Dr. Arlene Ackerman Leadership Conference Speech

Thursday, August 18, 2011, Superintendent Dr. Arlene C. Ackerman addressed the congregation of principals at The School District’s Leadership Conference.  It was a speech like none she’d delivered before in her three years serving as Superintendent of the nation’s 8^th largest school district.  It was impassioned and countless principals expressed that it was just what they needed to prepare to deal with the challenges of the school year ahead, and to remember why they first decided to serve as educators. 

Dr. Ackerman was greeted with a thunderous applause as she entered the auditorium at Abraham Lincoln High School and she received an even louder applause by the end of her speech.  Take a look at the speech below and remember to be “guilty” as you work to serve the children and parents of the city of Philadelphia.

Stuff the Bus!

School is just over three weeks away and without a doubt, there are parents who will have a hard time purchasing school supplies for their children.  We just had the big Education Extravaganza where we gave away school supplies and backpacks to hundreds of students, but not everyone was able to make it to that event.  So, tomorrow, in partnership with Power 99 FM and WDAS FM, we’re hoping that you can help us stuff the bus!

From 11am to 6pm, Power 99 and WDAS are hosting a radio-thon in the parking lot of the ACME supermarket at the corner of Roosevelt Blvd. and Harbison Ave. to collect school supplies for students in need.  The broadcast will run from 11:00am to 6:00pm and listeners and nearby shoppers will contribute to the goal of filling a yellow school bus with school supplies.  Yes, you read that right.  We have set a goal of filling a yellow school bus with supplies in order to help ensure that all students have what they need to start the school year off right.

So, stop by and drop off some supplies, or pick up some items while you’re shopping at ACME and help us stuff the bus!

When:    Saturday, August 13^th (11am to 6pm)

Where:   Parking lot of the ACME Supermarket
                 Roosevelt Blvd and Harbison Avenue
                 Philadelphia, PA 19149

The Great American Teach-Off

Snapshot from the 2011 Lindback Teacher Awards ceremony.

We have some truly great teachers working in the District and each time we receive information about contests that allow you to show off those amazing skills, we try to make sure we pass it along!  Grammy Award winner John Legend, a University of Pennsylvania graduate (and English major), The University of Phoenix and the online community at GOOD are teaming up to shine a spotlight on some of the country’s greatest teachers and they wanted to be sure that Philly’s best take part in The Great American Teach-Off!

From now until September 16^th, anyone can go to www.GOOD.is/GATO and nominate an elementary school (K-6) teacher who they believe is making a difference in children’s lives.  Teachers can even nominate themselves!  But, you can only nominate one person, so choose wisely. 

The top 10 entrants will be chosen by an independent panel put together by the sponsors.  Then, the real fun begins.  This fall, the public, which includes you, will have 5 weeks to vote for a winner, who will receive a $10,000 classroom grant and other prizes. 

Don’t fret grades 7-12 teachers!  You’ll have your chance starting in early 2012, when they’ll be opening the competition up to middle and high school teachers.

So, what are you waiting for?  Put on your thinking cap and nominate a teacher who you believe deserves the recognition.  Wouldn’t it be great if the winner were from Philadelphia?!  Good luck!

August Book Club Selections

We are less than a month away from the start of the next school year, so we want to make this one of the best selection of books in the Broad View Book Club yet!  The books cover a variety of topics, including one for some of our tiniest learners that deals with what it’s like to have a sibling with autism and another about a young man facing hard times, but determined to do the right thing. 

So, check them out and let us know what you think after you’re done!  No, we don’t need a “book report”, but a nice little review would be swell!

The selections for August are:

Grades K-2

My Brother Charlie
By Holly Robinson-Peete

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Synopsis:  Callie tells the story about her big brother Charlie—who is autistic.  It is the story of a family who learns important lessons about hope, love and tolerance.  Learn more about the story, author and illustrator here.

Grades 3-5

Big Moon Tortilla
By Joy Cowley

Genre:  General Fiction

Synopsis:  Follow Marta Enos as she tries to avoid several mishaps on the way to her grandmother’s cookhouse to get some freshly grilled tortillas.  Her grandmother provides some great words of wisdom to help keep her on the right path.  Learn more about the story, author and illustrator here. 

Grades 6-8

Chain of Fire
By Beverly Naidoo

Genre:  General Fiction

Synopsis:  The South African government is forcing Naledi an the other villagers to move to a new location: a "homeland" of iron huts and barren soil. And it seems that no one is willing to resist.

No one, that is, except Naledi's friend Taolo, whose family has often spoken out against apartheid.  Learn more about the story, author and illustrator here.  

Grades 9-12

Tyrell
By Coe Booth

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Synopsis:  Tyrell is a young, African American teen who can't get a break. He's living (for now) with his spaced-out mother and little brother in a homeless shelter. His father's in jail. His girlfriend supports him, but he doesn't feel good enough for her— and seems to be always on the verge of doing the wrong thing around her. There's another girl at the homeless shelter who is also after him, although the desires there are complicated. Tyrell feels he needs to score some money to make things better. Will he end up following in his father's footsteps?  Learn more about the story and author here. 

NBC News: Teacher Essay Contest

NBC’s “Education Nation” tour was a hit when it stopped in Philadelphia back in June.  The “Teacher Town Hall”, hosted by The Today Show’s Ann Curry, fostered a healthy discussion between educators from across the Commonwealth about what the job of a teacher is really like and what some of the challenges consist of from day to day.  Now, they want to give all teachers a chance to not only have their voices heard, but also to possibly win one of three free trips to New York City to attend the next Teacher Town Hall scheduled for Sunday, September 25th hosted by NBC's Brian Williams.  The winning essays will be featured on Education Nation’s The Learning Curve blog at www.EducationNation.com.

So, here’s what you have to do to enter.  Submit an essay of no more than 800 words answering this question: “What are the biggest challenges you face in your job, and how do you measure you own success on a daily basis?”  The essays will be judged by a panel of NBC News journalists and education experts. 

Submit entries to submissions@educationnation.com by September 2^nd with the subject heading “Essay Contest” and include your name, address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, the grade(s) and subject(s) you teach and the name of the school where you work. 

Check out the full, official rules here and good luck!

Photos! Education Extravaganza

These little ones pause for a group photo in the middle of all of the fun!

Today's Back to School Education Extravaganza was a hit! Estimates put the crowd total at over 30,000 and there were smiles and giggles all around.  Hundreds of free backpacks were given away and parents received a wealth of information to help prepare their young people for the first day of school and the rest of the school year.  Take a look at some of the highlights below.

MORE Free Worksheets, GREAT Activities

Anytime we can let parents, teachers and students know about great, free resources, we are excited!  This one is truly a gem.  Our friends at Education.com wanted to make sure that you knew about the thousands of free worksheets (which can be printed out) and activities available at their website.  The items can be filtered by grade level and subject and they are a great way for students to keep those brains working over the summer and to get ready for the upcoming school year!

So, check them out at these links (Free worksheets or Free activities) and let us know how they work out for you!  There's something for students of every age and grade level.