Greetings! We hope everyone's summer has gotten off to a great start! We look forward to getting to know our new students and families this fall. This newsletter contains important updates to get families prepared to get off to a good start in the 2024-25 school year.

The school office will be closed from July 1 - August 2, and reopen on Monday, August 5, 2024. All school business will resume on August 5. School administration and secretarial staff will be on vacation. Emails will be checked and responded to periodically.

If at any time you determine that your student will not be attending Palumbo for the 2024-25 school year, please notify us by emailing klthompson@philasd.org.

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Our New Student orientation will be held on August 22, 2024 from 8:00 - 11:00 AM. This is for students only. Students will receive their schedules, meet their teachers and classmates, and get to see their classrooms before the returning students arrive. All incoming 9th grade and transfer students in grades 10, 11, and 12 are invited to attend. Please register below by August 16, 2024.

Below you will find the document which provides the summer reading assignments for all grades. Summer reading assignments should be completed by the start of school. For ninth grade, both books should be read.

If you have not completed your course selection form, please do so immediately. Courses fill up quickly.

Incoming 9th grade students who scored proficient or advanced on the Algebra 1 Keystone Exam in 8th grade will be rostered to Algebra 2. If you are an incoming 9th grade student who took a full year of Algebra 1 in a non-district school, and you did not take the Keystone Exam, you will have the opportunity to take an Algebra 2 placement exam. The exam will be given on August 23, 2024 at 9:00 AM. If you would like the opportunity to take the exam, please complete this form by 8/16/24. This is only for students who were in a non-district school last year and have never taken the Keystone Exam.

Students who kept Chromebooks from their School District of Philadelphia school should bring their Chromebook with them to Palumbo for the 2024-25 school year. Students who are new to the school district will be assigned a Chromebook during the first week of school. If you are in possession of a Chromebook, but it is broken, you should take it to one of the repair centers before school starts. Please see the district’s website for pickup/repair locations and hours.

All students living 1.5 miles or greater from the school (1100 Catharine St.) are eligible to receive a Septa Fare Card. The card is good until the student graduates from high school. Fare cards will be distributed at new student orientation or during the first week of school. New 10th, 11th & 12th grade students who are transferring will receive a new fare card if eligible. All students are able to travel to school for free on the first day of school. Please see the district’s website for more information on Fare Cards.

With input from teachers, students and administration, the following updated cell-phone policy will be in effect for the 2024-25 school year:

Students may not use phones during class for non-instructional purposes. Teachers may either require students to keep phones in their bags (not in their pocket), or keep phones in a wall-hanger. Students are allowed to use phones responsibly before school, after school, and during their assigned lunch period. We highly encourage parents/caregivers to call the school's office at 215-400-8130 if they need to contact their student.

Consequences for students in violation of the policy are as follows:

1. After the first infraction teachers will have a private conversation with students
2. After the second infraction teachers will call the student’s home
3. After the third infraction students will be referred to the dean’s office. Thereafter the dean will follow progressive discipline according to the code of conduct.

We generally encourage families to wait until school starts and rosters are confirmed before purchasing supplies since requirements vary by teacher, but we know some like to get a head start and catch back-to-school sales. Our teachers have complied a general supply list for your reference, however keep in mind that supply requests may change at the start of the school year.

Please see this list of athletic opportunities for the 2024-25 school year. Pay careful attention to the "Announcements" tab at the bottom, as some fall sports begin conditioning in August. All students wishing to tryout for a sport must have a completed PIAA physical on file for the school year prior to trying out. Students new to the School District of Philadelphia will not be able to join the Google Classrooms until school starts, so check the announcements tab for updates.