Project Learn School

Dear Project Learn friends, alumni, and alumni families,

For over fifty years, Project Learn School was a gem in our community. Children came to be nurtured for who they are. They made deep friendships, had fun, and learned to truly honor one another.

We are writing to share with you that our beloved school building is under contract to be sold, with the closing scheduled for November 28. We imagine that this may bring up a lot of feelings and memories - making art in the art room, playing in the yard, hours of town meeting to come to consensus on how to proceed with important school issues. Project Learn has been a place where so much love has been nurtured. We are particularly proud that we fostered an atmosphere where children learned to speak from their heart and to communicate respectfully.

We will be gathering one final time in the building as a Project Learn Community (alumni students, families, and former staff members) on Sunday, November 26 from 2pm-4pm. You are invited to take one last walk through the building and bring home any items that are not planned to move into storage. We will have a closing circle in the Community Room at 3pm.

*Please note: there is no running water, bathroom use, or heat in the building - so dress warmly.

As you know, the school did not open last year or in this current academic year. While we have been renting the building off and on, this has not generated enough income for PL to continue to maintain the building and cover our debts. We did not see any other option at this point other than putting the building on the market in hopes that the revenue generated from the sale will cover our outstanding financial obligations.

We hope you will be able to join us on Sunday.

In gratitude,
PLAC

Dear PL Community Members and Supporters.
It is with heavy hearts that earlier this week PLAC, who was empowered by the 2021-2022 school community at a May 4 Town Meeting, has determined that Project Learn School can not open its doors for the 2022-23 school year. A decision has yet to be made about future years. Rebounding from this winter's flood in the basements and the pandemic has proven to be too challenging at least in the short term. It is simply not feasible to go into another school year with our current level of financial insecurity. PLAC made this incredibly difficult and emotional decision - knowing full-well the hard position it puts our current staff and families in, but we worked all summer to try to come to a different decision. Rest assured that we are doing everything possible to assist our families in finding new placements for their child(ren).
PLAC will meet next week and begin the process of planning PL's next steps. There will be many tasks in the weeks and months ahead that will require the support of our extended community. If you are interested in learning more about how you can support PL at this time, please reach out to Kevin Kleinman - [email protected] or Aisha Anderson-Oberman - [email protected]. We will also be creating time to mourn and celebrate our history and legacy together. We will keep you informed of opportunities as they arise.

If your family has an outstanding balance with PL, please reach out to Aisha ([email protected]) as soon as possible to avoid collection activity.

If you are a business business or community partner, please reach out to Aisha ([email protected]) as well to explore next steps.

Co-operatively yours,
Aisha (Educational Coordinator)
On behalf of PLAC members who attended the August 1, 2022 meeting
Kevin Kleinman, Chana Rothman, Aisha Anderson-Oberman, Donna Waxler, Jade Spence, Nai Miles, and Charisse Moses

The Jr High had a wonderful day at the beach!

Please join the entire PLS community as we celebrate the graduation of Madison George & Caleb Ward.

Our ceremony will occur at 6 pm on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at the Unitarian Society of Germantown (6511 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19119). Please enter parking lot using driveway on Johnson Street.

Hey there, PLS Community!
We’re back in full swing. After a two year hiatus, our annual school musical is this Friday at 10 am and 7 pm at the Cheltenham Center for the Arts (439 Ashbourne Rd.). Tickets are $8 for kids and $12 for adults. Call school at 215-438-3623 to pre-order tickets or purchase them at the door. See you there!

And we’re back! Today, we reopened our school building after 2.5 months of work following a flood in the north basement over winter break. It felt wonderful to be back in the building and witness the first signs of spring. There’s still work to be done, but for this moment we are grateful for our building, sunshine and our community. Plus, we got to meet our youngest community member, Wren, for the first time. Community support is always welcome as we recover at projectlearnschool.org/donate or PayPal.me/projectlearnschool.

Before the Curtain Closes on 2021 - https://mailchi.mp/7d617111591e/plgivingtuesday2021final-hours-10712081

Before the Curtain Closes on 2021 Dear PL Community, Before the curtain closes on 2021 and the fireworks explode over head, you can still help Project Learn keep making memories. Our staff is hard at work preparing for Theme Week, and the community is adjusting our COVID-19 protocols to ensure that in-person school can continue even...

The Clock Ticks On... 2021 - https://mailchi.mp/37eb7f286810/plgivingtuesday2021final-hours

The Clock Ticks On... #GivingTuesday 2021 Tuesday is quickly coming to a close, but there's still time to give. Any donations received via this email will support Project Learn's fundraising drive. Let's all join together to help our community grow even stronger and continue to create impactful experiences and lifelon...

Help keep the memories coming!
Support Project Learn on - https://mailchi.mp/8fa13c831e0f/plgivingtuesday2021

Support Project Learn on #GivingTuesday It's Tuesday. Let's all join together to help our community grow even stronger and continue to create impactful experiences and lifelong memories with children for years to come.  Whether it's meeting your best friend, a hug from a cherished teacher or student, a trip to a Philadelphia land...

Happy Indigenous People's Day! Here are a few highlights from our trip.

In honor of Indigenous People's Day, PLS's Jr. Highers attended a wonderful event by Philadelphia Indigenous People's Day. A special thank you goes out to Chief David and Tammy Walking Stick Riley (a PL alum) for hosting us. Everyone learned a lot and had such a great time!

And just like that we're off to a wonderful start! Welcome to the 2021-22 school year everyone. In-person, all together... just the way we like it! Let's learn and create together.

Hi All!
Project Learn School is hiring for our beforecare and aftercare programs. Reach out to Aisha with interest and referrals. Thanks.

Beforecare
Small co-operative K-8 school seeks an After School Coordinator to provide care for children ages 5-14.

Hours: 7:00 am to 8:30 am M -F Includes 8 all day child care days
Duties include: planning and supervising child-led activities; maintaining materials and cleaning up every morning. Must be fully vaccinated. Compensation: $14/hr. Please send inquiries, cover letters and resumes to [Email hidden].

Aftercare
Small co-operative K-8 school seeks an After School Coordinator to provide care for children ages 5-14.

Hours: 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm MTRF W 12:45 pm to 6:30 pm. Includes 8 all day child care days and two weeks of summer camp in June. Duties include: planning and supervising child-led activities; facilitating games, arts, crafts and occasional walking trips; shopping for and preparing daily healthy snack (teacher would be reimbursed by the school); maintaining materials and cleaning up every evening. Must be fully vaccinated. Compensation: $14/hr Please send inquiries, cover letters and resumes to [Email hidden].

Project Learn School is Hiring!

Project Learn School (PLS) is an independent cooperative school, serving students in grades K-8. Situated in the historic Philadelphia neighborhood of Mt. Airy, PLS maximizes the many resources available in a dynamic urban setting. At PLS, teachers, students and parents work together to create a progressive and humanistic community that promotes mutual respect, involvement and curiosity.

PLS is currently hiring two, full-time positions to begin August 15. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and statement of teaching philosophy directly to [email protected] instead of submitting through the links below. This will help ensure your resume reaches the top of the pile!

3rd-5th Grade Group Teacher - https://www.indeed.com/job/elementary-level-3rd-5th-grade-teacher-14d70b55c1b7d671

Community Coordinator - https://www.indeed.com/job/school-community-coordinator-f1aadc486b6d2200

Elementary Level (3rd-5th grade) Teacher - Philadelphia, PA 19119 - Indeed.com "),r.close()),!r)throw Error("base not supported");var a=r.createElement("base");a.href=n,r.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(a);var i=r.createElement("a");return i.href=t,i.href}finally{e&&e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}());var l=i(t||""),f=function(){if(!("defineProperties"in Object))retur...

Today we celebrated our Class of 2021 in classic PLS fashion- all together lifting up an amazing group of young people! Gyasi, Aiyana, Obasi, Ibi and Red had a wonderful day. We would like to thank Awbury Arboretum for the beautiful space; Jane, Husein, Rae, and Amanda for taking time out of their busy schedules to join us; PL alums for dropping by; and Aisha for pulling it all together. We are so proud and filled with happiness.

Please join us on Wednesday morning at 10:30 am at Awbury Arboretum's Cope House to celebrate our amazing Class of 2021: Aiyana, Gyasi, Ibrahim, Obasi, and Red.
http://evite.me/nQ97BkgtG8

Tap to RSVP to Project Learn School's 8th Grade Graduation You're invited to Project Learn School's 8th Grade Graduation - Click here to RSVP

Days 4 and 5: Fun in the sun, filming, water play and good eating

The last two days were a blur. We spent most of our days filming clips for the 8th grade. If we can pull this off, it'll be hilarious.

Thursday: We headed out to enjoy the beach on our only really hot day. It was glorious! Swimming and building sand structures were the order of the day. Back to the house for a mac and cheese and broccoli dinner and movie night.

Friday: Brrrrr... it was so cold. What happened? After a pancake breakfast, everyone packed up and cleaned their rooms. We filmed lots of movie clips, lounged around the house and ate lunch (hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie corn dogs). Families arrived around 6 pm in an impending rainstorm. Some families headed straight home, while others grabbed dinner on the boardwalk.

It was an amazing week! We are happy to be able to spend this time together. ❤

Day #3: Sand and Sushi
That about sums it up. 🤷🏾‍♀️ What do you do with all that left over taco stuff? You guessed it... breakfast burritos! Ibi, Aiyana, Red, Gyasi, Aisha and Donna were our cooks. Madi is always good kitchen company- the cook will never be lonely. ☺ We are eating very well. We spent the day and the beach and boardwalk. Then we rested and made sushi for dinner. Thanks to Gyasi and Red for leading the charge. Special shout out to Madi and her super, sushi cutting skills. They made dinner for everyone. Dinner was delicious.

Jr. High Trip, Day #2: Plants, Animals, and Ice Cream

After a noisey bunkbed exit, most of us were up at 6 am. Who knows teenagers who wake up that early? 🤪 After breakfast, we headed out to Stiles Farm in Cape May Landing to pick strawberries. From there, we visited the Cape May Zoo. It was so much fun to see their child-like curiosity, while watching the animals. Then we went back to the house to rest, before teaming up to make Taco Tuesday dinner. After a moment of post-dinner comatose, our clean up squad worked miracles. 8th grade movie dicuss and a trip to the ice cream shop rounded out tonight.

A special thanks goes out to our Jr. High parents, students, and teachers- Aisha and Donna. Your hardwork, dedication and quarantining is paying off. The Jr. High is happily enjoying their trip to Ocean City, NJ.

Jr. High Trip Day #1, we...
- all arrived safe and sound, prepared with almost all of our packing list. 😅🤣😂
- smiled, giggled, and belly laughed more than you can imagine.
- did a little gaming- VR, Minecraft, Among Us, even Donna gave it a try.
- explored the boardwalk.
- ate a truckload of pizza.
- played Uno, watched TV, and talked until all hours.

Today the Jr. High continued a Project Learn School tradition of welcoming new neighbors to the Avenue. Grocery Outlet is now open. Aaron and Chyrese have a lovely grocery with very reasonable prices. We'll be back for more snacks soon.

What a wonderful day! We were so happy to have the Jr. High return to hybrid learning today. Guess they were excited to be together... 🥰😍🥰

The verdict in the Chauvin trial is one small step, but at least now we know the road we're walking on bends toward justice.

Congratulations to our big bingo winners- Diana, Donna, Elowyn, Francine, Gyasi, Ibi, Lamar, Madi, Marcy, Lori-Anne, and Sol! What a fun night! 🥳🥳🥳 Thanks to everyone who made last night's event possible.

Bingo is tonight at 6;30 pm! Get your bingo cards now.
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=NPNHZZ42FWU7Y

There will be tons of great prizes- Earth Bread & Brewery, Kilians Hardware, Frosted Fox Bake Shop, Weavers Way Co-op, High Point Cafe and much, much, more!

Hey there folks! Bingo night is Friday. Did you buy your $10 per reusable bingo card yet?

Project Learn's Bingo Night Payment

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NPNHZZ42FWU7Y

Hey there folks! Bingo night is Friday. Did you buy your $10 per reusable bingo card yet?

Project Learn's Bingo Night Payment

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NPNHZZ42FWU7Y

Happy birthday, Aisha! In the middle of her 12th year at Project Learn School, our own beloved Aisha Anderson-Oberman is guiding us through this storm. She has asked for folks to give any amount, large or small, to Project Learn. If you can, please donate in honor of the work that she values so much. We love you, Aisha!

Project Learn School | Cooperative Progressive K-8 Education At Project Learn School, teachers, students and parents work together to create a progressive and humanistic community that promotes mutual respect, involvement