Kindergarten and Pre-K teachers are still in the process of doing one-on-one meetings with families, which means  Monday, Sept. 11th is still an early dismissal day for these grades only. Be sure to connect to your teacher’s communication app of choice (Remind or PBIS) for the latest details.

Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Instructional Support (CR-PBIS for short) is a program for teaching students about behavioral expectations and how to display positive behaviors in their school, home, and communities. In addition to teaching the behaviors, CR-PBIS encourages acknowledging students for positive behaviors. 

Mr. Frangipani and CR-PBIS Coach Tareen Coston (Ms. T) hosted a kickoff assembly on Thursday. Click here to access the slide presentation, which explains the PBIS Adaire School Norms and how students can redeem their points. Families will soon receive a letter in your student’s take-home folder explaining PBIS in more detail and how to download the app families can use for tracking students' points. For more information about PBIS and the app, please click here. You can also contact Mr. F at jfrangipani@philasd.org with any questions

Adaire’s School Advisory Council (SAC) meets every other month to discuss important happenings at the school and provide the school leadership with valuable input. All family members, students, staff, and community members are welcome at SAC meetings. The meeting is held via Zoom, and camera-off multitasking is very much allowed. Register below to get the meeting link (will be automatically sent to you upon registration).

Let’s kick off the school year with a chance to mingle with your Adaire Community under our beautiful new school mural! There will be treats, activities for the kids, tables from community partners, free books, uniform swap, and more. Mostly it is a chance to hang out in the schoolyard and see old friends or connect with new ones. RSVP at tinyurl.com/adairebts23.

The Adaire Drama Club is excited to return for the second year with plans to run a youth production of The Wizard of Oz for grades 1*-8! From October-April, students will rehearse after school and ultimately perform in a unique youth musical version of The Wizard of Oz. Auditions will consist of scene reading with fellow students, movement, and singing. Audition materials will be shared in advance.

Important Dates:

• Now until Oct 3: Sign up for auditions using this Google form.
• Sept 28, 8PM: Pre-Audition Zoom Meeting. Register and ask advance questions here.
• Wednesday, Oct. 4: Auditions for grades 2-4 (Auditorium)
• Thursday, Oct 5: Auditions for grades 5-8 (Auditorium)
• Friday, Oct 13: Casting decisions announced (virtual, email)
• Thursday, Oct 19: First Full Cast Rehearsal (Auditorium) 

*Note: We are not auditioning 1st graders and will have limited (singing only) company roles available for this age group, based on participation last year and a small lottery for any additional available slots. 

Rehearsals will take place every Thursday after school (on days that students have a full day of school) beginning Oct 19 in the auditorium culminating in a Spring performance. Rehearsals will be limited to specific scenes each week so students will not be expected to attend every rehearsal (a full schedule will be shared with participants once casting decisions are made). Questions? Contact AdaireDrama@gmail.com. 

The program provides students in grades 5-8 with the unique opportunity to strengthen academic competencies through visual and performing arts practices. Students participate in fun and engaging science, math, literacy, and social-emotional learning activities as well as experience learning through different art forms (visual arts, music, dance, and theater).

The STEAM After-School Program runs Monday-Thursday for the duration of the school year starting on October 2nd. Click here to sign up and learn more. Please contact Mr. Frangipani with any questions at jfrangipani@philasd.org 

Engaged families help make Adaire great - and that engagement takes many forms. Your help with one event, one field trip, or one project can make a huge impact!! If you have even the slightest interest, please fill out this Google form to tell us a bit about yourself and how you might like to get involved this year. Returning families should complete it as well so we can get your updated info. No commitments are required, we promise. To that end, if you have a few open hours on days that there is an in-service or early dismissal and would like to help out in the building–let us know! There are small projects that can always be tackled when the students are not in the building. 

Friend of Adaire (FOA) is seeking volunteers for the Trunk-or-Treat planning committee. Our first meeting will be Sunday, Sept. 10th, 5pm. Contact Liz Naylor, FOA Events Chair, for more info. Meetings rotate between Zoom and Interstate. We’d love new hands to plan our annual fundraiser, which supports the 8th graders and general teacher requests. Also, everyone, please save the date: Trunk-or-Treat will be Sat, October 21st!

The School Advisory Council’s (SAC) Enrichment & Engagement Committee plans all sorts of fun activities throughout the school year. If you love fun events like a middle school dance, science fair, and career week this is a great group to get involved with. Contact Chair Lindsay Li at AdaireSAC.Enrichment@gmail.com for more info. New volunteers are needed this year!

Back-to-School Night is when caregivers get to meet their student’s teachers and hear a bit more about what’s on tap for the year. There will be two identical classroom sessions, so caregivers can attend multiple presentations, followed by a welcome from Principal Jenkins in the auditorium. Students do not attend the classroom presentation, but Friends of Adaire (FoA) will be sponsoring onsite childcare in the schoolyard provided by NoLibs Nannies. More info to come in next week’s eNews.

Preliminary BTS Night Schedule
Classroom Session 1: 5:00 - 5:30pm
Classroom Session 2: 5:30 - 6:00pm
Principal’s Welcome: 6:00 - 6:30pm
Questions & Mingle: 6:30 - 7:00pm

You can’t miss the amazing mural that Adaire students helped create last year and which Adaire parent Ben Volta and his team have been installing the last few weeks of August. A collaboration between Ben and his team, Friends of Adaire, The Marrazzo Family Foundation, and Mural Arts Project (with support from Penn Treaty Special Services District and the Joseph Robert Foundation), the mural has transformed the lobby entrance to Adaire’s auditorium. Save the date for the end of the school day on Thursday, Oct. 5th, when we celebrate this artistic collaboration and amazing new “front door” of our school.

Tiffany Welsh, Noontime Aide
Ms. Welsh (also known as Ms. Tiffany) has been at Adaire for 24 years! She keeps any eye on things during lunch and recess, but you’ll see her helping out around the building in other ways too. She loves listening to music and spending time with her niece and nephew. Her favorite thing about Adaire is working with the staff and kids.

Kathleen Moore, Noontime Aide
Ms. Moore has been at Adaire for 2.5 years and helps keep an eye on things during lunch and recess. Outside of school, she loves caring for her plants and flowers. Her favorite things about Adaire are our littlest students and watching the kids perform during music class. 

Tori Trunkwater, Noontime Aide
Ms. Trunkwater has been at Adaire 2.5 years and like the other aides, keeps things under control during lunch and recess.  Tori is also an Adaire caregiver, her niece and daughter attend Adaire.  The students and the staff are her favorite thing about Adaire.  

“Coach” Bridget Poisel, Playworks
Coach Bridget is a Playworks Partnerships Specialist working at Adaire for 1 week every month. This is her second year at Playworks and fourth year working within the School District of Philadelphia. Growing up in South Jersey, Bridget loved spending her recesses playing basketball and remains a die-hard 76’ers fan. Outside of work, she also enjoys running, trying new products at Trader Joe’s, reading four books at once, and spending time down the Jersey shore. 

Register now for the AIA Philadelphia Home Tours, this Fall, October 14th & 15th, featuring a residence designed by Adaire parent, Jeremy Avellino, Owner and Founder of Bright Common Architecture. This event highlights residences throughout the city, including Outlet, an energy-saving rowhome designed using Passive House principles and adapted to serve first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeremy will be there to answer any questions. For more information and to register, visit the AIA Philadelphia event page.