Cheltenham School District

CSD Cheltenham High School Student Council hosts the CSD School Board for the third virtual town hall of the year Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Available at cheltenham.org/zoom, this session will focus on the district's response to COVID-19. Submit questions prior to the meeting at cheltenham.org/townhallcomments.

Educational Affairs Committee Meeting Tuesday, Dec. 15 @ 6:30 p.m. Agenda: Remote and hybrid solutions using instructional technology Community is encouraged to participate at cheltenham.org/zoom.

This week, the district is highlighting PBL students and the public service announcements they created as part of the Empathy-Driven Change project. As calls for social and political change reached a fever-pitch in 2020, the Cheltenham High School freshman project-based learning (PBL) cohort took on the mission of fostering its own sense of political agency. Even though none were of voting age, the students created a sense of ownership by channeling their individual interes...ts and concerns into a professional message for change: The Empathy-Driven Change project. Freshman PBL students shared their inspirations and rationales for choosing their PSA topics Savannah Montague: When watching the news during this election season, I learned the highest black voter turnout was in 2008 at 65.2% when President Obama ran for president. I understood there could’ve been a lot of people who wanted to vote during this past election but their attempts were suppressed. There were a lot of people who didn’t care or felt as if their vote wouldn’t make a difference. When I thought of the many things people of color had to go through in order to get the right to vote, it didn’t make much sense to me that some people of color just decided not to vote. For example, 2020 was the first year (National Basketball Association Hall of Famer) Shaquille O’Neal voted. He could’ve voted earlier on in his life, but he chose not to. Voting matters because this is a democracy and everyone should care about what happens. If someone chooses not to vote, I don’t think they have the right to complain about who is in a position to make the decisions. If we want change, then we have to fight for our rights, and I think the best way to do so is by voting. #ProjectBasedLearning #ThisIsCheltenham

Click through for this week's edition of #ThisIsCheltenham. smore.com/7uwbn

Due to impending inclement weather, the final lunch distribution of 2020 for all Cheltenham students from pre-K through 12th grade has been moved to Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Click through for this week's update from Dr. Marseille. https://drive.google.com//1Kdl4zQATJ5H0l1am7xEVDF3V_/view

As #Decision2020 is upon the nation, we wanted to hear from student leaders, members of the CHS Student Council, about their thoughts on democracy and leadership. Q: What does democracy mean to you? A: Democracy to me means everyone was has an equal chance to express their political opinions despite their race, age, gender, or sexual orientation. ... Crae Wise Senior / Dance and Spirit Co-Chair #vote #StudentVoice #ThisIsCheltenham @cheltenhamstuco

Freshman PBL Cohort Fosters Student Voice for Social Change Throughout this week, the district will highlight students and their public service announcements on social media. As calls for social and political change reached a fever-pitch in 2020, the Cheltenham High School freshman project-based learning (PBL) cohort took on the mission of fostering its own sense of political agency. Even though none were of voting age, the students created a sense of ownership by channeling...Continue reading

Next Steps Remote Learning Plan Family Survey CSD requests families' input on data vital to our Monday, Nov. 16 reopening plan presentation to the board of school directors. In our Next Steps Remote Learning Plan Family Survey, your responses are anonymous and not attached to your child(ren). Your survey responses will inform the planning process and NOT determine the experiences your child(ren) will have. Our survey closes on Friday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. Take the survey>http://ow.ly/XpoP50CbBXM

You have been invited by the Yearbook Staff to sign up for "CHS UNDERCLASSMEN PHOTOS SIGN UP." Please click here (http://ow.ly/7KAl50CdK2t) to view the online sign up sheet. PLEASE READ THE BELOW INFORMATION CAREFULLY Sign Up:... Only ONE appointment time per person is permitted. Duplicate signups will result in the canceling of ALL appointments. Double Check the spelling of your name as this will be how it appears in the yearbook. Check your email address as this is how you will receive important forms and updates. Submit the form. Picture Day: The days of the photoshoot arrive at CHS during your assigned time slot. Drop your student off at the flagpole for building entry, and immediately proceed to the student parking lot. Wait in the parking lot to retrieve your student. IMPORTANT COVID PROVISIONS -Masks MUST be worn once a student exits the vehicle and until directed to remove it by the photographer. Masks MUST be worn after the photo is taken and until the student exits the building. -COVID forms must be completed to gain access to the building. This form can only be completed on the DAY OF the building entry. The form will be sent to the email that is on file with this registration. Please ensure that the email entered is correct.

CBK Students Lead Thanksgiving Food Collection As a means of showing their gratitude and giving giving back to the community, Cedarbrook Middle School seventh graders Nate Batiancilla, Alan Fazio, Billy Fishman, Nate Kelly, Finn Kopp and Micah Millis created a township-wide network to collect food for the Glenside Rotary’s 17th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive local in-need families. The pandemic has stymied the Rotary’s usual food collection methods. After partnering with CHS ...National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society students and CSD families, and distributing flyers across the township, the boys have made great progress in assisting the Rotary in collecting enough food for at least 100 turkeys and baskets. The boys’ food collection runs through Friday, Nov. 20. To make the collection more efficient, families can bring donations to the Calvary Presbyterian Church Fellowship House at 213 Fernbrook Ave., Wyncote on Wednesdays from 7 - 8 p.m. through November 18. The Rotary aims to provide Thanksgiving meals complete with a turkey, potatoes and fixings. Items being collected include canned vegetables, cranberries and gravy, boxed stuffing and potatoes and cornbread mix. Contact CSD Elementary Home and School Visitor Jen Mosher if you know of a family who may need assistance this Thanksgiving. #CSDimpact #WildcatPride #ThisIsCheltenham

Pulitzer Center Highlights PBL 11’s 1619 Project PulitzerCenter.org has highlighted the work of this past school year’s junior Project Based Learning unit using The New York Times Magazine’s The 1619 Project issue as an extension project for teachers across the country to consider using in their classrooms. Using a Teaching Tolerance Educator Grant, teachers Mark Hoff, Karen Shaffran, and Avril Somerville guided the students through the creation of quilt panels, as well as ...museum artifacts and a written piece outlining the artifact’s significance. In doing so, the teachers used the Pulitzer Center’s reading guide for The 1619 Project to expose students to topics in the magazine that they could choose for their projects. Students read and listened to 1619 Project-related podcasts of selected essays, and created museum-quality artifacts based on historic events or figures featured in the 1619 Project, supported by a written piece explaining the artifact’s significance. In small groups, students took a deep dive into one of themes explored in the 1619 Project, researching and contextualizing the lasting legacy of slavery on America’s national identity. This in-depth research ultimately became the basis for the quilt panels that students created. Inspired by the AIDS quilt, the students’ quilt panels represented their interpretation of slavery’s impact on the themes of capitalism, sugar, music, politics, urban planning and prisons explored in the 1619 Project. The Pulitzer Center raises awareness of underreported global issues through direct support for quality journalism across all media platforms and a unique program of education and public outreach. The video below is a quick introduction to our history and mission. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy_8sBoufEHfKvR_cXQzhUw #CSDimpact #ThisIsCheltenham #PantherPride Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

#STAYINFORMED Parents and guardians can now opt-in to receive important district alerts via text messaging. See attached flyer for instructions.