ECS 🦅 December 2023 News
Dr. Adam Tobias
President
ECS Board of Trustees
Dear ECS Families,
At the November ECS Board of Trustees meeting, ECS’s director of Psychological Services and the director of Special Education provided an overview of the excellent work that the student services and special education teams complete throughout the year. District-wide, ECS’s student services team is composed of 5 School Counselors, 3 School Psychologists + 2 Interns from Duquesne, 4 Social Workers, 1 Certified School Nurse, and 4 Health Office Nurses. Their roles vary from day-to-day health, wellness, and attendance to college/career prep, crisis response, and intervention all of which combine to support the whole child.
ECS also boasts a robust special education program with 21 special education teachers and 19 special education paraeducators district-wide. In addition to external contracted related services such as speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists, this team supports ECS’s special education population which amounts to 20% of ECS’s overall student population and aligns with the Pennsylvania state average.
ECS takes great pride in fostering a sustainable environment and being a unique space for all students. While many might interpret sustainability strictly through an environmentally friendly lens, it ties in our resourcefulness, tenacity, resilience, and ability to accept, co-exist, and co-collaborate. When we do this, our goals are in closer reach, and it is only possible through a combination of and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
With that said, today is International Day of People with Disabilities, and together, we celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities in our community and empower them to reach for the stars. Learn more about IDPWD...
We Grow Citizens.
On Behalf of the Board,
Dr. Adam Tobias
President
ECS Board of Trustees
What’s New at ECS?
Dec. 6 Food Service Side Change
On Dec. 6, traditional German Pfannkuchen (German pancakes) will be available to students as a side item in addition to the regularly scheduled lunch (Buffalo Chicken Dip) as a part of the cultural celebrations.
Student Career Day Volunteers Needed
ECS is looking for presenters of color, women, entrepreneurs, and trades whose occupations are diverse and support the ECS mission and UN SDG goal #12 for its 2024 Career Month in February. Learn more and sign up!
Do You Live in Pittsburgh? Data Science Class Needs Your Help!
ECHS’s Data Science class is identifying community needs in Pennsylvania through an anonymous survey to send evidence-based recommendations to Senators through advocacy letters. To ensure a comprehensive data set, we are asking for YOUR help! If you identify as "living in Pittsburgh,'' please take this 5-minute survey by Monday, Dec. 11.
RFP for a CEO Search Firm
The Environmental Charter School District (ECS) solicits proposals from qualified executive consultants to conduct a national search to recruit and hire an education-focused CEO. Interested parties must submit all materials by Monday, Dec. 11 at noon. View the RFP information HERE.
NEW! ECS Foundation Officially Launched
We are thrilled to announce the official launch of the ECS Foundation, a dynamic initiative dedicated to shaping the future of education at the Environmental Charter School. The ECS Foundation's focus is to foster innovation, create financial sustainability, and inspire our students and educators while aligning with our environmental and innovative identity. Learn more and get involved!
Introducing Diligent Community–ECS Board of Trustees Website
ECS is excited to partner with Diligent Community as the new Board of Trustees website host. Diligent Community will allow users to sign up to speak at board meetings, view the board meeting live stream, review policies, and subscribe to receive monthly meeting reminders and agendas. Individuals who currently Receive Board of Trustees Meeting Reminders will receive a resubscription notice in the coming days. In order to continue to receive monthly notifications, you must confirm your email address. Please keep an eye on your email for a notification with the subject line “Confirm your email address” from notification@diligent.community. View the new site.
ECS Official Social Media Pages
As a reminder, ECS encourages families to follow its official, district-run social media pages to stay up to date on school happenings. Please review the links to ensure you are following accurate, ECS owned social media pages: Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Upcoming Events
Help Students Get on the Slopes ⛷️SkiECS Fundraiser–12/15 at Honeygrow
SkiECS needs YOUR help! ⛷️ Commit to eating at Honeygrow on Friday, Dec. 15 between 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Mention ECS, and 20% of the proceeds will go directly to ski scholarships to help get our students on the slopes! 🏔️❄️ Ski you there! Learn more…
Save the Date: Student Career Days
During Career Month, students will hear from diverse presenters and learn about a variety of occupations and opportunities that lie ahead. Save the date!
K–5 Career Day: Friday, Feb. 23
6–12 Career Day: Friday, Feb. 16
Hawks Out of School!
1/2 Day Adventures are Back!
Registration is open for 1/2 Day Adventures on Dec. 15th!
12/15 Assemble (4hr program) at PRI & INT - Energy Explorations
12/15 MadScience (2hr program): at PRI - Winter Wonderlab; at INT - Planets & Moons
Fall Athletics Recap and Winter Preview
WOW! ECS’s fall athletics program was filled with successes district-wide like HS Volleyball’s first season competing in SWPAA, the addition of Flag Football at Middle, and students’ participation in Dodgeball and Soccer at Intermediate. Review this season’s recap and learn about the Winter season from ECS’s Athletic Director, Rob Van Rheen...
Middle School and High School Boy’s Basketball Teams
The ECHS basketball team is returning to the SWPAA league for the 2nd consecutive year, and ECMS is pioneering its very first Middle School Basketball team! Check out both basketball schedules below:
Congratulations!
U.S. News & World Report Rankings
U.S. News & World Report ranked ECS's K–5 schools as the best charter elementary in Pittsburgh and #5 charter elementary schools in Pennsylvania! ECS's Middle School was also ranked highly on the list earning it a Best Middle Schools Badge! ECS is proud to continue its tradition of #GrowingCitizens. View ECS's rankings…
Dr. Hill 2023 Women of Excellence Awardee
Dr. Virginia Hill, ECS Chief Academic Officer (CAO), was named as a 2023 New Pittsburgh Courier Women of Excellence. She will receive her award on Friday, Dec. 8.
PCO News
PCO Meeting
Attend the next ECS PCO meeting on Wednesday, December 6th from 6-8 p.m. at the Middle School where Dr. Victoria Winkeller, fellow ECS parent and child / adolescent psychiatrist will speak about anxiety.
Save the date for the Wednesday, Jan. 10 PCO meeting.
Gingerbread House Event
Join the PCO for the annual Gingerbread House Decorating Event on Friday, Dec. 8 from 5–8 p.m. at the Intermediate School. All of the supplies are provided! A recommended $10 donation to the PCO is appreciated, but not required. Sign up here to attend the event.
Student Services News
Winter Health and Safety Tips
As chilly weather is upon us, please take a moment to review these winter health and safety tips.
Holiday Support
While the holiday season is often a joyful time filled with family and loved ones, it can also be stressful. We want to assist as many families as possible in our ECS community who need support during this holiday season. If your family needs a little extra help in the form of a gift card, please complete this form by December 14, 2023, at 5 p.m. Learn more about additional holiday supports in the Pittsburgh area.
Go Guardian Break Changes
ECS uses a Beacon software tool to monitor online activity from your child’s school account. During the year when school is in session, if any content related to suicide or self harm is flagged, a member of our Student Services team follows up with students and families to ensure that students are properly supported. During the break, the ability to monitor these alerts is significantly reduced. If an alert is detected, the notification will be sent directly to the parent from Go Guardian. As always, we encourage you to have open conversations with your child and/or contact Re:solve Crisis Services (1-888-796-8226) if you are concerned about your student’s mental health and safety. Because this software tool is only based on your child’s online activity, it should not be used as a medical or psychological assessment of your child’s condition, but more so an indicator that you should speak with your child about what is troubling them.
In Case You Missed It!
Food Service
As a reminder, breakfast is free for all students district-wide wide while lunch is free for students in grades 6–12 for the 23–24 school year. For more information, please review the Aug. 16, 2023 food service announcement.
Snacks & Treats
If your student intends to bring snacks or treats to school to share with their peers, please ensure the items are from the approved safe snack/treat list.
Sibling Preference for the 24–25 School Year
Have a sibling who would like to attend ECS for the 2024–25 school year? Please complete an application in your SchoolMint account by pressing the add new student application after Oct. 2. The application deadline for sibling preference is January 31st. Current students do not need to apply. Re-enrollment will occur in March.
“A sibling is defined as one of two or more individuals having at least one common legal parent/guardian. Sibling preference does not guarantee enrollment.”
Enrollment for the 24–25 School Year Is Open!
Let your friends and neighbors know about our open enrollment! The application deadline to be considered for the lottery is Jan. 31, 2024. Learn more…
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Half-Day Dismissal Times
Know your building’s dismissal time on Half Days:
Primary: 11:30 a.m.
Intermediate: 11:20 a.m.
ECMS: 11:50 a.m.
ECHS: 11:38 a.m.