students will be given the opportunity to participate in the typical fall sports offered at their school. However, they will not engage in interscholastic competitions with other schools. Instead, they will work on skill-building and inter quad-play with other students at their school. The school will organize programs that will be held in the morning before school or after school.
To make sure that programs are tailored to meet the needs at each school, each school will reach out to families with specifics regarding sports offerings. All schools will be required to follow these guidelines:
- Signed permission slip from parent/guardian, indicating how students will be transported to or from in-house athletics.
- Signed COVID-19 waiver
- Daily health screener
After a year plus at home, we are confident that our middle school students will benefit from an in-house athletics program. Spending time working with their peers will help establish a strong school community and teach valuable life lessons such as emotional regulation, problem-solving, persistence in the face of adversity, and working as a team.
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Wednesday, October 13- PSAT/NMSQT 10th and 11th grade
Monday, October 18 – Committee Meeting – 5:30 PM
Topic: ESSER III Proposal and SMART Clinics
Parent-Teacher Conferences for Early Head Start Classrooms & SciTech ECE Home Visits, 6-12, High School and Special Schools. No school for students with conferences.
Wednesday, October 20 - Agenda Review - 6:00 PM
Friday, October 22 - Parent-Teacher Conferences for Early Childhood, PreK-5, PreK-8, & 6-8 Schools. No school for students with conferences.
Monday, October 25 - Public Hearing – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, October 27 - Legislative Meeting – 6:00 PM
Friday, October 29 - Early Dismissal
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Pittsburgh Public Schools | [www.pghschools.org]
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