What's Your Penn Charter Why? Parent Community Co-Chairs Lysa Puma P '22, '26, and Joy Chaffin P '25 tell us their Penn Charter why. What's yours? Run for Peace Saturday, Sept. 14, 8:15 am registration Each year the Run for Peace honors Peter K. Ortale OPC' 83 and Kenny M. Caldwell OPC '89, who died on Sept. 11, 2001. We hope you will consider joining us for a wonderful event that brings the Penn Charter community together to kick off the school year. Registration in the front circle begins at 8:15 a.m. 5K run begins at 9:00 a.m. 1-mile family fun walk at 9:05 a.m. Register. Please contact Christopher Rahill OPC '99 (215-844-3460 ext. 134) with any questions. New Parents Reception Saturday, Sept. 14, 4 pm, Head's Residence Head of School Darryl J. Ford with his wife, Gail Sullivan Ford, invite all parents who are brand new to Penn Charter to a reception at their home. Please contact Shawna Hanley (215-844-3460 ext. 110) with questions or to RSVP. Parent-to-Parent: Connecting our Community Parent-to-Parent: Connecting our Community is a teach-and-learn program modeled after PC's Teaching & Learning Center, where Penn Charter parents and caregivers share expertise and common interests. Since introducing this program in early 2017, we've had close to 300 parents gather together in small groups on and off campus to share knowledge and talents and build community and friendship. See some of things we've learned. We are kicking off the year with two exciting events: Decoupage and Drinks and a community book read of The Art of Breaking Things, the debut novel of our own PC parent, Laura Sibson. Laura will join us in October for a discussion of the book and her journey to becoming a published author. Sign up. We would love to know more about you and what you love to do, so please contact Jennifer Fiss with ideas. Parent Community Meeting Friday, Sept. 20, 8:15-9:15 am, Timmons House (3850 The Oak Road) Mark your calendars for the first Parent Community meeting of the school year! Hear from Head of School Darryl J. Ford and your Parent Community leadership about this new year. We hope you will join us and learn about exciting initiatives planned within our school community. Plan to arrive at 8 am to share a cup of coffee or tea with fellow parents. Everyone is welcome! Friends and Family Admissions Open House
Wednesday, Oct. 2 Current parents are encouraged to share their enthusiasm for PC with family and friends by extending personal invitations to our Family and Friends Open House. This event is not open to the public and offers our special visitors an opportunity to see the school more closely and without the crowds. Please share this electronic invitation or guide your recommended guests to register at www.penncharter.com/PCconnect. Admissions Open House: Volunteers Needed Saturday, Oct. 5 The Admissions Office is seeking parent volunteers to help staff our big fall Open House on Saturday, Oct. 5. We need strong volunteer support to make our big fall Open House successful. We are hoping to have plenty of parents on hand to make it run smoothly. If you'd like to help out in Middle or Upper School, please contact Jen Cubbin. For Lower School, contact Debbie McIlvaine. Adopt an Open House Lawn Sign
Each year, we rely on our current families to help to spread the word about our fall Open Houses. If you have a lawn sign from last year, please pick up a new date-topper in the Upper School Admissions Office or the Lower School lobby. Each date-topper is made to replace the small, rectangular date sign that is inserted on top of the larger, reusable sign. Just pull off the old date-topper and slide the new one on and you're done! If you need a new lawn sign to display on your property, several are still left and can be picked up from the Admissions Office as well. Thank you for your support! Pre-K to 12 Family Service Day at Cradles to Crayons Saturday, Oct. 5, 9:45 am-12 pm; Cradles to Crayons, 4700 Wissahickon Ave. (Entrance on Roberts Ave.) Join PC families (pre-K to 12) and support Cradles to Crayons for a morning of service. We will be sorting clothing, cleaning shoes and creating care packages for Philadelphia's most vulnerable youth. If you and your family are able to participate, please sign up. All are welcome! If you can't be there, another important way to support this effort is to donate to the clothing drive, at PC from Sept. 16 to Oct. 5, to support Cradles to Crayons. Please review the items accepted. Donation boxes will be in all three divisions. Future family service days: Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 am to 12 pm, and Saturday Nov. 16, 9 am to 12 pm, at Share Food Program. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sharon Ahram in the Center for Public Purpose. Yearbook Orders Due Oct. 1 Reminder to all PC families: Place your online orders for the 2020 Class Record now. Our yearbook is a full-color student publication that features students and major events throughout the school year. The cost to pre-order a yearbook is $65; extra books will sell for $75 as they are available in June. Online orders will close on Oct. 1. Parent Community Leadership Are you wondering who the Middle School division chairs are this year? Would you like to connect with the chairs of the Book Fair or the Grill Squad? You can find all Parent Community roles – and their contact info – on the Parent Community page of the Hub. Community Directories This year, we asked parents, faculty and staff to opt in if they wanted a simplified version of the directory consisting of family listings and class lists. If you did not opt-in but would like a printed directory, we have a limited number of extras available in each division office. Also, remember that the Hub has searchable student and parent directories. Program for Parents: The Stressed Years of Their Lives
Monday, Sept. 23, 6:30-8 pm; Friends Select School, Blauvelt Theatre Adolescent mental health expert Anthony Rostain and family therapist B. Janet Hibbs, authors of The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years, will discuss their recently published book, which is intended to help students and parents cope with the stress and anxiety associated with college. The book will be available for purchase, and a book signing will follow the presentation. This event is open to the general public. Register. Back-to-School Dance Friday, Sept. 27, 7:30-10 pm; Old Gym; cost $10 The first school dance of the year is open to all Penn Charter students. It begins at 7:30 pm, students must be in the door by 8:30 pm, and it is over at 10 pm sharp. All students must leave the parking lot (or be picked up) no later than 10:15 pm. Once students enter the dance, they may not leave early. Guests of high-school age from other schools are permitted if registered with the assistant director of Upper School by 3 pm the day before the dance; each student can sponsor one guest, and the guest and the sponsor must arrive at the dance together. The sign-up list to bring a guest will be posted outside Lee Payton's office. The dress code is casual (not formal or semi-formal), but students must still be dressed appropriately. MS Back-to-School Night
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 7-9 pm, Middle School Meet & Mingle first at 6:30 pm in the Middle School lobby Join us for our annual Back-to-School Night. The presentation will begin in the Middle School building at 7 pm sharp, so please arrive early in order to be seated in your child's homeroom by 7:00. When you arrive, you will be given a name tag and a schedule. During the evening, parents will meet each of their child's teachers and learn more about our engaging and vigorous curriculum. We will finish by 9 pm. We hope you will come early for a Meet & Mingle in the Middle School lobby, beginning at 6:30 pm. Enjoy light refreshments while meeting new families and reconnecting with returning families. LS Back-to-School Night Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, at 6:30 pm (specials teachers), 7 pm (welcome), Meeting Room (Main Building) All Lower School parents are invited to attend this informative evening. We will begin at 6:30 with a drop-and-stop with specials teachers outside the Meeting Room; at 7:00 we will gather in the Meeting Room for welcoming and important news and then move to grade-level presentations in the Lower School. Child care is available for school-age students beginning at 6:00; to sign up, please fill out this form no later than noon on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019. Chess Club (Grades 2-5) Fridays, Sept. 20-Dec. 13, 7:15-8:05 am; Lower School After-School Room Lower School is again offering a chess club for interested students in grades 2-5, taught by Ross Colby, chess coach. Cost is $100 for 10 weeks. Contact Daniel Stahl to reserve a space. This chess club will be part of a local independent-school league, and participants can choose to play in tournaments once a month (usually on a Saturday). All levels welcome. Other sessions are Jan. 10-March 13 ($100); and April 3-May 29 ($75). Try one session at a time or plan to do all three. Chamber Singers Opportunity Rehearsals begin Tuesday, Sept. 17, 7:30 am Chamber Singers is a non-audition vocal ensemble for fourth and fifth grade students. We perform along with other vocal and instrumental groups in the Small Ensemble Concert, which will take place on Jan. 28, 2020, at 7 p.m. in the Kurtz Center. We rehearse Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30-8 a.m., starting Tuesday, Sept.17, in the music classroom on the second floor of the Kurtz Center. Interested students should just come to the front lobby of the Kurtz between 7:20 and 7:30 on Sept. 17 and 19. Questions? Email Debbie Kaesshaefer. Lower School Squash Clinics
Tuesdays, 3-4 pm, Sept. 17 through Oct. 29 (7 weeks) Continuing our successful squash clinics over the past few years, these sessions are suitable for any Lower School student, from those looking for their first taste of squash to those who already have experience of the game through prior clinics, coaching or school squash. While the clinics are primarily aimed at grade 1-3, any interested fourth and fifth graders are also welcome to attend. Cost is $200, and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Clinics will be run by Damon Leedale-Brown, director of squash, with assistance from some of our leading Upper School varsity squash players. Damon has experience at the very highest level of coaching and training in the sport, and works with many of the top juniors in the USA. For more details and to sign up, contact Damon Leedale-Brown. Please indicate your child's level of experience and grade. 3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, PA 19144 215.844.3460 unsubscribe |