Academy at Palumbo Newsletter – Week of March 5, 2018

Posted on March 15, 2018
Categories: News

Academy at Palumbo Newsletter

Week of March 5, 2018
Griffin Pride: Nothing Less Than Success!

Weekly Updates

CONGRATULATIONS  to our awesome Forensics Team!
They are headed to Washington, DC over Memorial Day Weekend to compete in the NCFL Grand National Tournament. Zillah Elcin who qualified in Oral Interpretation of Literature Charles Blain and Kenneth Nguyen who qualified in Duo Interpretation of Literature.

Hadi Hijazi and Morgan Wilson who qualified in Duo Interpretation of Literature. Please congratulate them and their coach, Ms. Sundeen when you see them!

-to the Chess Team for winning 2nd place at States in the under 1300 category!

MONDAY MARCH 5 – THURSDAY MARCH 8, 2018 – PALUMBO’S 1ST LITERACY WEEK
Sponsored by the English Department. We will run 30 minute advisories each day and will participate in schoolwide SSR from 8:20 – 8:30 daily! All students and staff should be reading literature of their choice, or borrow from the class libraries. During this time, students should not be engaging in any other activities, and should not be excused from advisory for any reason other than an emergency. Advisors are expected to promote and support this effort by leading by example and redirecting students who are off-task.

FRIDAY 3/9/18 – 1 hour advisory
*Interim reports for 3rd quarter tentatively due 3/14/18. This is contingent on the date the district will pull the data. I will provide an update as soon as I get word from the district.

School Musical

If you would like to support the musical by purchasing tickets or donating, please contact Mr. Jordan or Justin McDaniel at jmcdan@sas.upenn.edu.

Home and School Association
The Home and School Association needs your support! This year we are making an effort to raise money for several school projects including a fund to help students pay for field trips, the hiring of homework tutors, university/college admissions advisors, and SAT preparation specialists, special funds for student clubs and after school activities, and school repair and beautification projects. If you would like to donate to the HSA and support the Academy at Palumbo, you will also receive receipts for tax deduction purposes for your donation. To donate through PayPal, just go to your account (if you don’t have one, it takes less than a minute or two to set one up online through their website) and make your donations to: palumbogriffinshsa@yahoo.com

Parent & Family Portal Mailing Information
Find the Flyer here and Sample Letter here.

Student Activities and Clubs
Find a list of school clubs and activities offered here.

Student News

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4

Sports

See the online schedule here.

Programs and Resources

Temple University Pre-College Summer Programs
High school students are eligible to apply for a variety of programs and courses taking place on Temple’s campus this summer. Opportunities include music and dance programs, earning academic credit, architecture and environmental design, engineering and more! Apply by March 18 for the Summer Academy to have the $55 application fee waived. Learn more here

WesGold Fellows Internship Program (deadline April 30)
Current juniors and seniors at Philadelphia high schools are eligible to apply for this internship. There is no cost and the program will run from June 25 – August 17, 2018.

“The WesGold Fellows is a paid eight (8) week summer internship for high school rising juniors and seniors. This program aims to provide students with an intimate view and understanding of multiple components of financial education, college planning, personal and career development. WesGold Fellows is all-encompassing and empowers interns through various avenues: classroom instruction, guest lectures, and field trips to name a few.”
Learn more and apply here.

Penn High School Programs (deadlines May 1)
“Penn delivers the challenge of an Ivy League curriculum to academically talented high school students seeking a pre-collegiate experience. Explore Penn’s historic campus, engage with leading faculty and build intellectual connections within accelerated two, three or six week Penn Summer High School Programs.” High school students of all years are eligible to apply. Financial aid is available. Learn more about the different programs here

Opera Philadelphia’s Backstage Pass
“This February Opera Philadelphia is launching a new career-based initiative focusing on the careers available behind the scenes. This program is geared towards 11th graders, but is open to all high schools students.

Backstage Pass is a FREE program that will give your high school students an overview of the many exciting, well-paying job opportunities in the theater technical arts. These union-based trades such as Carpenters, Electricians, Wardrobe, Hair, Makeup, and Ushers workers will all represented. Students will learn how these jobs work in all forms of live theater, motion picture and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting, and concerts as well as the equipment and construction shops that support all these areas of the entertainment industry.

The participants in the Backstage Pass program will meet with professionals working in the various technical theater arts. They will have a chance to observe the various jobs through site visits and demonstrations, helping to build their network for the future. The program will culminate with each participant given the opportunity to apply for the various summer internships that are available.”
Learn more and register here

Engineering Tomorrow’s Careers, University of Wisconsin (deadline March 2)
Eligible students: Female sophomores and juniors interested in engineering

Content focus: This entirely student-led camp gives girls the opportunity to explore various disciplines within engineering, meet other young women with similar interests, and learn about college-life.

Timing: June 17-22, 2018
Length of program: 6 days, on Wisconsin’s campus
Cost: $250, scholarships available

Learn more and apply here.

College of Engineering Summer Program, University of Wisconsin (deadline April 2)
Eligible students: Current sophomores and juniors. Students who will be first in their families to attend college, low-income students, students of color, and women are especially encouraged to apply.

Content focus: ESP is a 6-week residential program designed to engage students who would like to explore careers in engineering. Students take courses in math, physics, chemistry, engineering, and technical communications and fill their day with other structured programming such as industry site visits, field trips, guest lectures, workshops, and faculty mentoring. 

Timing: June 16 – July 27, 2018
Length of program: 6 weeks, on Univ. of Wisconsin’s campus
Cost: Free

Learn more and apply here.

University of Wisconsin – ProCSI (pronounced “proxy”) (deadline June 15)
Eligible students: For current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors

Content focus: Students get to have fun discovering how important computer science and engineering are to modern research.

Timing: July 15-20, 2018 on Wisconsin’s campus
Length of program: 6 days
Learn more and apply here.

Crimespotters Law and Society Week Event (Thursday, March 1, 9AM – 12PM @ Community College of Philadelphia, Pavilion Building, Welcome Center)
“High school students are invited to join us for an investigative day where they will have the opportunity to experience facets of law-related careers at the College, including a demonstration of real-life examples of how geospatial technologies were successfully used to aid law enforcement in providing evidence that was used to convict individuals. Led by Deirdre Garrity-Benjamin, assistant professor and Geographic Information Systems program coordinator

Following the workshop, students will be led on a brief College tour as they participate in an interactive scavenger hunt through the Social Science and Justice Career Fair where they will meet and talk with visiting representatives from law fields, including the FBI, police, crime labs and more.”
Learn more here.

QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program (deadline March 21)
High school juniors are eligible to apply for this program, which provides free college prep resources to low-income students. Unique opportunities for QB College Prep Scholars include receiving full college summer program scholarships, fully-subsized college campus visits, one-on-one mentoring and exclusive scholarship awards. 

“College Prep Scholars are uniquely prepared to gain admission and full scholarships to top-tier colleges through QuestBridge. The majority are also selected as Finalists for the National College Match. Being selected as a College Prep Scholar is a notable distinction that celebrates your achievements and gives you an early start in applying to college.”

Summer Music Technology Program (deadline April 20)
High school students are eligible to apply for this free one-week music technology camp that uniquely integrates STEM with the Arts & Design.

“Using music, something all students are familiar with, we are able to explore technical concepts in a way that is engaging and impactful on students’ lives. Our hope is to engage with students who may not have otherwise considered science, computing, and engineering, particularly those from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM. All SMT activities involve hands-on, project-based learning, to explore sound synthesis, instrument acoustics, audio effects, artificial intelligence for music recommendation, musical app development, creative robotics, and much more!”

The program will run from August 6th to August 10th, 2018. Learn more and apply here.

Step Into College Conference (Saturday March 10, 9AM – 2PM)
This free annual conference provides students and families with an abundance of college preparation guidance, information and resources. This year’s conference will take place at the University of the Sciences, McNeil Science and Technology Center

Monday Cooking at South Philadelphia Library (every Monday, 4 – 6PM)
Learn about plant-based cooking through this hands-on community experience led by Chef Char Nolan, with exciting new recipes every week!

Family & Community Engagement
FACE serves as a central resource for engaging parents and families with their childens’ academic lives. Learn more and get involved here.

Al Bustan Spring Percussion Classes
Al-Bustan is offering spring percussion classes for adults and youth ages 12+. The classes are taught by Hafez Kotain on Tuesday nights at The Rotunda.

“Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture is dedicated to presenting and teaching Arab culture through the arts and language. ‘Al-Bustan,’ Arabic for ‘The Garden,’ offers structured exposure to the language, art, music, dance, literature, and natural environment of the Arab world. Al-Bustan promotes cross-cultural understanding among youth and adults of all ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds through artistic and educational programs.”

Let’s Get Ready
Let’s Get Ready seeks to improve college accessibility to low-income students. Enroll now for a free 9-week program beginning February that provides SAT tutoring, college counseling, and mentoring from college student volunteers.

PhillyCoder Dojo 
Learn to code for free at this weekly program. PhillyCoder Dojo equips youth with creative coding and development skills, opening a door of future possibilities for students. Locations and dates are located here.

Mighty Writers
Interested in writing? Mighty Writers runs free daily workshops all across Philadelphia for writing as well as teen programs, mentorships and college prep resources. Visit the online calendar here.

After School Activities Partnerships 
An online directory of hundreds of community-driven after-school activities and resources for Philadelphia youth. Visit the event calendar here.

More College Access Resources

Volunteering

Food Not Bombs
Help prepare and/or distribute vegetarian meals served to the public without restriction. Food Not Bombs is a volunteer-driven worldwide movement committed to nonviolent social change.

  • Cooking takes place at Ahimsa House in West Philadelphia three times a week (Thurs 3-5PM, Friday 2:30-4:30PM, Sun 2:30-5:30PM).
  • Food sharing takes place Thursdays 5-6PM @ 46th & Market, Fridays 4:30-5:30PM @ Malcom Park and Sundays 6-7PM @ The Franklin Institute. Full schedule details here.

Philly Reading Coach
Support literacy for elementary students by becoming a volunteer reading coach.

MANNA
Help prepare meals for individuals with serious illnesses in need by helping cook, bake and prepare meals in the MANNA kitchen.

Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission
Help serve meals to the homeless during daily lunch and dinner services. Application here.

Habitat for Humanity
Volunteer to help build and repair homes for those in need across Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society
Support and care for homeless animals by volunteering at a PAWS adoption center.

Mural Arts Philadelphia
Connect with the Philadelphia community through public art.

Scholarships and Contests

PhillyGoes2College
“PhillyGoes2College guides students through the process of applying and transitioning to college and other secondary opportunities. Whether you’re going for the first time or coming back as an adult, we’ll help you find the right programs, community resources, and financial supports to be successful.”

Find an online list of national and Philly scholarship opportunities here as well as other resources on the website.

Scholarships for First-Generation College Students
These scholarships are specifically awarded to high school seniors who will be the first in their family to attend college.  

Horatio Alger Association Scholarship Program
High school students with financial need pursuing a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree or certificate program are eligible to apply for scholarship awards ranging from $6000 to $25000. This scholarship program “
specifically assists high school students who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their young lives.” Read more and apply here.

American Society of Humane Genetics DNA Day Essay Contest (deadline March 9)
Submit an original essay that “
examines, questions, and reflects on important concepts in genetics.” Celebrate history, the Humane Genome Project’s completion in April 2003 and the 1953 discovery of the DNA double helix by participating! Prizes range from $100 to $1000. All high school students are eligible. Read more and apply here

The Philadelphia Foundation Scholarships 
A comprehensive list of scholarships available to high school students.

City Life

Free Museums in Philadelphia

Southern Foodways Panel Discussion (Monday, March 15, 6 – 8PM @ FLP Culinary Literacy Center)
“In the stories of Jacqueline Woodson, cooking traces the roots and routes of families and memories. Join pre-eminent scholars Dr. Jessica Harris and Michael Twitty for a discussion faciltated by local chef and food writer Valerie Erwin. They will explore the food traditions that inspire contemporary African American cuisines.”

The Free Library of Philadelphia Culinary Literacy Center is located at 1901 Vine St, 4th Floor, Skyline Room.
Learn more and register here.

Winter Fountains on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway (through March 18) 
“The free, outdoor Winter Fountains exhibition illuminates the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this winter with a stunning nighttime display of surreal, glowing videos projected on to four large domes. The dazzling works — inspired by the Parkway’s grand fountains — are a centerpiece exhibition of Parkway 100, the city’s 14-month celebration commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the avenue’s groundbreaking.”
Watch a stunning video of the display here.

ACCESS Card
Visit over thirty five local museums, science centers, gardens, historic sites and cultural attractions at a rate of $2 per person. Residents who “monitor their government issued cash, food, or medical benefits with an EBT card” are eligible to become an ACCESS Cardholder. One ACCESS card enables up to four family members attending at the discounted rate. 

Indego30 Access Pass
Enjoy biking around Philly? Individuals with an ACCESS card can enjoy unlimited 1-hour trips using Indego bikeshare for $5 per month.  

Students at Museums in Philly (STAMP) Pass
Open to all Philadelphia high school students, the STAMP pass offers free admission to Philly museums, attractions and special events. STAMP seeks to increase teen access to Philly’s vibrant art and culture scene.

Free Events at the South Philadelphia Library
An online directory of daily events and resources including career workshops, learning CPR and even jazz concerts.

More Free Things to Do

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Palumbo Newsletter compiled by Michelle Lyu and Justin McDaniel.
For any questions, please contact Justin McDaniel at jmcdan@sas.upenn.edu