Principal's Report
A Weekly Update from Perkiomen Valley Middle School East
A Word From Dr. Clune
We were honored to have Holocaust survivor, Daniel Goldsmith, speak to our 8th graders today. He shared a very poignant, personal, and powerful message about living life to the full and to never hate.
With the arrival of spring, we are encouraging students to get outside more. Please encourage your children to rediscover nature by participating in the Green Hour. Activities are posted by the National Wildlife Foundation to encourage kids of all ages to spend time outside every day in nature discovering our beautiful world and the wonders of wildlife. Research indicates that spending at least 2 hours in nature every week can have significant positive benefits.
The end of marking period 4 will be Wednesday, April 14. Please have your child check StudentVue for any missed or incomplete assignments.
As always, do not hesitate to contact the counseling center or main office if you have any questions or concerns.
#EastROCKs
Sincerely,
Seamus Clune, Ph.D.
Watershed Challenge and Clean Up!
The Green Team will be sponsoring a clean up of the Perkiomen Watershed behind MS East tomorrow (4/10/21) from 9:00 AM to noon. PV students and their family members are welcome to participate. It will be rain or shine. Please sign up for the event using the signup genius
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090a4aafac22a1fd0-pvwatershed
Counseling Groups
We will be offering two counseling groups starting April 8th and running through the end of the school year. Both groups will be held once a week during advisory period.
- Anxious about returning to normal (Thursdays Advisory): This group is intended to assist students feel more comfortable in returning to school and while life in the community returns to normal.
- Transition to 9th grade (Fridays Advisory, for 8th graders only): This group will help 8th graders who are nervous about the transition to high school.
Please reach out to Kristin Hildreth if your child is interested (khildreth@pvsd.org).
Rock Star Students
Absences
Please send an email to mseattendance@pvsd.org whenever your child is going to be absent, tardy, or picked up early. Tardies - children may enter the building at the main office and obtain a pass to class. Early dismissal - please wait for you child in the main lobby and sign him/her out at that location. If your instructional mode is 'in person', you will be marked 'absent' if you are not present in the school building. We have created a separate 'Q code' for students who need to quarantine so that they are not marked 'absent'.
Spring Sports
Spring Sports will be starting on Monday, March 22. In order to limit traffic in the building, please send sports equipment to school with your child in the AM. Lockers are available for equipment storage during the school day. Student athletes may change in the locker rooms at the end of the day. The locker room will be secured after students drop off their equipment so that their property is safe.
COVID Information
Dream. Learn. Pitch.
Following an Entrepreneur unit for 7th and 8th grade gifted students, quite a few students entered the Dream/Learn/Pitch contest: https://www.dreamlearnpitch.org/
Two students were selected as finalists in the Middle School competition and one student will be competing on Friday, April 16th for one of three top prizes(up to a $1000 in Amazon prize money)!!
Finalist : Emma Alvare - 7th Grade
Top Finalist: Owen Hamilton - 7th Grade - Competing on April 16th
Congratulations to Emma & Owen as well as to all of our student participants. Good luck Owen on the Finalist round this April 16th.
STEAM Challenge
The April STEAM challenge is "Build a Bridge."
Design and build the strongest bridge you can that spans 1.5 feet. Use materials around your house (craft materials, toy building materials, newspapers, etc) Be creative with the materials that you use. All we require from you is the final video that demonstrates your bridge. Videos must be uploaded to the PV East STEAM Challenge Google Classroom by the last day of each month. Join the classroom using the code 372x3q4.
ID Badges
We had many students who forgot their ID badges this week. After spring break, if a student forgets their ID badge, they will need to call home for a parent to bring it to school. Please remind your child every morning that they need to be wearing their ID Badge.
Chromebook
It is very important that your child brings a fully charged Chromebook to school. Children should also bring their charger in case it is needed during the school day. Please note that you child may not readily have access to a plug to charge their device.
PV Power Packs
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dQlvxEGXiDMpBsCQxL85g4uxkKoxOKBqAz5FuGvf-KE/edit
Yearbook Order
Yearbooks are currently for sale. Please follow the link: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productDetail/1136638/Perkiomen-Valley-Middle-School-East/Yearbook/2020092404343409754/CATALOG_SHOP/YB_BOOKS/001_006_1ST-LINE_21/2020092404343410354/#design/0
They are $30 and all orders will be completed online. Don't miss out!
Masks
Cellphones
Water bottles
PSSA Testing & Keystone Exams
While this has been an unconventional school year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will be continuing with the annual assessment of students in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The assessment window has been lengthened to permit districts additional time for administration. We recognize the importance of maximizing instructional time with our students and have opted to delay these assessments until May. We are required to administer the assessments onsite for all students and will work with families of virtual students to determine testing times and locations to ensure adherence to our Health & Safety Plan. Principals are diligently working on the logistical details and will provide additional information as we approach the testing dates, which are listed in the table below. For additional information on testing logistics and options for this year’s assessment, please review the 2021 PSSA Overview document.
At this time, we are anticipating administering the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) to grades 3 - 8 on the following dates:
English Language Arts ~ May 4, 5, 6
Mathematics ~ May 11 & 12
Science ~ May 13 & 14 (grades 4 & 8 only)
We will be administering the assessment as 'in person' through an online format with student Chromebooks. Virtual students will need to come into school to take the assessment on the scheduled dates and times. Please read the '2021 PSSA FAQ' and 'Electronic Devices' documents below.
Keystone Exams, which are end of course assessments for students currently enrolled in Algebra I will be scheduled in late May. Specific dates will be shared in the near future.
Creative Health Services
Is your family feeling stressed by the demands of everyday life? Do you or a family member feel overwhelmed by any of the following emotions?
- Depression or anxiety,
- Trauma and loss,
- Substance abuse,
- Behavioral difficulties,
- Trouble coping,
- Domestic violence,
- Thoughts of suicide,
- Eating disorders, and/or
- Family relationship issues.
Chances are you don’t know what to do next. Let us help you figure out your next steps on the path to healing and restoration for your family. Our family programs promote understanding and cooperation among family members in order to solve the problems of one or more people in the family.
We provide integrated and caring treatment services that reach out to families in their homes or community environments. All family services are strength based and sensitive to ethnic, cultural, and spiritual differences and needs of each family.
We provide strength based, trauma informed and caring treatment services that reach out to families in their homes or community environments. All family services are strength based and sensitive to ethnic, cultural, and spiritual differences and needs of each family. The first step in getting help for your family begins with a thorough assessment of your family’s needs leading to the best care options to help improve the life of your family.
To learn more about our family based services, call one of the following locations:
Contact Us: Phone: 484-941-0500 Fax: 484-941-0515
Located at: 11 Robinson Street, Pottstown, PA 19464
Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday, 8:30AM-9PM; Friday, 8:30AM-5PM
Saturday, by Appointment Only
Click Here For Directions
Contact Us: Phone: 610-326-9250 Fax: 215-679-9795
Located at: 452 Penn Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073
Click Here For Directions
Contact Us: Phone: 610-369-7271 Fax: 610-369-7299
Located at: 5th & Montgomery Avenues, Boyertown, PA 19512
Click Here For Directions
A Message from East Home & School Association
Home and School Nominations! Interested in being on the board next year? Please email pvmsehs@gmail.com for more information or to nominate yourself or someone else. All positions are a one year commitment. Board positions are President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. If you have any interest or questions, please feel free to reach out!
Upcoming Dates
4/14 End of marking period 3
4/30 End of vector 4
Perkiomen Valley Middle School East
Email: sclune@pvsd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/pvsd.org/perkiomen-valley-middle-school-east/
Location: 100 Kagey Road, Collegeville, PA, USA
Phone: (610) 409-8580
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PVMSE/
Twitter: @PVMSEast