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West Word - September 18, 2020
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West Word - September 11, 2020
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West Word - September 4, 2020
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West Word - August 19, 2020
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Summer Reading Guidelines Available for Students K-12
 Parents and guardians are an integral part of a child’s reading process and success, so please encourage your child(ren) to practice active, meaningful reading and talk with them about the texts they select. Elementary students work towards reading a certain number of minutes per week. Secondary students (grades 6-12) are to read two books that they self-select. |
MSW Update - June 3, 2020
 Congratulations, once again, to the PVHS Class of 2020! I hope this letter finds all safe, healthy, and preparing to ease into your summer! It may be hard to believe, but Monday will conclude the 2019-2020 school year, a year marked by resiliency, expanded technological acumen, distance learning (for both adults and children), patience, and perseverance. It is as significant as it is amazing when one thinks about how much all of us have had to change, adapt, risk, and work through, quite simply, to carry on. (“Sometimes carrying on, just carrying on is the superhuman achievement” – A. Camus.) Our Eighth-grade Awards will be delivered virtually to eighth-grade parents on the morning of the 8th. Congratulations to the rising Class of 2024! New News - Special Retirement Congratulations to our main office secretary/administrative assistant: Mrs. Cathie Dickey! Cathie has worked for PVSD over twenty years! I would like to take this opportunity not only to thank her but also to wish her a happy, healthy, fun-filled retirement! Virtual Field Day, Grades 6-8 – June 4th, 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Access your PE Google Classrooms: 6th Grade: awccp7b, 7th Grade: 7xdvgqh, 8th Grade: mpo6ad7 Our PE teachers will be posting five field day activities, so be on the lookout for these posts! Participation videos will equate to raffle entries, so don’t forget to post your activity completion videos as directed by your teachers! From Mrs. Kratz, Mrs. Quintangeli - To the East-West Reading Union Members! We hope you enjoyed reading Squint and participating in our first joint book club. It was nice to see many of you attend the virtual author visit with Chad Morris. (Special thanks to Mr. Morris, a co-author of Squint!) We highly encourage our Reading Union members to write a quick note of appreciation or share your thoughts on the book Squint. We plan to gather everyone’s notes and put them into one email to the authors. Congratulations to the music department and a host of PV musicians! The virtual ensemble video (https://youtu.be/BPmkmjFWm8I) is a two-minute version of “Ode to Joy,” which features the combined individual performances of over 325 PV students, grades 3-12. This was a monumental task that could not have been accomplished without everyone working together at every level - one of the hallmarks of great music education! Special thanks to the West Community – our wonderful students, supportive families, and the collective talents of an exceptionally well trained and dedicated teaching/support staff! All play important roles and contribute directly to the welfare - the social, emotional, physical, and academic growth - of West’s most important asset – our children! Special thanks to Mrs. Muscatello (Yearbook – Jr. Voyager, District Liaison, the Class of 2020 video montage, and end-of-year eighth-grade photo montages), Mrs. Overholser (eighth-grade portrait montages), and Mrs. Quintangeli and Mr. Zacharias (Eighth-grade Virtual Awards)! You are an amazing team, and West is very grateful for your creativity and contributions! This thank you extends to all West assistants, paraprofessionals, coaches, directors, supervisors, advisors, etc.! Withdrawing Student(s) - If any parent/guardian plans to withdraw their student(s) from PVSD, please bring in the student’s/s’ Chromebook(s), charging cord(s), library books, and/or any textbooks to the Grab-n-Go and hand them in at that time. Ask for Mrs. Continelli, who will be available to collect/check these items in and/or help with paperwork/questions. Instruments - If your child plays an instrument, please make sure he or she has brought it home. Instruments cannot stay at school during the summer! Email Mrs. Sitron (csitron@pvsd.org) or Mrs. Dickey (cdickey@pvsd.org) if your child’s instrument is still at PVMS West. Counseling – There will be a brand new counseling newsletter for June coming up in the next couple of days. (West’s counselors will be following up with additional Newsletter updates in July and August.) Additionally, parents will be updated on future fifth-grade and eighth-grade transition information as it becomes available from the counseling center. Counselors - Mr. Montgomery (wmontgomery@pvsd.org), Ms. Militello (lmilitello@pvsd.org), and Mrs. Hildreth (khildreth@pvsd.org) and/or visit West’s counseling page, https://sites.google.com/a/pvsd.org/perkiomen-valley-middle-school-west/departments/counseling. Summer Safety – Covid-19 Community Resources, an updated Resource list for and your Parent/Students: In addition, Montgomery County Mobile Crisis is also available to PV families: ------- Click here to see the Montgomery County Mobile Crisis brochure The Safe2Say tipline will remain active during the closure. This tip line enables one to send anonymous tips to notify the proper authorities to any number of concerns, such as, but not limited to: mental health concerns, personal safety, drugs/alcohol abuse, bullying and more. There are several ways to report a concern: you can call 1-844-safe2say, go to the Safe2Say, or download the app. Your tip will be forwarded to a dispatcher, and administrators and/or counselors will do their best to address the issue. Don't forget, in an emergency, please call 911!
During the school closure, MS West will continue to run SAP (our Student Assistance Program) meetings; West’s SAP team will continue to take referrals and provide connections for students and families. The mission of the Pennsylvania Network for Student Assistance Services is to provide leadership for developing a safe and drug-free environment and mental health wellness in schools and communities across the commonwealth. Please contact a school counselor (see above) for more information. Reminders: New Learning postings concluded on June 3rd, but students can submit make-up work through June 8th; teacher/team closure postings will continue June 4th, June 5th, and/or June 8th. (Closure postings – West’s teachers and teams will post individual and/or collective conversations, creative activities, celebrations, class meetings, challenges, etc. on the mornings of the three half days.) Remaining Grading Periods – If you have any course-specific/grading questions or concerns to share with your child’s teacher/team, please reach out by email. The end of the third trimester, fourth quarter, and fifth vector will be June 8th. All middle school teachers are currently using a points-based gradebook. This means that for the fourth marking period, teachers will enter all assignments into one category (assessments) in their gradebook so that all work is weighted equally. The fourth marking period will only constitute 10% of the final grade for each yearlong course. Final grades will be determined by weighting the first three marking periods as 30% each and the fourth marking period as 10%. Students’ final grades on report cards will reflect the calculation indicated above. Grades will be published to HAC on June 16th at noon. Teachers communicated at-risk averages with parents at mid-marking period, and, if necessary, summer school conversations will be scheduled for the week of the 8th. West’s Grab-n-go for Students is scheduled for June 5 and June 8. West posted a link to sign up for dates and times for the collection of personal belongings. Hallway locker contents have been bagged/identified for students, but students will need to access their own gym lockers. Therefore, personal protective equipment (masks and gloves) is required if students need to check the gym lockers. Returning School Property - Students should return school property (uniforms, books, library books, calculators, etc.) in a labeled (grade, full name) bag on these two days as well. Students will keep their Chromebooks! Questions, email Mrs. Sitron: csitron@pvsd.org! June 8th –West would like to celebrate our eighth-grade class, the Class of 2024! West’s Awards Program link will be made available to students and parents on the morning of the last day of school; it will be available for anytime viewing. [The Awards will not be posted publicly because student pictures and names will be incorporated in the link.] Gold and Silver Awards – As stated earlier this school year, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade grades and assessment results are taken into account when determining recipients of these awards. (Gold Award winners must be “Advanced” in both ELA/Reading and Mathematics, and Silver Award winners must be “Advanced/Proficient,” “Proficient/Advanced,” or “Proficient/Proficient” in ELA/Reading and Mathematics.) Farewell Parade – West has a longstanding tradition of ushering in the summer, typically, with a school bus parade, and we would like to maintain that tradition with a West families parade! Our Farewell Send-off is scheduled for 6/8, Weather Permitting, at 5:00 p.m. Students/families will stay in cars and loop through the bus parking lot (in front of the deck/cafeteria). Faculty and staff will be dispersed on the deck and will not be able to approach cars. Wave, honk, scream have a great summer; we can’t wait to see everyone!
Nurse’s Notes - Please be reminded that if your child has not handed in his sixth-grade physical, or seventh-grade dental form per the state requirements, we will accept them by regular mail or simply email Mrs. Lind at clind@pvsd.org with the date your child was seen by the doctor or dentist. Also, please note that emails were sent out as a friendly reminder to make sure your seventh-grade child is up to date on all vaccinations prior to the first day of school. This includes the Tdap and Meningitis vaccinations. Your child will be excluded from school if there is no proof of these vaccinations on file in the nurse's office. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Lind via email. Please stay safe and healthy! Yearbooks: Yearbooks and accessories will be mailed directly to your home next month! Thank you for your patience and support. Title I - LIFT (Learning Is Fun Together) is a summer learning opportunity for Title I, West students in grades 6 and 7. (Google Form invitation sent May 13, 2020.) LIFT will meet virtually this summer (June 30th to August 13th), Tuesdays through Thursdays, twice a day (9:15-12:15), for lessons in reading and mathematics. Miss Yerkes, Mrs. Lesh, and Mrs. Yeager will be in touch with registered students/parents to invite the West participants to a Google Classroom. Together, teachers and students/families will identify times to connect for live learning lessons. If the times do not work on a given day, the lessons will be recorded for viewing at a later time. Middle-level students who participate will have two or three resources reserved for them; these can be picked up from MS West on June 22nd. We will communicate pick-up details as the time draws nearer. Students will also be using their Chromebooks for this program. (If your child’s device runs into any technical difficulty, please send a brief email with your child’s name and the nature of the problem to helpdesk@pvsd.org for assistance.) Summer Technology Needs – Chromebook, not working? Please email the PVSD helpdesk at helpdesk@pvsd.org. Students/families are responsible for purchasing Chromebook chargers. Click here for the web page with device specifications. Scroll down on the page to see information about chargers. It has been my great honor to serve both PVHS and MS West students and their families! Once a Viking, always a Viking! Stay Safe and Be Well! Donna Milligan, Principal, PVMS West A reminder to parents and guardians: If you ever need clarification or assistance with anything mentioned in my reports or if you have general questions, please email (dmilligan@pvsd.org) or Ryan Creeden (rcreeden@pvsd.org); we will be happy to assist you. (We are experiencing such an unorthodox closure that we are certain that questions will arise over the summer; please do not hesitate to contact one of us!) Important Dates: May and June: 6/4/20 – Virtual Field Day, all grades, 8:00-11:30 a.m. 6/5/20 – PVHS Virtual Graduation, Class of 2020 (Facebook and YouTube) 6/4, 5, 8/20 – Half-days, In-service; students should check their Google Classrooms in the morning for the day’s events. 6/5, 8/20 – Student Grab-n-go for personal belongings (Don’t forget to return West property, too!) 6/8/20– Eighth-grade Awards, an Interactive Awards Program with Video Links 6/8/20 – Farewell West Families Parade, Weather Permitting, beginning 5:00 p.m., Bus Lot (in front of the cafeteria) TBD: Fifth-grade Parents’ Night - Perkiomen Valley Middle School West plans to sponsor a Fifth-grade Parents’ Night/Sixth-grade Orientation in each school’s respective auditorium on (date/time – TBD). The purpose of this forum is to provide fifth-grade parents the opportunity to learn about the sixth-grade program at the middle schools. Our schools’ guidance counselors and administrators will welcome you to the Perkiomen Valley Middle School community and begin/continue your orientation as a parent of a middle-level learner. Summer, 2020 At this point, there will be no onsite programming, activities, or camps during summer. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and county and state health department restrictions, we have opted to cancel Community Education camps, classes or lessons that take place in our buildings during the summer. Some classes are being delivered virtually, and you can learn more about them on our website.
School Year, 2020-21 As we prepare to conclude the 2019-20 school year, we also think about the upcoming one. There remain many questions about what we will be permitted to do and what is safest and best for our students, staff, and community. We strongly desire to have our students back in our physical school buildings. There remains a level of uncertainty about what the 2020-21 school year will look like, so please stay tuned for updates. |
Statement from the Board of School Directors
 Recent events, including a pandemic that has shone a spotlight on the socioeconomic and health care disparities that affect persons of color and horrific acts of violence, have focused the world’s attention on the racial inequities in this country. As elected representatives of our community, we condemn these inequities that continue to exist in our society. As individuals, we are outraged and deeply saddened and concerned for those members of our community who are deeply affected by these incidents. We want our families of color, and especially our black male students, to know that we love them, we value them, and we stand with them. Although we are separated by social distancing, please know that counseling resources remain available through the district and students are invited to reach out for support. As individuals who are not black, we recognize that we must work to understand the experience of individuals in our community who are. We will continue to engage with our community as we learn from each other and will also seek to hear from those who feel their voices are unheard. We invite community members to reach out to us to share your input regarding issues that are of importance to you. Words are not enough, and this statement cannot be the end of the conversation. We stand with black families and like-minded community members in demanding swift, system-wide change. To that end, we call upon our administration to strictly uphold district policies on nondiscrimination (#103) and on diversity (#151). Additionally, we direct administration to ensure that the curriculum presented in our schools fully represents the diversity in our schools, including ensuring that students are presented with a diverse array of course offerings and classroom resources. Initiatives that seek to address equity and inclusion must be broadly integrated throughout all levels of district programming rather than one-off events attended by like-minded individuals. Finally, the safety of our schools and our community is rooted in a foundation of mutual respect and trust for all. We will continue to work to create a safe environment for all PVSD students in our schools, in our community, and beyond. We reaffirm our commitment to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students that is governed by principles of equality, justice, and humanity, and a respect for the inherent dignity and worth of all people. PVSD Board of School Directors
Judy Lofton, President
Matt Dorr, Vice President
Sarah Evans-Brockett
Gene Halus
Reena Kolar
Kim Mares
Beth Roberts
Wayde Weston
Laura White
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PVMS West Says Farewell and Best Wishes to Class of 2024
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MSW Update - May 21, 2020
 I will begin this update with portions of Dr. Russell’s recent remarks, just in case you missed the email: The week of Memorial Day, [this Monday, May 25th,] signifies the end of the school year is near. The 2019-20 school year “ending” is certainly one for the record books. I would like to share a few updates as we prepare to close this school year and think about the start of a new one. There will be a Facebook Livestream event next week on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:30 PM, in the event you have comments and/or questions about the end of the year. I am happy to address them for the benefit of the community. We will honor Memorial Day on May 25 with no school for staff or students on this date, however, learning opportunities will continue through June 3, 2020. In advance of the last day of school, June 8, elementary and middle level staff will work with building principals to clean out students’ desks and hallway/gym lockers. Student belongings will be bagged for “grab n go” pick-up on June 5 and June 8. More details about the logistics of pick-up will be provided by building principals. June 4, 5, & 8 are scheduled to be the typical three end of year half-days and the activities organized by our teachers on these dates will be celebratory in nature. The end of the school year has been quite different and challenging for some and in response, we would like to send our students (and parents) off on as positive a note as possible. I thank you for your partnership during this very different way of “doing school.” West-specific Information: This week, I would like to take a moment to recognize the strength, perseverance, and resiliency of West’s students who continue to impress our faculty and staff each and every day. Thank you for your positive attitudes, humor, and your persistence in this very “different and challenging” time. I truly believe that you not only understand but are also able “…to maintain [a] core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances.” You are ready, perhaps earlier than most generations, to contend with the trials and tribulations that life often presents! Maintain a positive outlook and have faith in yourselves and those around you because we truly are all in this together! WEST Strong! Also, all of us at West would like to acknowledge our eighth-grade class, the Class of 2024! Although we have not been able to celebrate the end of the year and an important transition, in the manner in which we would have liked to, please know that we are very proud of you. We celebrate the wonder of your middle school years, and we look forward to celebrating your high school accomplishments! Transition beautifully and well and continue to make us West proud.
Since students and teachers are off on Monday, we will adjust our posting schedule. Follow the standard schedule as written, Tuesday through Thursday; Friday’s (5/29) postings will be specific to: ELA, Social Studies, Languages, Instructional Seminar, and Specials (ACE). New Learning postings will conclude on June 3rd, but students can submit make-up work through June 8th; teacher/team closure postings will continue June 4th, June 5th, and June 8th. (Closure postings – West’s teachers and teams will post individual and/or collective conversations, creative activities, celebrations, class meetings, challenges, etc. on the mornings of the three half days.) Our PE teachers will be posting field day activities, so be on the lookout for these posts! Remaining Grading Periods – If you have any course-specific/grading questions or concerns to share with your child’s teacher/team, please reach out by email. The end of the third trimester, fourth quarter, and fifth vector will be June 8th. Grades will be published to HAC on June 16th at noon. Teachers communicated at-risk averages with parents at mid-marking period, and, if necessary, summer school conversations will be scheduled for the last week of school.
West’s Faculty and Staff will support the PVHS Class of 2020 Graduation on June 3rd (in person) and June 5th (virtually). (Middle School East will support the June 4th in-person date.) Congratulations to the Class of 2020!
West’s Grab-n-go for Students is scheduled for June 5 and June 8. West will send parents a Blast and post a link to sign up for dates and times for the collection of personal belongings. Hallway locker contents will be bagged for students, but students will need to access their own gym lockers. Therefore, personal protective equipment (masks and gloves) is required if students need to check the gym lockers. Students should return school property (uniforms, books, library books, calculators, etc.) in a labeled (grade, full name) bag on these two days as well. Students will keep their Chromebooks!
June 8th – The two middle schools have never hosted eighth-grade graduations; however, we will continue the practice of Eighth-grade Awards, a Virtual Program with video link(s). This program will be made available to students and parents on the morning of the last day of school; it will be available for anytime viewing. [The Awards will not be posted publicly because student pictures and names will be incorporated in the link(s).]
Farewell Parade – West has a longstanding tradition of ushering in the summer, typically, with a school bus parade, and we would like to maintain that tradition with a West families parade! Our Farewell Send-off is scheduled for 6/8, Weather Permitting, at 5:00 p.m. Students/families will stay in cars and loop through the bus parking lot (in front of the deck/cafeteria). Faculty and staff will be dispersed on the deck and will not be able to approach cars. Wave, honk, scream have a great summer; we can’t wait to see everyone!
Nurse’s Notes - Final Medication pick-up, May 27, 2020, 9:00-12:00 Please be reminded that if your child has not handed in his sixth-grade physical, or seventh-grade dental form per the state requirements, we will accept them by regular mail or simply email Mrs. Lind at clind@pvsd.org with the date your child was seen by the doctor or dentist. Also, please note that emails were sent out as a friendly reminder to make sure your seventh-grade child is up to date on all vaccinations prior to the first day of school. This includes the Tdap and Meningitis vaccinations. Your child will be excluded from school if there is no proof of these vaccinations on file in the nurse's office. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Lind via email. Please stay safe and healthy!
Yearbook Reminder: The final day for ordering the Perkiomen Valley Middle School West Junior Voyager yearbook has passed. There will be NO in-school, year-end yearbook sale this year due to the pandemic shutdown. Yearbooks and accessories will be mailed directly to your home next month! Thank you for your patience and support.
Lift/Title I – LIFT (Learning Is Fun Together) is a summer learning opportunity for Title I, West students in grades 6 and 7. (Google Form invitation sent May 13, 2020.) LIFT will meet virtually this summer, June 30-August 13 (excluding the week of July 1-5), on Tuesdays through Thursdays, twice a day (9:15-12:15), for lessons in reading and mathematics. Once the teachers are chosen, they will be in touch with registered students/parents to invite the West participants to a Google Classroom. Together, teachers and students/families will identify times to connect for live learning lessons. If the times do not work on a given day, the lessons will be recorded for viewing at a later time. Middle-level students who participate will have two books reserved for them; these can be picked up from MS West on June 22nd. We will communicate pick-up details as the time draws nearer. Students will also be using their Chromebooks for this program. (If your child’s device runs into any technical difficulty, please send a brief email with your child’s name and the nature of the problem to helpdesk@pvsd.org for assistance.
Special Thanks to Home and School for making Teacher Appreciation week so incredible. (Thank you for the special video montage, which reminded us how much we really miss the kids; the generous Amazon gift cards, and your lovely sentiments.) All of us at West have been very appreciative of your efforts throughout the 19-20 school year! We will miss our transitioning officers! Stay Safe and Be Well, Donna Milligan, Principal, PVMS West A reminder to parents and guardians: If you ever need clarification or assistance with anything mentioned in my reports or if you have general questions, please email (dmilligan@pvsd.org); I will be happy to assist you. Summer, 2020 At this point, there will be no onsite programming, activities, or camps during summer. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and county and state health department restrictions, we have opted to cancel Community Education camps, classes or lessons that take place in our buildings during the summer. Some classes are being delivered virtually, and you can learn more about them on our website. Fifth-grade Parents’ Night - Perkiomen Valley Middle School West plans to sponsor a Fifth-grade Parents’ Night/Sixth-grade Orientation in each school’s respective auditorium (date/time – TBD). The purpose of this forum is to provide fifth-grade parents the opportunity to learn about the sixth-grade program at the middle schools. Our schools’ guidance counselors and administrators will welcome you to the Perkiomen Valley Middle School community and begin/continue your orientation as a parent of a middle-level learner. School Year, 2020-21 As we prepare to conclude the 2019-20 school year, we also think about the upcoming one. There remain many questions about what we will be permitted to do and what is safest and best for our students, staff, and community. We strongly desire to have our students back in our physical school buildings. There remains a level of uncertainty about what the 2020-21 school year will look like, so please stay tuned for updates. Important Dates: May and June: 5/25/20 – Holiday, Memorial Day 5/27/20 – Final Medication Pick-up, 9:00-12:00 6/5/20 – PVHS Virtual Graduation, Class of 2020 6/4, 5, 8/20 – Half-days, In-service; students should check their Google Classrooms in the morning for the day’s events/activities. 6/5, 8/20 – Student Grab-n-go. West will send parents a Blast and post a link to sign up for dates and times for the collection of students’ personal belongings. (Don’t forget to return West property, too!) 6/8/20– Eighth-grade Awards, an Interactive Awards Program with Video Links 6/8/20 – Farewell West Families Parade, Weather Permitting, beginning 5:00 p.m., Bus Lot (in front of the cafeteria) |
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