Lea School’s new playground. (Photo courtesy of West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools)

A couple of exciting public events are planned this month at the Henry C. Lea School, including a meet and greet with the entire school community.

This Friday, Sept. 19, community members are invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new school playground at 47th and Spruce. A new play structure was transferred from another West Philly school, the shuttered Alexander Wilson School, and the playground area was resurfaced, thanks to donations from parents, neighbors, and Spruce Hill Community Association.

The new playground opened earlier this week and now local residents are invited to celebrate the opening together with Lea’s new principal, Ms. Jennifer Duffy, teachers, students, and members of the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools (WPCNS), whose ‘Greening Lea’ initiative was key to the success of this project. The new playground is an early Greening Lea project since a lot of work is still ahead. Full Phase 1 construction is expected to start in the summer of 2015 (click here to learn more about Greening Lea and to support the initiative).

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 8 a.m. before the start of school.

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. families and community members are invited to the Lea School Auditorium (47th and Locust) to a meeting with the principal, teachers, and WPCNS members to learn more about the school’s mission, vision and its redesign initiative. As part of this project, the school and WPCNS will submit next month an application to the School District of Philadelphia’s School Redesign Initiative program, which would provide a small planning grant and expert resources for the school’s developing model to be implemented in the 2015-2016 school year.

The school leadership team led by the Principal Duffy has created a mission and vision in an effort to serve all the students, families, staff, and community of Lea, according to their statement. It is stressed that the goal is “not to create Lea anew but rather strengthen and build upon the important work that has been done in recent years, with the continued input and investment from the broader Lea community.”

Here are breakfast and lunch menus for Monday, Sept 15 through Friday, Sept 19. If your school uses a Satellite menu, click here. Come back every Sunday evening for the coming week’s menu.

BREAKFAST (K-12)

A variety of three cereals is offered daily and served with a yogurt parfait or a mini loaf.

Monday

Chicken Sausage, Egg & Cheese on English Muffin
Cheese Stick & Graham Crackers (2 pk)
Choose 1: Apple Juice or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk

Tuesday

Breakfast Burrito
Cinni Mini Swirls
Choose 1: Peach Cup or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk

Wednesday

Egg & Cheese on Wheat Bread
Sliced Breads: Banana or Zucchini
Choose 1: Orange Juice or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk

Thursday

Cinnamon Granola Round
Yogurt & Graham Crackers (2 pk)
Choose 1: Pineapple Cup or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk

Friday

Turkey Ham, Egg and Cheese on Bagel
Crunch Mania
Choose 1: Apple Juice or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk Continue Reading

As West Philly Local recently reported, the Henry C. Lea Elementary School playground at 47th and Spruce was undergoing reconstruction, with a new set being transferred from the shuttered Alexander Wilson school. The installation work finished up yesterday and the playground will reopen on Monday, Sept. 15, according to a tweet by the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools.

Source: @WPCNS.

So, the summer is officially over for kids who attend public schools in the city as the new school year begins on Monday, Sept. 8. As we reported a few days ago, starting this Fall all School District of Philadelphia (SDP) students are eligible for free meals. As the menu is the same for all SDP schools and it’s often difficult to find it (you have to search for it on the SDP website) we will be publishing this information.

So here’s the full-service menu (breakfast and lunch) for the first week, Sept. 8 – 12, 2014. Come back every Sunday evening for the coming week’s menu. If your school is a Satellite menu school, click here. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) announced today that all Philadelphia public school students are now eligible to receive free school meals. Families will no longer need to complete applications to determine eligibility. All students in the SDP can receive free breakfast and lunch starting this fall, according to the announcement.

The new School Breakfast and Lunch program requirements have been introduced as the District’s Division of Food Services transitions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2014-15 school year. The new benefits will “include better access to school meals by easing the strain on household budgets, reducing the paperwork burden on families and eliminating the stigma associated with the free lunch program,” the announcement reads.

“Our goal is to provide as many students as possible with access to healthy, nutritious meals,” Dr. William R. Hite, Superintendent, said in a statement. “We want to keep students’ focus on learning, not hunger.”

If your child is entering Kindergarten in the fall, check out this great event organized by Parent Infant Center (PIC).

On Sunday, Aug. 17 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., PIC (42nd and Locust) invites all families in the community who have rising kindergarteners to join them for a fun play date.

This is a great opportunity to meet soon-to-be kindergarteners and their families and enjoy a casual time together. You can also learn what you can expect from families whose children have finished their kindergarten year. Representatives from PIC’s After School Center will be on hand to answer questions.

Siblings are welcome and families are encouraged to bring a snack to share.

To RSVP and if you have questions, email: kplaydate [at] gmail.com