How one school pulled off the remarkable | Morning Newsletter
And, how the pandemic has affected veterinarians.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Hello, dedicated readers of The Inquirer Morning Newsletter.
First: The story of an elementary school that kept 450 students attending with some highly motivating incentives.
Then: The upside of having more pets being under foot at home had a downside: overworked vets. Suffice it to say they need a paws pause.
And: Power? Check. Money? Check. But Fletcher Cox wants to reach new heights with his Eagles career, and it feels as if it’s now or never.
P.S. Martha and the Vandellas once sang that love is “like a heat wave.” And it is a heat wave. This is how you can stay cool without air conditioning in Philly.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Looking out for 450 kids isn’t easy. The barriers to attending school are real, and you already know how the pandemic only made them worse. But for the students of William Dick Elementary, there was one good reason for showing up, even if that just meant logging on. That would be their massive fuzzy mascot, the panther, who got some effective results with surprise visits to kids or families with high online attendance. Sure, there were prizes and certificates before the pandemic, but the mascot was a new one.
And that’s just one example of the extra steps the school’s dedicated educators and staff took to keep the students engaged instead of letting them slip through the cracks during the year of learning remotely.
When the staff couldn’t connect with families due to barriers, they masked up and showed up to reach out in the school’s dense catchment area, which includes Raymond Rosen Manor, a public housing community.
Everybody went all in. It worked. Read on for Kristen Graham and Jessica Calefati’s story on this remarkable school’s track record.
The pandemic story of more animal companions was alight with silly moments thanks to plenty more face time with pet pals that warmed social media’s anxious heart. The new best friends even quickly became the unwitting stars of Zoom conferences. But the vets are drowning in the resulting work.
Take, for example, one Haddonfield vet who is completely overbooked with surgeries until autumn as the staff has thinned while the workload has thickened. The explanation for the uptick? Sharp growth in ownership under closer observation of the owners, who vets say seemed to become more emotional with everything going on.
When COVID-19 and vet medicine collided, it brewed “a perfect storm,” said Jennifer Keeler, executive director of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.
Read on for Katie Park’s story on how the pandemic overworked vets.
Helpful COVID-19 Resources
Track the latest data on cases in the region.
No, you shouldn’t ask for someone’s vaccination status. Here’s what to do instead.
Symptoms of COVID-19, flu, common cold, and allergies can overlap. How to tell the difference.
Side effects mean your COVID-19 vaccine is working. But what if you don’t have a reaction?
What you need to know today
We took a look at a turning point in Fletcher Cox’s Eagles career.
“As a Black man, I have an obligation to talk about this.” Former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter had surgery for prostate cancer. He especially wants Black men to hear about his experience.
A mysterious condition can threaten vision, particularly in young Black and Hispanic women.
There are several reasons why elderly people react differently to heat, and they all put seniors at greater health risk at the height of summer.
Philly gets close to a budget deal involving millions of dollars today. Should the city cut taxes, and how much should it spend on violence prevention programs? These are the big areas of contention.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
When Philadelphia is already its own highly Instagrammable free flower show.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!
That’s interesting
💰 Have a friend ever-so-slightly hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine? Philly residents could now win as much as $50,000 for getting vaccinated.
💌 Also, attention, home buyers: Don’t count on sellers to read those heartfelt letters you write.
🏡 And as houses fly off the market, people are holding one standard very high.
🧁 Roses have nothing on these sweet treats. Dessert companies Sweet Nina’s, KakeMi Cakes, and Jillian Bakes practically blossomed at the Philadelphia Flower Show.
⚾ The Phillies need the very promising 19-year-old Mick Abel to become an ace. One scout says Abel reminds him of a “young Roy Halladay.”
🥖 Forget that gross “veggie hoagie” photo circulating on Twitter. These vegan and vegetarian sandwiches are the real deal.
Opinions
“I’ve seen a whole lot during my reporting days in Philadelphia. But I’ve never seen anyone step up the way Stanford has in a challenge as great as this,” in a column where the headline speaks for itself — Yo, Mayor Kenney, hire Ala Stanford to be the next city health commissioner — columnist Jenice Armstrong nominates someone who knows a thing or two about public health and communication.
Philly should reject the parking tax cut, and Opinion team writer Daniel Pearson writes why.
“Now is the time for consumers to take control of their health and protect themselves against COVID-19. Independent community pharmacies can help them do just that through accessible, trusted, and personalized care,” clinical pharmacist Chichi Ilonzo Momah writes.
What we’re reading
Getting to the bottom of the glass when it comes to drinking, the Atlantic provides an in-depth look into the alcohol consumption of people in the country before and during the pandemic.
The Guardian explores how vengeance in Hollywood popcorn flicks feeds into toxic masculinity, and the consequences of it.
If you’re ever in Florida and get homesick, check out this spot for a taste of South Philly, according to the Bradenton Herald.
Your Daily Dose of | Rock
This dynamic duo has been rocking for more than 40 years with the band Quincy and their other band, Smash Palace. Tune in to this: Their brand new shiny album and a concert gig that will bring it all home to where they started in Haddon Heights.