Cheltenham SD Weekly News Share
Friday, December 22
CLIMATE AND CULTURE MEETING
Thursday, Jan 18, 2018, 05:30 PM
Wyncote Elementary School, 333 Rices Mill Road, Wyncote, PA 19095
APPROVED CALENDAR FOR THE 2018-2019 YEAR!
2018-2019 SPORTS
NOTICE OF OPEN BOARD SEAT INTERVIEWS | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Interviews for the current open school board seat will take place at the administration building in room 119 on the below dates and times. These interviews are open to the public. Please note that ONLY SCHOOL BOARD DIRECTORS CAN ASK QUESTIONS.
Round #1
December 16 from 9 am to 12 pm.
December 16 from 1 pm to 3 pm
Round #2
December 20 at 6 pm.
#LightUpCheltenham
CHS YOUTH COURT FAQ
An important component of our Climate and Culture improvement plan is the formation of a Youth Court at CHS. Youth court allows students referred for disciplinary infractions to be heard by a jury of their peers. At CHS, the US Government & Politics classes will form the Youth Court. These classes are co-taught by Ms. Jennifer Pollack and Mr. Michael Ogbuehi.
The official kickoff of the CHS Youth Court was November 6. At the time of the district spotlight story, we committed to delivering an FAQ in December so that families and community members could gain a firmer understanding of the court purpose and how it will function.
FAQ
Who decides which cases go before the court?
Each grade level administrator and the administrator for climate and culture identify specific cases that are heard before Youth Court. Administrators consider both the infraction and the student’s willingness to participate in a restorative process in making referrals. Most importantly, the student must admit that the infraction occurred. The purpose of the Court is to provide ways to create a healthier school community, not to mediate significant facts in dispute.
What type of infractions are heard?
Typically infractions that traditionally involve students serving afternoon or Saturday detentions. Low level insubordination, lateness, class cuts, low-level student to teacher or student to students disputes that result in a discipline referral.
What is the expected timeframe between infraction and court hearing?
One week, though we’ve already had a case heard the next day.
How is student confidentiality maintained?
Students on the Youth Court were taught, re-taught, and continually reminded about the need to maintain confidentiality. Students signed a confidentiality agreement before Court sessions started.
Can you provide an example of the type of case which will be heard and what the outcome would be versus what would normally happen at Cheltenham?
The youth court primarily hears minor infractions. In a case like insubordination, a student would likely receive one or more detentions, or Saturday school through the traditional route. The youth court would go through an extensive process of questioning to determine the context and circumstances under which the infraction occurred in order to determine an outcome that is suited to the student’s needs. If the student acted out because he was having trouble in the class, the youth court may prescribe tutoring or other academic support. If the student acted out because of emotional distress, the court may require the student to receive social/emotional support through a guidance counselor or otherwise. Additionally, the youth court can set up a restorative meeting between the student and the teacher to repair the harm and mistrust in the relationship.
Who is present during the court hearing?
Approximately 20 students who run all aspects of the Court and one or two Social Studies teachers who teach the class and act as the bridge between students and administration.
What type of communication should parents/guardians expect?
After the student agrees to participate in the Youth Court process, parents and guardians should expect to be contacted. If a student does not agree to participate in Youth Court, parents should expect to be contacted with the administrative outcome of the discipline referral.
What type of training is provided to students and staff?
Students and staff received training from the Pennsylvania Bar Association this past Spring and Fall. We have also received support from the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office and Judge Christopher Cerski. Teachers spent time over the summer reviewing and solidifying the training schedule with an emphasis on building a strong community within the Youth Court. Student members of Youth Court participated in two day-long sessions and about 24 classes of instruction before the first case was heard before Thanksgiving.
What are the District goals for Youth Court?
In alignment with several aspects of the Strategic Plan, Youth Court is designed to provide purposeful interactions that lead to affirmative ways to build bridges with the High School. A student affirms that they have caused harm and students help that student go through processes to repair that harm. We are creating additional leadership capacity by empowering a true cross-section of students with the ability to fix individual problems within the High School.
When and where is Youth Court held?
One session of Youth Court is scheduled to be held everyday during a regularly scheduled class periods. There are actually 2 youth courts, one that meets on alternating days in the morning and another that meets on alternating days in the afternoon.
What type of documentation is created by the court and will something be put into the student's file?
There are several forms in the process that guide both the youth court members and the student through the restorative process. Final details of the dispositions are entered into PowerSchool like any other discipline record.
What happens if the student or his/her family don't agree with the outcome of the hearing? Is there an appeal process?
There is not an appeal process. If a student or family does not agree with the determination of the Youth Court, the student is referred back to the appropriate administrator for follow-up.
Can you summarize the entire process?
After the respondent is referred to youth court, the Respondent is called meets with their Youth Advocate and discuss their side of the story. The day of court, the Respondent arrives to the designated classroom and the trial begins when the Bailiff brings the Youth Advocate and the Respondent into the room. The Bailiff then reads from the script announcing the Judge and swearing in the Jury, the Respondent and the Youth Advocate. The facts of the case are read out loud to the Jury, and the hearing begins with the jury first asking fact questions, then harm questions, and lastly fix it questions while taking notes. When questioning is done the youth advocate and respondent leave the room and wait until deliberation. After the deliberation and thorough evaluation of the facts of the case a disposition is reached and the Youth Advocate and the Respondent come back and the Jury Foreperson reads them the disposition. The judge asks if they understand and are willing to complete the disposition. With the Respondent answering yes or a no Youth Court ends, and the youth advocate, respondent, judge and jury foreperson sign a paper and the roles of the next Youth court members are assigned. If the Respondent says no, they are sent back to their administrator. Lastly the youth advocate follows up with the respondent within the time given to discuss their case and determine if the disposition has been completed.
EARLY DISMISSALS THIS MONTH
- Elementary schools, 2:45 pm
- Elkins Park School, 2:37 pm
- Cedarbrook, 2:03 pm
- CHS, 1:25 pm
Friday, December 22nd ~ K-12 Holiday Early Dismissal Will Be Posted Next Week
Winter Break
- School is closed Monday, December 25 through Monday January 1. Schools will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. (please note that offices will be open December 27 & 28)
2017-2018 Assessments Webpage
WELCOME MR. JONATHAN WHITE — DISTRICT SAFETY MANAGER
Cheltenham School District welcomes Mr. Jonathan White as our new District Safety Manager. His appointment was approved at the November 21st legislative board meeting. Prior to joining the District, Mr. White worked for 25 years as a Pennsylvania State Trooper.
From 1992-1996 Jonathan worked for Troop M in Dublin, PA. He then worked for Troop K in Media, PA from 1996-1997. In 1997, he began working for Troop K in Philadelphia and remained there until 2017. While at Troop K, Jonathan served as the Community Service and Public Information Officer and in 2006 he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and assigned to the Midnight Shift Supervisor position at the Philadelphia Barracks. In 2013, he was reassigned to the Staff Services Unit as a Supervisor and the Custodial (evidence) Officer.
Jonathan graduated from Edward Bok A.V.T. High School in Philadelphia on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Delaware State College.
Jonathan resides in Cheltenham Township with his wife Cathleen and daughter Jordan. Please give Mr. White a warm Cheltenham welcome. #thisischeltenham
Learn About Our New School Board Directors
Pamela Henry
Christopher Pender
Daniel Schultz
FORST FOUNDATION DONATES $10,000 TO CSDF
At the December 12 legislative board meeting, the Cheltenham School District Foundation (CSDF) received a $10,000 donation from The Forst Foundation. The Forst Foundation was created by the Forst Family, the owners of Lincoln Investment, a 403b vendor in the school district. Representatives from Lincoln help our teachers and staff with their retirement and financial planning needs. Lynn Craig, Certified Financial Planner with Lincoln is pictured in the center presenting the check to members of the Cheltenham School District Foundation. These funds will be used for student scholarships and staff grant requests. Laura Baldwin, President of CSDF, said, “The $10,000 donation was the largest donation in the history of the foundation.”
We invite you to learn more about the Cheltenham School District Foundation — it's mission and how you can also donate by visiting, http://www.cheltenhamsdf.org/about-us.html #thisischeltenham
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT DR. TAMARA THOMAS-SMITH RECOGNIZED BY TEENSHOP, INC.
At the December 12 legislative board meeting, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tamara Thomas-Smith, was eagerly recognized by members of the Teenshop, Inc. board for being instrumental in seeking extraordinarily talented young ladies to participate in their 9th Residential College Preparatory Summer Program at Bryn Mawr College this past summer. Seen here presenting the award is Teenshop board member Ms. Jan Gillespie-Walton and Teenshop founder Ms. Elleanor Jean Hendley. “Cheltenham School District’s support of the program must be applauded and recognized," said Gillespie-Walton.
Some of our rising senior scholars got to spend two weeks on the Bryn Mawr College campus this summer for a transformational series of academically challenging workshops and empowering activities focused on building leadership skills and ensuring a successful transition to college. The Teenshop curriculum is an innovative series of life skills workshops, college preparatory initiatives, and community service projects.
Teenshop Mission Statement — Teenshop empowers “girls with goals” to become caring, courageous leaders and change agents in their communities and beyond. Learn more about the Teenshop organization, http://www.teenshop.org/about-us/
Special thanks to Dr. Tamara Thomas-Smith for bringing this exceptional opportunity to our Cheltenham students. #thisischeltenham
TOWNSHIP COMMISSIONER ANN RAPPOPORT DISCUSSES LOCAL GOVERNMENT WITH PBL COHORT
Township Commissioner, Ms. Ann Rappoport recently discussed local government with our Project Based Learning students at Cheltenham High School. The PBL cohort is designing a promotional campaign to encourage residents to participate in sustainable gardening. The effort supports both ecological stewardship and healthy living, two of the ten goals in the Township’s community-wide Sustainability Plan adopted in 2013, a first in Montgomery County.
In this project, students will learn about the psychology of advertising, the science behind composting and the global implications of industrial agriculture vs. sustainable agriculture as it relates to famine and political instability in regions around the world.
Students will experience project management and communication with various stakeholders in the community. They will also create marketing literature and multimedia advertisements.
Project Based Learning brings authentic experiences into the classroom and is yet another reason why families say #IChooseCheltenham.
Dr. Marseille Discusses Immigration With Glenside Students
OUR VICTORIOUS CHS EMERGING LEADERS AND ENTREPRENEURS WALK AWAY WITH 12 TROPHIES
Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) is a student professional organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. This is DECA's first year at CHS. The sponsor is Ms. Candy Manning, CHS’s Business Ed teacher. We asked Ms. Manning to share some information about this exciting new learning opportunity for our students. We are sharing that information below in a Q and A format.
Q. What are the benefits of joining DECA in high school?
A. There are many benefits to joining DECA, including but not limited to scholarships for college, networking that can land you internships and real world experiences that will better prepare you for the future.
Q. When does the group meet and how much time should students expect to dedicate to involvement in DECA?
A. Students meet two days per week after school for 1.5 hours. They also work independently on their projects at home. Our parents have also been extremely involved and have provided amazing support to the program.
Q. What happened at the recent conference attended by the DECA group?
A. Ms. Manning and her students recently attended the DECA Powertrip conference in Philadelphia. The students attended workshops, met with colleges and networked with other students from all over the country.
Q. Our students won 12 trophies! How did that happen?
A. On November 28th, 22 of our of 9th - 12th grade students ventured into the city to compete in their district competition. This competition required the students to take a 100 question exam and perform in a role play event against other students within our DECA district, which is comprised of over 600 students. The role plays are scenarios focused on Marketing, Business Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, and Entrepreneurship. Students were given a scenario in which they were judged based on the performance indicators provided. Our students, having had only two months of a business class, were victorious. We walked away with 12 trophies, which are now displayed in the main lobby of the High School!.
Q. What does the DECA group have planned for the remainder of the year?
A. There is a state competition in Hershey, PA this coming February and a national competition in Atlanta, GA this coming April. Our business students have been working on a project since the beginning of the school year and some of them will present at the state competition in February.
Q. What other projects are the students working on?
A. The students are working on a great many things. Here are just a few:
Rebranding of the School Store: The students have been working hard on rebranding our school store. We’ve created a new design for the store, we’re adding and managing inventory, scheduling labor, and working on the overall management of store replenishment.
Innovation Projects: Students are writing innovation plans for new business ideas.
Community Service: Students are getting involved in many community projects.
Yearbook Promotion Plan: Students are creating sales strategies and promotion plans to increase yearbook sales.
Cheltenham School District is proud of the real world learning experiences that are available to our students. It is yet another reason why families say, #IChooseCheltenham. #thisischeltenham
MYERS CELEBRATES HOUR OF CODE WEEK
Students in every classroom in Grades 1 - 4 practice programming skills in their classrooms and/or in Myers FABLAB on a regular basis. Programming, or coding, is simply the way people tell a computer what to do using instructions that the computer understands.
First graders are learning to program using Lightbot, a free App where they program a robot using icons. Lightbot teaches a few specific coding constructs common to many programming languages:
Sequential Control Flow are commands that get executed one after the other.
Procedures are blocks of code for taking advantage of reusable patterns.
Loops are blocks of code specifically used for patterns that repeat, or 'loop'.
Debugging is running and re-running a program, testing solutions, and fixing mistakes.
Second through fourth graders practice their coding skills on the Hour of Code and other websites using Blockly, a visual programming language in which they drag and drop puzzle blocks, which represent complex programming constructs and commands, to the workspace to solve puzzles. Students in these grades learn how to use repeat-loops, conditionals, algorithms, functions and variables using leveled courses and games, such as Minecraft, Star Wars and Frozen.
Be sure to ask your child about coding at Myers -- as a first grader said yesterday, “Coding is the hardest fun!”