Thank you for a smooth start to the school year! I am sharing a few more smiles below. The first three days went well and everyone seems ready to embrace learning opportunities! The weather did throw us a curveball last week and I recognize there are remnants of Hurricane IDA that continue to cause difficulties and concern. There is the potential for more inclement weather this evening, so please stay safe. Do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s school counselor or principal with needs in response to storm damage. In addition, we learned yesterday that Montgomery County is operating a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) for residents affected by Hurricane Ida. The MARC will be open today until 7pm and tomorrow, Thursday, September 9 from 9am - 5pm. The MARC is located at 2 W. Lafayette Street, Norristown, PA 19401, the headquarters of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. Additional information is available on their website: MARC Information.

We are proud to be PV Strong! Many have reached out asking how they can provide assistance within the community to families in need at this time. Please consider donating to Power Packs or reaching out to your school counselor to learn of ways you can assist. I am confident we will support each other through this challenging time.

As always, your partnership is much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Dr. Barbara A. Russell

Superintendent

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) issued revised guidance to the Mask Order for schools set to go into effect on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. School entities must require all individuals 2 years of age and older to wear masks/face coverings unless the individual has a medical or mental health condition or disability that precludes the safe wearing of a mask/face covering.

Requests for a mask/face covering exemption must be signed by a licensed medical or mental health provider who is also qualified to diagnose condition(s) precluding a child from safely wearing a mask/face covering. The information must be submitted on the school district’s Mask/Face Covering Exemption Form (version8) and presented to your child’s school nurse for review. The District may recommend possible options prior to granting a full mask/face covering exemption, such as the use of a face shield.

Ultimately, it is the health and safety of our students, staff and community that represents the highest priority. The District will continue to uphold the layered mitigation measures that have been effective in preventing transmission of COVID-19 in our schools, i.e., masking, social distancing, hand washing, and ventilation upgrades, so that it can safely maintain onsite, in-person operations. In the event your child does not qualify for an exemption and/or refuses to wear a mask/face covering indoors, a virtual instruction option will be assigned.

The 21-22 COVID-19 Dashboard is available on our website. The dashboard indicates positive cases in each of our schools on a cumulative basis. Click below to access.

*Please note, there was a reference to an outdated link on our website reflecting last year's data. This link has been corrected.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires all school districts to engage in Comprehensive Planning every six years. In 2017, a committee of stakeholders collaborated to define our District’s mission, vision, and goals. This year we will be engaging in a mid point review of our Comprehensive Plan. This will include a review of our current plan, progress on goals, needs assessment, and identification of accomplishments and challenges. We will be discussing this process during our first Education Committee meeting on September 29th @ 7:00 pm in the High School Library. A zoom link will also be available on our district website for anyone interested in joining virtually. We are encouraging various stakeholders to join us in these initial discussions to ensure various perspectives are considered. We are interested in stakeholders to represent the following groups… students, teachers, parents, administrators, School Board members, business partners, and community members. Please reach out to Mrs. Laurie Smith, Assistant to the Superintendent, if you have any questions about this process. We hope you will consider joining us!

• Chromebook malfunctions/damages: Email the helpdesk@pvsd.org
• Forgotten student passwords: Go to https://accounts.pvsd.org
• FAQs about Chromebooks can be found on our website

21-22 v3 9/8/21