SDP Connect: Holiday Edition
Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.
– Marian Wright Edelman
American Education Week Contest Winner
Congratulations Frankford High School!
Principal Calderone and the Frankford High School Pioneers won the American Education Week School Spirit Social Media contest in November, and have earned a pizza party for the entire school, courtesy of The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. Congratulations Frankford High School!
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
CTE Holiday Fair
The Office of Career and Technical Education is hosting its much anticipated Annual County Fair at the Education Center – 440 North Broad Street on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, from 10:30 am – 1:00 pm (set-up starts at 9:00 am). You don’t want to miss this! Come and witness the incredible talents of our CTE students. Please see the flyer for more details. See you there!
Research Roundup
The Office of Evaluation, Research, and Accountability hosts a Research Roundup webinar series to share data and research on a variety of topics. In our December webinar, we’ll focus on the Ninth Grade On-Track metric in SDP. Researchers from SDP’s Office of Research and Evaluation and from Chicago’s To&Through Project will review the history of the Ninth Grade On-Track metric and share recent District trends. We’ll also hear from central office and school-based staff who will discuss how the data is used to support students. The Ninth Grade On-Track Metric in SDP: Origins, Trends, and How Staff Use Ninth Grade On-Track Data to Support Students Wednesday, December 13, 3:00 – 4:00 pm. Please register here if you’d like to attend!
If you can’t make it this time, you can still join our mailing list to be notified when new recordings are available and when future webinars are scheduled.
SDP Author Spotlight
We want to read your book! The School District of Philadelphia welcomes Philadelphians of all experience levels to apply to be featured in the invitation-only SDP Author Spotlight. This application will close on December 10th. In partnership with the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, chosen authors will have the opportunity to host an hour-long virtual event, connecting them with fellow book enthusiasts from Philadelphia, and participating in engaging and meaningful discussions. If you are interested, please submit your application here.
Lindback Award Applications Now Open
The nomination period for the Lindback Award for Distinguished Principals and Teachers in 2023–2024 is now open. The Lindback Foundation will honor seven principals and 60 teachers from The School District of Philadelphia public schools who have demonstrated excellence in supporting learning at the highest levels during the 2023–2024 school year. Nominations, inclusive of completed applications for the principal award must be submitted by noon on Friday, January 12, 2024, and nominations inclusive of completed applications for the teacher award must be submitted by noon on Monday, February 12, 2024. The ceremony for the Lindback Award for Distinguished Principals ceremony will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 and the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teachers ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Both ceremonies will be held at the Philadelphia Film Center. Submit your nomination as soon as possible. More information on the awards, application materials and guidelines, and ceremonies can be found here. For more information, email: Lindback@philasd.org
Fox Chase Farm Announcements
Special 440 Annex Farm Store Hours
We’re thrilled to announce that the 440 Annex Farm Store will be extending its hours, thanks to the hardworking students from our School District. These amazing students are stepping up to run the store, and they’re eager to serve you across more days and hours. Be sure to support our students as all proceeds go towards the enriching educational programming our students benefit from, both at the farm and in their respective schools.
Wreaths and more!
Need to prepare for the Holidays, but just don’t have the time… Let us help you! Pre-order your holiday wreaths or centerpieces. Each item is handcrafted by the Fox Chase Farm’s participating students and volunteers. Simply fill out the order form. You can pre-order your items so they are ready for you to pick up at your convenience.
Poinsettias for Sale
You can help support our Agriculture students and programming opportunities by placing your order! Purchase a poinsettia for pick-up or donate a poinsettia to a local retirement home to help spread the cheer of the holiday season. Mid-December we will be sending off donated poinsettias to a local retirement home as a student Service Learning Project. Help Support our efforts! Click here to order your poinsettias.
OUR PEOPLE
Like Father, Like Son
For over twenty years, dedicated educator, Mr. Umberto Picariello, has been teaching health and physical education at Ethan Allen School. This year marks a special milestone, as Mr. Picariello’s son, Nicholas Picariello has stepped into his father’s shoes as a health and physical educator at the same school. We look forward to seeing Nick uphold his father’s legacy of dedication and passion for our students. We’re immensely grrateful to be apart of this family’s rich history in education, making us all incredibly proud of the outstanding educators that make up our school district. It is indeed educators like the Picariellos who contribute to the greatness of our school district. Watch more of the Picariellos’ story here.
Concrete Canvas
In the heart of Kensington Soccer Club at Gloria Casarez Elementary, you’ll find Jason Mosquera, a man on a mission to nurture community spirit and a sense of belonging. “You try to the best of your abilities to teach soccer and when you only have a space of cement, it’s kind of hard,” said Mosquera. Despite the constraints of limited resources and a lack of green space, Mosquera has shown incredible resourcefulness. Where there was once plain cement, now stands a vibrant soccer grid, brought to life with the school mascot beaming proudly from its center. Learn more about Coach Mosquera’s creative soccer canvas here.
Senior of the Month Winners
Senior of the Month
Linda Basheir
Lincoln High School
Senior of the Month
Aichata Diarra
Carver High School
SCHOOL OF THE WEEK
Congratulations Bayard Taylor School
The Philadelphia Tribune features “Good News” from The School District of Philadelphia each week in its Learning Key section. In addition to SDP’s “Good News,” every Tuesday the Tribune names a District school as School of the Week. Every week one of our schools is highlighted for the amazing work they are doing with our students. We’re excited to announce Bayard Taylor School as School of the Week in The Philadelphia Tribune’s Learning Key. Read Bayard’s feature article in the Tribune here.
Be on the lookout for more School of the Week features in SDP Weekly and SDP Connect!
DECEMBER FEATURES
Kooth Kool
A heartfelt thank you to Philadelphia Eagles player and Kooth Ambassador Lane Johnson for his impactful visit to Northeast High School, where he engaged with students in a meaningful conversation about mental health. Students were so thrilled to meet Lane that they gifted him his very own Vikings jersey! We appreciate the support from Kooth and value the partnership in empowering students to address mental health challenges. Your visit was truly inspiring!
Let’s Talk Food
The District’s Food Services Division invited 300 enthusiastic students from 17 SDP schools to share in the menu planning process during the 5th Annual Food Show. The food show provided an opportunity to hear directly from students and allowed them to shape their school menu for the 2024-25 school year. This way, we ensure our menus are not just nutritious, but also appealing to the young minds we cater to. We are truly thankful to our students for their contribution and look forward to seeing the fruits of this collaborative effort in the 2024-25 school year.
Dobbins Designers
The students at Dobbins are inspiring the next generation of fashion designers. This year, the DesignPhiladelphia exhibition displays were created by students in Ms. Nadine Artis’ classroom. Artis oversees the fashion program at the Murrell Dobbins Career and Technical School, the only fashion career and technical education (CTE) program in the School District of Philadelphia. Tenth-graders learn how to operate the industrial saw machines, hand sowing. Juniors, pattern making,” Artis said. “They get to design their own things. By the time they are seniors, they are more independent.” We’re in awe of the skills of our CTE students and wish them the best of luck with their fashion endeavors. Learn more about Dobbins’ outstanding designers here. Learn more about Dobbins’ outstanding designers here.
TELLING OUR STORIES
All New Family Welcome Center | The School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia’s Welcome Center is a one-stop shop where families, staff and community members can get the information, resources and supports they need to help their children thrive. Watch the video to learn more.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Employee Wellness Program
The Office of Talent, Strategy, and Culture is pleased to announce the launch of the Employee Wellness Program. The mission of this program will be focused on the well-being of our staff while mitigating challenges like mental health and wellness through employee assistance programs offering resources, counseling and coaching.
At this time we are pleased to offer four one-hour long workshops over the course of the next month: Put Your Wellness First, Curbing Burnout, Prejudice, Bias and Racism, and Minding Your MH at no cost to you. The workshops will be offered by our partner, Lyra Health. To register simply click the links below and use your School District email address.
December 11, 2:00 PM, Curbing Burnout: Register here
December 14, 3:00 PM, Prejudice, Bias and Racism: Register here
December 18, 2:00 PM, Minding Your MH: Register here
If you’re not able to attend, the workshops will be recorded for future viewing. For questions or concerns please contact Steffanie Makarewicz at smianulli@philasd.org.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Important Dates:
15th: Staff Professional Development (Half Day); Three Hour Early Dismissal for Students
25th: Christmas Day; School closed for students and staff; Administrative offices closed
26th-29th: Winter Recess; School closed for students and staff; Administrative offices closed
Computer Science Education Week
December 4-8 is Computer Science Education Week. CSE Week is an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners to the field.
Hanukkah
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah is celebrated over 8 nights. In many Jewish families, each night comes with gifts and a special tradition along with lighting the Menorah. To learn more about Hanukkah click here.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration held in the United States that honors African heritage in African-American culture. Kwanzaa is observed from December 26th to January 1st and culminates in gift-giving and a big feast. Watch this informational video to learn more about Kwanzaa.
DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTERS
Check out what's going on in other departments around the District
Check out the Equity Coalition newsletter for upcoming events, podcasts, professional development opportunities and more!
RESOURCES
Feeling Perky
As a district employee, you have access to various deals and discounts. Check out our Employee Perks here.
Get a Little Extra
See the Office of Grant Development’s list of grant opportunities on its website. View the newsletter for more information.
Observe & Report
Your help is essential in ensuring the School District runs efficiently and fairly. Report suspected wrongdoing within the district to the Office of Inspector General here.
Spread the Word
We’re hiring. Everywhere! Know someone who’s searching? Send them to workinphilly.com for our school-based support roles & teachinphilly.com for our instructional roles.
Keep Track
Follow the District’s progress towards the Goals and Guardrails and stay up to date through research reports and webinars from our Office of Research and Evaluation.
Stay Sharp
Cornerstone has PD for all employees, some specific to Central Office.
Climate & Culture
Need Climate & Culture Resources for your school? See what’s available here.
TRIVIA
What languages does Senior of the Month, Linda Basheir speak fluently?
The first central office employee and the first school-based employee with the correct answer will win a prize!
Communication's Corner
The Office of Communications strives to make news, information, and resources easily accessible. Every month we will provide information and reminders to help keep you connected.
Working on a project or campaign in your office? The communications team provides helpful resources like branding and color guides, presentation templates, and photo catalogs, to help you keep your project stylish and on-brand. Just click here.
Have a story to share or someone to celebrate? Submit your story idea click here.