High School Sept. Newsletter (21–22)
Dear High School Families,
It has been a nice change of pace to see students in person again. The last two and a half weeks have been filled with opportunities for students and staff to reconnect with and get to know each other. Crew has provided a chance for students to get to team build in a small group setting. These moments of connection will help build a sense of community that will last throughout the school year.
At the high school, several occasions are available for outdoor education. Teachers and students get outside for classes as much as they can, and as we start to dive more into content in our classes, I look forward to the amazing learning opportunities our staff has in store for students. Thank you all for your patience and grace as we open up the high school this year. If you have any questions or concerns that come up, please feel free to reach out. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Cornell C. McCree Jr.
What's new at the High School?
Back to School Packets
Back to School Packets were sent out during the last week of July.
PSSA Testing
9th Grade students will be taking the PSSA tests in the coming weeks. Students will begin testing after Crew each morning and test up until lunch. Please see the schedule below:
ELA - 09/08-09/10
Math - 09/13-09/14
Science - 09/15 & 09/17
Please view the PSSA FAQ and review the Code of Conduct for Test Takers with your student prior to the start of testing. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Tardy Policy
In order for students to be successful, they must develop habits of punctuality. Tardiness reduces the instructional time for the student who is late. It interrupts the class they are coming into, resulting in a loss of instructional time and quality of all students in the classroom. Being tardy is defined as a student who arrives at class after the scheduled start time. With that in mind, the following policy will be implemented:
First & second tardy - teacher warning
Third tardy - teacher contact parent/guardian
Fourth tardy - lunch detention/after school detention
Fifth tardy - parent meeting with an administrator
Cell Phone Policy Update
Beginning this week, each classroom will have a hanging phone holder for students to check-in their phone as you enter the classroom. Students will have an assigned pocket so that there is no confusion about whose phone is whose. This is designed to reduce the distractions we’ve noticed from students constantly being on their phones during class.
In Case You Missed It
Health & Safety Protocols
Please take a moment to review the ECS Safety Protocols Reminder that went out last week.
Closed Campus
We will continue to operate as a closed campus which means adults will be limited from entering the building. If you need to enter the building for any reason, an appointment must be arranged prior to arrival. Please contact our office manager, Carolyn Manley, at 412-247-7970 x4400 if you need to set up an appointment.
Tutoring Services
Do you know about ECS’ free 1:1 tutoring program? The ECS tutoring corps has been tutoring ECS students since summer 2020. This optional service is available to all students in grades 1-10 who are interested in additional academic support in mathematics, reading, and writing.
Students commit to meeting with their tutor twice each week for 45-60 minutes
Tutors are high performing college students from universities across the United States including Carnegie Mellon, Dartmouth, & The University of Michigan
Tutoring takes place after school hours and is entirely remote
Fall tutoring begins September 13th and ends December 17th
Discontinued Chromebooks are available for 1st-5th grade families who do not have a device at home for tutoring (limit 1 device per family)
Learn more & sign up here: HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/FALLECSTUTORING
Questions? Reach out to Sarah, the tutoring coordinator: sarah.scott@ecspgh.org
Pittsburgh Promise
Please check out the Pittsburgh Promise Fact Sheet for more information about the program.
Important Dates this Month
09/06: Labor Day - No school for students
09/07: Rosh Hashanah - No school for students
09/08 - 09/10: 9th Grade ELA PSSAs
09/13 & 09/14: 9th Grade Math PSSAs
09/15 & 09/17: 9th Grade Science PSSAs
09/16: Yom Kippur - No school for students
09/24: Half day for students
09/29: High School Picture Day