SDP Connect – Issue 12 – The School District of Philadelphia

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

The 2022 district-wide survey is now open to students in grades 3-12, parents and guardians, teachers, principals and vice-principals, and full-time school support staff. The DWS is one of the best tools we have for collecting your feedback and gauging your perspective on topics that impact the educational experience of students. Parents and guardians, share your thoughts here or wait for the survey to arrive in the mail. Staff can access the survey through the employee portal.

LET’S HAVE A CONVERSATION

In March, we officially launched the Facilities Planning Process (FPP), a critical part of the district’s strategic plan to provide tangible solutions to school facility and use challenges and provide all children with the access to an excellent school. One of the most important aspects of FPP is getting feedback and feedback from the community. You are invited to lend your voice to the community conversations, which will begin next month in May. To register and learn more about the FPP, go here.

BEST PALS

The Office of School Safety is excited to announce a new partnership with the Philadelphia Police Athletic League (PAL) to open PAL Centers at two of our neighborhood colleges – Tilden and Roberto Clemente – in an effort to raise one of more before the school year ends. The partnership will continue PAL’s legacy of providing students with a safe space to exercise, socialize, and build positive relationships, while incorporating the Office of School Safety’s vision of promoting character development, enhancing academic outcomes and to foster positive relationships between school safety officers, students and their surrounding communities.

WE WENT GOOGLE

In case you haven’t noticed, Google replaced Zimbra as the district’s email and calendar system. If you missed the many emails, remember that your e-mail address and password have not changed! What has changed is that you can now access your email through the employee portal. Just look for the Gmail and Google Calendar icons. Or you can sign in by visiting gmail.com or calendar.google.com. Visit philasd.org/google for support resources to perform common tasks to customize your workflow.

NEW NAME, WHO DIS?

Students, families and staff at Fanny Jackson Coppin School (FJC) (formerly Andrew Jackson Elementary) officially celebrated their school’s new name in March. The entire community came out to celebrate, including the mayor, local elected officials and special guests from Coppin State University and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Fanny Jackson was the first African American principal in the United States at the Philadelphia Institute for Colored Youth, which is now Cheyney University. Coppin State University President Anthony L. Jenkins stunned students and staff when he announced the Philadelphia Trail scholarship that guarantees free tuition to any FJC graduate attending Coppin State University in Baltimore.

A LITTLE MOTIVATION

Looking for inspiration? Look no further than Motivation High School, which was recognized as the School of the Week by the Philadelphia Tribune in March. Principal Rennu Teli-Johnson has strengthened her students’ success by focusing on social-emotional health and safety and building relationships among students. The school also offers a course in Contemporary Issues where students learn to engage others on important issues in a compassionate and insightful way, and offers courses/programs on specific topics in which students have expressed interest – from finance and investment in indoor hockey. And Motivation students participate in the school district’s Relationships First program, which emphasizes the importance of positive, authentic human connection. It almost makes me want to go back to high school!

THE BUZZ

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 WHYY-Billy Penn Regional Spelling Bee! Jeremy Landau (Masterman, 8th grade) won 1st place, Eyianna Dunn (Gompers, 6th grade) won 2nd place and 3rd place was Tallulah Green Hull (Houston, 8th grade). The three winners will represent Philly at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer! Good luck!

SHE IS ON FIRE

SDP’s own fire safety officer, Diane Mercer, was recently featured in Billy Penn as a trailblazer who helped break the ceiling for black female firefighters. When she became a firefighter in 1985, she was one of the first three women and only the second African American woman in the history of the Philadelphia Fire Department. In 2003, she was promoted to lieutenant, one of the first two black women in the PFD to hold that position. Upon her retirement from PFD in 2018, she joined the SDP team and helped improve our safety and fire prevention protocols. Diane officially retired from the SDP yesterday. We were extremely lucky to have you Diane! Thank you for everything!

SHE IS HONORED

Congratulations to Sonya Brintnall, speech-language pathologist at Greenfield Elementary School, who was recognized in February as an “Honored Innovator” by the nonprofit group Honoré. Honoré is an organization dedicated to elevating the teaching profession and keeping great teachers in the classroom by recognizing teachers across the country who are changing the lives of students. Ms Brintnall is credited as an educator who “went the extra mile and kept going” to support one of her students with special needs who needed help managing her assistive technology during remote learning. Read the rest of the story here. Keep up the great work Sonya!

March Teacher of the Month – Margaret Osman

Watch the video HERE.

March Elder of the Month – Jynita Woods

Profile coming soon!

Senior of the Month for March – Samirah Stephens

Read his profile HERE.

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is excited to announce that Affinity Groups will begin in Fall 2022! Affinity groups support the culture and sustainability of both brave and sure spaces where members can share their feelings, thoughts and understandings without fear of being judged by strangers. It is a space where the “unsaid” is understood and the understood does not need to be validated. In preparation for the launch this fall, the DCI Equity Coalition is looking for Affinity Facilitators to participate in the training! Click on the Equity Coalition newsletter below and go to DEI Office Updates to sign up. And be sure to read the rest of the newsletter to learn more about other ways to participate in Celebrate Diversity Month this April!