SDP Connect: Class of 2023 Issue
Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic.
- Robin Sharma
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Accelerate Philly: The School District of Philadelphia’s New Strategic Plan
The Board officially voted to adopt Accelerate Philly – The District’s New Strategic Plan. Accelerate Philly – our roadmap for serving students, staff, and community over the next five years. This strategic plan has been a year in the making, and is the culmination of months of deep introspection, productive discussion, and hard work from students, community members, and you, the dedicated School District of Philadelphia staff. You can read the plan in its entirety at www.philasd.org/strategicplan.
Citizen of the Year Awards
For the first time, The Philadelphia Citizen is celebrating the all-star citizens among us with their inaugural Citizen of the Year Awards. This is your opportunity to nominate a Philly educator, student, or someone who you know is an all-star citizen. All nominations must be submitted by Friday, June 9. To submit your nomination and to learn more about the Citizen of the Year Initiative, click here.
2023 CITIZEN OF THE YEAR CATEGORIES:
- Education Leader
- Youth Leader (a person 18 or younger)
- Change Agent (general/all-around innovator)
- Block Captain
The Philly School Experience School Staff is Still Open
The Philly School Experience Survey, formerly known as the annual District-Wide Survey, is still for teachers, school staff, and school leaders! The Philly School Experience Survey is one of the best tools to gather your feedback and assess your perspective on numerous topics that impact school communities. School-based staff can take the survey by clicking the tile in their employee portal. For more information about the survey, including results from previous years, visit www.philasd.org/PSES. The last day to take the Philly School Experience Survey is June 9, 2023.
Our Class...Our Future 2023
On Thursday, May 25, 2023, The School District of Philadelphia hosted its annual large-scale, high-energy celebration themed, “Our Class, Our Future.” With a turnout of 2,500+ graduating seniors, this year, we honored students who have worked hard to complete the newly implemented pathways to graduation. Kudos to our awesome seniors. Congratulations to the class of 2023!
We loved celebrating this year’s resilient seniors with Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. Ed.D, Senator Vincent Hughes and Mayor Jim Kenney at the Our Class, Our Future event! The sky is high for the class of 2023!
Navy Ready!
SDP joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the U.S. Navy and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon to celebrate graduates of the second annual Pennsylvania Talent Pipeline Project during a signing ceremony.
This year’s graduates are students from Benjamin Franklin, A. Philip Randolph Technical and Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical high schools. Students and their decisions include:
- Wilneliz Rivera, Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical School, L3 Harris
- Angelo Fernandez, Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical School, Holtec
- Spirit Ingram, Benjamin Franklin High School, Holtec
- Luis Molina, Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical School, Rhoads Industries
- Reggie Stevens, A. Philip Randolph Technical High School, Rhoads Industries
- Noah Martin, A. Philip Randolph Technical High School, Rhoads Industries
- Jascir Johnson, Benjamin Franklin High School, Rhoads Industries
- Jordy Navas Garcia, Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical School, The Naval Sea Systems Command
- Kyseem Taylor, Benjamin Franklin High School, The Naval Foundry and Propeller Center
“Congratulations to our students who have made the decision to join the skilled workforce. We wish them much success, stability and reward in this exciting and robust new career,” said Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D.
Senior & Teacher of the Month Winners!
Below we are highlighting all of the Seniors of the Month for 2022-23.
Visit the Senior & Teacher of the Month website to learn more about winners from previous years!
Last Friday, the Board celebrated the 22-23 Teacher & Senior of the Month Winners at its Year-End Celebration. We’re extremely proud of this fascinating group of educators and students. Each of this year’s winners have shown great tenacity as they have overcome countless adversities and obstacles, yet have achieved success in their academic and professional careers, respectively. Congratulations to this group of current and future world-changers.
SCHOOL OF THE WEEK
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 William H. Ziegler School as School of the Week in The Philadelphia Tribune’s Learning Key. Read Waring’s feature article in the Tribune here.
Be on the lookout for more School of the Week features in SDP Weekly and SDP Connect!
JUNE FEATURES
Full Ride!
Congratulations to Estrellita Ramirez, Randolph-Mitchell, Castro Torres, and Alexianie Negron – 4 Philadelphia seniors at Bodine High School for International Affairs who all received full rides to top universities. All 4 seniors are first-generation college-bound freshmen. It’s the first time in Bodine High School‘s history the school has had this many graduates get these types of scholarships to universities. Between the four superstar seniors, they’re bound for the University of Chicago, New York University, Haverford College, and Stanford University. “We’re all minorities. It’s not normal for us to go to these top universities for free,” said Liana Castro Torres, who is attending the University of Chicago. Well done to all 4 future world changers, the sky is the limit for you! Read more about this outstanding group of Bodine Seniors here.
PA Media and Design Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the Middle and High School Pennsylvania Media and Design Competition held at Dickinson College on May 23rd and 24th!
Here are the results:
Middle School Competition: 1st place in Web Page Design: Maha Abashera, Penn Alexander School, Advisor: Lisa Gilday. Well done Maha for her outstanding achievement in web page design! Your creativity and technical skills have clearly impressed the judges. Keep up the excellent work!
High School Competition: 2nd place in Digital Movie: Divinefavour Ochiagha, Charlie Washington, and Christopher Monegro, Roxborough High School, Advisor: Azim Siddiqui. Congratulations to the talented students from Roxborough High School for securing 2nd place in the Digital Movie category! Your storytelling abilities and technical expertise have been recognized and applauded. Keep honing your skills and continue to create amazing digital movies!
3rd place in 3D Design: Devin Liu and Abby Li, Academy of Palumbo High School
Advisor: Erik Weissman A big congratulations to the students from the Academy of Palumbo High School for their impressive 3rd-place finish in the 3D Design category! Your artistic vision and proficiency in three-dimensional design have earned you this well-deserved recognition. Keep exploring and pushing the boundaries of your creativity!
Congratulations to all the winners, participants, and their schools for their dedication and hard work in the Pennsylvania Media and Design Competition. Your accomplishments are commendable, and we wish you continued success in your future endeavors!
Identity, Hopes, Dreams, and Community
The School District of Philadelphia’s Young Artist Art Exhibition is one of the longest-running public school student art exhibitions in the United States exhibiting the art of grades K-12. This is the 67th year of the districtwide Young Artist Exhibition where students in grades K-12 showcase the “best of the best” works of art created in their visual art classes under the supervision of our district’s certified art educators. The Young Artists theme for the 2023 academic year is “The Collective Eye: Identity, Hopes, Dreams, and Community.” Works of art include charcoal still life drawings, paintings, photography, digital art, 3D printing works, printmaking, pottery, fiber art, jewelry, ceramics, and large-scale paintings. Highlights of the student art exhibition is available throughout our Central Office location at 440 N. Broad St.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Important Dates
- Graduation Window – 6/9-6/13
- Last Day for Students/Term 4 Ends – 6/13
- Last Day for Staff/Full Day Professional Development – 6/14
- Juneteenth (Schools Closed and Administrative Offices Closed) – 6/19
LGTBQ/Pride Month
June is Pride Month, and together we are celebrating the experiences and affirming the identities of our LGBTQIA+ students, staff, parents, & family members. Visit the District’s Cultural Celebrations Website to learn more about Philadelphia’s proud LGBTQIA+ history and notable figures, find and participate it celebratory events, and access additional resources. Happy Pride Month!
Caribbean American Heritage Month
June is Caribbean-American Heritage Month. During Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we celebrate the achievements and dreams of the millions of people of Caribbean origin now living in the United States while honoring the shared history of joy and perseverance that has united and enriched life across our region for centuries. Visit the District’s Cultural Celebrations Website to learn more about Caribbean-American Heritage Month, participate in celebratory events, and access additional resources.
Juneteenth
Monday, June 19th is Juneeteeth. Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining “June” and “nineteenth”, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for enslaved Africans in Texas. In 2021, Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983. Click here to learn more about Juneteenth’s history, celebrations, and traditions.
Gun Violence Prevention Month
June is also Gun Violence Prevention Month. At the School District of Philadelphia, we believe that we must take a stand against gun violence. Let’s continue to work together in the fight to ensure the safety of our schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Together, we can end this! Click here to learn how to get involved and take a stand against gun violence.
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.
TRIVIA
One of our seniors is getting a full ride to the University of Chicago. What is their name?
The first central office employee and the first school-based employee with the correct answer will win a prize!
We are pausing the poll to review the data we collected in the fall and make plans for putting your feedback into action. The poll will return in the coming months.
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.