Five years ago, the School District of Philadelphia committed to ensuring every student is reading on or above grade level by age 8 in
Action Plan 3.0
. The Office of Family and Community Engagement is excited to devote an entire month to literacy to emphasize this goal and show the power families have in inspiring a love of reading and writing in their children.
In this issue of
Focus on FACE
, we highlight literacy activities during Academic-Parent Teacher Teams, break down what reading levels are with an article available in multiple languages, and give a shout out to an important partner in this work. Enjoy!
|
|
Let's Get Reacquainted with APTT!
|
Focus on FACE
checked back in with the handful of schools who are participating in Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT). Read about the literacy-focused meetings that took place in February, understand what APTT is, and see how it differs from traditional report card conferences.
|
|
|
|
|
Support Your Child's Literacy with the Help of Read by 4th
|
Are you seeking further resources to support your child's reading skills? Look no further than Read by 4th, a citywide campaign bringing together a coalition of partners working towards a shared vision that all children will be reading on grade level by the time they enter the 4th grade. Check out their amazing resources for every reading level and for other topics like attendance, home libraries, tutoring, and more!
|
|
|
|
The Power of Consistent Family Presence at Dr. Ethel Allen School
|
Every day at Dr. Ethel Allen School, you can see a group of dedicated volunteers who come to the school to give their time, energy, and efforts to help at the community as much as possible. Read about what keeps them coming back and how they work to make the school as welcoming of an environment as possible.
|
|
Learn About the Importance of Breakfast During National School Breakfast Week!
|
Celebrate
National School Breakfast Week
by learning about the benefits of participating in school breakfast and how families can track the food being served to their children. School staff can find resources to help students make breakfast a great starting point for a productive day!
|
|
|
MULTILINGUAL FAMILY SPOTLIGHT
|
|
|
|
Helping New Americans Understand Reading Levels
|
Literacy skills may be taught differently in each country. These differences can pose a challenge for multilingual family members. We sat down with some English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Specialists to
understand the ways that literacy skills are taught in American schools.
|
|
A Message About Coronavirus
|
|
|
|
The School District of Philadelphia holds the well-being, health, and safety of students and staff as a top priority. With this in mind, we want to provide you with an
update you on an evolving health issue involving the coronavirus.
We are working closely with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and carefully taking the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
|
|
|
|
To ensure the latest information is easily accessible to all families and employees, the District recommends that staff visit our
Coronavirus Information
page, which includes information and links from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
|
|
|
|
2018-2019 School Progress Reports Now Available
|
The School District of Philadelphia has seen four consecutive years of improvement among both District-led and charter schools through the School Progress Report (SPR). Learn about the SPR and the progress being made in schools, get a recap of the SPR Awards, and view your school's results through the links below.
|
|
District-Wide Parent & Guardian Survey Now Open!
|
Your opinion matters! Your responses to the Parent & Guardian Survey let us know what’s working well at your child’s school and what can be improved.
|
|
Parents and guardians will need their child's Student ID Number to complete the survey and may complete the survey for each child they have in a Philadelphia School. Surveys are available in nine languages.
|
|
A special shout out to the following schools for having the highest parent and guardian response rates so far this year (as of the morning of March 6, 2020):
- John M. Patterson School - 69%
- Eleanor C. Emlen School - 47.9%
- Horatio B. Hackett School - 47.1%
- Abram S. Jenks School - 43.9%
- J. Hampton Moore School - 42.2%
Encourage your school's parents and guardians to take the survey and check back next month to see if your school makes the list!
|
|
|
|
Kindergarten Registration for September 2020 Now Open!
|
Do you know a child who will be 5 on or before September 1st? If so, register them for kindergarten! Visit the #ThriveAtFive website to learn more about what you need to register. For the first time, families can register in-school OR online.
|
|
UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
|
|
The 2020 Census is Almost Here!
|
Every 10 years, the United States Constitution requires a count (or "census") of all residents. Learn about the process of completing the Census, how it impacts Philadelphia, and what it means for you and your family.
|
|
|
|
|
Parents for Healthy Kids Grant Now Open
|
Apply for a Parent for Healthy Kids grant that will provide funds and support to increase physical activity or nutrition initiatives while promoting students’ social emotional learning and engaging parents in school wellness. Grant funding starts at $1,000. Parents or parent groups must apply for the grant (either for physical activity or nutrition) and lead projects in partnership with the school. Philadelphia schools have been awarded in the past, so don't miss out on the opportunity!
|
|
Public Citizens for Children + Youth Give Kids a Smile Day
|
Smile Day provides free dental care for children 1-18 years old, particularly children who are uninsured, have no dental insurance or haven’t been to the dentist in over 6 months.
|
|
|
Children can receive care in dentist’s offices in Delaware, Montgomery & Philadelphia counties from April 6th to April 11th, 2020.
|
|
|
Interested in reading more? Want to receive regular updates from the FACE Office?
Focus on FACE
will come out on a monthly basis, but if you're interested in receiving regular updates from the FACE Office about programs, events, conferences, and more, you should sign up for our
FACE Updates
. Subscribe for FACE Updates by clicking the button below to the right.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
