40 YEARS: AT CAP WE BUILD FUTURES

CAP

CONNECTED

Hello Families of CAP,

Due to the changing environment in Philadelphia and the concerns from our families and other factors, CAP will be 100% cyber for the beginning of the school year through November.  Decisions and planning have not been easy, but we believe that this plan will help the CAP Family stay safe, as well as, be able to switch gears to in-school instruction later in the school year.  It is so important in this cyber world that CAP has the most up to date information for communication.   Important, please click on this link so that CAP can contact you regarding the next steps.  https://forms.gle/SaxKWAGVcpUzya5a9

This letter explains CAP’s mission with home instruction, which we are now calling “CAP Connected.”  All students are still connected to the CAP Family even when they are at home.

At Home Instruction (100% Cyber) “CAP CONNECTED”

CAP will begin the school year fully cyber.  Therefore, we are creating plans that will easily flow from at-home instruction to in-school instruction later in the school year. 

All students will be placed into homerooms and rostered into classes as if they are in school.  The CAP Connected teacher is your child’s teacher if they were in the classroom.  There may be some added support teachers to aid at home instruction but curriculum content will come from your child’s classroom teacher.  When your child can return to the classroom from at-home instruction, she/he stay with the same class they have been with all year.

Each family will be asked to designate a Learning Coach to support your child's learning and to be in communication with the school about your child's academic progress.  This can be a parent or could be someone else that the family designates.  Please list the Learning Coach on the above Google link.

Each child from K-12 will be supplied with a device.  This device will be appropriate to the age level of the student.  CAP will be using Google Classroom and, in some grades, ClassTag too.  Here is an introductory video link of Google Classroom.  https://youtu.be/IgS-hoSIjnw

Preparing for at Home Instruction

Our teachers have been and are spending the summer months preparing for the new world CAP and CAP families will be entering this year.  Below are just some of the training our teachers have been participating in:

Lucy Calkins Writing Program for in-school and distance learning in grades K-6.

Fundations K-3 in and home instruction programs and take home support materials

Wilson Reading System and Wilson Language Training for in-school instruction supported by at-home instruction

Eureka math training for in-school and online instruction for grades K-8

STEM online training for in-school and online instruction for K-12

Clever and Study Island professional developments for K-12 teachers.

CommonLit Webinars with HS English and Social Studies Departments

EdPuzzle Professional Development for online instruction

Supporting Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners during online and hybrid learning.

And much more…

CAP will also be providing for parents and families online, as well as, small in-person workshops to help parents navigate this new world of at-home instruction.  

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that have been emailed in and I believe are important for all to hear the answers. 

FAQs

1.  How will students go about getting a Chromebook?  We will be scheduling device pick-ups during the week of August 24th.  Any student that already has a laptop will keep the same laptop from the Spring. 

2.  Do I need to buy a gym uniform?  Please wait on buying a gym uniform until we know when in school instruction will resume.  This guidance may not come until the school year begins.  We will give students time to buy the gym uniform.

3.  Will I need to buy school supplies?  Teachers will send a written notification home.  Until requested, please wait to buy school supplies.

4.  Will there be high school sports in the Fall?  Updated information regarding HS athletics will be coming out soon.  Guidelines are changing and we are waiting for guidance on summer workouts.

One thing I know about this CAP Family is we are a strong group and we will get through these difficult times together connected in our love of education.  Home and school are more important than ever.  More updates will be coming each week. 

Take care,

Alberta Proietta O'Brien, EdD

Acting CEO
Community Academy of Philadelphia, PA Charter School
1100 East Erie Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19124-5424
(215) 533-6700 X 1501
(267) 345-0556 Fax
Email: aobrien@communityacademy.org
www.communityacademy.org

Accredited Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools PreK-12
Serving and Celebrating the community for 40 years

    INFORMATION REGARDING CORONAVIRUS

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Effective June 9, 2020, SFA's may direct parents/guardians to the following online P-EBT Inquiry Form if the parent/guardian believes they should have already received P-EBT benefits at https://www.emergencymealsurvey.com/PA. 

The following issuance timeline is also provided on the welcome page of the P-EBT Inquiry Form. SFAs may communicate this timeline to families as well. 

• P-EBT benefit issuance for current SNAP and TANF EBT cardholders will be complete by June 8, 2020, if their school-aged child was receiving free or reduced-price meals before May 20, 2020. Current SNAP and TANF EBT Cardholders can check their card balance by calling 1-888-328-7366 or using www.connectebt.com.

• Free and reduced eligible school-aged students that are not SNAP/TANF or those receiving SNAP or TANF that became eligible for free or reduced-price meals after May 20, 2020, while P-EBT cards are being mailed and should be received by the end of June 2020.

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The Family’s First Coronavirus Response Act authorized a new benefit called Pandemic EBT to help families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. The benefit will come on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, which is like a debit card. The benefits can only be spent on food items at any store that accepts SNAP (“food stamps”). P-EBT is a one-time payment that aims to help parents afford food for children who could be receiving free or reduced-price school meals if their schools were open.

The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provides benefits, referred to as Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT), to families of school-aged children who would have otherwise received free or reduced-priced meals if it were not for school closures.

The families at CAP will receive the approximate food benefit amount of $365.00 for each school-aged child in their family.

This benefit will be issued in the form of a P-EBT card by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS).

            If you already have an active EBT (SNAP) card, the P-EBT funds will be automatically added to your card. You do not need to do anything for this to occur. 

If you do not have an active EBT (SNAP) card and your mailing address is correct in PowerSchool you also do not need to do anything to receive your P-EBT card. If your mailing address is not correct, please provide your current mailing address to ensure the proper delivery of your P-EBT card.

When will I get my P-EBT?

Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and Department of Education will begin to issue P-EBT benefits using information from schools within approximately 15 days of plan approval. They will issue the benefits in phases. Households that are already getting SNAP (food stamps), Medical Assistance, or TANF Cash Assistance will receive P-EBT benefits first. In the second phase, the state will mail P-EBT cards to other households with students who are already enrolled in school meals or who attend a CEP school like CAP. Households with newly enrolled students will receive their P-EBT cards throughout the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

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The PA Department of Human Services website with information about 'Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) Supplemental Payments' is: www.dhs.pa.gov/providers/Providers/Pages/Coronavirus-Pandemic-EBT.aspx

If you would like to report a specific problem with your P-EBT benefits, such as not receiving the benefit, not receiving for every eligible child, receiving the incorrect amount for a child, or having a lost or damaged P-EBT card, please visit www.emergencymealsurvey.com/PAOpens In A New Window 

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For any questions about the Corona Virus" go
to https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx

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Free Meals for Children in the Summer The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) offers free, nutritious meals to children 18 years and younger during the summer when school is not in session.

The link to find a location near you is https://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks

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Free Community Wi-Fi Hot-Spots:  The FCC has asked the nation’s telecommunications companies to take the 

https://www.fcc.gov/keep-americans-connected, which includes a commitment that vendors make their

community Wi-Fi Hotspots open and free to all:

•  Comcast/Xfinity - https://hotspots.wifi.xfinity.com/

•  Zito Media - https://www.zitomedia.net/wifi/

• Frontier - http://www.frontierwifi.com/coverageareafrontier.aspx

• Atlantic Broadband - https://atlanticbb.com/my-services/my-account/wifi-hotspots

National Free Wi-Fi Map - https://www.wifimap.io/.  Many of these locations are restaurants that are now closed, but their parking lots may continue to have active service.

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 Click Here To See CAP's Continuity of Education Distance Learning Plan

“Gov. Wolf and Secretary Ramos announced that schools will be physically closed until the end of the school year.  CAP will continue its Distance Learning Plan.  To find out more about that plan, please go to the COVID-19 tab along the top bar.”

If you have not received email updates from CAP, please update your email at:

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Special education teachers will be in contact with students and their families regarding individualized services [for students with IEPs and 504 Service Plans]

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