Upcoming Events
Parent Training: Supporting Students who Have Autism at Home and in the Community
DCIU Family Center Spring Fling
March 31 | 5:30 - 6:30PM
Learn more here or call 610-532-2811 #2 to register.
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A Message from the Executive Director |
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Greetings,
I hope you are all staying safe and healthy as we head into spring! I want to take a moment to thank all of the DCIU staff and contractors who have elected to enroll in the DCIU Rapid Antigen Testing program. Even as vaccinations are underway, it is important that we continue utilizing every mitigation effort available. Partaking in these efforts is keep you, your family, and the DCIU community safe. As the weather warms and vaccinations increase, I look forward to a return to normalcy for the DCIU community.
Maria Edelberg, Ed.D.
Executive Director, DCIU
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Rapid Antigen Testing at DCIU |
The DCIU Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) program, Project ACE-IT, continues to provide weekly assurance testing for DCIU staff and contractors. DCIU launched this program in partnership with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Chester County Health Department (CCHD).
Project ACE-IT is providing counties in southeastern Pennsylvania with the BinaxNOW Card to conduct the testing, which only takes 15 minutes for results. All DCIU locations are equipped to administer the tests and participants who are enrolled in weekly testing find the process simple and painless.
DCIU is committed to providing a safe community for our staff, contractors, and students. The rapid antigen testing program provides an added layer of security to the safety measures already in place. If you are not already enrolled, we encourage you to consider participating in this important initiative. If you have questions or concerns, please talk to your supervisor or contact Kim Mecca at kmecca@dciu.org. If you are interested in scheduling your testing, you can find the scheduling tool on the staff COVID website here. |
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DCIU Hosts Student Equity Forum |
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On March 18, the DCIU Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning (CIPL) team hosted its first Student Equity Forum. There were over 70 participants in the forum including students, principals, superintendents, and other educators from school districts across Delaware County.
DCIU has prioritized equity and diversity initiatives for the 2020-21 school year and this student forum was one of the first events to start these important conversations. The goal is not only to facilitate open dialogue, but to also provide resources and solutions to our school communities. DCIU has partnered with several stakeholders in the region to form the Delco Equity Coalition. Through a series of forums, events, and learning opportunities, the coalition aims to provide mentoring and an action-oriented approach to addressing diversity and equity in Delaware County.
The Student Equity Forum began with a message from superintendents expressing their commitment to addressing equity in their schools and the importance of this work. Dr. Joyce Mundy, Director of CIPL, hosted the event and outlined the goals of the forum and emphasized a teambuilding approach to the series. Students and facilitators were then divided into breakout rooms where they participated in an activity to get to know one another through a short interview. After returning from the breakout sessions, the students introduced the person they interviewed and shared some of the things they learned. It was an impressive group of students who shared their interests in issues such as diversity, race, LGBTQ+, climate, and more. It was interesting to see students from Radnor and Chester Upland having a conversation and learning about one another; chances of this happening otherwise are slim to none. Connections like this is important to the work of the Delco Equity Coalition.
After introductions, students returned to breakout sessions where they were instructed to create a visual that represents equity and identify words that they associate with equity work. One group used an image of hands of varying hues connected to each other that they felt showed a sense of unity and collaboration. Another group shared an image of people reaching for an apple tree, meant to underscore inequities that different people experience based on what they are provided and what resources are accessible to them. The exercise proved to be a successful way for students to think creatively about equity and how perspective plays in a role in that.
The Student Equity Forum will continue this spring with sessions in April and May. The engagement and productive conversation in the first session is an exciting indicator of the conversations to come! Stay tuned for more on the DCIU equity and diversity initiatives.
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Delaware County Scripps Spelling Bee
Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Delaware County Scripps Spelling Bee!
Earlier this week, 12 students from across the county competed in the final found of the Delaware County Scripps Spelling Bee. It was an intense competition that went through 24 rounds before a winner was declared. Congrats to all of the spellers who competed, especially our first, second, and third place winners - all from Garnet Valley School District!
1st place - Pranav Anandh, Garnet Valley Middle School
2nd place - Aditya Parab, Garnet Valley Middle School
3rd place - Nicholas Burkat, Garnet Valley Elementary School
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Delaware County Hi-Q Championship
The 2021 Delco Hi-Q championship was held on Friday, March 5 with Delaware County Christian School’s team securing first place in the 73rd championship competition. It was a highly competitive match against Garnet Valley and Haverford with the final scores being very close: Garnet Valley -36; Haverford -41; Delaware County Christian School -44.
Hi-Q provides a challenging competition for the contestants and even more challenging this year as it was completely hosted online. The virtual season this year stayed true to the Hi-Q competition, allowing three teams to compete. Students could log on from home or school. Virtual spectators were allowed in this Championship contest and over 200 audience members logged in to watch the competition. DCIU co-sponsors Hi-Q along with the FMFCU Foundation.
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Pupil Services
Learn more about how DCIU Pupil Services provides services in schools across Delaware County! DCIU is proud to partner with many incredible educators across the county to ensure students receive quality programming. It is a privilege to collaborate with such dedicated professionals on initiatives such as the STOP the Violence grant, the System of Care grant, and many more important services.
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The Early Intervention Family Survey is now available!
Please continue to share this survey with your families to ensure that their voices are heard!
A link to the survey is provided here:
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Dental Assistant Recognition Week at DCTS
March 7-13 was Dental Assistant Recognition Week and DCTS didn't pass up the opportunity to recognize our stellar Dental Occupations students! Staff and students were treated to coffee and donuts in between their courses.
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Career and Technical Education Month
February was National Career and Technical Education Month and our students at DCTS certainly stay focused on excelling in their courses and earning their industry certifications. Above, students in the Biomedical Technology and Laboratory Services program are performing a controlled bleeding experiment.
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Delaware County Public Schools Health Trust Live Online Wellness Program |
Delaware County Public Schools Healthcare Trust has teamed up with Prasada to offer a series of
15-minute FIX Programs OnDemand beginning in March through June 2021.
These programs are based on wholebeing practices, habits of awareness for mind and body, and have been created to support, inspire, engage, and empower you to create healthy habits this season.
To view the schedule of videos, view the document here.
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