March Newsflash
Upcoming events
March 1: 2006 Southeastern Pennsylvania Science Olympiad Tournament. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Cabrini College, 610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA. Students in grades 6-12 from area middle and high schools compete for top science honors and a $1000 scholarship to Cabrini College. Free admission. For more information, call 610-902-4100.
March 3-4: Programs for Teaching. Friday, 3 p.m. - Saturday, 3 p.m.. Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel, 17th and Race Streets. Annual educational conference sponsored by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Health and Welfare Fund, with over 50 workshops. Registration: $3; Saturday lunch: $5. For information, call 215-561-2722.
March 4: Mural Arts Tour and Lunch. 9 a.m. White Dog Café, 3420 Sansom Street. Breakfast followed by two-hour trolley tour of some of the over 2,300 wall murals throughout Philadelphia. Return to White Dog for lunch and talk with Jane Golden, Artistic Director of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.Reservations and fee required. Call 215-386-9224.
March 8: School Reform Commission Planning Meeting. 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 400 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 pm the day before the meeting.
March 11: "Franklin & American Identity" Teacher Workshop. 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. National Constitution Center, 5th and Arch Streets. Michael Zuckerman, Professor of History at University of Pennsylvania, leads workshop on Franklin's legacy to the American people. Registration: $20, includes admission to the exhibit "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World," curriculum resources, and materials. To download registration form, visit www.constitutioncenter.org.
March 12-14: Pennsylvania Education Policy and Leadership Conference in Harrisburg. Fourth annual conference will feature two pre-conference workshops on March 12 from 1- 3:45 p.m.: "Building Effective Community-Based Education Foundations" and "Interventions that Work to Improve Student Achievement". Conference begins Sunday at 4 p.m. with session on 2006-07 budget proposal made by Governor Rendell. For additional information, see www.eplc.org/conference.html.
March 13-15: National Training Institute: "Teaching Youth about the Law". Sheraton-Society Hill, 1 Dock Street (at Front Street). Youth for Justice sponsors three-day conference for educators, community members, and other professionals who teach law and justice to young people. Small group trainings and curriculum included with registration fee. For information, visit www.youthforjustice.org/nti/home.html.
March 14: Reading: "The Emergency Teacher." 7 p.m. Robin's Bookstore, 108 S. 13th Street. Former Philadelphia teacher Christina Asquith reads from her new book about experiences as an untrained, first-year teacher working in a North Philadelphia school. Free.
March 15: School Reform Commission Action Meeting. 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 400 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 pm the day before the meeting.
March 16: Act 48 Workshops for Teachers on Free! and Chinatown Live(s). 4 - 6 p.m., Church of the Advocate, 18th and Diamond Streets. Learn to use improvisation techniques to teach Lorene Cary's book Free!: Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad - slave escape stories for middle-school youth. Learn to use memoir-writing with Asian Arts Initiative's recent book, Chinatown Live(s): Oral Histories from Philadelphia's Chinatown. Workshops followed by dinner, featuring performance by Art Sanctuary's North Stars. For information, contact Nicole Meyenberg: 215-204-7347 or nicolem@temple.edu.
March 17: "Connecting Community, Arts and Literacy: Sustaining a Network of Partnerships." 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Church of the Advocate, 18th & Diamond Streets. Hosted by Community Arts and Literacy Network (CALN). Conference sessions will include storytelling and art-making, panel discussions, performances and breakout sessions. RSVP recommended: attendance limited. Suggested fee: $10. For information, contact Nicole Meyenberg at 215-204-7347 or nicolem@temple.edu.
March 22-25: 17th Annual National Service Learning Conference: "We the People." Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street. The largest gathering of youth and practitioners involved in youth service learning includes 2,900 participants from the United States and 41 other countries. Schedule includes workshops, showcases, and keynote speeches. March 22 is Administrators' Day, an opportunity for district and school leaders to network and exchange strategies. Sponsored by the National Youth Leadership Council. Registration fee required. For more information, visit www.nylc.org.
March 24: Capitalizing on Diversity: The Next Steps. 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Drexel University, Creese Student Center, Behrakis Hall, 32nd & Chestnut Street. Interactive conference on maximizing organizational diversity sponsored by Fellowship Farm and Drexel University. Cost: $45.00. To register, go to http://www.acteva.com/go/PhiladelphiaDiversity
March 25: PennTESOL-East Spring Conference. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Penn State Abington College, 1600 Woodland Avenue, Abington. Spring conference for ESL teachers in the area. Workshops, papers, and demonstrations will introduce new techniques and current research in teaching and program administration. Dr. Annela Teemant from the Center for Research in Education, Diversity, and Excellence will speak on "ESL Concepts for Mainstream Teachers." For more information, contact Jane Gee at 215-885-2360 x266 or jgee@manor.edu.
April 5 - 6: Small Schools Institute. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Guest speakers will include Michael Klonsky of the Small Schools Workshop and educators from other small schools in this region. Registration: $320/person for 2 days, $175 for one day. Sponsored by the Center for Effective School Practices at Rutgers, http://cesp.rutgers.edu. Contact Ryan Peterson, rypeters@rci.rutgers.edu for more information.
Mondays and Wednesdays starting March 1: Street and Puppet Theater Workshop. 6 - 8:30 p.m. Taller Puertorriqueno, 2557 N. 5th St. Free workshop, using masks, puppets, stilts, juggling to prepare performance of Popol Vuh, based on the Mayan creation stories. For more information, contact Naylamp Street and Puppet Theater, at naylamptheater@yahoo.com.
Tuesdays: Poetry for Peace class with Gweny Love. 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Penn Alexander Community School, 43rd Street between Spruce and Locust Streets. All ages are welcome to participate. Free and open to the community, not just school students. Students under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. For more information, email weilcl@sas.upenn.edu or call 215-823-5288.
Thursdays: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Penn Alexander Community School, 43rd Street between Spruce and Locust Streets. Free ESOL classes for adults in collaboration with the Center for Literacy. For more information, email weilcl@sas.upenn.edu or call 215-823-5288.
Every Thursday: Talk radio program with Sandra Dungee Glenn, School Reform Commission member. 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. WURD 900 AM. Call-in number: 215-426-1310.
School Calendar
March 3: Schools Closed for Professional Development Day.
March 29-31: K-8 Report Cards Distributed. Early Dismissal for Parent-Teacher Conferences.
The Notebook NEWSFLASH welcomes brief announcements of events addressing issues of quality and equity in Philadelphia public schools. Email your submission to flash@thenotebook.org with 'coming up' in the subject line. We cannot guarantee the listing of your event.