ECS 🦅 January 2025 News
Dr. Patrick Dowd
CEO
Email: patrick.dowd@ecspgh.org
Dear ECS Families,
Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! The entire ECS team is looking forward to seeing our students’ smiling faces back in the classrooms on Monday, Jan. 6.
During December, I had the privilege of meeting with families during two ECHS Principal Search Listening Sessions. Through this robust conversation, families shared their questions, hopes, and concerns as the district prepares to launch its search. Good Citizens, the search firm ECS has hired, joined the virtual session and gathered insights for the work ahead.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this insightful experience. If you were unable to attend but are interested in providing your thoughts on the ECHS principal search, please complete the Listening Session form by Friday, Jan. 17 so we can share your ideas with Good Citizens.
Finally, throughout December, our students took a deep dive into various cultural celebrations through the exploration of Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the winter solstice, and January will host similar celebrations like the Lunar New Year and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Not only do students learn about the people, culture, and history behind these significant holidays, but they also connect through food. Read on to learn more about this month’s important events, including January's Cultural Celebration Lunch.
ECS. We Grow Citizens.
Patrick Dowd
CEO
What’s New at ECS?
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 #10 for its 2025 Career Day on Friday, Feb. 28. Please complete the form by Friday, Jan. 17. Learn more and sign up!
DEADLINE APPROACHING: Enrollment for the 25–26 School Year Is Closing!
Let your friends and neighbors know about our open enrollment! The application deadline to be considered for the lottery is Friday, Jan. 17, 2024. Learn more…
DEADLINE APPROACHING–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.
BikeECS at Public Hearing
ECS’s Laura Brienza, BikeECS Coordinator, and Patrick Dowd, CEO, were joined by ECS parents at the Wednesday, Dec. 18 public hearing to provide their own statements as well as read statements from students. Together, their comments urged the city to maintain the bike lanes on Stanton Avenue and work with neighbors to meet their pedestrian needs. Thank you for your advocacy to ensure safe and equitable transportation in our community! Hear their remarks at 40:00, 1:18:00, and 1:26:00.
January Cultural Celebration Lunch– Friday, Jan. 24
Japanese Cultural Celebration
Chicken Katsu
Japanese Potato Salad
Sticky Rice (lightly dressed with sesame oil)
Green Onion for all dishes
Governor's School Breakfast Challenge
ECS will participate in the 2025 Governor School Breakfast Challenge starting Jan. 6, 2025. Keep an eye out for new breakfast menu offerings coming soon.
Alma Tip of the month
Important school announcements can be found in the Alma Bulletin Board. You can see any messages that have been posted by the school by clicking on the megaphone icon. If there are unread announcements, you will see a red number next to the megaphone icon. School announcements are also sent to all users' email addresses. Alma Bulletin Board
Upcoming Events
Save the Date: Student Career Day
On Friday, Feb. 28, students in grades K–12 will hear from diverse presenters and learn about a variety of occupations and opportunities that lie ahead. Save the date!
Save the Date: High School Graduation 2025
Hawks Out of School
Sign Up for Winter Out of School Time Programming
Registration for K–8 Out of School Time Clubs for the Winter season is OPEN! Programming includes:
For Primary: Assemble Pgh: Gems and Geology, Dance Club with Simon, and MadScience: STEM Odyssey–Learn more.
For Intermediate: ECS Drama Club (It’s a Musical Production!), ECS 3v3 Basketball, ECS Indoor Futsal, Dance Club with Simon, ECS EcoStewards, Assemble Pgh: Scratch Coding, Strong Women Strong Girls (SWSG/Girls Inc.), and MadScience: Crazy Chemworks–Learn more.
For Middle School: GirlGov!, Dungeons & Dragons & More Games Galore, Indoor Soccer/3v3 Futsal, KaPow! Cooking Club, and SKI Club–Learn more.
Learn more about this season’s offerings and register today.
Congratulations!
A+ Schools Report
ECS is pleased to announce that it received high remarks in the A+ Schools Report, specifically regarding PSSA Scores in comparison to other organizations in the Pittsburgh region. In addition to ECS graduating its first senior class in 2024, ECHS also had a diverse group of students participate in advanced courses. Learn more…
Intermediate School Students, Staff, and Families
The Intermediate School donated more than 1,606 pounds of food to the Wilkensburg Community Ministry during their November food drive. Congratulations to all and fantastic job!
Heinz History Center History Bowl
A select group of ECS 4th and 5th graders took part in the Heinz History Center History Bowl, and the 5th grade team placed 3rd. Students applied to represent ECS by completing an application explaining what moment in history they find most interesting and why and why they think it is important to study history. During the event, teams of 4 students were challenged to find answers to questions, think, and write creatively, and practice problem-solving abilities as they explored the exhibits.
PCO News
January PCO Meeting
Join the Jan. 10 Virtual PCO meeting at noon. See details for joining below:
Google Meet video call link or dial: (US) +1 406-905-1597‬ PIN: ‪962 182 558‬#
PCO Ice Skating Social–Jan. 24, 2025
Join the ECS PCO for its Ice Skating Social on Friday, Jan. 24 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Hunt Armory Ice Skating Rink. Sign up to attend and/or volunteer for the event…
Student Services News
Community Resources Special Education Recommendations
ECS’s Special Education team compiled a list of resources that might interest families. Please note that the resources listed below are not affiliated with ECS.
Parent Resource - Vision for Equality Parent Network
Pittsburgh Local Task Force (View the flyer)
PA Department of Education Conference is Feb. 5–7. Parent & student scholarship applications are available here.
In Case You Missed It
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.
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.