Superintendent William Hite said today that the 2013-2014 school year may be delayed if the District does not receive an anticipated $50 million from the city by Friday, Aug 16. “We will not be able to open all 218 schools for a full-day program,” Hite said in a statement released this afternoon. “Without the funds to restore crucial staff members, we cannot open functional schools, run them responsibly or provide a quality education to students.”

William Hite (archive photo).

Schools are scheduled to open on Sept. 9, but Hite said administrators are considering alternatives, including pushing back the first day of school, only opening some schools on Sept. 9 or opening for a half day.

Hite said that $50 million is required to rehire hundreds of aides and other school personnel who have been laid off as a result of the budget shortfall.

“Fifty million dollars allows us to tell parents that when their child is walking through the hallways, eating lunch or at recess, an adult will be supervising them,” Hite said. “It allows us to tell parents that counselors will be available to serve children in our largest and neediest schools, and that an assistant principal will be on hand to resolve any disciplinary issues that keep children from learning.”

Hite went on to say that $50 million “only allows us to open the doors” and reiterated the District’s position that labor union concessions are also required.

The Woodlands Mansion and Cemetery is partnering with The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University to bring a very cool event to nature lovers of all ages. On Tuesday, Aug. 6 everyone is invited to the Firefly Night  from 7-9 p.m. at the cemetery at 40th and Woodland. Bring your blankets, picnic and flashlights and witness these wonderful glowing bugs that the Woodlands grounds are full of after dark.

Insect experts from the Academy of Natural Sciences will be on hand to share their knowledge and expertise with buggy activities, live insects, and a one-size-fits-all firefly costume for visitors to try on. The Lil’ Pop Shop, a local artisan popsicle shop, will be onsite too with their popsicle truck.

This event coincides with the exhibit Glow: Living Lights, which is currently on display at the Academy of Natural Sciences (until Sept 29, 2013). Glow: Living Lights takes visitors on a journey through land and sea in pursuit of creatures with the incredible ability to produce their own light. Fireflies are some of the few animals lighting up the dark through a mysterious process called bioluminescence. For more information, visit The Woodlands website.

Great news for neighborhood jazz fans – thanks to contributions from community members and businesses, Cedar Park Summer Jazz series, which brings popular local jazz musicians to the park at 49th & Baltimore every Friday night, has been extended for two more weeks, until August 9. The additional performances will feature Ronin Ali and Friends tonight (Friday, Aug 2) and the Perseverance Jazz Band on August 9. Shows start at 6 p.m.

West Philly-based Scribe Video Center kicks off its annual, month-long Street Movies! series on Thursday, Aug 1. Street Movies!, which is now a citywide event thanks to Scribe’s collaboration with community groups in various sections and neighborhoods in the city, will again bring entertaining as well as thought-provoking independent films and live performances outdoors.

Street Movies! uses short films as “a springboard to facilitate audience discussion about issues like immigration, the environment, and education,” according to Scribe Program Associate Jonathan Farbowitz.

This year’s lineup of animated, documentary and narrative shorts focuses on youth-produced videos and features films about refugees, the environment and the arts heritage of Philadelphia. The Street Movies! program also includes short animations from Nigeria and Kenya, as well as from New York-based StoryCorps’ oral history series.

In addition to film, select Street Movies! events open with a live performance. This year’s featured performers include renowned poet Ursula Rucker and guitarist Tim Motzer, musicians from Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, the South East Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition (SEAMAAC)’s Hip-Hop Heritage B-Boy Crew, and the all-female drumming group Music Over Matter. Notable media personalities and community leaders serve as emcees for each Street Movies! event, and facilitate post-screening discussions with the audience.

All events start at 7:45 p.m. and are free, open to the public and family-friendly.

In West Philly, there will be two screenings: in the Haddington section on Thursday, Aug 1 and in Cobbs Creek on Wednesday, Aug 21. More details below.

Thursday, August, 1
Haddington
Host: Urban Tree Connection
Location: The Memorial Garden
536 North 54th Street
Screening: Can’t Hold Me Back, about a first-generation high school graduate, youth-produced Messages in Motion films, and other shorts about the environment and other issues affecting youth.
Opening performance: Ursula Rucker and Tim Motzer
Rain Date: Monday, August 5

Wednesday, August 21
Cobbs Creek
Host: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center (CCCEC)
Location: CCCEC
700 Cobbs Creek Parkway (63^rd Street and Catherine Street) by the creek
Screening: Plastic Bag by Ramin Bahrani, a short film about the epic, existential journey of a plastic bag (voiced by Werner Herzog) searching for its lost maker.
Emcee: Serena Reed
Rain Location: CCCEC Building

For more information, please visit: http://www.scribe.org/streetmovies or the Street Movies! Facebook page.

We received this message from our reader Kate Krauss, who runs West Philly-based organization AIDS Policy Project:

“Four little kittens and their mother have appeared on our porch. Kittens probably were born in the basement of an empty house next door. They are very cute and we are allergic. We’ve taken them in and they are staying in a utility room until we find them new parents. Their mother and they are all very sweet and gentle–no bites, just a lot of confused looks and playing.”

If you’re interested in adopting any of the kittens, please email Kate at: katiephr@gmail.com or call 215-939-7852. You can also donate some money to help Kate and her colleagues take care of the kittens while they are looking for homes. Please go here for more info and to donate.

Little Green School House teachers (from left to right) Tyler Colvard, Dionne Wright-Chambers, and Rowan Machalow.

Rowan Machalow and her partner Tyler Colvard, both teachers, are opening a new preschool this fall, called The Little Green School House, at their home located near 45th and Walnut (219 S. Melville St). Apart from teaching music, art, yoga, science, reading readiness, math, and drama, the school will have a special emphasis on living green – kids will also be learning things like “composting in a worm bin, planting and growing food they can eat, preparing and eating local veggies, cleaning and beautifying our block, visiting a local chicken coop, sorting materials for recycling, and using recycled materials to create art.”

The preschool will have full-day and half-day options and will only have 12 spots available, since Rowan and Tyler would like to “keep it pretty small.” Besides them, there will be two other qualified teachers in the program. Kids from almost 2 years old through 3rd grade (for after school programs) are welcome to apply. You can check out the space and meet the teachers at one of the Open Houses – on Tuesday, July 30 and Friday, Aug 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.littlegreenschoolhousepa.com, email info@littlegreenschoolhousepa.com or call 215-222-0208.