New Parent Handbook 2022-2023
2 Let’s Get Started Mark Your Calendars 5 Athletic NewBack-to-SchoolPreseasonNightsStudentOrientations Mobile App 5 mySCH 5 Family Information 6 Health Services 6 myStudent Health Services .............. 6 Medical Team ............................................ 7 Dining Services & Meal Plans............................... 7 Transportation 8 School Day, Arrival, & Dismissal 8 School Supplies 8 Summer Assignments 9 Summerside Camps 9 After Care & Enrichment (ACE) 9 Dress Code 11 The SCHool Store & Clothes Closet 12 AmazonSmile ..............................................................12 InformationImportant Reporting Attendance 13 Blue Devil Athletics 13 Private Music Lessons 14 Divisional Handbooks 15 Weather & Alert Messaging 15 Technology 15 Communications SCHout 16 Social Media 16 SCH Mobile App 16 Livestream of Games 16 Pixevety: Photo Sharing 17 Getting Involved The Parents Association 18 Parents Association Events 18 Parents Associaton Newsletter 19 Special Interest Groups 20 Giving Back The SCH Fund 21 Pennsylvania Tax Credit Program 21 Contacts @ SCH How to Contact Us 22
Simply put, SCH centers community. I look forward to greeting you all very soon and extend my warmest welcome to your entire family. It’s going to be a wonderful year!
Having arrived in early July as the school’s new head of school, I am just a little bit ahead of you in the “onboarding” process, and I suspect this handbook will be as helpful to me as it will be for you!
3 Dear New SCH Families,
What drew me to SCH is what has likely drawn you as well—its story of tradition and innovation, its temperament of resolve and purpose, and the opportunity to join a community where lives are changed for a better world. It is a place that sharpens minds, softens hearts, and illuminates principles, laying the foundation for a meaningful life of impact.
Dr.Warmly,Delvin Dinkins Head of School
5 Let’s Get Started Mark Your Calendars Preseason for Upper School teams: Please refer to the Blue Devil Athletics tile in mySCH for details, including coach informa tion, practice locations, and schedule. Football August 15 All other teams .August 22 Back-to-School Nights Lower School September 15 Middle School .................................. September 22 Upper School ................................... September 29 New Student Orientations Middle School New Families (Virtual) August 16, Noon New Students August 31, 8:30 AM Upper School Fast Start (9th-12th) ..... August 26, 9:00–1:00 9th Grade Only ...............August 27, 9:00–2:00 Upcoming Events Parent Welcome Reception……September 8 Convocation Ceremony September 23 Homecoming Weekend……October 21 & 22 Mobile App All families and students are encouraged to add the SCH app to their mobile devices. It is available in the Apple or Google Play stores; search for “Springside Chestnut Hill Academy” and download it today! The app provides calendars (by division and all-school events & holidays), parent, employee, and student directories, team schedules, and a whole lot more! mySCH When you applied to SCH, you were given a username and asked to create a password for our private, secure parent portal. This portal is now your primary go-to source to find information. All content is organized by topic—health services, athletics, after care, campus map, and more! mySCH also includes a customizable school calendar, access to student schedules and grades (where relevant), and directories. We encourage families to review all mySCH tiles to become familiar with where to find information.
Family Information Please take a moment to review all information in your profile in mySCH. Go to the navy blue header and click on “Profile,” located under your name in the upper right corner. Please email data@sch.org with any necessary updates at any time throughout the year. (Many fields in the profile record cannot be edited by users as the information needs to be populated in a number of systems at SCH.) myStudent Health Services Parents are required to complete a “Vital Health Record” (VHR) for each student at SCH before the start of school/preseason. This record includes a number of check lists. Please refer to the myStudent Health Services tile in mySCH. Physical forms submitted must be dated within 12 months of July 31, 2022. (It is not necessary to schedule a physical before starting SCH.) In addition, required items on the checklist will need to be completed for each student at SCH: • Over-The-Counter Medication • Medical Emergency Consent and First Aid Permission Forms • Parent/Student-Athlete Concussion Form • Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan
Nurses: Anne Stout, BSN, RN Eileen Stumpf, RN Phone: 215-247-7247 ECC & Upper School
The Health Office is located in the Inn, on the second floor. Nurse: Kimberly Elgart, RN Phone: 215-754-1621
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When prescription or non-prescription medication brought from home is to be administered to a student during the school day, a parent or guardian must print and complete the Medication Permission Form, including a doctor signature. Form can be found on the Health Services tile and uploaded or given directly to the nurses.
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School Medical Team
SCH Academy uses MyPaymentsPlus, an online service that offers you the convenience and information you need to manage your child’s meal account. This system allows you to prepay into your child’s meal account, eliminating the need to send checks to school or worry about lost or forgotten lunch money. More information regarding dining services will be provided later this summer. The What’s for lunch? tile in mySCH includes details for families using the SCH meal plans.
Lower School
Dining Services
The Health Office is located just inside the main entrance of the McCausland Lower School.
All students should bring in their own healthy, nutritious morning snacks from home. Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students bring their lunch. In Grades 1–4, students have the option to bring lunch
There are two Health Offices staffed by registered nurses on campus. Lower & Middle School
Medications Policy
The school day begins at 8:15 AM, Monday through Friday, and ends at 3:30 PM Students participating in a team sport will practice after school at various times. (See SCH Blue Devil Athletics tile in mySCH for details.)
Lower School
Middle & Upper School Students may bring their lunch or buy food ahead of time through the school’s meal plan from our dining service provider.
8 from home or purchase it from our dining service provider.
School Day, Arrival, & Dismissal
The school day begins at 8:00 AM and ends at 2:50 PM, Monday through Friday. Middle School sports practices are 3:00 4:15 PM, Monday through Thursday, in addition to home and away games during each season. See the SCH Blue Devil Athletics tile in mySCH for each team’s schedule.
Upper School
Middle School
Transportation Annually, many parents take advantage of the free bus service offered under Pennsylvania Act 372 (Non-Public School Busing by Public School Districts Within a 10-mile radius). To determine if your student is eligible for busing, please refer to the transportation section in the Key Parent Resources tile in mySCH. The Public School District Bus Transportation Request form is required to be eligible for busing.
School Supplies
Contact: Carol Allison | callison@sch.org
Lower School
You will receive an email from your child’s homeroom teacher on August 26 with specific details about what to bring on the first day of school. In general, it includes a pair of rain boots, water bottle, full change of
The arrival window for all Lower School students is from 7:50–8:10 AM, Monday through Friday. Lower School students, besides those arriving by bus, should not be dropped off before 7:50 AM. The dismissal window for grades Pre-K—4 is from 3:10-3:30 PM.
9 clothes, and sneakers for PE if your student wears other shoes to school.
Upper School There are no standard supplies required for Upper School students.
After Care & Enrichment (ACE)
After Care: ACE provides a safe and engaging after-school environment for students in grades Pre-K–5. At ACE, students will have opportunities to build friendships while exploring their interests and hobbies. If you plan to use this service at any time throughout the year, we ask that you complete a registration in advance on the ACE tile in mySCH.
Enrichment: ACE also offers a wide range of fun enrichment classes for Lower School and Middle School students (grades Pre-K—8). Parents will receive an email with the class offerings each season and a link to register.
Students in all divisions should refer to the tile with this name to determine summer expectations and assignments.
Summerside Camps at SCH Summerside Camps provides innovative, creative, and fun camp programming for children in grades Pre-K–9 throughout the summer months. From coding to outdoor adventures to sports skills, there are a variety of options for every camper’s passion as well as our day camp, featuring weekly themes and exciting special events. www.sch.org/summerside-camp.
Contact: ACE@sch.org | 215-247-7272
Middle School Please refer to the supply list on the Middle School tile in mySCH.
Summer Assignments
Upper School
All students may wear any SCH top, including game jerseys and Players shirts, paired with dress code bottoms on Fridays to celebrate school spirit.
Collared polo shirt (navy, light blue, yellow, or Secondwhite)Layer:
Lower School Boys Collared polo shirt (navy, light blue, yellow, or Secondwhite)Layer: SCH sweatshirt for Pre-K Grades K-4 require SCH’s 5-stripe jersey
Footwear: closed-toed shoes
SCH cardigan, SCH fleece, SCH crewneck sweatshirt (navy or gray)Bottoms: navy or khaki pants, cords, or shorts, black or navy leggings; plaid or navy SCH
11 Dress Code
Students are asked to think of school as their workplace. Professional dress is expected.Collared Shirt (short or long sleeve), a button-down shirt, or a turtleneck
Second Layer: choice of approved SCH topsBottoms: navy or khaki dress pants or shorts (may not be cargo shorts/pants and must be pants in winter) or plaid/navy SCH skort (must be paired with navy/black leggings or tights in winter)
Bottoms: navy or khaki pants or shorts
Bottoms: dress pants (any khakis, nonblue denim pants and must be free of large rips/tears), skirt, or skort. Non-athletic shorts are permitted in September & May Note: Any hats/hoods should be removed inside of academic buildings.
Second layer: sweater, blazer, or official SCH apparel. Only SCH sweatshirts are permitted on campus
Footwear:skortclosed-toed shoes
Middle School Collared polo shirt (navy, light blue, yellow, or white) with SCH logo or no logo
Lower School Girls
Spirit Friday Dress
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The SCHool Store
The SCHool Store, located near the Middle School entrance, is stocked with items both practical and fun dress code items, spirit wear, school accessories, toddler gear, and a complete line of gift ideas. We also offer many of the items on the SCHool Store website:<< shop.sch.org
During the school year, students are able to make purchases at the SCHool Store if their parents/guardians have completed our form: “Permission to Charge to Student Account” found on the SCHool Store tile in mySCH.
Clothes Closet The Clothes Closet is a full-service resale shop—run by the school and volunteers–and a great resource for gently used dress code items. The store will re-open on August 24. The Clothes Closet is located at the Wissahickon Inn, just below the porch on Willow Grove Avenue.
AmazonSmile Shopping on Amazon? Start your shopping at smile.amazon.com! When you shop, Amazon gives! Simply designate Springside Chestnut Hill Academy as your charity of choice and a percentage of your Amazon purchases will be donated to the school. Amazon contributions go directly to the PA to help fund school spirit events. To learn more about giving back to SCH, please visit www.sch.org/give
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at-home ImPACT testing—Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and
Athletics tile in mySCH to provide families with seasonal coaching information, access to team stores, and more. Middle/Upper School: The school has the ability to send a notification—text or email—when there is a change to athletic schedules. We encourage all parents of athletes to sign up to receive these notifications. See the tile for instructions. ImPACT Testing All
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13 Important Information Reporting Attendance For any changes in a student’s typical school day, including absence, late arrivals, early dismissals, or dismissal plan changes, please use the following: Early Childhood Center (ECC): eccattendance@sch.org | 215-754-1637 Lower School: lsattendance@sch.org | 215-247-7045 Middle School: msattendance@sch.org | 215-754-1630 Upper School: usattendance@sch.org | 215-247-6282 When emailing, please cc your child’s homeroom teacher or advisor.
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Athletics The Athletic Department maintains the SCH Blue
Voice
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The Music Department sponsors an after-school private music lesson program enabling students to study with master teachers in a wide variety of instrumental choices as well as voice. program features instruction in Piano/Keyboard, Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass), Guitar, Woodwinds (Clarinet, Saxophone), Percussion, Brass (Trumpet, Trombone), and Voice. lessons are offered to students beginning in Middle School. enroll child for a 28-lesson program of private music lessons, Parent Resources to
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Lower School
Students will receive their iPad on the first day of school (LS students do not take tech home).
SCH provides all students Pre-K—12 with a device. Students Pre-K—4 receive an iPad, students 5—12 receive a MacBook Air. Tech support is available to students throughout the school day, as well as through email: tech@sch.org
15 Divisional Handbooks A digital handbook outlining the practices and policies of each division is shared in the fall. They will be posted in each division tile and in the Key Parent Resources tile. Weather & Alert Messaging In the event of an unexpected school closing, an unanticipated schedule change requiring immediate attention, or a school emergency, SCH Academy uses an alert messaging system that automatically dials specific phone numbers on record and sends an email and text alert message (if a wireless number has been provided). Please make sure that your child’s emergency contact information is up-toTodate.check your emergency contact infor mation: • Please use the student directory in mySCH and look at “Emergency Contacts” in your child’s contact card. These fields are not editable by users. Need to update? Contact data@sch.org Technology
Middle School Students will receive their laptops during the first week of school. Upper School Students will receive their laptops and training at Fast Start. All tech is on a 4-year renewal program. Families are responsible for the care of their school-issued device. All devices are covered by a warranty. Accidental damage is billed at a deductible of $99—$250 per incident. Students are asked to bring a fully charged device to school each day.
16 Communications SCHout The school distributes an e-newsletter every Thursday of the school year with important information—tips and reminders, upcoming events, news to know, and more. Please be sure to have at least one member of the household check the SCHout weekly. Have news of student achievements to share with us? Email news@sch.org. Social Media We are very active on social media and provide a lot of fun photos and stories for the school community to enjoy. Be sure to follow and like us on our many accounts: Main Instagram: @schacademy Main Facebook: @schacademy Main Twitter: @schacademy Main YouTube: SCH Academy Athletic Instagram: @schbluedevils Athletic Twitter: @schbluedevils Athletic YouTube: SCH Blue Devils SCH Mobile App Stay in the know on the go! The custom SCH mobile app provides parents and students easy access to key content right from their mobile device. Information about upcoming events, athletic schedules/scores, directories, what’s for lunch, and more—it’s all there! Go to Apple or Google Play stores and search for “Springside Chestnut Hill Academy” and download the app today. There is also a how to guide and video in the Communications Resources tile in mySCH. Livestream of Games Links to our Blue Devil YouTube page will be provided on the mobile app calendar for the games that are livestreamed.
The school manages Pixevety, a photo-sharing platform, for employees to upload their photos and share them with families. Please look for the Pixevety tile in mySCH where instructions, tips, and tricks can be found. Facial recognition is a key feature within Pixevety. Families are able to search for your child(ren) in the system and their photos will be facially recognized and archived in “My VIPs.”
Pixevety: Photo Sharing
Pixevety only allows those connected to your child(ren) to download their photos. You can see who your connections are under “My VIP’s.”
• Convocation Ceremony
• Walkabout Wednesdays
The Parents Association is overseen by an Executive Board that works alongside a vibrant network of committee chairs, class parents, and volunteers. A list of current board members, committee chairs, and class parents can be found on the Parents Association tile. Feel free to reach out to any of these parents with questions. You can also contact PA leadership by emailing pa@sch.org
Details about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities can be found on the Parents Association tile. There are several ways to meet other SCH parents in the months ahead, including:
The Parents Association’s biggest event is the Spring Fundraiser. This event requires many hands and is a fun way to get involved and meet other parents. The PA also hosts or supports a variety of other events throughout the year, including the Homecoming Family Fair, Photo Day, Book Fair, SCH Day, Spirit Day, Faculty & Staff Appreciation Days, and more. You can help organize them, volunteer at them, or simply attend!
Parents Association Events
The Parents Association
Every parent of a SCH Academy student is a member of the SCH Parents Association (PA). The Parents Association provides opportunities to connect, communicate, support, and participate in the life of the school by contributing their time and talents. The PA welcomes new parents, sponsors social gatherings, provides opportunities to hear from the school and outside experts on subjects of interest, and hosts fundraisers to support the school’s strategic initiatives.
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SCH Academy parents and guardians are welcomed into our community just as eagerly as our students, and we encourage their involvement.
Getting Involved
• Parent Welcome Reception
• Parents on the Porch Coffees
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Newsletter The Parents Association sends a monthly e-newsletter to all parents with recent highlights and upcoming parent activities. Parents are encouraged to submit photos from recent events and exciting news about our parent community. The first newsletter will be sent in mid-September.
• Homecoming Family Fair • Fall Parent Socials • Clothes Closet • Snack SCHack
Parents Association
Blue Devils Club
Friends of Robotics & Engineering is a volunteer leadership group that works to enhance the development of our student engineers and supports the robotics program through community engagement and fundraising. Service Council (coming soon!)
For more information about parent involvement at SCH, contact Andrea Eckert, Director of Parent & Community Engagement (aeckert@sch.org).
Special Interest Groups
Friends of Robotics & Engineering (coming soon!)
The Blue Devils Club is a volunteer leadership group that supports the athletic program at SCH. This committee falls under the joint direction of the Athletic and Development offices, and helps to increase community engagement in our athletic programs as well as fundraising and other volunteer efforts with the goal of overall excellence in SCH Athletics.
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The Arts Council is a volunteer leadership group that supports the arts at SCH. The Arts Council leads efforts for community engagement projects, such as the Crawford Gallery exhibits and the All School Art Show; provides fundraising support through the SCH Fund and the Restore the Rec capital campaign; and volunteers at arts events.
The Diversity Parent Resource Network (DPRN) supports diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in our parent and school community and plans activities that promote cultural appreciation awareness, such as the Multicultural and Diversity Festival and programming for MLK, Jr. Day.
Diversity Parent Resource Network
Arts Council
The Service Council helps identify and organize opportunities for community service projects, working in collaboration with the Development office and Upper School Service Council students to support the school’s civic engagement goals.
Giving is an integral part of the success of SCH. The extraordinary generosity of our community members makes SCH what it is today: a school with high expectations, strong values, and happy, hardworking students.
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The SCH Fund The SCH Fund, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s highest fundraising priority, is SCH’s annual giving program that supports all elements of the student experience such as the arts, athletics, classroom resources, technology, professional development for faculty, scholarships and financial aid, and more. These gifts make the SCH experience a reality and take us from good to great! All gifts of every size matter. Your participation sends a strong message about your confidence in our school and the education your children are receiving. Our goal each year is 100% participation for trustees, parents, alumni, and faculty/ staff as your commitment speaks volumes to prospective families, foundations, and corporations who gauge their interest in supporting our school on the overall participation rates.
To learn more about giving back to SCH, please visit www.sch.org/give or contact Brooke Mattingly, Director of the SCH Fund (bmattingly@sch.org).
Pennsylvania Tax Credit Program Through participation in the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs, businesses—and now, individuals—with significant tax liability, can earn PA tax credits when they make a contribution to a scholarship organization like YourSCH.support of SCH through the EITC/ OSTC program will help in the school’s efforts to make its educational experience available to the most capable students regardless of their financial circumstances.
Giving back
SCH and Philanthropy
22 Contacts @ SCH Have a question? Feel free to contact us! Our hours of operation on campus during the academic year are 8:00 AM–6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. How to Email Faculty & Staff Please use the Faculty & Staff directory in the mobile app or www.SCH.org for employee email addresses. Main Reception | 215-247-4700 Lower School | 215-247-7045 Douglas Wainwright | Head of Lower School | dwainwright@sch.org Zaccai Williams | Assistant Head of Lower School | zwilliams@sch.org Jaimeé Nelson | Administrative Assistant | jnelson@sch.org Middle School | 215-754-1630 Meadow Pepino | Head of Middle School | mpepino@sch.org Catherine Baney | Assistant Head of Middle School | cbaney@sch.org Bethany Meyer | Administrative Assistant | bmeyer@sch.org Upper School | 215-247-6282 Matt Norcini | Head of Upper School | mnorcini@sch.org Courtney West | Assistant Head of Upper School | cwest@sch.org Stephanie Schade | Administrative Assistant | sschade@sch.org For more resources, please check out our SCH mobile app. There, you can find upcom ing events, our online directory, and more!
Calling SCH? After Care & Enrichment 215-247-7272 Athletic Department 215-754-1636 Development 215-247-7003 Head of School 215-247-7117 Nurses:ECC & US Nurse 215-754-1621 LS & MS Nurse 215-247-7247 School Store 215-754-1649 Security 267-246-8427 Student Billing 215-261-6938 Transportation 215-754-1602 Campus Map: www.sch.org/campus-map
500 W. Willow Grove Ave Philadelphia, PA, 19118 www.sch.org
