CPFA has a rich tradition of providing a high quality pre-professional education in the arts for PALCS students who successfully audition and are admitted to the program. Not only do the students attending our school building in West Chester benefit from the creative and collaborative educational community in person, but our Remote Access (RA) students also work directly with CPFA faculty and staff virtually from anywhere in the Commonwealth.

As the coordinator of the Remote Access program, I wish to welcome you to another great year of distance learning at CPFA. Whether you have been a Remote Access student for years or this is your first time working with us, we invite you to be a part of a closely-knit community of staff, students, and parents who co-create a place where students can explore, grow, and become life-long producers of music, art, theatre, and dance.

I invite you to visit the CPFA public website to read the brief bios for our faculty. You will have an opportunity to work directly with your teachers and benefit from personalized instruction.

At CPFA, we consider Remote Access students and families to be a part of our community. As such, you are welcome to participate in many of our community events, join student organizations, attend one-day residencies in West Chester, participate in field trips, perform in our concerts, and have your artwork displayed in our art exhibitions. We do our best to help you feel included and connected despite the distance.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the RA program. Best wishes for a fantastic year!

Sincerely,

Thomas J, West

Remote Access Coordinator, Music Department Chair

As Remote Access families, there are several avenues of communication that CPFA uses to share important information. Here is a resource page for those communication methods - click the name of each method for a direct link where applicable:

1. CPFA Homepage: This is CPFA's one-stop location within PALCSchool for all CPFA activities and programs. Note: You must be logged in to PALCSchool to access this page on your course list.

2. Closed Facebook Group: This group is for current parents, students, and staff only. Please be sure to answer the questions to be approved for membership.

3. Public Facebook Page: This is our public-facing page for alumni and others.

4. Instagram Accounts: CPFA has several active IG accounts

   1. @cpfa.announcements: Morning announcements

   2. @cpfadance: CPFA NHSDA Chapter

   3. @cpfajazz: CPFA jazz bands - managed by Mr. West

   4. @cpfastudentambassadors: CPFA Student Ambassadors

   5. @cpfamusic: CPFA Music Department

   6. @cpfatheatre_: CPFA Thespian Troupe

   7. @cpfayearbook: CPFA Yearbook staff

   8. @fineartscpfa: Fine Arts Department

5. Weekly Email Announcements: CPFA publishes a weekly email update during the school year. Parents, be sure to register your preferred personal email account with Administrative Assistant Sophia Severson.

6. The Column Newsletter: Monthly electronic newsletter published by CPFA that includes activities of the Pillars Parent Group. Newsletters are archived on the CPFA Homepage in Canvas

7. PALCS Phone and Email: Searchable index of all PALCS employees

8. Teachers Canvas Inbox: Teachers are available via the Inbox inside of Canvas

Grading Policies

All CPFA classes, both On-Site and Remote Access, are one-credit electives that last a full year and fulfill electives requirements for PALCS middle school and high school transcripts.

If a student does not participate in class activities and assignments to the extent that there are not enough grades to generate a report card grade, CPFA teachers will assign the student an "N/A" for that marking period. This typically is due to an extended medical leave of absence. A student must have a letter grade in at least two marking periods to receive credit for taking the course.

If a student has participated in class but has a major grade outstanding that lowers their report card grade by a full letter grade or more, CPFA teachers may choose to assign an "INC" (incomplete) to their report card grade. The teacher assigning an in-progress or incomplete grade will give the student a timeline to complete the outstanding work not exceeding the first Progress Check of the following marking period.

All CPFA students must maintain a C average or better in all academic courses at PALCS. Students whose grades fall below this level may be placed on academic probation from CPFA and given a fixed amount of time to show improvement in academic performance before being asked to leave the program.

All PALCS CPFA grades use a standard letter/number grading scale out of 100%.

Department Policies

• All music students should refer to the Music Department Handbook for details

• For all other departments, please refer to their department policies posted in their department's module of the CPFA Homepage in Canvas

Inappropriate Conduct Policy

The CPFA Faculty and Staff has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for any conduct between students or between staff and students that is emotionally, psychologically, or physically harmful. This includes all forms of bullying, whether physical, psychological, or online bullying, even if you are "just kidding" or "don't really mean it." All inappropriate conduct will be treated with the utmost seriousness and decisive action.

Cyberbullying includes, but is not limited to:

• Taking screenshots or recording Zoom room meetings without authorization for the purposes of demeaning another person by adding derogatory phrases, or by altering the image or audio track

• Impersonating another student online, in either name or profile image (or both), for any purpose

• Posting or sending cruel, vicious, or threatening content to another student directly or publicly via social media

• Creating web sites, profiles, or online documents that have stories, pictures, and jokes ridiculing others

• Posting inflammatory comments with the intent to incite others to react emotionally to defend themselves (known as "trolling")

Whistleblower Policy

Any and all bullying, cyberbullying, or other inappropriate conduct reported to CPFA staff will be investigated to the fullest extent possible, and that the student or parent reporting the incident will remain anonymous. Evidence of cyberbullying and inappropriate conduct will be submitted to the Head Administrator for disciplinary action through the PALCS Student Parent Handbook and may additionally be submitted to local law enforcement for further criminal prosecution if necessary.

CPFA students are typically very accepting and supportive of one another because CPFA faculty and staff go to great lengths to create an atmosphere in the classroom that allows students to feel safe and accepted so that learning can occur. We recognize the trust you place in our staff to maintain this safe space and make the safety and welfare of all students our top priority.