Lea Express for Friday, August 31st

LEA EXPRESS FOR WEEK ENDING FRIDAY, AUGUST 31st, 2018
Important September Dates

Monday, September 3rd – Labor Day

Schools and Administrative Offices Closed

Monday, September 10th – Rosh Hashanah

Schools and Administrative Offices Closed

Tuesday, September 11th

Lea After-School Program Begins

Wednesday, September 19th – Yom Kippur

Schools and Administrative Offices Closed

Tuesday, September 25th

Lea Back To School Night

WELCOME TO OUR NEW STAFF!

We will like to introduce and welcome a few new staff members to Lea. Welcome to the FamiLEA!

Catherine Heite – 2nd Grade Classroom Teacher
Jamila Hankinson – 6th Grade Classroom Teacher
Laura Burt – ESOL Teacher
Jai Anderson – Classroom Assistant
Garolyn Jones – Climate Support Specialist
Bernadette Christopher – Occupational Therapist
Kim Sabree – SSA

LEA ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

Breakfast will be served from 8:00-8:20 AM.  Students may enter the cafeteria from the doorway in the big schoolyard.
The school day begins at 8:30 AM.  After breakfast, students will assemble in the schoolyard to greet their teachers. During inclement weather, students in Grades K-3 should report to the Auditorium, students in Grades 4-5 should report to Cafeteria A; and students in Grades 6-8 should report to Cafeteria B.
Students that arrive late should report to Cafeteria B to receive a late pass. They can enter through the doorway in the big schoolyard.  The school day ends at 3:09pm.  At dismissal, Grade K-2 will be dismissed by staff from the small schoolyard on Locust Street, Grades 3-5 will be dismissed by staff from the big schoolyard on 47th/Spruce Street, and Grades 6-8 will be dismissed by staff out of the 47th/Locust Street entrance. Please pick up your child on time.
Chronic lateness and absences affect your child’s learning! Please be sure they arrive on time and attend school daily.

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING (SAC)

On Wednesday, September 5th from 4:30-6:00 pm in the Lea Library, the SAC will host their monthly SAC meeting. The School Advisory Council is seeking new family members to participate! The SAC focuses on three main areas: Academic Achievement, School Climate and Culture, and Family Engagement.  We seek to intentionally include voices from across our school community through subgroup meetings to continuously gather feedback and relay the work of the SAC to constituent groups. The SAC’s  overarching goal is to foster strong academic achievement for all students, regardless of the challenges they face, and we intend to do this by working closely with the principal, teachers, staff, families, and Home & School Association (HSA). We meet on the first Wednesday of each month from 4:30-6:00 pm in the Lea Library. All families are welcome, childcare and snacks are provided, and translation can also be set up in advance. Please join us!  SAC meeting dates for 2018-2019: 9/5/18, 10/3/18, 11/14/18, 12/5/18, 1/9/19, 2/6/19, 3/6/19, 4/3/19, and 5/8/19.

HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION MEETING (HSA)

On Thursday, September 20th from 5:30-6:30 pm in Room 106, the Home and School Association (HSA) will host their first monthly meeting of the school year. The HSA fosters open communication between the school and families in order to create an engaged and positive environment for students at school, at home, and in the community. Monthly HSA meetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of every month.  HSA meeting dates for 2018-2019: 9/20/18, 10/18/18, 11/15/18, 12/20/18, 1/17/19, 2/21/19, 3/21/19, 4/11/19, and 5/16/19.

FAMILY PLUS CAFÉ

Beginning Friday, September 21st from 9:00 to 11:00 AM, we will be introducing our 12-week Family Café series, where Families can come together to support one another. The Family Café will take place every Friday morning in the Library where a continental breakfast will be available. Upon program completion, participants will receive a certificate of completion and a Walmart Gift Card. For additional information, please speak with our Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Liaison, Mr. Brown (antbrown001@gmail.com) and/or return the attached flyer to the FACE Office (next to the Main Office).

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

On Tuesday, September 25th from 4:00 to 6:30pm, we will be hosting our Back to School Night! This is a great opportunity for families to meet their children’s teacher and learn about the upcoming year. Starting at 4:00 pm, families are invited to arrive in the small schoolyard on Locust Street to check out our Partner Fair, showcasing our many community partners and resources. Make sure to stop by our School Advisory Council (SAC) and Home and School Association (HSA) table to sign up for Class Dojo, take our family survey, provide updated family contact information, and take advantage of our giveaways!  We look forward to seeing you!

ENGLISH LEARNER FAMILY MEETING

On Tuesday, September 25th from 1:30 – 3:00 pm in the Lea Library, we will host the first of 4 quarterly meetings for the families of English Learner (EL) students. These meetings will be led by Lea staff who work with EL students and families (teachers, FACE Liaison, Community Partnerships Coordinator, OST coordinators, etc). With the help of our bilingual counseling assistants (BCA’s) and school district interpreters, Lea staff will share general school updates with families and address their questions and concerns.  The EL family meeting dates for the 2018-2019 school year are: Tue 12/5/18, 1:30-3:00 pm, Wed 2/13/19, 12:00-1:00 pm, Wed 4/3/19, 12:00-1:00 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Steckel (bsteckel@philasd.org) and/or Mr. Rich (rjliuzzi@gse.upenn.edu).

ACADEMIC FAMILY TEACHER TEAMS (AFTT)

This school year, Lea will be implementing the Academic Family Teacher Team (AFTT) model for family and community engagement in Grades K-3. AFTT is a classroom-based, teacher-led, data-driven family engagement model focused on supporting children’s academic goals by linking home and school learning. Classroom teachers in grades K-3 will invite families to participate in three 75-minute group meetings and one 30-minute individual, family-child session annually.  The first of these AFTT meetings for Grades K-3 will occur on Wednesday, October 24th from 6:00 – 7:15 pm. Childcare and dinner will be provided. More information is forthcoming, and we hope to see all of our Grades K-3 families on October 24th!

LEA AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM ENROLLMENT

The Lea After-School Program is currently enrolling for the 2018-2019 school year. There will be only one after-school program at Lea this year run by the University-Assisted Community School (UACS) program directed by Ms. Arttia (lea-nettercenter@sas.upenn.edu). Families can pick up an after-school enrollment form in the Main Office, and return completed forms to Ms. Arttia’s mailbox.

LEA AFTER-SCHOOL FAMILY ENGAGEMENT NIGHT

On Thursday September 27th from 4:00 – 6:30 pm, the Lea After-School Program will hold its first Family Engagement Night of the school year, which include Family Check-In Meetings with program staff and Family Night Events. Family Check-In Meetings are held on a monthly basis on the last Thursday of every month, and include the following activities: family orientation regarding after-school programming and attendance, family feedback, student needs and supports, and family volunteer opportunities.  Family Check-In Meetings will be held the following date: 9/27/18, 11/29/18, 1/24/19, and 4/25/19.

Family Night Events are held every 2-4 months and feature fun family activities including Lights on for After-School (10/25/18), Family Fun Night Math Carnival (12/5/18), the Health and Wellness Fair (3/28/19), and the After-School Culminating Event (5/23/19).

VOLUNTEERING AT LEA

In order to volunteer in any capacity this year (including chaperoning field trips), parents/guardians and community members must attend a mandatory Volunteer Orientation Training with our FACE Liaison, Mr. Brown. These trainings will  occur at Lea on the following dates/times: 10/5/18, 12:30-1:30 pm; 11/7/18, 12:30-1:30 pm; 1/11/19, 2:00-3:00 pm; 2/26/19, 2:00-3:00 pm; and 4/4/19, 2:00-3:00 pm.

HIGH SCHOOL FAIR

Next Friday, September 15th, our 8th graders are invited to attend the school district’s High School Fair.  Parents/guardians: field trip slips will be coming home on Tuesday, September 11th.