Congratulations to the 2019 SAC & Volunteer Award Winners!

After receiving dozens of applications from families, community members, and staff from across the District, the FACE Office is proud to announce this year’s SAC and Volunteer Award Winners! Check out the Award Winners and read snippets from their nomination essays below. Thank you for all you do for our schools! 2019 Volunteer of the...

The Heart Goes a Long Way at Dunbar!

Just ten minutes of talking with Principal Dawn Moore, principal of Paul L. Dunbar School and Ms. Haydee Delgado, School Improvement Support Liaison at Dunbar School, shows how much heart goes behind connecting with families at Dunbar. Oftentimes people think that all it requires to have family engagement at schools is monetary resources, but Principal...

From the Principal’s Desk: The Importance of the Parent Volunteer Program

We asked Crystal Edwards, principal of William D. Kelley in North Philadelphia, to say a few words about the value of volunteers in the overall family engagement programming of the school. Check out her energizing thoughts below! The educational journey of a child begins with their first educators, their parents. Parents bear the first responsibility...

Parent Volunteer Jennifer Cullen Spotlights Endless Reasons to Volunteer!

There is a variety of reasons that families choose to volunteer at their children’s schools. Jennifer Cullen, a volunteer at A.L. Fitzpatrick in Northeast Philadelphia, has a LONG list of why she chooses to stay involved! Ms. Cullen has been volunteering at Fitzpatrick for the past 12 years and has seen the effects of being...

Parent Volunteer Agnes Parrish Reminds Us About the Power of the Small Things

Oftentimes when we think of the things that can brighten a school environment, we think about many large changes or initiatives, but Ms. Agnes Parrish, parent and volunteer at Samuel Gompers School in West Philadelphia, feels that small gestures can make a big difference. Ms. Parrish has been volunteering at Gompers since 2011, and one...

April SAC Tip of the Month: How SACs Can Utilize and Mobilize Volunteers

This month, we’re showing our gratitude for a group of people our schools cannot do without — volunteers! Our family, parent, and community volunteers make a tremendous difference in our schools, and we don’t know what we’d do without them! As School Advisory Councils work to achieve various goals, there are ways that SACs can...

Low Cost, High Impact Volunteer Appreciation Ideas

Parent volunteers, members of the "Bethune Brigade" We know that everyone in your school is VERY busy, especially as the end of the school year nears! There are many ways to celebrate volunteers that don’t require a lot of time or money but can really go a long way to make your school’s volunteers feel...

Apply to Serve on the District Advisory Council today!

The School District of Philadelphia is proud to announce the creation of a brand new program for the 2019-2020 School Year, the District Advisory Council! The DAC is an opportunity for parents, family members, and caretakers to become more knowledgeable about and provide input on District programs, policies, and materials that affect students and their families....

Family Leadership Award Winner Haviva Goldman: Stepping Forward with New Initiatives

Oftentimes, parents will express that they want to be more involved in their child’s school, but they don’t know how. Maybe it seems like there are too many possibilities and ways to help, or it can be unclear what the needs of a school are and how to step in. In 2009, Haviva Goldman, a...

Family School Partnership Award Winner Julia R. Masterman: Unifying Diverse Populations

At Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, there is a convergence of students from all around the city. Masterman has a unique position of being both a middle and high school, and students join the school community at different points. Because Masterman’s population includes students and families from every Philadelphia neighborhood, the student body...