* = NEW/UPDATED INFO.

Monday, November 4, 2024 - Regular Bell Schedule

• Toys for Tots Drive Begins

Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - ELECTION DAY - SCHOOLS CLOSED

• GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

Wednesday, NOVEMBER 6, 2024 - Regular Bell Schedule

• PLCs in room 335
• Grades Close 5pm

Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 1 Hour Advisory Bell Schedule

Friday, November 8, 2024 -1 Hour Advisory Bell Schedule

• Weekly Check & Reflect

SAVE THE DATES:

Friday, 11/15/24 - Report Card Conferences - Virtual 8:00 AM -11:00 AM, In-person 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Tuesday, 11/26/24 - Annual Fall Feast - Details to follow

As this election season winds down, I'd like to thank Charlie McGeehan for all of his efforts in engaging our students, especially those of voting age, in the democratic process and preparing them to get out and vote! Our students have participated in multiple events leading up to election day and have learned about the power they have and the importance of using their voices:

Palumbo students were featured in a Good Morning America segment this week about youth voting in the upcoming election. 12th graders Jaymirah, Briannia, Rochelle, Gianna, and Janeeiah had their voices featured. https://video.goodmorningamerica.com/gma3/video/campaign-focus-turns-young-voters-2024-presidential-election-114993049

Teacher McGeehan’s 5th period class also had the opportunity to interview Erin McClelland, the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Treasurer. 12th graders Gretta, Francis, Ivan, Kayla, Emily, and Kimora led the interview on behalf of their classmates. You can watch their interview here: https://youtu.be/gAhNiGnkksU?si=godLbst48cUojuG4

Stephanie Castro gave an incredibly powerful interview to WHYY at the March on Tuesday:

Jaylynne Reyes was featured in CBS Philadelphia’s coverage of the March:

HSA General Meeting (Virtual)

Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.

Stay in the loop by attending our next general HSA meeting, featuring an update from Principal Thompson.

Zoom link

Meeting ID: 827 7407 3060

Passcode: 342919

Attn UPenn community: Double your Palumbo donation through Penn’s Way!

Now through Friday, Nov. 22

Are you an employee, alum, or member of the University of Pennsylvania community? We’re thrilled to announce that Palumbo HSA is now listed on the Penn's Way “Going the Distance for our Community” campaign. That means that Penn will double your donation to our HSA with a 100% match. Select “Academy at Palumbo Home and School Association” when you make your donation by Friday, Nov. 22. Click here to donate today!

Donate to The Griffin Fund for Health & Wellness

We’ve raised over 20% of our goal – help us get to 100%

For the 2024-25 school year, The Griffin Fund is supporting the health and wellness of our school community. And we’ve already transformed the counselors’ space into an inviting wellness center. Students head to this relaxing space when they need to take a break from the stresses of the school day or are seeking mental health support.

Please consider making a donation to help us offer more resources and cover the upfront costs of creating the Wellness Center. Our goal is $15,000, and we’ve raised over $3,200. Check out photos of the transformation and find out how to donate.

Stay Connected to the HSA

Questions, suggestions, or expertise to share? Email palumbogriffinshsa@gmail.com

Follow us on Facebook

NEW! Academy at Palumbo Familias is our community-building initiative for Spanish-speaking families. Email HSA Member-at-Large Edwin Mayorga to learn more edwin.mayorga@gmail.com

Juniors and seniors who are proficient in English and another language should apply for the Seal of Bilitercy. Application is open now until 12/16. Palumbo will set up language proficiency tests for all the applicants between January and March.

See the attached flyer to join Seal of Biliteracy Google classroom, find the application link, and more information. Contact Ms. Chen or Ms. Fritz if you have any questions.

CYOP is a youth leadership initiative that creates a welcoming space for Mandarin-speaking youths to connect, develop leadership skills, and access resources to thrive personally and academically.

Through engaging activities and meaningful discussions, youths get more in tune with their lived experiences while building stronger connections with the world around them. We welcome all youths to exert their voices, strengthen the community, and grow together in CYOP. Students can apply at https://bit.ly/CYOP2425.

Congratulations to Freda Anderson on her contribution to a federal curriculum design project, organized by Digital Promise, OER Project, and University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, which aims to deepen discussions in high school world history! Check out their blog post!

Academy at Palumbo was well-represented by teachers and student's at last week's school board meeting. Students Aster Chau, Una Cutrone, Brendon Lin, Nina Jolles and Rose Semmel all spoke beautifully about the importance of funding extracurricular activities such as debate, mock trial and robotics. Teachers Mr. McGeehan, Mr. Burwasser and Mr. Kirby also spoke movingly in support of funding of extracurricular activities. They all do such amazing things in their daily support of extracurricular activities and spoke so well in advocacy for these programs.

Here is a digital postcard with senior portrait info. Paper copies will be distributed in school, and Ms. Arrivello will communicate appointment times to seniors.

Thank you to those who attended our College Info. Night. Here's a recording for those who couldn't make it, or if you need to review and of the information shared.

*We are encouraging all parents and guardians to sign up for the Parent & Family Portal. This allows parents/guardians to have access to valuable information about your child's education. With the portal, you are able to view grades, track test scores, see attendance, view immunization records, set communication preferences, and access report cards.

You can visit https://www.philasd.org/face/#parentportal to register. If you have any questions, please contact the Main Office.

You may use this electronic form to submit an excuse for your child's absence from school within three days of the absence. A doctors note must be provided after three consecutive days of absence. After 9 parental excuses, a doctors note will be required. Be sure to complete each section below to ensure the excuse is accepted. Written notes are also accepted in the main office. All request are subject to administrative approval.

Many families have been inquiring about purchasing Palumbo gear. Here's the link to our online store, where there's lots of selections, and personalization is available on some items. Click the picture to access the online store.

FREE Virtual Financial Empowerment Workshop Series!

Our school has partnered with Philadelphia Financial Scholars (PFS) to offer personal finance education to our students and families!

Are you looking to take charge of your finances?

Could you benefit from financial education?

Want to learn more about Budgeting, Borrowing / Credit, Insurance, Real Estate & Building Equity, Paying for College, and Investing?*

Join us for a FREE, six-week virtual financial empowerment workshop for school staff, parents, and caregivers!

The virtual workshops will be held on Tuesday evenings from October 15 – November 19 from 7PM – 8PM on Zoom.

The first 20 people who register will receive a $250 contribution to their child’s 529 or other qualifying education savings account once they have attended all six sessions! (Only one contribution will be made for each qualifying registrant caregiver/parent)

CLICK HERE TO RSVP TODAY!

*Information provided in these seminars is for educational purposes only. PFS does not provide investment advice. Everyone’s financial situation is unique, and the products and strategies discussed may not be right for your circumstances.

The School District of Philadelphia is excited to announce that our schools can now accept online payments from parents through SchoolCash Online.

By minimizing cash and check payments at our schools, we can increase safety & security in the schools, allow staff to focus on students, and make life more convenient for teachers and parents:

• Keep track of your child's school items and activity fees

• Check your account history

• View and print receipts

• Pay for school fees with a simple click

Visit https://philasd.schoolcashonline.com or use the QR code below. After you have signed up, you will receive notifications of upcoming events and items involving your child, including: field trips, yearbooks, spirit wear, athletic fees, and more. Enjoy the convenience of making payments from the convenience of your phone, home or office.

Benefits to parents and schools

SchoolCash Online helps parents and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. In addition to convenience for yourself, you will help increase efficiency and security at our school by making payments directly into our school's bank account. This allows teachers and secretaries to focus on helping students, and not counting cash. In addition, you are immediately informed about school activities!

How to create a SchoolCash Online account

The process has two steps: 1) You create a free SchoolCash Online account; 2) You attach your student(s) to your profile to pay for their fees/items and receive automated notifications about fee availability and due dates.

There are two ways for parents to create an account:

• Our SchoolCash system sends an invitation email to primary guardians, who can click a link to start the registration process and attach their student(s) to their profile.

• Any parent can create an account by visiting our district's SchoolCash Online page: https://philasd.schoolcashonline.com.

How it works

Powered by KEV Group, SchoolCash Online is the industry leader in the safe and secure management of school fees. This system puts all of the school-related fees for your student online for purchase. Schools post their items and activities and assign the relevant fees to your student, so you can then make purchases online using your credit card or any Visa or Mastercard product. This allows you to stay informed about upcoming school activities while keeping track of the school fees that require your attention.

Our online payment system, SchoolCash Online, also will be sending some Primary Guardians an email in addition to this email.

If you are a Primary Guardian in the school's Student Information System and you don't yet have a SchoolCash Online account with that email address, you will receive an automated invitation from SchoolCash Online to create one. You can always create an account at any time by visiting https://philasd.schoolcashonline.com.

If you are a Primary Guardian in the school's Student Information System, and if you already have a SchoolCash Online account with that email address but you haven't yet linked your student(s) to your account, you will receive an automated email from SchoolCash Online for each unlinked child. This email will ask you to confirm that you want the system to automatically connect your child to your account.

If you are a Primary Guardian, once you have logged into SchoolCash Online, you will be able to share the child's access to other guardians.