ECS 🦅 December 2024 News
Dr. Patrick Dowd
CEO
Email: patrick.dowd@ecspgh.org
Dear ECS Families,
Happy Holidays! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break.
In partnership with the PCO, I’m excited to invite you to join me and the PCO at one of the following listening sessions:
In-person on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 3:30 p.m. at the Kingsley Association
Share your thoughts and suggestions regarding the transition and the search for the next ECHS principal. Stay and cheer on your ECHS Hawk Basketball team as they take on Hillel at 5 p.m. Please RSVP by Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Virtual on Wednesday, December 18 at 12 p.m.
Share your thoughts and suggestions regarding the transition and the search for the next ECHS principal. You will receive the virtual link to the conversation on the morning of the event. Please RSVP by Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The insights you, our parents/guardians, provide in combination with the information gathered from students and staff, will inform the hiring process, including the creation of the role description, interview questions, and more. I look forward to hearing from you during one of the events listed above. Thank you for your support and partnership in building and maintaining our high school, and thank you to Jonathan Baldwin, the PCO DEI chair, for his collaboration in this vital process.
Finally, December is packed with celebrations and holiday cheer. Throughout the month, students will dive into cultural celebrations surrounding Kwanza, Hanukkah, Christmas, the Winter Solstice, and more! I hope to see you at one of ECS’s many events including the ECMS and ECHS Winter Showcase on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Middle School and the annual PCO Gingerbread House Building event on Friday, Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. at the Intermediate School.
ECS. We Grow Citizens.
Patrick Dowd
CEO
What’s New at ECS?
December Cultural Celebration Lunch
December is full of cultural celebrations and our teachers do a great job of sharing various cultures with students in the classroom. While the ECS food service team would love to celebrate each of these cultures through food, ECS focuses on only one culture per holiday season. This year, ECS will celebrate Kwanzaa with a special lunch offering. Students will enjoy a Kwanzaa celebration lunch on Dec. 20:
Smothered chicken (chicken with gravy)
Hoppin John black-eyed peas
Collard greens
Honey butter cornbread muffin
Governor's School Breakfast Challenge
ECS will participate in the 2025 Governor School Breakfast Challenge starting Jan. 6, 2025. To complete the challenge, ECS must increase its breakfast participation while incorporating nutritious and local foods into the menu. Each student is encouraged to try our FREE nutritious breakfast. Keep an eye out for more information!
Food Service Fact of the Month
ECS food service is 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable! You can help our waste mission by participating in school meals at no cost to you.
Alma Tip of the Month
Looking for student report cards or transcripts? You can view all of your student’s report cards under the “Report Cards” tab. Simply click on any of the available report cards to view or download it as a PDF. For grade levels 3rd-10th, you can also access your student's transcript by navigating to the "Graduation Tab" and clicking on "Transcript."
Upcoming Events
Digital Harmony: Crafting a Healthy Digital Environment– Dec. 5
Are you always telling your child to take a break from screen time or reminding them no phone at the dinner table? If this sounds familiar, join ECS and its experts for Digital Harmony: Crafting a Healthy Digital Environment on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 6–7:30 p.m. in the Middle School cafe. Seats are limited so Learn more and RSVP by Dec. 3 to secure your spot…
Hawks Out of School
ECMS & ECHS Ski Club ⛷️
ECS Ski Club will participate in Slope Days at Hidden Valley on select Fridays in January and February. To register for ECS Ski Club, you must register for Slope Days and pay the ECS Ski Club member fee. Learn more and register today. "Ski" you on the slopes!
ECHS Hawks Basketball Schedule
Congratulations!
ECS is the #3 Best Elementary Charter School In Pennsylvania
ECS was named the #3 elementary charter school In Pennsylvania by U.S. News! A special thank you to our ECS community, families, and staff who continue to make ECS such a special place! Learn more…
PCO News
K–5 Yearbook Cover Contest
K–5 Students: Submit your original design for the K-5 yearbook cover contest! The PCO will feature the winning design on the front and back covers of the 2024–2025 ECS K–5 yearbook!
All yearbook cover designs must include the following:
School Name (ECS or Environmental Charter School)
Year (2024–2025)
Grades (K or Kindergarten-5 or Fifth)
Please use 8.5” x 11” white computer paper. It is helpful to keep text and images within a 1/2” border of the page so nothing is cut off. Submit a photograph (crop or close-up for image only) or scan your design and send it to yearbook@ecspco.org by December 9, 2024. The PCO will collect the original design after the contest winners have been chosen.
Gingerbread House Decorating
The Annual ECS PCO Gingerbread House Event is on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. at the Intermediate School. We will provide ALL of the supplies, you provide all the creativity! Space is limited, so RSVP today! We also need volunteers to sign up to help! Questions? Email sabrinafossi@gmail.com
Student Services News
Community Events Special Education Recommendations
ECS’s Special Education team compiled a list of upcoming events that might interest families. Please note that the events listed below are not affiliated with ECS.
In Case You Missed It
Join the ECS Foundation this Giving Tuesday!
This Giving Tuesday, we’re rallying to support ECS’s mission of empowering students through environmental education and sustainable practices. Together, we can make a difference! Help spread the word by sharing our social media posts, telling friends and family about our mission, or considering a donation. Every contribution brings us closer to creating a more equitable, sustainable future for our students and community.
Sibling Preference
Have a sibling who would like to attend ECS for the 2025-26 school year? Please complete an application by logging in to your SchoolMint account and pressing the add new student application. The application deadline for sibling preference is January 17th.
Current students do not need to apply. Re-enrollment information will be sent to all current families in 2025.
"A sibling is defined as one of two or more individuals having at least one common parent/guardian." Sibling preference does not guarantee enrollment.
ECS We CAN
Help ECS 2nd Graders reach their goal of recycling 100,000 cans for the Million Cans Recycling Contest from Oct. 2024 to April 2025. Students will earn $1 for the Primary school for every 58 cans they collect. Funds will support ECS Primary’s environmental literacy out-the-door education opportunities. With the money raised, Primary students will go on trips to the zoo, farms, the Frick Park Environmental Center, and more.
Here's how you can help:
Save aluminum cans.
Do not crush them.
Arrange for drop off at your building’s designated can drop-off location.
ECS encourages and prefers adults to drop off aluminum cans.
If a student plans to transport aluminum cans themselves, they are not permitted to bring alcoholic cans.
Building can drop-off locations are as follows:
Primary School: The can bin in the back parking lot.
Intermediate School: A can bin is located in the front vestibule of the school.
Middle School: A can bin is located in the front vestibule of the school.
High School: A can bin is located in the lobby.
Spread the word using the ECS We CAN toolkit.
If your business is interested in contributing to the ECS We CAN project, please complete this form.
The ECS We CAN Project is sponsored by PPG.
Get to Know the ECS Foundation!
Curious about the ECS Foundation and how it supports our school community? Discover what we do, how we fund innovative educational experiences, and ways you can get involved!
What is the ECS Foundation?
ECS Annual Impact Report
Complete the Excuse Form When Your Student is Absent
An excuse must be turned in within 3 days of the absence or it will be marked unexcused. You can submit an excuse in any of the following ways:
Complete your building’s form
Email your child's teacher or school office manager
Call the school office manager
Submit a note from you or a physician
Get Your Clearances, Get Involved!
With many classroom celebrations coming up, please ensure your clearances are submitted through Raptor, ECS’s School Safety Software, to volunteer in any of our schools. ECS cannot accept paper copies. Learn how to volunteer and what clearances are needed.
Half-Day Dismissal Times
Students will be dismissed at the following times on half days:
Primary School: 11:20 a.m.
Intermediate School: 11:20 a.m.
Middle School: 11:40 a.m.
High School: 11:38 a.m.
2024–2025 Calendar
View this school year’s calendar and subscribe to the online public calendar.