In Great Valley
a monthly e-newsletter from the Great Valley School District
JANUARY 2019
General Wayne Named a Distinguished School
General Wayne Elementary School was recently honored as a Distinguished School of Pennsylvania for the 2018-2019 school year. Teachers and administrators attended the ISP (Improving School Performance) Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, where they presented on “Growing Strong Readers.” More than 50 participants left with strategies and supports they could use in their own classrooms or schools.
MS Students Earn Distinction in Geographic Bee
Great Valley Middle School recently hosted its 27th Annual Geographic Bee. Seventh grade student Lucca Ruggieri was named the winner. Rohan Sivakumar, also a seventh grader, was the runner up, and eighth grade student Yash Nagle took third place. Lucca will now take the state qualifying test to see if he can advance to the Pennsylvania State Geographic Bee in March.
HS Student Receives Youth Award
Great Valley High School student Alyssa Maldonado received the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Youth Award. She received the Gold Award in the Healthcare & Science category, which was sponsored by CVS. Alyssa was featured in an article about the award ceremony in the publication,
El Tiempo Latino.
Exploration of Possible Full-Day Kindergarten Continues
Late last fall, the District began a process to consider the implementation of a full-day kindergarten program in Great Valley. A variety of factors including budget, facility space, and program implications were presented to the School Board over the last few months. Additionally, the District conducted a series of surveys to assess levels of support for a full-day program. Results from those surveys were shared with the School Board in January and are now posted at www.gvsd.org/fdk, along with all of the other presentations.
To date, no decision has been made about whether or not GVSD will implement a full-day kindergarten program. The School Board is expected to vote at its meeting on February 19. Community members are encouraged to share questions and input with the Board and administration by emailing fdk@gvsd.org.
Information about the consideration of full-day kindergarten can be found on our website at
Board Review
The Great Valley Board of School Directors conducted its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.
Complete meeting highlights and meeting agendas are available on our website. Meeting broadcasts are available on GVTV (Comcast Channel 14 and/or Verizon Channel 36), or via our website.
Recognition Items
- HS students Caitlyn Gosa and Patrick McDermott were honored for their work to design the 2018 Great Valley School District holiday card.
- The Great Valley Middle School Student Council was recognized at the 82nd annual Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils State Conference. The GVMS Student Council was one of eight middle level councils to receive the Keystone Council Award for excellence in leadership development, council organization, activities, evaluation, financial procedures, community outreach, and communication.
- Student Kate Bevec received the Dale Hawley Award recognizing her as the outstanding delegate of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC) Alvernia Advanced Blue Summer Leadership Camp, which was held in July.
- The American Mathematics Competitions are a series of examinations and curriculum materials that build problem-solving skills and mathematical knowledge in middle and high school students. Seven Great Valley Middle School students received recognition for their outstanding performance on the AMC Math test.
- GVHS Junior Ava Cofiell won her race at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta in the category “Women’s High School Trainer Singles.” Recognized as one of the most important regattas in the country, the event draws thousands of competitors. It is quite an achievement for Ava and the Great Valley Crew Team.
- January is School Director Recognition Month - a time to say thanks for outstanding service to the children and citizens of the Great Valley School District.
Financial Approvals
The Board approved:
- three clubs: Science Fair, Biology, Toys for Tots
- private transportation agreement
- services from Sweet Stevens Katz Williams
- student assistance program consulting RFP
- renewal of PA Reap Technology Services
- renewal of Global Compliance Network, Inc.
- donation from GVCO Caring Hands Foundation
- private donation to GVHS
- private donation to Sugartown Elementary School
- agreements for partial program placements
- professional development training agreement
- roofing consultant contract extension
- Act 1 accelerated budget resolution
- tech efficiency RFP
- agreement with Montgomery County I.U. for shared services
- agreement for student assistance program
Contact us
Email: communications@gvsd.org
Website: www.gvsd.org
Location: 47 Church Road, Malvern
Phone: 610-889-2125
Facebook: facebook.com/GreatValleySD