PHA FAMILY CENTRAL
WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!
family reminders & resources
- Never miss a school event! Subscribe to our PHA Web Calendar. CLICK HERE for our multilingual captioned video to learn how.
- FAMILY DIRECTORY is available! Please email ipaik@phacs.org to request your digital copy today and start planning your summer playdates.
- Don't miss your campus' Family Advisory Board meetings. They are online and easy to attend. CLICK HERE to see all of the dates and info.
- Watch free high-quality WEBINARS for PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, & EDUCATORS on mental health by CLICKING HERE. Brought to you by Cartwheel, a PHA partner organization.
- Want to contact your student's Teacher or Advisor? Look them up on our FACULTY & STAFF DIRECTORY today.
- A Parent and Family's College Prep Checklist: Remember, it's not only your child who plan for college. It's family work: CLICK HERE for tips on planning. It's never too early.
SOMERVILLE & CAMBRIDGE OPPORTUNITIES
HOW TO SPEND RACIAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE FUNDING
The Racial and Social Justice Department needs your help in recruiting 13 members of the community representing all walks of life to participate in a focus group informing community needs on how the RSJ fund will be distributed. Our department values community-driven processes, so we need the community’s input to highlight key areas of impact for this fund as seen through the lens of experience living or working in Somerville.
In line with our commitment to redress the impacts and deconstruct the underlying causes of racial and social injustice in all its forms, the RSJ Fund will provide funding for individuals and organizations to empower the community in dismantling systemic racism and social inequity. Please feel free to forward the names and contact details of any community members you recommend participating in this work.
For more information, please contact Denise Molina Capers, Director of the RSJ Department at dcapers@somervillema.gov or Leonor Galindo, Community Engagement Specialist for the RSJ Department at lgalindo@somervillema.gov or 781-808-8344.
CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER
Job training, Adult GED & HiSET Programs, Career advising and more for people 18 years+. Conveniently located in Central Square near our Middle & High School campus.
MANY OF US HAVE KIDS AT MULTIPLE CAMPUSES:
Here's a list of all drop-off and pick up times per Grade Level
TRANSPORTATION TO & FROM PHA
PHA does not provide transportation to and from our campuses, but families often share rides, take the bus or train or walk together, sharing the work of making sure our kids get to school on time and safely.
Did you know that PHA students are provides MBTA Student Charlie Cards (S-Cards - see images below) to all students in Grades 5-12? This provides a 50% discount on all fares. Students can pick up their Student Charlie Cards from their campus Main Office. Remember, children under 11 years old ride the MBTA free. CLICK HERE to check schedules and enter your location & destinations in the Trip Finder to find the best routes for you and your students.
Do you run a Transportation Service of your own? PHA families want to know. Please email ipaik@phacs.org to be added to a list of PHA-family-owned transportation businesses. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST SO FAR.
UDH/ KwenSante is very pleased to welcome Dr. Gisèle César.
Dr. César is a proud Haitian-American Family Medicine Resident Physician at Cambridge Health Alliance. She works at the Malden and Everett branches in Massachusetts.
Listen live to Dr. César WNTN 1550 AM
Every Saturday 9:30am and on facebook: www.facebook.com/udhkwenSante
VOICES OF THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY
CLICK THE VIDEO ABOVE to watch and listen to:
Judelande Antoine, Artist & Founder of Somerville Haitians United
Ruben Pierre, owner of Sunrise Cuisine restaurant
Pastor Guy Thomas, Missionary Church of the Haitian Community
Dan Breen, Historin,, Brandeis University
MIGRATION IS BEAUTIFUL
The PHA community is rich in immigrant experience. It's time to show our immigrant pride.
TPS extension!
CLICK HERE to read the 18-month designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
DACA IS BACK!
Click here: DACA information website to receive all you need to know. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - an immigration policy that offers protection from deportation. Learn more by clicking here.
READ this article "What Immigrant Parents Need to Know About Education in the U.S."
Grupo Mulher Brasileira
Through in-school, after-school, weekend, and summer programs, Soccer Without Borders Boston is a crucial resource to newcomer refugee and immigrant youth in East Boston and surrounding cities. More info to come soon!
Classes are held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30-11:30 AM (Level 3/4) and 10 - 12 pm for Level 1/2. All classes are free! Students can reside anywhere, no restrictions! All classes are held online, students must create a gmail account and have a smart phone/iPad/desktop or laptop to participate.
CALL 617-635-5221 TODAY TO REGISTER!
The Welcome Project in Somerville offers English Classes. Learn more by CLICKING HERE.
EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS FOR ALL STUDENTS
Gr. 7-12 Families: Is your child enrolled in the Enrichment Google Classroom?
Academic rigor and preparation for success in college are PHA's top priorities for students enrolled in the High School and Collegiate Institute. With that being said, we know that participation in a variety of school and community-based enrichment opportunities is imperative for acceptance to top-tier colleges and universities and that critical social-emotional skills are cultivated both inside and outside of the classroom. Check-in with your student and make sure that they have "opted-in" to the Enrichment Google Classroom which lists a variety of virtual after-school and weekend programs that your child can participate in or apply to be part of. To stay informed family members can opt into Guardian View in Google Classroom as well as review all of the Weekly Enrichment Emails that are sent to all students across Grades 9-12.
Pictured, right Last year, Gabby PHA Class of '21 interned at the Massachusetts State House for Representative Chyna Tyler. Just one example of the many enriching opportunities our high school students have availed
Need more info, contact Kim, Kle@phacs.org
Taking Care of Ourselves & Each Other
We as parents know our children better than anyone, but even WE have questions. COVID has put tremendous pressure on families. We might b enoticing our kids stuggling in new ways, or old challenges getting harder. HandHoldMA (CLICK HERE) is here to help us figure out when we should worry about our kids' behavioral health and how we can help or seek support. Click on the video to learn more.
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS & FAMILIES
Great practical advice, research, and programs about bullying & social emotional support for kids & families - MA Aggression Reduction Center MARC at Bridgewater State University
WGBH offers amazing educational videos for adults and children on the "State of Race" in our country: https://www.wgbh.org/the-state-of-race/
School-Family Partnerships Strengthen SEL in Students
Talking to Children (Elementary to High School) about Violence
Reading Our Kids' Emotions
CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING OF MENTAL HEALTH & TRAUMA MATTERS
CHA introduces Community Behavioral Health Center!
Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) was recently chosen as one of 25 Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) in Massachusetts. This initiative will improve access to behavioral health care and will serve people of all ages. The CBHCs will serve as an entry point for timely, high-quality and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders, including routine appointments, urgent visits, and 24/7 community-based crisis intervention as an alternative to hospital emergency departments.
The CHA CBHC service area is Cambridge, Everett, Malden, Medford and Somerville. There are other CBHC providers in other local communities, a full list can be found here.
The CBHC will launch on January 3, 2023. Initial services will be located at Cambridge Hospital, 1493 Cambridge Street in Cambridge. We plan to open a second location in Malden later in 2023.
The CHA CBHC will offer the following services:
24-hour Access and Crisis Line (833-222-2030)
to support mental health needs and connect people to care. Please note this line will launch on January 3, 2023.
Urgent (Behavioral Health) Care/Walk In clinic
at Cambridge Hospital (Cahill building, 1st floor). This service will provide rapid assessment and treatment for urgent behavioral health needs. Our hours are Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm and Sat-Sun 9am to 5:30pm.
24-hour Mobile Crisis Services staffed by trained behavioral health clinicians. This team will engage people in crisis in community locations and will offer
assessment, treatment and connect to care.
Once people are evaluated by the CBHC, they will be connected to care based on their needs. Recommendations may include hospitalization, medication consultation and management, individual or group therapy, meetings with a recovery coach, peer specialist, or family support specialist, or other services.
To help inform the public about these new services, CHA has created FAQ documents as well as small pocket cards with information about our phone line and urgent (Behavioral Health) care. These materials are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.
More information will be available at www.challiance.org starting January 3rd, 2023.
More of Our Favorite Resources
Families: Partners in Education
Listen to PTA Podcast Notes From the Backpack
Learn about the Every Student Succeeds Act & school improvement by clicking here
Take a BRAIN BREAK
ABOUT US
Our family community is strong, kind, and talented - like our students. We are made up of about 680 families representing 910 PHA students. About 200 families have more than one child going to PHA, so over half of our students have siblings at PHA. While one third of us live in Somerville and about 12% of us live in Cambridge, we come to PHA from over 50 cities and towns in Massachusetts from as far south as Fall River and as far north as Haverhill. We speak over 25 languages at home with our most common being Haitian Creole, followed by Portuguese, Spanish, Nepali, Amharic and Arabic. This just scratches the surface of who we are, but get to know us better by reaching out to any of our FAB family leaders.
CLICK HERE or email ipaik@phacs.org to get involved!