NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 5, 2023
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November is Native American Heritage Month (NAHM). Learn more, get resources, and find events celebrating NAHM led by the school district here and from the Philadelphia Free Library here.
This weekend, we set the clocks back, which means it will be darker earlier. We know this can be a tough transition for some, and encourage you to be patient with yourselves and your students as we all adjust together. Here are some tips for surviving the time change with kids.
Please read below for news, info, and helpful resources. And, don't forget there is NO SCHOOL on Election Day this Tuesday. Have a great week!
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Meetings and Important School Dates
Mark your calendars! There are many ways to connect with the Masterman community.
THIS WEEK:
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Mon., Nov. 6, 7 pm: SAC Ad Hoc Bell Schedule Review committee meeting. Join Zoom meeting.
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Tues., Nov. 7, Election Day: NO SCHOOL
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Thurs., Nov. 9, 9–10 am & 6:30–7:30 pm: 8th Grade Coffee Chat - Join Zoom Meeting
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Thurs. Nov. 9, 7:45 pm: SAC Health and Wellness committee meeting. Join Zoom meeting.
UPCOMING:
- Nov. 14, 7 pm: HSA Meeting
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Nov. 16: First marking period ends.
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Nov. 22: 3-hour Early Dismissal
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Nov, 23-24: Thanksgiving Recess: School Closed
You can find the full SDP calendar here for 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 school years.
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Updates from the School Team
You can find the School Community Update Newsletter sent out on Friday, November 3, HERE. It includes:
- Calendar items and shoutouts
- Climate Culture Update from Mr. Gilken with info about student parking, the dress code, and news about the transfer of our building engineer, Ms. Kareema
- Counselors corner with info about AP Self-Study Assembly for 11th &.12th graders on 11/3, info about online mental health resource, Kooth, Taller Puertorriqueño leading music lessons for 5th graders, and more.
- You can find the folder with flyers shared here.
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Coffee Chats - 8th Grade This Week
The HSA Outreach Committee is inviting all parents to join in a grade-level coffee chat. Come and connect with one another, create community, and pool your knowledge and resources to guide one another. Folks from the HSA will be on hand to listen and answer questions as we can.
We are beginning with Middle School grades in October/November. Thanks to all of the community members who joined the 5th, 6th, & 7th grade chats and contributed to lively conversations the past few weeks.
Grab a cuppa and join your grade chat, meet old friends, and make some new ones.
Zooms will be open at 9:00–10:00 am and 6:30–7:30 pm on:
Join Zoom Meeting - Meeting ID: 867 3318 2683 Passcode: 818986. See you there!
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Beauty & the Beast Auditions Coming Soon!
Nov. 13: 5th Grade
Nov. 16: 6th Grade
Nov. 17: 7th & 8th Grade
Nov. 20: High School Auditions
Nov. 21: High School Dance call (all high school) plus additional high school auditions
Students should fill out the google form on the info sheet if they are interested. Please contact Mrs. Neu at kkelter@philasd.org with any questions.
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Athletics News
Last week brought an end to the fall sports season for many of our Masterman teams including Girls Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Girls Soccer, and Co-ed Golf. All of these teams had terrific seasons, qualifying for postseason play in the PPL, Districts and/or States. A big shout out to all the seniors and captains who led the way. Their leadership and dedication have set the standard for those who follow.
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Our boys' soccer team continues to move forward and into the first round of the 2A state championship bracket with a game on Tuesday (7pm) at Camp Hill.
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Our Co-ed Cross Country team will take the trip to Hershey to compete in the 2A State Championships. An amazing group of 10 runners will be representing Masterman. Runners include seniors: Aakash Jha, Tino Karakousis, Jasper Hinchman, Jason Sagle, Justin Liu; Junior: Cyrus Fisher; Sophomores: Saoirse Hyland and Tova Albert; Freshman: Bruno Beckman, Owen Kuster. Let's go Dragons!
The HSA Athletics Committee is seeking 4 student-athlete ambassadors to represent student voices. The committee seeks to enhance athletics programming at Masterman and build school pride and community through sports. Mr. Gilken (the school-based committee liaison) will send out a note to students with the application process.
The upcoming HS winter sports season starts November 17 and includes Girls/Boys Basketball, Girls/Boys Indoor Track, Girls/Boys Swimming, and "hopefully" Squash. Our teams welcome all abilities, including those with no experience. If you are a freshman, please do not be shy. You will be welcomed. We are a small high school and need you to join! If you are a senior who gave up on sports in pursuit of other interests, please consider that your college app process will soon be complete, and you will have time to squeeze in a fun sports activity. Note - this is a common trend of our seniors each year, so let's keep the trend going. Parents - your student will need to complete a PIAA physical form to join.
Student managers are needed for all athletics teams. If you have a passion for statistics, data analytics, film, photography, vlogging, and/or graphic design - these are all skill types that can be utilized as a student manager. Students should speak to a coach about their interests.
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Masterman Night Out at the 76ers
December 15
Join your fellow Mastermanners at a 76ers game and raise money for our athletics teams at the same time! Members of our school group receive discounted tickets and perks like early access to watch the warm-ups and a special gift for every attendee!
All you have to do is reserve your tickets here. Feel free to invite friends and family to share the fun. Tickets are limited, so order now!
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SAC Update
Thank you to all students, staff, and parents who attended the SAC meeting Wed., Nov 1 at 6 pm. If you missed this meeting, here is the November Meeting Agenda. You can also find the minutes from the Oct. 4 SAC meeting here.
Community engagement is what makes for an effective SAC, and we are counting on you for guidance on what is important to the community. There are many ways you can guide the conversation and priorities of SAC. You can 1) Attend SAC meetings and SAC committee meetings 2) Email jrmastermansac@gmail.com or any of the SAC members 3) Give your input via our SAC input form.
All topics and concerns submitted through this form and to SAC members are schematically collated for a big picture overview. SAC highlights issues followed by recommendations from SAC based on your input. Topics are also assigned to committees and school leadership for further discussions/actions/recommendations. This is done on a monthly basis in time for each pre-SAC meeting with Dr. Payne, which occurs a week prior to the SAC meeting, so that all community input and concerns are presented to school administration in a complete package.
In addition, SAC is identifying priority areas for action this year by studying the results of the SDP SchoolExperience Survey Result for J. R. Masterman School 2022-23 which the Office of Research and Evaluation administers annually to Philadelphia public schools to measure six key topics related to school improvement. Please take the time to read the survey results to see how students, teachers and parents feel about the school. Here are the SAC priorities from SDP SchoolExperience Survey that will be used to inform discussions in committee meetings.
SAC Committee Meetings This Week: All students, parents, and teachers are encouraged and invited to attend SAC committee meetings, which are all on the school calendar.
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Nov. 6, 7 pm: SAC Ad Hoc Bell Schedule Review committee meeting to participate in the discussion regarding the impact of the new 7th period A/B schedule on different cohorts at the school. The committee met last month and here's the review committee report from that meeting that outlines the primary concerns impacting students. Join Zoom meeting.
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Nov. 9, 7:45 pm: SAC Health and Wellness committee meeting to give input and discuss topics that impact the social, emotional and physical wellness of our students at school. Note: This meeting time has changed and will be at 7 pm on the second Thursdays of every month. The 7:45 pm start this week is a one-time exception. Join Zoom meeting.
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Funding Spotlight: Grants
The HSA’s grants process rolled out last week, with over $80,000 ready to be paid out in support of student activities, instructional enhancements, community building, and competitions that enrich every grade, every subject, and hopefully every single student at Masterman.
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Teacher Grants: Every teacher receives a grant for classroom incidentals, supplemental materials, or initiatives for instructional purposes.
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Department Grants: Each subject area at the school can decide how best to use this grant to enrich academics and support the most students and teachers.
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Grade-Level Grants: Each grade has access to a fund with which to plan special grade-wide activities for community-building, fun, and wellness.
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Club Grants: The HSA designates funds to support the operating needs of various Masterman clubs, activities, and non-athletic teams. Students participate in an educational process of developing their budget and submitting applications with the support of their faculty sponsors.
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Coach Grants: New this year, coaches of teach school athletic team has a small fund for incidental needs of the team.
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Competition Grants: This year there are also additional funds in reserve to help support teams that need to travel for higher levels of competition, to make sure that no students are barred from participating due to the cost.
Teachers, please reach out to treasurer@mastermanhsa.org for more information about applications and reimbursement! This grant system is designed to spread opportunities and enrichment across the school and student body, reducing barriers to entry for all students and elevating our collective enthusiasm and achievement.
Please continue to support the HSA with your donations so that we can continue to support our INCREDIBLE students and teachers this way next year!!
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OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES | |
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Students at Museums in Philly (STAMP)
Through STAMP any Philadelphia high school student can visit 20 museums and cultural sites for free. Just show your high school student ID and enjoy the STAMP discount.
Learn more and see the full list of STAMP museums.
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Free Online SAT Math Classes, Every Friday via Zoom, 7 pm
Infinite Mind Tutors, an online tutoring organization, and Math Girl Movement, a non-profit are offering free online SAT Math classes, designed to help students develop effective strategies and achieve a high score on the SAT exam. Students can learn more and register here. For more info, email Melanie Young at infinitemindstutoring@gmail.com.
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Free Virtual Tutoring
The School District of Philadelphia’s free Centralized Tutoring is open for kindergarten through 12th grade students. Click here to learn more about centralized tutoring and to register.
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Prepare Now to Chaperone Any School Event or Trip
The school district requires certain clearances and background checks for all adults entering the school or accompanying students at field trips and other events. Get your clearances now and submit them to the main office so that you're ready to help out at any time. Info is here.
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Masterman Safe Streets Resource
Check out this info sheet about the best ways to stay safe, be a good neighbor, and get help if needed when traveling to and from school. Watch for a printed copy to come home with your child shortly, and you can always access it on the Resources page of the HSA website. Huge thanks to the dedicated parent volunteer who worked with school leadership to gather this information and lay it out!
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Connect with Other Families
One of the best ways to stay connected with other families is through Facebook groups. These groups are not run by the HSA, but moderated by individual parents with kids currently in each grade.
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Donate to the HSA today and help fund this year's programs, activities, and improvements! | |
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Donations fund the many programs and initiatives of the HSA that support our school, teachers, families, and students.
Whether you are able to give $5 or $500, your gift is meaningful, and signals your commitment to our community.
Your donation today accelerates our fall membership drive.
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Masterman Swag
You can always source standard items, including athletic wear, hats, and water bottles, from the HSA’s Squadlocker store.
Alumni gear: There are now t-shirts and hoodies with a Masterman Alumni logo on them in the shop.
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Help Us Thank Our Auction Sponsors
Over 100 businesses donated to the spring auction last year to support the Masterman HSA. Show your gratitude by supporting them in return! Browse the list here.
Interested in supporting this year's auction, to take place in spring 2024? Email auction@mastermanhsa.org!
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Spread the Word
Do you have news or announcements that you want to share with the school community? Is there information you'd like to see featured here?
Email newsletter@mastermanhsa.org.
Connect others with the HSA by forwarding this email or sharing this link to subscribe to the newsletter!
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