SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
SCIENCE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AT BEEBER
5925 MALVERN AVENUE
PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA, 19131
slabeeber.philasd.org
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SLA @ Beeber Student Handbook
2024 - 2025
Learn, Create, Lead
SLA @ Beeber is an inquiry driven, project based learning school that focuses on developing students’ skills in our core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. We have a lower school for students in grades 5-8 and an upper school for grades 9-12, and offer CTE programs in Engineering and Education for high school students.
Our student handbook is a list of guidelines that students, parents, teachers, and administration have collaborated around to clarify our expectations that are based on our school rules:
We believe our commitment to these rules will make SLA@Beeber a welcoming, caring, and productive community where the learning and growth of every student is our collective focus.
SLA@Beeber is a public, School District of Philadelphia school, and is governed by the the policies, guidelines, and rules of the school and district as well as by the laws and policies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All policies and procedures outlined in this handbook fall under the legal and technical supervision of the School District of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Table of Contents
Entering and Leaving the Building 7
Lower School Grade Promotion Guidelines 10
Upper School Grade Promotion 10
Upper School General Graduation Credit Requirements 11
Five Pathways to Graduation 11
Additional Offenses in Class 17
Use of Artificial Intelligence 18
Guidance to Adhering to the SLA@Beeber School Dress Code Policy 19
Personal Electronic Devices 20
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) 21
Lunch Policy for Middle School 21
Dear Science Leadership Academy at Beeber Community:
Welcome to a new school year and a new beginning. We hope that your summer was restful and that you found time to decompress as well as enjoy quality time with family.
There have been some changes to our school and community as the School District of Philadelphia has made changes to schools Networks (groups of schools). For the past 11 years we have been in the Innovation Network with similar schools who used progressive educational approaches to supporting students and families. In this network we have seen our school grow into one of the most innovative schools in the country with great results. Our new network, Network 15, consists of all of the criterion and magnet schools in the city, many of whom have been running much more traditional models.
Our school has always prided itself on teaching students how to think, not what to think, and we will continue to support that effort. And we will continue to drive high levels of academic attainment for students to remain competitive with the rest of the schools in Network 15. We are an inquiry and project-based school that assesses students' knowledge with projects. We also value the importance of preparing for and taking standardized tests as many colleges are reverting back to enrolling students based on GPAs and SAT or ACT scores.
In order for SLA@Beeber to reach the quality of education to which we all aspire, each of us (staff, students, alumni, partners and parents) must be committed to our collective success. Every community member must make a personal commitment to the excellence of our school. The process of responsible scholarship will translate into the product of sustained excellence in academics. It is our hope that every SLA@Beeber student is happy, socially and emotionally healthy, and academically challenged.
Please read the student handbook for expectations academically and socially so that we will all be on the same page in order to reach our very achievable goals.
We look forward to this challenge and am extremely confident that our community will flourish in this new network and its environment. Lets’ GOOOOOOOO!!!
Principal Johnson
Academic Calendar - The School District of Philadelphia
Beginning in the fall of 2024-2025, we will have a slight change to the end times in our daily schedule. Our new times will be as follows:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
8:15-9:10 | A | F | E | C | B |
9:15-10:10 | B | A | F | D | C |
10:15 - 11:25 | Advisory 10:15-10:55 | Advisory 10:15 - 10:25 | A 10:15 - 11:10 | Advisory 10:15-10:55 | Advisory 10:15 - 10:25 |
Lunch 11:00 - 11:25 | Lunch 10:30 - 11:25 | Lunch 11:15 - 11:50 | Lunch 11:00 - 11:25 | Lunch 10:30 - 11:25 | |
11:30-12:25 | Y | Y | B 11:55 - 12:50 | Y | Y |
12:30-1:25 | C | B | Mini Courses ILPs Capstones Day ends at 2:45 | E | D |
1:30-2:25 | D | C | F | E | |
2:30-3:25 | E | D | A | F |
*Upper School Students may be released from school on Wednesdays at 12:50 to engage in Experiential Learning projects determined by their grade-level. This work will be planned and communicated through our advisories.
Lower School Schedule
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
8:15-9:10 | A | F | E | C | B |
9:15-10:10 | B | A | F | D | C |
10:15-10:55 | Advisory | Advisory 10:15 - 10:25 | A 10:15 - 11:10 | Advisory | Advisory 10:15 - 10:25 |
11:00-11:55 | X | X 10:30 - 11:25 | B 11:15 - 12:10 | X | X 10:30 - 11:25 |
11:55 - 12:25 | Lunch | Lunch 11:30 - 12:25 | Lunch 12:15 - 12:50 | Lunch | Lunch 11:30-12:25 |
12:30-1:25 | C | B | Mini Courses ILPs Capstones Dismissal: 2:45 | E | D |
1:30-2:25 | D | C | F | E | |
2:30-3:25 | E | D | A | F |
Monday Schedule
A - 8:15 - 8:45
B - 8:50 - 9:20
Advisory - 9:25 - 9:35
X/Y - 9:40 - 10:10
C - 10:15 - 10:45
D - 10:50 - 11:20
E - 11:25 - 11:55
Dismissal/Lunch
Tuesday Schedule
F - 8:15 - 8:45
A - 8:50 - 9:20
Advisory - 9:25 - 9:35
X/Y - 9:40 - 10:10
B - 10:15 - 10:45
C - 10:50 - 11:20
D - 11:25 - 11:55
Dismissal/Lunch
Wednesday Schedule
E - 8:15 - 9:05
F - 9:10 - 10:00
A - 10:05 - 10:55
B - 11:00 - 11:55
Dismissal/Lunch
Thursday Schedule
C - 8:15 - 8:45
D - 8:50 - 9:20
Advisory - 9:25 - 9:35
X/Y - 9:40 - 10:10
E - 10:15 - 10:45
F - 10:50 - 11:20
A - 11:25 - 11:55
Dismissal/Lunch
Friday Schedule
B - 8:15 - 8:45
C - 8:50 - 9:20
Advisory - 9:25 - 9:35
X/Y - 9:40 - 10:10
D - 10:15 - 10:45
E - 10:50 - 11:20
F - 11:25 - 11:55
Dismissal/Lunch
Research shows that daily school attendance is critical for every student’s academic success and social-emotional well-being. At SLA@Beeber our first class each day is an academic class and students who are late miss out on important learning.
An excused absence is when a student is absent from school for a reason identified by the District as legitimate, valid and reasonable. The District’s attendance policy requires written excuse notes explaining the absence.
Written excuse notes should be emailed to attendance@slabeeber.org and cc’d to the advisor.
An absence is considered “unexcused” or “unlawful” when an email was not sent or a note was not provided, or the reason provided was deemed invalid by the school, and did not meet the conditions or situations outlined in the District’s 204 Attendance Policy.
Examples of invalid excuses include (but not limited to)
If students know that they will miss a class due to an absence, they must check the respective online platform (Canvas or Google Classroom), communicate with teachers, and be responsible for making up any work from missed classes.
Students are required to swipe into our ID scan machine each morning using their school issued ID card. Students who do not bring their ID cards will be charged a fine each day they do not swipe in correctly. The fees must be paid by the end of the school year. Lost ID cards can be replaced for a fee.
Students are reminded that they are officially present in school each morning when they swipe in and are obligated to stay in the building from that point forward.
Students may not leave the building during the school day, unless they are picked up by an approved guardian or emergency contact. Guardians or emergency contacts must come into the main office with proper identification to dismiss students early. A student will only be released directly to a parent or someone on the emergency contact list.
*Please note, if a student is picked up before 11 AM, it counts as an unexcused absence.
Students who leave the building without permission during the school day and return to the building are endangering our school community. Violations will result in parent conferences, loss of privileges, zeros for all missed classes that day, and/or suspension.
If students know that they will miss a class due to an absence, they must check the respective online platform (Canvas or Google Classroom), communicate with teachers, and be responsible for making up any work from missed classes.
**Please Note: There is no adult supervision after school except for sponsored school activities. Students not in supervised activities must leave the building at dismissal time. This includes early dismissal days.
All students who live 1.5 miles or more from SLA@Beeber will receive a transpass during the first week of school. Transpasses are good for the entire school year and students are responsible for keeping them. There will be a fee assessed for any needed replacement cards.
If a student loses their transpass, they must pay $10.00 cash to Mrs. Lawson and you will receive a replacement transpass.
In the event of inclement weather the School District may decide that it is unsafe for students to travel to school. Please check the school district’s website philasd.org, social media and your email for up to date information. The School District will determine if it is a day off or a virtual learning day. In the case of a virtual learning day, all students should check their email for communication from the school about the expectations for the day.
Each year the entire SLA@Beeber community completes a standard set of emergency safety drills to ensure we are prepared for a variety of emergencies that might occur in a school setting. These include our monthly fire drills as well as emergency drills for severe weather situations and for potential situations in which the school is faced with an active shooter or other iminent human threat.
School Advisory Councils are a blend of family members, school staff, students (for grades 7-12), and community members united in championing academic success and fostering strong partnerships.
Regular SAC meetings, held at least every other month, focus on data-driven discussions centering around key areas:
SACs provide a structured platform for intentional, action-oriented partnerships between the school and the community. By incorporating diverse perspectives, SACs become innovative hubs for academic transformation
Per Act 158, School District of Philadelphia upper school students must now meet three requirements in order to graduate ready for success in college, career and life:
Guidelines for the promotion/retention of students in grades 5 through 8 can be referenced at the following link which is updated quarterly (please be reminded that Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber has a higher standard for moving to the next grade level). Students must pass ALL of their core content courses in order to be promoted.
Promotion from grade to grade should be based on credits earned:
A passing grade is described as a D or higher (60 or higher).
Guidelines for the promotion/retention of students in grades 9 through 12 can be referenced here.
A student needs to complete a total of 23.5 credits to graduate. To graduate from SLA@Beeber, the student must have met the following credit requirements successfully:
English | 4 credits |
Mathematics | 4 credits |
Science | 4 credits |
Social Studies | 3 credits |
African American History | 1 credit |
World Language | 2 credits |
Arts & Humanities | 2 credits |
Health | 0.5 credits |
Phys. Ed. | 1 credits |
Electives * | 2.5 or more credits |
23.5 credits |
Required for all students: Successful completion of Senior Capstone (a multidisciplinary project complete over the course of Senior year)
*Most students will graduate with more than 2.5 electives and 23.5 credits. We expect many students will exceed the minimum credits required. All students will continue to be rostered for a complete schedule even if they have met the minimum requirements.
**Note: Advisory is a required and credited class at SLA@Beeber that supports our school community in reinforcing and achieving the highest academic standards. Failure to attend advisory will be treated the same as any other class cut and students grades and promotion may be impacted.
***There will be no schedule changes made after the first week of the school year unless there is a need related to graduation.
The Pathways are outlined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has introduced statewide Pathways to Graduation. This means that in addition to the 23.5 credits and service learning project previously required to graduate, upper school students graduating from a Pennsylvania upper school starting this school year must meet additional requirements through one of five pathways designed to illustrate their college, career and community readiness.
Each of the five pathways offers a different combination of options that can serve to fulfill the additional graduation requirements. These will be reviewed extensively with advisories and with our school guidance team throughout your student’s academic career.
Eleventh and twelfth grade students have the opportunity to take dual enrollment courses, most often through Community College of Philadelphia and Temple University. Upper school credits can only be received from official partner universities and must be approved by the roster chair in advance for upper school credit to be accrued.
Midterm examinations are cumulative exams that will be administered to all SLA@Beeber students in all major subject areas at the end of the second quarter of the school year.
**No absences are permitted during the examination period. If it is a medical emergency, students must bring a doctor’s note.
The SLA@Beeber Chapter of National Honor Society supports and recognizes Beeber students who exemplify leadership, scholarship, character and service to the entire student body. Membership is open to rising 10-12th graders and is based on cumulative GPA at time of application and teacher recommendations. Membership applications are accepted each winter and induction of new members occurs each spring.
It is the mission of the Science Leadership Academy Counseling Department to provide services for all students to support and enhance their personal growth and development through a comprehensive program addressing personal/social, academic, and career/college planning. As counselors, we serve as vital members of the educational team at our school, with an emphasis on serving as student advocates, and providing professional consultation to fellow educators, parents, and community members.
Need to see a counselor? Complete a referral by clicking here
The athletic department at SLA Beeber started in 2014. Our emphasis is on developing strong “student” athletes. A PIAA physical is required for tryouts, practice and participation. The physical must be dated on or after May 1st to be eligible for the following school year. One physical is all that is needed to participate in sports the entire school year. We offer 17 traditional sports across three seasons. All schedules are accessible on www.slabeeberthletics.org.
Competitive Cheerleading (prep season), Co-ed Cross Country, Golf (independent sport), Football (co-op with Overbrook HS), Soccer (boys and girls) and Volleyball.
Basketball (boys and girls), Competitive Cheerleading (comp season), Co-ed Indoor Track, Co-ed Swimming and Wrestling (co-op with Overbrook HS).
Baseball, Girls Flag Football, Softball (co-op with Overbrook HS), Co-ed Track and Field, and Boys Volleyball (co-op with Overbrook HS).
Students can also participate in: Students Run Philly Style, Squash, Cycling, Ultimate Frisbee & Crew, which are managed by outside providers.)
COMING SHORTLY
At SLA@Beeber, we have come together to try to further each other’s knowledge, wisdom and abilities. To do that, we all need to feel safe, valued and respected. To that end, we offer the following three guidelines for student behavior:
Respect yourself
Respect others
Respect SLA@Beeber as a learning community
All other specific guidelines for behavior stem from these simple statements.
Disciplinary actions for students who violate any of the School District of Philadelphia Code of Conduct range from parent conferences, to loss of privileges, to suspension and/or expulsion from SLA@Beeber. Students and families should be familiar with the School District of Philadelphia’s Code of Conduct.
Eligibility: Many of the consequences students will experience for violation of school policies include the loss of Eligibility for events and field trips. Students who violate school rules and expectations, may be deemed by their grade-level teams or by school administrators to be ineligible. This means they will not be allowed to participate in the event or field trip in question–this may include Senior or 8th grade promotion or graduation celebrations including proms and formal dances. In addition, students who are deemed ineligible after they have paid for a trip or event will NOT receive a refund of any payments they have made towards that event.
Students are expected to set the standard of good conduct for yourself and every student at SLA @ Beeber. Habitually disruptive students or students who blatantly disregard the school rules, including chronically unexcused latenesses, unexcused absences and/or cutting class/school, will jeopardize their privileges and/or eligibility for all future events.
SLA@Beeber is a progressive, project-based school, and we encourage students to take control of their education and find spaces to work productively, collaborate, and complete their projects. The expectation is that students always communicate with staff in the building to access rooms and spaces to complete their work.
To ensure safety for all members of our community, SLA@Beeber students may not at any time enter locked or unsupervised rooms in the building without communicating with a staff member. Entering these spaces without communicating or breaking into any rooms will result in parent conferences, loss of privileges, or suspension and/or expulsion from SLA.
Across disciplines, we value student collaboration and expression of original ideas. The vast majority of students turn in assignments that either meet or exceed our expectations and contain no plagiarized or copied work. In an effort to honor their work, we introduce the following policy to respond to work that has been plagiarized or copied. SLA at Beeber students are expected to take pride in the integrity of the work that they submit.
Definition of Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty for this Policy: In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a student uses or supplies someone else’s language, ideas, or other original material without acknowledging its source, including, but not limited to:
If plagiarism/copying occurs on larger assessments in a given academic year (benchmarks, large projects worth 10% of grade or more):
1st offense: Student will automatically fail the assignment with a zero if the assignment isn't redone and resubmitted. Student can redo the assignment, and any resubmitted project that meets expectations can earn up to a 50%. The resubmitted project’s grade will be mathematically factored in to determine the student’s final grade for the quarter. If plagiarism/copying is caught at the very end of the quarter, students will earn an “Incomplete” for the quarter and will have a maximum of two weeks to revise and resubmit the assignment for up to 50% credit. There will also be a parent meeting with advisors, teacher and student.
2nd and subsequent offenses in any class: Student will fail the course for the quarter where the second or any additional plagiarism occurs, and there will be a parent meeting with advisors, teacher and Mr. Johnson.
**Group Projects: If a group project is submitted that contains plagiarized work, and it is determined that other group members didn’t plagiarize, those who didn’t plagiarize will be penalized one full letter grade (10%) for the project. The group member who plagiarized will fall under the consequences listed above.
If there is a concern about a group member possibly plagiarizing or not completing his or her share of a group’s work, other group members must voice this concern with their teacher as early as possible, and the teacher will work with the group to come up with a solution.
If plagiarism occurs on other assignments (non-benchmarks; smaller assignments worth less than 10% of grade), the following consequences will apply for BOTH copier and the person who was copied from:
Parents must come in and meet with Mr. Johnson, the advisor, and school counselor, with the possibility of suspension or failure for the quarter depending on frequency of offenses.
Adapted from the Council of Writing Program Administrators, http://www.wpacouncil.org
Use of any unauthorized artificial intelligence software (e.g. Chatgpt, Quilbot, Dall-e, Claude, any AI chrome extension, Grammarly AI, etc.) are not permitted at SLA@Beeber. Students may only use Artificial Intelligence when explicitly permitted and directed by their teacher. Any violations of this policy will be treated in the same manner as violations of our Academic Integrity Policy above.
For safety reasons we need to have all of our students' whereabouts accounted for at all times. A class cut is defined as your child being present in school and missing more than 10 minutes of class without a note from another adult or arriving more than 5 minutes late to class without a note from an adult.
The following is our school class cut policy (per quarter):
All Students are required to wear or bring their Student ID daily
Students of all genders/gender identities are required to adhere to the following during school hours:
At SLA@Beeber, our aim is to improve academic performance, reduce distraction, and increase the mental health of our students.
SLA@Beeber students are prohibited from using personal electronic devices unless explicitly authorized by their teacher for specific educational purposes. Students are required to come to school with their school-issued chromebook and charger. Students are not permitted to use their cell phones as an alternative to their chromebook.
Any student found in violation of this policy will be enforced as following:
Repeated and serious violations may result in higher consequences.
Inappropriate Use of an Electronic Device is defined as the use of electronics (cell phones, chrome brooks etc.) in inappropriate ways or at inappropriate times including, but not limited to, sexting (sending sexual images/videos), videotaping fights, videotaping someone in a place where they have an expectation of privacy, or posting content that materially impacts the school community.
SLA@Beeber students are not permitted to order food to the school building. Ordering food is a safety hazard that has led to strangers entering our space without authorization, doors being left open and unsecured, and students being exposed to danger. Parents are not permitted to order food for your students while they are at school. Parents ordering food creates the same safety hazards for students and staff. Food ordered to the school building will be thrown in the trash. Children are permitted to bring lunch with them to school.
***Students are NEVER permitted to leave school grounds during the school day unless they have an authorized early dismissal and are escorted by a parent or guardian. Students who leave the building without permission during the school day and return to the building are endangering our school community. Violations will result in parent conferences, loss of privileges, zeros for all missed classes that day, and/or suspension.
Whether or not eating is permitted in a class is determined by the classroom teacher. Students are allowed to eat in the morning before class, at lunch time, and/or during other designated special events. Students are responsible for cleaning up any mess their food leaves, regardless of space.
Breakfast and lunch will be available for all students. There will be hot or cold breakfast and lunch everyday and our menu will be available on the school website.
Students are not to run or play in the lunchroom. Throwing food in any form is not permitted.
The School District of Philadelphia AUP can be found here.
During lunch time, students must report to and stay in the lunchroom or auditorium when study hall is in session. Teachers and other staff will come and pick-up students in the lunchroom if needed. From lunch students will walk to the yard, middle space, and/or other designated recess areas for the remainder of the time. Students must obtain permission to leave these designated areas to use the restroom.
Dismissal will be through the Stairway One Exit to Graham Street. Upper School students with Lower School siblings may use any exit.
Please see our Faculty and Staff Contact List on our school website:
https://slabeeber.philasd.org/faculty-and-staff/