Soaring to Skyview
A newsletter for 4th grade families
Transitioning to Grade 5
It is time for our 4th graders to begin to “soar to Skyview.” We are excited for them to join our 5/6 learning community.
In order to prepare for 5th grade, students will participate in a number of transition activities including:
· Class presentation with Skyview counselor (beginning in May)
· Transition visit at Skyview—students go on guided tours with current students
· Incoming PARENT information Night—Monday, June 5, 2016, 7 –8 p.m. Brief informational presentation with Mrs. Gorla, and Skyview Counselors. The evening will include building tours.
· Summer Open House - August 24th 6:30—8 p.m. Students participate in a “scavenger hunt” activity and have the opportunity to find their homeroom. This is not a “meet the teacher” night.
· Student Orientation—on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL our teams orient students to the building and procedures (including locker assignments!)
Families will also receive a series of newsletters geared to transition topics to help learn about Skyview. The information in this newsletter highlights some of the social and academic characteristics of 5th graders. All children go through developmental stages and each child is unique in their growth. This information was taken from the book, Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4– 14.
Mrs. Melissa Gorla, Principal
Mrs. Melissa Gorla is the principal of Skyview Upper Elementary. Mrs. Gorla is a graduate of Muhlenberg College and Villanova University. She started her career in education as a middle school German teacher in the Perkiomen Valley School District where she also served as an Assistant Principal. Mrs. Gorla is the former principal of Audubon Elementary School.
Mrs. Gorla lives in Collegeville with her husband and three sons, Joey, Chris, and Vincent. When not at school she can be found cheering at her sons’ sporting events.
By far, the favorite part of Mrs. Gorla’s day is interacting with the students and staff at Skyview. Whether it is stopping into a class or greeting students in the morning, she can often be found in the halls of Skyview.
Mrs. Beth VanBuren, 6th grade Counselor
Mrs. VanBuren is one of the members of the two person school counseling team. Mrs. VanBuren is originally from Chester County and is a graduate of both Syracuse University and Northeastern University. She started her career as a middle school special education teacher. Mrs. VanBuren has served as a school counselor in the Methacton School District since 2002 at both Woodland Elementary School and Arcola Intermediate School prior to the opening of Skyview Upper Elementary School in 2010. Mrs. VanBuren will be the sixth grade counselor for the 2017-2018 school year.
Mrs. VanBuren lives locally with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys time with her family and for her personal health and well being is a cross country runner.
Mrs. VanBuren thoroughly enjoys being a member of the Skyview Community and coming to such a great school each and every day.
Mr. Rob Howard, 5th grade Counselor
Hello! My name is Rob Howard and I will be the school counselor for all students in the fifth grade for the 2017-2018 school year. Prior to working at Skyview, I was a behavior specialist for the Chester County Intermediate Unit.
I grew up in State College, Pennsylvania and am a big Penn State Nittany Lions fan. We are! I earned my bachelors degree in Sociology from Penn State University in 2010. After I completed my undergraduate degree, I enrolled at West Chester University and received my Masters of Education in School Counseling in 2013.
I really enjoy being a school counselor for Skyview. I have a great passion for helping students succeed and helping them through any difficulties or trials in their lives. I know it helped a lot to have adults in my life who were there for me at a young age and it is an honor to be able to do the same now.
I live in West Chester with my wife and in my spare time I enjoy playing sports, watching movies, traveling, playing the guitar, reading and being active in my church among many other things. I am always interested in what students have going on outside of school and hope to support them in anyway I can.
Common Developmental Characteristics of students ages 9—11
Social
· Competitive but cooperative
· Need adults to be patient and explain clearly
· Enjoy adult recognition
· Need time to talk with peers
· Like to challenge rules, argue and test limits
· Sensitive
· Need adult lightheartedness, humor and encouragement to lighten their mood and ease anxiety
Academic
· Work hard and pay attention to detail, but may jump quickly between interests
· Take pride in their work
· Likes rules and logic
· Begin to challenge adult explanations
· Like “adult tasks” such as researching, interviewing, analyzing—though may outwardly fuss while secretly enjoying the work
Skyview Upper Elementary
Website: http://www.methacton.org/Domain/732
Phone: 610-489-5000
Twitter: @skyview_msd