Superintendent William R. Hite talking to students at Alain Locke Elementary School (Photos courtesy of Philadelphia School District).

The School District of Philadelphia has announced an expansion of its early literacy pilot program and will provide modernized classrooms and materials to pre-Kindergarten through third grade students at 11 additional schools, including in West Philadelphia.

One of the schools already participating in this pilot program is Alain Locke Elementary School in West Philly where the announcement was made earlier this week during Superintendent William R. Hite’s visit. Due to its low performance in reading proficiency at the beginning of the year, Locke received upgrades from the District, including: desks, chairs and seating options better suited for students’ age groups; improved lighting, new paint, new cabinets and new closets in classrooms; and new technology in classrooms to support small-group instruction.  Continue Reading

UPDATE (April 5, 2018): Due to snow in the forecast for Saturday, April 7, the 11th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup has been postponed until next Saturday, April 14.

The 11th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 14, and residents are encouraged to join local community efforts at cleaning and beautifying neighborhood parks, streets and empty lots. There are numerous cleanup sites in West Philly; please visit www.phillyspringcleanup.com to find a site near you and register.

Also check out these cleanup projects hosted by local organizations:

• From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., join Cedar Park Neighbors in a spring cleanup at Cedar Park (49th and Baltimore). It’s time to get back outdoors and wake up the gardens! CPN will be doing general clean out and prep of gardens for planting. No experience is necessary, and tools will be provided. All are welcome, and it’s kid friendly! As a bonus, Dock Street Brewery is offering volunteers a special deal. For more info and to RSVP, go here: www.facebook.com/events/416760625418190/ Continue Reading

Mayor Jim Kenney announced the nine members of the Philadelphia Board of Education, which will govern the city’s schools after 17 years of state control. The board will officially begin work on July 1.

The new nine-member board, which includes six women and three men, was chosen from dozens of candidates. Check out the full profiles of all the members here. Social worker and administrator Julia Danzy will chair the board. The board also includes two members – Joyce Wilkerson and Chris McGinley – of the School Reform Commission, which was appointed by the state to run the school district. SRC members voted to dissolve the commission in November 2017. It will cease to exist on June 30.

The new board will embark on a “listening tour” around the city later this month. Members will be at the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 52nd and Sansom on May 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

West Philadelphia residents are invited this and next month to University of the Sciences to participate in a series of career development workshops. This free four-week series will help improve your resume, networking skills, job search strategies, and interviews.

Workshops will be held at USciences Alumni Hall (Room 100) from 5 to 5:45 p.m. on April 18, April 25, May 2, and May 9.

Space is limited, so RSVP is required with address and phone number. Please email: e.lohbau@usciences.edu or call 215.596.8970.

                       Photo by Rana Fayez

Do you have a porch? Do you love live music? Would you like to have live music on your porch? Then there’s some good news! The third annual West Philly Porchfest is happening June 2nd, 2018 and you can be part of it.

An outdoor music festival where the stages are neighborhood porches, Porchfest started in Ithaca, NY back in 2007. The concept spread across the country, and made it here to West Philly in 2016. The festival is volunteer-run and completely free, and you can sign up as a band, as a porch or just as a general volunteer.  Continue Reading

If you still buy tokens for your traveling this is a good time to switch to the SEPTA Key card. SEPTA will end token sales at all Authority-operated locations on April 30. SEPTA will continue to accept purchased tokens for the foreseeable future, but customers are reminded that tokens can be loaded onto SEPTA Key cards with the full value added to the Travel Wallet.

Tokens will continue to be sold in bulk to social service agencies beyond April 30, and third-party retailers will also continue to sell tokens to the general public for now.

SEPTA has been gradually phasing out sales of tokens since January, but will continue to accept purchased tokens for the foreseeable future.

For more information on SEPTA Key Card, go here.