Upcoming events

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

Thu. Nov. 6. Parent Roundtable hosted by Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. 6 – 8 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. All parents and caregivers are welcome. To RSVP, contact Karren Dunkley at kdunkley@philasd.org.

Fri. Nov. 7. National Hispanic College Fair. 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. University of the Sciences Athletic Recreation Center, 600 S. 43rd St. Aimed at increasing Hispanic student access to post-secondary education. Transportation is provided to students from their schools to the fair, where students receive college and financial information. A meal is provided. For information or to register, contact Peter Thompson at 800-562-3346.

Sat. Nov. 8. Project GRAD’s Walk for Success. 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. A door-to-door campaign to encourage parents of 9th and 10th grade Sayre High School students to be involved in their children’s educations. For information or to volunteer, contact aalcaraz@cisphl.org or 267-752-5779.

Sun. Nov. 9. Public Action: Language Access and Philadelphia Public Schools. 9:30 – 11 a.m. Annunciation Church Basement.1511 S. 10th St. at Dickinson St. JUNTOS and members of the Latino parent community call for a public commitment from the District to address parent and community concerns about English Language Learners and language access. To RSVP, contact Zac Steele at noneuclid@hotmail.com.

Tue. Nov. 11. Philadelphia Student Union Fall Fundraising Event. 6:30 p.m. The Carriage House, University of Pennsylvania, 3907 Spruce St. A celebration of the Philadelphia Student Union and its members and the progress made this year. Refreshments provided. To RSVP, email Lai_Har_Cheung@hotmail.com.

Wed. Nov. 12. School Reform Commission Planning Meeting. 2 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 p.m. the day before the meeting.

Wed. Nov. 12. 7th Annual Principal for a Day. 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Business and community leaders shadow a Philadelphia school principal for a day. To participate, complete a Count Us In form here and return it to frankie@gpcares.com or fax to 215-564-4543.

Thu. Nov. 13. Philadelphia Education Fund presents the Eddy Awards. 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Moore College of Art & Design, 20th St. & Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Honorees include Guion Bluford, Constance Clayton, Songhai Press, and Philadelphia Youth Network. Tickets $200. For information, contact jtrachtman@philaedfund.org or 215-665-1400, ext. 3309.

Thu. Nov. 13. Community Engagement Task Force Meeting. Time and location to be decided. For information, contact Jim Scott at 215-400-6344.

Thu. Nov. 13. Forum: Recent Immigration to Philadelphia. 9:15 – 11:15 a.m. Free Library of Philadelphia, 19th and Vine St., main auditorium. Discussion panel on the release of a Brookings Institution report. Mayor Michael Nutter will discuss the relevance of immigration in Philadelphia, followed by a panel discussion on key findings of the report. To register, go to http://philaimmigrationstudy-emailinvite.eventbrite.com.

Thu. Nov. 13. Open Mic Night. 6 – 8 p.m. 440 North Broad Street, Room 1075. Hosted by the Philadelphia Right to Education Task Force. Parents of children with disabilities will have a chance to ask questions about: Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy, Placement, Behavioral Interventions and Psychological Counseling, Implementing IEP’s and Least Restrictive Environment, Transportation, Overall Success, Discipline, and Changes in level of service and caseload. For more information contact Cecelia Thompson at 267-259-3405.

Fri. Nov. 14. Forum on the Education for Homeless Children and Youth. 10 a.m. – 12 noon. United Way Building. 7 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. The People’s Emergency Center sponsors this forum to discuss the District’s policies related to educating Philadelphia’s homeless youth. For information or to register for the event, contact policy@pec-cares.org or 215-382-7522 x 264.

Fri. Nov. 14. Student matinee performance of A Shepherd Among Us. 10 a.m. High School of the Future, 4021 Parkside Ave. Hannibal Lokumbe will perform pieces of the work he created, which commemorates the life and work of legendary activist and priest Father Paul M. Washington, on trumpet accompanied by the West Philadelphia High School Choir under the direction of Cynthia Weaver. Students will videotape the performance, which will support a curriculum guide produced by Art Sanctuary; the District will produce a companion student workbook that will be available in January. Tickets are $5 for students.

Sat. Nov. 15. Community performance of A Shepherd Among Us. 7:30 p.m. Church of the Advocate, 1801 W Diamond St. Join Art Sanctuary in an extraordinary performance of “A Shepherd Among Us," an original choral work for mass choir by Grammy-nominated composer Hannibal Lokumbe. Tickets are $5 per person.

Sat. Nov. 15. College Financial & Career Planning Made Easy. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Urban Education Center. 7571 Haverford Ave. Michael Robinson, Assistant Regional Director of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), speaks about college and career planning. Free and open to all. Information and free services including practice SAT, ACT, and other tests available. For information or to register, call 215-877-4950.

Tue. Nov. 18. Philadelphia Home and School Council General Meeting. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. Auditorium. Understanding the new school report cards. For information, call 215-400-4080.

Wed. Nov. 19. School Reform Commission Action Meeting. 6 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 p.m. the day before the meeting.

Fri. Nov. 21. HBCU Fair. 3:30 – 7:30 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. Learn about Historically Black Colleges & Universities, financial assistance, the application and admissions process, and scholarships. Hear from speakers, including a panel of HBCU alumni. For information, call 215-400-4130.

Mon. Nov. 24. SRC Parent and Community Roundtable. 5 – 7:30 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. Room 1080. Special question/answer session with the multiple District offices involved with climate and safety. This group focuses on recommending new policies to the School Reform Commission based on concerns brought by parents. Open to all. For information, call 215-400-5639.

Tue. Dec. 2. Philadelphia Home and School Council General Meeting. 6 – 8 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. Room 1075. All parents and caregivers welcome. For information, contact gwade@phila.k12.pa.us or 215-400-4080.

Thu. Dec. 4. Solomon Sisters’ Act: A Young Writers’ Retreat. 10 a.m. – 12 noon. Church of the Advocate, 1801 W. Diamond Street. This workshop will introduce students to Asali Solomon, college professor and author of Get Down, an exciting new short story collection and her sister Akiba Solomon, magazine editor and author of the non-fiction anthology Naked. Student writers break into small groups to write and discuss, and then will read their work and receive comments from the Solomon Sisters. Tickets are $5/student.

Fri. Dec. 5. Fall Review & Parents Meeting. 6 – 8:30 p.m. Church of the Advocate, 1801 W. Diamond Street. North Stars afterschool program students share the outcomes of their workshops in poetry, spoken word, music, modern dance, African Dance, Drumming, and Video. Free event.

Mon. Dec. 8 – Fri. Dec. 12. PASSHE Joint Recruitment. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education holds a college fair with information about its 14 colleges and universities. For information, contact your school counselor or PASSHE at 877-366-7299.

Wed. Dec. 10. School Reform Commission Planning Meeting. 2 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 p.m. the day before the meeting.

Mon. Dec. 15. Title I Parent Advisory Committee Meeting. 5:30 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. The Title I PAC meets on the 3rd Monday of every month to discuss parent involvement in Title I issues.

Wed. Dec. 17. School Reform Commission Action Meeting. 2 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 p.m. the day before the meeting.

Mon. Dec. 22. SRC Parent and Community Roundtable. 5 – 7:30 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad St. Room 1080. This group focuses on recommending new policies to the School Reform Commission based on concerns brought by parents.

School Calendar

Tue. Nov. 11. Veterans Day. School closed.

Wed. Nov. 19. Half day. School closed in the afternoon.

Thu. Nov. 27 – Fri. Nov. 28. Thanksgiving Holiday. School closed.

Wed. Dec. 10. Half day. School closed in the afternoon.

Wed. Dec. 24 – Fri. Jan. 2. Winter recess. School closed.