August 2024 Family News

Propel Schools Families,

Last week, we experienced an amazing start to the 2024-2025 school year! I share a warm welcome to families who are new to Propel – we are honored that you have selected us as your partner in education. I share a warm welcome back to the many, many families who continue to choose Propel Schools year after year.

At Propel, we believe that high levels of family engagement set the stage for scholar learning and growth. Throughout the school year, families will be invited to participate, collaborate, celebrate and advocate through events such as:

School Community Council Meetings (SCC) – SCC meetings bring school leadership, school staff, community partners and Propel families together for information sharing and gathering sessions as a way to strengthen our school communities. Your school's leadership team will share details about these meetings via Finalsite/Connect 5 communication.

Celebrations Of Learning (COLs) – Our scholars take to the stage and display their unique talents through 'CreativeArts' community partner learning. Look for dates to be shared by your Propel School.

Fall and Spring Family Conferences – Propel Schools holds the expectation that 100% of our families will participate in-person at family conferences. These events provide an opportunity for you to to gather information about your scholar's learning, ask questions and share your thoughts.

Save The Dates!

• Fall Family Conference Days – Monday, November 25 & Tuesday, November 26
• Spring Family Conference Days – Thursday, March 13 & Friday, March 14

Propel Schools Open House Network-Wide Event – Wednesday, September 25 – Plan now to be a part of this 'first-ever, network-wide' event! On Wednesday, September 25, our schools are excited to welcome families and scholars for an evening of fun and discovery. You will have the opportunity to meet school teams, chat with educators and even take a 'behind the scenes' peek at your scholar's academic 'work-in-progress.' Each school's event vibe will be a little different but all schools have the same goal – to welcome you to our school community as our partner in education!

We hope to see you all soon at a school meeting, a celebration or a family conference. We value you and thank you for choosing Propel Schools as your partner in education.

Dr. Tina Chekan

Superintendent/CEO

Propel Schools

Every Propel scholar is required to have an Emergency Contact Form on file. This information will be used If we are not able to reach a parent/guardian in an urgent situation. Please complete one form for each of your scholars by clicking HERE. If you have already completed this form, you do not have to complete another.

• Propel Schools is unable to answer questions about scholar transportation or make any changes to scholar transportation. Please reach out to the school district in which you reside for questions or changes.

• It is an expectation that Propel scholars will follow behavior guidelines set forth in the Scholar and Family Handbook. When scholars do not follow these guidelines and/or display unsafe behaviors while being transported, they may be given a bus behavior referral. Repeated unsafe behaviors could lead to a scholar being suspended from school bus transportation temporarily or even permanently. Bus transportation is a privilege, not a right.

• Kindergarten students MUST have an adult at the bus stop for discharge. The bus driver is not permitted to discharge a kindergarten student unless a parent/guardian and/or a responsible teenage sibling is present at the designated stop to receive the student. If a responsible party is not present, then the student will be taken to the bus garage from where the student's parent/guardian will be contacted and required to promptly pick up their student. If a parent or guardian cannot be reached, the child may be taken to the closest police station.
  

• The safety of your scholar at the bus stop is the responsibility of the parent/guardian until the scholar boards the school bus. Likewise, the safety of the scholar is the responsibility of the parent/guardian as soon as the scholar departs the school bus at their correct bus stop at the end of the day.

• No person may enter a school bus without the prior authorization of the transporting school district or the bus driver. Any person that attempts to enter a school bus without such authorization and/or refuses to get off of the bus when directed to do so is subject to a fine, imprisonment, or both pursuant to Section 5517 of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code: 5517 Unauthorized school bus entry. (a) Offense defined. – A person who enters a school bus without prior authorization of the driver or a school official with intent to commit a crime or disrupt or interfere with the driver, or a person who enters a school bus without prior authorization of the driver or a school official who refused to disembark after being ordered to do so by the driver, commits a misdemeanor of the third degree. (b) Notice. – A school district may place a notice at the entrance of the school bus that warns against unauthorized entry. (June 11, 1998, P.L.460, No.64, eff. 60 days) 1998 Amendment. Act 65 added section 5517.

• The Pennsylvania Department Of Education offers answers to Frequently Asked Questions about school transportation.

When you selected Propel Schools as your partner in education, you understood that scholars follow a uniform dress code protocol. We thank you in advance for supporting your scholar by encouraging them to follow the uniform protocol.

• A photo guide to the Propel Schools Dress Code protocol can be found at the following links: Grades K-8 dress code and High School Scholars dress code. The dress code can also be found on our website by clicking HERE. Scholar uniform pieces can be purchased from the store of your choice.
• If you are experiencing challenges or hardships in procuring uniform pieces for your scholar, please reach out to your school’s principal team.
• You can view or download the High School Dress Code HERE.
• You can view or download the K-8 Dress Code HERE.

For your convenience, we are happy to share vital information to support communication with your scholar's Propel School. This information includes:

• Names of the principal team & administrative assistant
• School phone number
• School day start and end times
• Email address for sharing scholar absence excuse notes

To view or download this information, please click HERE.

This list will be updated and re-shared with families as necessary.

We are excited to share that Propel Northside's award-winning Afterschool Program will soon receive a visit from the U.S. Department Of Education! This DOE team's site visit will focus on the program's development, structure and unique elements that drive excellence! To prepare for the visit, ONLY the Northside site will open on September 3. Northside families can register HERE!

You can download or read the flyer by clicking HERE. To register for the Afterschool Program, please complete THIS FORM! Space is limited, so apply today!

• It is the expectation that parents/guardians will not enter any Propel Schools building (including the Administrative Office) without a previously scheduled appointment. This includes ‘drop-in’ visits to talk with faculty or staff or to bring a forgotten scholar item (notes, lunches, etc.) In the case of a forgotten scholar item, please call the school to make drop-off arrangements. To make an appointment, please call or email the person with whom you wish to meet to make arrangements for a meeting.

• The policy can be found on our website HERE. Thank you for your support and cooperation as we strive for smooth school day building operation.

The 2024-2025 K-12 Scholar and Family Handbook is ready for your review and signature!

Families who have scholars in grades 9-12 can click HERE to access the 2024-2025 Scholar & Family Handbook. On the last page of the handbook, you will:

• Add your scholar's name, grade level and school
• Add your name
• Add your signature and date

You will receive an email confirmation of your submission and the opportunity to download your signed electronic copy of the handbook.

Propel Schools recognizes that student wellness and proper nutrition are related to students' physical well-being, growth, development, and readiness to learn. Through the Wellness Policy, we commit to providing a school environment that promotes student wellness, proper nutrition, nutrition education, and regular physical activity as part of the total learning experience. In a healthy school environment, students will learn about and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices that can improve student achievement.

For the health and safety of our scholars, the Wellness Policy provides clear guidelines about foods that may be shared by families for classroom parties or individual scholar celebrations such as birthdays.

You can review the Healthy Food and Beverage List For Scholar Celebrations HERE.

Only foods on this list will be accepted by the school for scholar celebrations.

Please note that all treats sent/brought to school for celebrations MUST be pre-packaged so that the

ingredients are readily available and so that foods can be easily stored/distributed to scholars. No

homemade foods are permitted. We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

The Propel Food Service Department invites you to apply for the 2024-2025 Backpack Feeding Program. Participating families will receive nutritious food items, including: 8 meal items and 3 snack items (i.e., cereal bar, Ravioli, fruit cup, one snack, fruit bar, and fruit juice).

The first distribution date for the Backpack Feeding Program will be on Thursday, October 3.

You can apply by completing this brief application Backpack Feeding Program application.

Occasionally, school events, classroom activities and special programs are photographed or digitally recorded by school representatives or others sanctioned by Propel Schools. Photographs and digital recordings may be used for posting on our website, in newsletters, to air on local news or to be used for marketing purposes.* To protect our scholars’ identities, we will NOT use their full names** or biographical information in conjunction with photographs/digital recordings designated for promotional purposes to the general public.

If you choose to complete this form and express your opt-out:

• School staff will notify stakeholders/ photographers/reporters of your preference.
• If your scholar participates in public events (or if the event or activity is taking place outside of the school building in a public location) Propel Schools may have little or no control over photographs taken by media, other parents or community members attending the public event
• Your scholar may be unable to participate in certain Celebrations Of Learning or other performances if the performance will be livestreamed or shared with external audiences.

If you do NOT give permission your scholar to be photographed or digitally recorded for the above purposes, please complete a Photography Opt-Out Form for each of your scholars.

if you do not mind your scholar(s) being photographed/digitally recorded for the above purposes, you do not need to complete the form.***

*Vendors contracted by Propel Schools (such as Lifetouch) will photograph all scholars every year

**Internally distributed materials (such as the school yearbook) will include scholars' full names.

***This is an opt-out form. If we do not receive a form from you, we will operate under the belief that you do not mind your scholar(s) being photographed or digitally recorded for the above purposes.

The 2024-2025 K-12 Scholar and Family Handbook is ready for your review and signature! Families who have scholars in grades K-8 can click HERE to access the 2024-2025 K-12 Scholar & Family Handbook. On the last page of the handbook, you will:

• Add your scholar's name, grade level and school
• Add your name
• Add your signature and date

You will receive an email confirmation of your submission which will also offer an opportunity to download your signed electronic copy of the handbook.

When scholars attend school every day and on-time, it sets the stage for academic growth! Information and expectations about school attendance can be found in our Attendance Policy, which we encourage you to review with your scholar.

We are excited to share some new information and some reminders for the 2024-2025 school year:

Automated Family Communication For Scholar Absences – The safety of our scholars is always a top priority. If a scholar is not present at school when attendance is taken, Propel will notify the parent/guardian of the scholar's absence. Beginning on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, an automated telephone call and an email will be shared with the parent/guardian via Finalsite Connect 5.

Scholar Absence Excuses – When a scholar is absent from school due to reasons outlined in our Attendance Policy (such as illness, bereavement, observance of a religious holiday, family emergency, etc.) the absence can be 'excused' if the parent/guardian of the scholar submits documentation of the absence date and the reason for the absence WITHIN 3 DAYS OF THE SCHOLAR'S RETURN TO SCHOOL.

This can be done in three different ways:

1. By sending a physical note to school with your scholar. The note should contain your scholar's name, grade, date(s) of absence, reason for the absence, and your signature. Your scholar should be instructed to give the note to their homeroom teacher, who will send it to the school office.
2. By completing our online Scholar Absence Excuse Form
3. Via email, using the addresses found on our School Information Page – The email should state your scholar's name, grade, date(s) of absence, reason for the absence and your telephone number.

Scholar participation in a "Preplanned Educational Tour or Trip" may constitute a "reasonable cause for absence from school." If your scholar will be going on a trip, please complete the 24-25 PROPEL SCHOOLS EDUCATIONAL TRIP REQUEST FORM

If you have questions about scholar attendance, please reach out to the school counselor or principal team at your scholar's Propel School.