Wednesday Roundup | 9.6.23
Spotlight Image: Fourth graders at Silver Spring Elementary School recently shared some of their writings with classmates and friends. Photo courtesy Silver Spring Facebook page.
Calendar Reminders
- September 6 - Elementary Back to School Night
- September 7 - EV Gr. 6 Back to School Night
- September 7 - MV - Gr. 7, 8 Back to School Night
- September 8 - CV Mini-THON Tailgate (more info below)
- September 14 - EV Gr 7, 8 Back to School Night
- September 18 - School Board Meeting
- September 21 - CVHS Financial Aid Night
- September 22 - Salute to Service
- October 2 - School Board Meeting
- October 4 - Grade 4 Agventure Day
- October 6 - Homecoming game
- October 7 - Homecoming dance
- October 9 - NO SCHOOL for students (Staff Act 80 day)
* All events subject to change. Not an all-inclusive list.
News & Announcements
The community is invited to join us at CV Mini-THON's annual Gold-Out tailgate from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, September 8, 2023. There will be lots of food, games, face painting, a dunk tank and more. This family-friendly event benefits CV Mini-THON, which raises money for the Four Diamonds and their aim to conquer childhood cancer.
Be sure to wear your brightest gold as we strive to turn the stands gold for the evening.
CV High School’s Mr. Josh Oswalt and Miss Millie Eckard teamed up last year to collect pop tabs to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hershey. The Ronald McDonald House helps families of children who are receiving essential, lifesaving medical care through Hershey.
Together, and with the support of our school and greater CV community, Mr. Oswalt and Miss Eckard collected nearly 50 pounds of pop tabs, which were recently delivered to the Ronald McDonald House. Thank YOU!
The project is continuing this school year, with an end goal to collect and donate at least 75 pounds of pop tabs to the project. These tabs could be from soup cans, soda, energy drinks, etc. Size of the tab does not matter. The community is invited to drop off soda tabs to the High School main office during regular school hours, attention Millie Eckerd.
Pictured: Millie Eckerd and Larissa Deesing, also of CVHS, with a representative from Ronald McDonald House of Hershey.
From our School Police Department: Let's Talk About Roblox
The Good: Roblox has countless applications that allow kids to learn many different skills such as math, budgeting, bill paying, and much more. The game encourages kids to be creative in many ways and can be very educational.
The Bad: Roblox has a chat feature which allows predators to friend your kids. Unfortunately , there are thousands of predators who take advantage of the chat feature to prey on young kids as they are very impressionable and generally easy targets. The chat feature can be turned off but is rarely done as parents don't realize how many internet predators are grooming kids while posing as a juvenile.
Predators create “Condo” games that feature adult content, such as simulated sex acts, graphic images, and inappropriate language. They look like a safe game that draws in users, only to discover that there's inappropriate content lurking inside."
How can you protect your child while playing?
Whether or not Roblox is safe for your kids depends in part on the steps you take to protect them when they're online. It's always a good idea to have open and honest communication with your kids regarding technology. So, talk to your kids about internet safety and be sure they know who to turn to if they encounter a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Use parental controls and skip the chat rooms.
To keep Roblox safe for kids, it’s recommended that parents disable their child's chat functionality, especially if they're not directly supervising play.
Recommend setting parental controls on Roblox by doing the following:
- Log in to the account.
- Click the gear icon, and then click Settings.
- On the right-hand side of the Settings page, click Privacy.
- From here, you can adjust both Contact Settings and Other Settings.
- If your child is 12 or younger, you can choose Friends or No one. If your child is 13 or older, there are additional options for interaction with other players.
Don’t allow kids to play behind closed doors.
Parents should also institute a blanket rule that all electronic devices be charged in a common area outside your child's bedroom.
Private Servers
A private server is a subscription-based feature that allows a user to decide who can play an experience with them. Sometimes there is a small monthly fee for this feature.
Roblox Parent’s Guide: https://corporate.roblox.com/parents/
What is “Beaming” in Roblox? Users stealing from your child.
Anonymous reporting can be made @ Safe to Say
Cumberland Valley Student and Public Safety – (717) 506-3349
(Please note: This is a non-emergency number that is not staffed 24 hours per day and is not a reporting hotline.)
Portrait of an Eagle: Student Spotlight
From day one, our littlest Eagles began learning about and displaying responsibility. Check out some of these kindergarteners at Sporting Hill Elementary School, who were responsible when putting their empty crayon boxes in the recycle bin on the first day of school. They are a Portrait of an Eagle!
Photo courtesy Mrs. Heidi Graci, Kindergarten teacher, Sporting Hill Elementary School.
School Board News
Upcoming School Board Meetings
Unless otherwise advertised, all meetings begin at 7 p.m. and will take place in the District Office Board Room (6746 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg)
- Monday, September 18, 2023
- Monday, October 2, 2023
- Monday, October 16, 2023
A full list of School Board and committee meeting dates is available by clicking here.
Quick Access
Board Agendas - Posted a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Committee Assignments - 2023 Board committee/advisory group assignments.
Meeting Minutes - Posted once approved by the Board of School Directors.
Watch Live - School Board meetings are live streamed to our website.
Additional Reminders
Reminder: Emergency Contact/Health Information, Signoffs in Skyward
At the start of each school year, we ask families to please update important student/emergency contact information and complete annual signoffs in Skyward.
If you have not already done so, we ask that you please take a few moments to complete this information for each of your students.
Signoffs include information regarding publicity/directory releases, handbooks, and more. It is important that you please take a moment to complete all of these sign-offs by logging into your Skyward Parent Family Access Center and clicking the “parent signoff” tile. The tile will be marked as completed once this information is submitted.
In addition, we ask that you ensure emergency contact and health information is accurate and up to date in Skyward. Please note that you may also update this information throughout the year should contact/health information change.
Please utilize the "Guardian Information Update" form should you need to change your email address and/or phone number throughout the school year.
Please note that you can only access and complete Skyward forms through a web browser (not the Skyward mobile app).
If you are having difficulty logging into Skyward, please use the “forgot username/password” link, which will send an automated email with your username and link to reset your password. When logging in to change your password, please be certain to use the username exactly as listed in the automated email. If that does not work, please submit a Technology HelpDesk ticket. Please reach out to your child's school should you have specific questions about the sign-offs.
Reminder: 1:1 Device Insurance
Device Insurance: We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the details of our 1:1 Device program and of the annual device insurance option that is available to you and your student.
It is the belief of the District that supplying a device for all students in grades K-12 is essential to their learning and development. Consistency in grade-level devices is essential to the implementation of our curriculum, instruction, and assessment, while also allowing for sufficient support operations. After reading this entire email, please review more specific information about the program on the Technology section of our website under the 1:1 Technology Program page and its subpages.
The District owns and values each device and requires students to follow usage guidelines and to use care and caution in handling the device. These guidelines are on the 1:1 Technology Program Device Care and Support webpage. The devices do have a manufacturer warranty to cover any manufacturer defects or malfunctions. Students and families will be responsible for the full cost of any loss or damage to their device unless you purchase insurance through the District at a cost of $25 per student/year. This optional insurance will help to decrease the out-of-pocket expenses families may have related to device damage.
Cost waivers are in place for families facing economic hardship and families with four or more students. If you are a family facing economic hardship and have been approved through the free/reduced lunch program, you must still add the optional insurance in Skyward. The discount will take place after the optional fee is added. If it does not, you should verify your free/reduced lunch application status through our Food Service Department. If you are a family of four or more students, you should add the optional insurance for all of your students, but only pay for three of them in Revtrak. After completing the payment, please email Kerry Johnson at kjohnson@cvschools.org with the name(s), grade(s), and building(s) of the additional student(s) so the fee can be waived in Skyward.
Reminder: Reaching CV by Telephone
As previously shared, our Technology Department completed an important and necessary upgrade to our districtwide telephone system over the summer. As part of this upgrade, some of the direct-dial telephone numbers for specific buildings/departments/staff may have changed. You may reach any of our buildings or departments by calling 717-697-8261 and following the prompts. You may also contact our schools directly at the following numbers:
CV High School: 717-506-3555
CV9: 717-506-3372
CVVA: 717-697-8261
Eagle View Middle School: 717-506-3955
Mountain View Middle School: 717-697-1960
Green Ridge Elementary School: 717-766-4911
Hampden Elementary School: 717-737-4513
Middlesex Elementary School: 717-249-5586
Monroe Elementary School: 717-697-0028
Shaull Elementary School: 717-506-3415
Silver Spring Elementary School: 717-506-3755
Sporting Hill Elementary School: 717-761-5052
Winding Creek Elementary School: 717-620-2525
Reminder: Emergency Notifications, Text Messaging, Official Channels
Emergency Notifications: In cases of an emergency in a specific building or across the district, CV will issue communication to the appropriate stakeholders through telephone, email, text message, and/or website alert. Parents/Guardians should ensure that their contact information is always up-to-date in Skyward, as this is where we will pull information for our notifications and alerts. Notification to schedule changes due to inclement weather will also be issued via the above mentioned methods.
Register to Receive Text Messages: Cumberland Valley School District uses text messaging (for parents/guardians and staff) as a mode of communication during inclement weather, emergencies, bus delays, and more. If you are a parent/guardian who is new to the District or if you have not previously signed up to receive text alerts, please sign into your Skyward Family Access account and complete the “Text (SMS) Notifications” form. For step-by-step directions, please click the "How do I register" link below.
Official Communication Channels: It is important to ensure that you look for communication via our official channels. Please click here to visit our website for a chart illustrating the various ways our stakeholders can connect through our official channels with individual staff, a specific school building, and the district.
FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CVschools | Twitter: www.twitter.com/CVSDnews
Cumberland Valley School District is in search of a School Counselor at Cumberland Valley High School. The selected candidate will build collaborative relationships with students, staff, and parents/guardians while assisting students in academic, career, and emotional support.
This position requires an active and valid PA Secondary School Counselor certification.
To learn more and apply - www.cvschools.org/jobs
Additional Quick Access Links
Technology HelpDesk
- Staff and Students - Please go to https://helpdesk.cvschools.org to sign in and create a Technology helpdesk ticket.
- Parents/Guardians may click here to create a Technology helpdesk ticket, as needed.
OUR SHARED VISION:
All students will develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to enroll, enlist, or employ.
#CVPROUD