SDP Connect – Issue 13
NEWS
“Thank you School District of Philadelphia teachers for all that you do to support our students’ academic success as well as their social and emotional well being. We value the professionalism, compassion and creativity that you bring to your classroom every day!”
Joyce S. Wilkerson, Board of Education President
The 2022 Teacher Appreciation Week celebration continues! See below for a few special THANK YOU surprises!
Visit our social media to see additional Teacher Appreciation Week messages, and help us celebrate by shouting out our teachers using #ThankATeacher.
WHO'S GIVING KUDOS?
WAWA
As a token of their appreciation and to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, our friends at Wawa have graciously provided each of our teaching professionals with a free coupon for a 16 oz. hot, self-serve beverage. A special shout out to The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia for helping to forge this partnership with Wawa, which has committed to supporting SDP now and in the future. The drink coupons will be distributed by your school leader this week!
THE NATIONAL LIBERTY MUSEUM
On Saturday May 7th, the National Liberty Museum is hosting a special Educator Open House for Teacher Appreciation Week. With a valid school district ID, teachers and school employees get free admission to the entire museum, including the newest installation La Brega: Art for Reimaginging the World. Pre-registration is required — learn more and pre-register here.
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, The Philadelphia Orchestra would like to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the School District of Philadelphia educators. On Saturday, May 7, all APPLE ticket holders to that evening’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 will receive a free drink ticket to the Kimmel Center Encore Bar for a cocktail or beverage of their choice. Stop by the APPLE table in the lobby of the Kimmel Center to pick up your drink ticket before the performance. To join the celebration, make sure you reserve your APPLE tickets for Saturday’s performance. Tickets are available now!
DONORSCHOOSE
For Teacher Appreciation Week, various businesses and organizations are matching donations to help teachers meet their goals more quickly. Check out the Grants Newsletter or jump down to the resources section and read the Grants Spotlight for more information!
IN OTHER NEWS
May is also Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! We’re promoting Asian pride and amplifying Asian voices!
Drop down to the Equity Section to learn more about how we’re celebrating.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Every year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. This month SDP will join the national movement to raise awareness about mental health in order to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families. We will take time to highlight the importance of wellness, self-care, and reaching out for help. Visit the Mental Health Awareness Month website to learn more and view the event calendar.
SAY IT LOUD!
May is Better Hearing & Speech Month — an annual opportunity, led by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), to raise awareness about the communication disorders that many of our students face, and uplift the talented and outstanding professionals who provide critical support and treatment. This month, SDP will be spotlighting some of our Speech Language Pathologists on social media. Make sure to visit our Facebook page and our blog throughout the month to learn more about these superstars and the work that they are doing to care for our students every day!
YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE
This month, the Office of School Safety is launching an Officer Recognition Program to honor the brave and selfless school safety officers who work tirelessly to keep our schools and offices safe, and foster secure, supportive and nurturing learning and working environments. Any member of the SDP community — staff, students, and parents — can nominate an officer. Nominations are open now and close on Friday, June 3 at 3:00pm. Award recipients will be announced on Friday, Jun 22. Submit a nomination here. Learn more about the various awards on the School Safety website here!
MUSIC TO OUR EARS
For the fourth year in a row, SDP has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. This award is given to school districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. Shout out to our more than 220 music educators who are implementing music education curricula for kindergartners through 12th graders, and who are dedicated to providing students with a more well-rounded education. Visit here to learn more about the SDP’s music program. Click here to learn more about the honor.
Spine Tingling!
Congratulations to Hackett Elementary School who unveiled their newly renovated library last week. The school raised money through school and community events, and after a matching grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation, were able to put $25k toward this beautiful upgraded facility. They were also able to purchase more than 15,000 new books and cozy seating! Well done Hackett!
ANGEL ATHLETES
Last Friday Ainsley’s Angels visited Widener Memorial School and hosted a race for the students — a population of students with special needs. Ainsley’s Angels is a national organization dedicated to building awareness about the importance of inclusion and transforming communities to be more inclusive and celebratory of everyone, especially individuals with special needs. It was a wonderful day of celebration where everyone was a winner!
A CHANGE COULD DO YOU GOOD
Open Enrollment is open now through May 31st! This is your opportunity to make certain changes to your benefits like enrolling or cancelling Wage Continuation and adding or removing a dependent. Visit the Open Enrollment website for more info.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
The 2022 District-Wide Survey is open now for parents and guardians, teachers, principals, APs, and school support staff. Staff can access the survey through the employee portal. Parents/guardians can complete it online or wait for the survey to arrive in the mail.
PEOPLE
HEARTS OF GOLD
For 21 years Citadel Credit Union, in partnership with the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU), has honored local teachers with the Citadel Heart of Learning Award. The award recognizes teachers who show dedication and go above and beyond in and outside of the classroom. Congratulations to the following SDP teachers who were nominated by their peers, students, and students’ parents:
Shawntae Brabham – Disston Elementary
Riley Polino – Blankenburg Elementary
Louis Lozzi – Robeson High School
COACH OF THE YEAR
Congratulations to Science Leadership Academy Swim Coach Beth Menasion, who will receive the Philadelphia Scholastic Coach of the Year award this month. Beth founded SLA’s swim program in 2018 and, despite the challenges of the pandemic and lack of access to pool facilities, led the boy’s team to their first ever Philadelphia Public League championship this year. More importantly though, Coach Menasion prioritizes creating an atmosphere of equity and inclusivity on her team. Her experience as a special education teacher, helps her keep that focus! Put us in coach!
April Teacher & Seniors of the Month!
April Teacher of the Month – Vaughnesha Moore
Watch the video HERE.
April Senior of the Month – Jade Njie
Read her profile HERE!
April Senior of the Month – Myon Butler
Read his profile HERE.
We are accepting nominations for May’s Seniors & Teacher of the Month right now! Submit your nominations here, and visit the Senior & Teacher of the Month website to learn more about past winners.
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is excited about all there is to celebrate in May including Mental Health Awareness Month (see above), ALS Awareness Month, Older Americans Month and Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month. For AAPI month, there are events, panels and celebrations happening through May. Visit the SDP AAPI Heritage Month website to view the calendar of events, can check out the Equity Coalition newsletter for more information on additional happenings, events, spotlights and DEI office updates!
RESOURCES
COMMUNICATIONS 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. We are always looking for positive stories and good news from around the District. If you have a story to share or someone to celebrate, you can submit them using the buttons below.
GET A LITTLE EXTRA
See the Office of Grant Development’s list of grant opportunities on their website. View the newsletter for more information.
SPREAD THE WORD
We’re hiring. Everywhere! Know someone who’s searching? Send them to workinphilly.com.
KEEP TRACK
Follow the District’s progress towards the Goals & Guardrails.
STAY SHARP
Cornerstone has PD for all employees, including Central Office staff.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Olivia Mayer, a 7th grader at the Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP), started playing the violin at the age of four. Since then, she has been active in school-based and extracurricular orchestral programs, participated in prestigious summer music camps such as the Interlochen Center for the Arts, KinHaven Music School, and she is looking forward to taking part in the Heifetz Summer Program this season. She is currently studying the violin with Isaac Malkin at the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Program in New York City. She has also played piano since she was eight years old, and recently started taking bassoon lessons at her school. Recently, Olivia was the concertmistress for the All City Middle School String Orchestra – a position viewed as leader of the orchestra. During that performance she had a solo in Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov. Olivia enjoys expressing herself through music, and sharing her talents through performing. Keep playing our heart strings Olivia!
FOCAL POINT
We’re expanding our storytelling and producing videos to better highlight the amazing work of District students and staff. This is the place where we’ll share those videos with you. This month, learn more about the District’s Dual Language Program. Enjoy!