GVES Weekly Announcements
February 28, 2020
Principals' Message
Happy Friday GVES families!
We are always proud of the readers and writers that grow in our school! This week 24 of those authors had their work submitted to the county on GVE’s behalf. Awesome! Thank you to our HSA for hosting the Scholastic Book Fair this week. There were so many great selections for all of our readers. On Monday we’re celebrating Read Across America. Garnet Valley High School is stopping over to give our kids a preview of Seussical to kick the day off. On Wednesday evening @ 7:00 we welcome 2nd grade parents to preview 3rd grade and get to know some of our leadership staff. Finally, our coin drive was a runaway success. Our school donated more than enough coins to support the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and earn their fun end of day surprise with a dancing penny!
Warmly,
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Boyd
Upcoming Events
3/2: Read Across America Day
3/4: 2nd Grade Parent Night 7-8pm
3/5: Sneaker Thursday
3/6: GVES Spirit Day
Nurses Office Notes
In an effort to keep our students and staff members as healthy as possible—please encourage frequent hand washing and practice these district guidelines:
1. Your child should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.
2. Children experiencing vomiting and diarrhea must be kept home for 24 hours after the last episode.
3. Children with possible infectious diseases (i.e. Flu, pink eye and any unknown rashes) should be kept home until your health care provider affirms they are no longer contagious and/or they are no longer symptomatic.
4. Some OTC medications may be given at school by the school nurse, provided the parent/guardian has given their approval via the SNAP Health Portal. Prescription medication that your child may need during the school day must be brought to the nurse’s office by a parent/guardian in the original, labeled pharmacy container. A parent must complete the ‘Medication Consent’ form when dropping off this medication. Students are not permitted to carry medication.
5. If your child is sick, please keep them home regardless of parties, field trips or other special events.
Your assistance with these health concerns is much appreciated. If you should have any questions regarding these guidelines or other health issues please contact me at #610 579-4146. Thank You!!
Parent Teacher Conferences
School News
GVE HSA Weekly Announcements – 2/28/2020
HSA Committee Meeting – Wednesday, March 18th
There will be an HSA Committee Meeting on Wednesday March 18th. More details to follow.
4th Grade Science Night – Wednesday, March 18th
4th Grade Science Night is a fun-filled evening of science, where parents/guardians and their 4th grader will be able to participate in hands-on science activities and observe scientific demonstrations! This is NOT a drop-off event. A parent/guardian must accompany the 4th grader during Science Night. This event is limited to 40 student participants, so register early to reserve a spot for your 4th grader! We also ask that you ONLY bring your 4th grader as the activities are geared to their age and we cannot accommodate additional children, so please leave any siblings at home.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT! Please use THIS LINK to complete the Google form to reserve your spot.
When: Wednesday, March 18th
Where: Garnet Valley Elementary School – Cafeteria
Time: 7-8:30pm
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We also need several parent/guardian volunteers to assist with this event for set-up; overseeing activities, and clean-up assistance. We will have High School students from the Interact Club and Honor Society helping to run the experiments/activities, so you should be able to help out as well as spend time visiting the activities with your student if you are a 4th grade parent/guardian. If more than one parent/guardian would like to attend, they can "swap" between assisting and participating with the student. And finally....you don't NEED to be a 4th grade parent/guardian to assist! All are welcome! Please use THIS LINK to sign up to assist with this event
School Store – Wednesday, March 18th
Just a reminder that School Store Wednesday March 18th!! Children have the opportunity to use their math skills while shopping for fun items such as orbeez, pens, pencil toppers, slime, scrunchies, stress balls, key chains, memo pads and other fun supplies! The children will shop between their lunch and recess. Prices range between 25¢ and $3.50.
Sign up here to come see all of the excitement the students have as they make their selections. 1:30 GVES School Store
Lunch Buddies – Wednesday, March 18th
If you have signed up to be a Lunch Buddy for March, your time is coming! Wednesday, March 18th is our next Lunch Buddy opportunity. There is one day identified for Lunch Buddies every month between October and March and spots are available on a first come, first served basis. There are still spots available, so check it out and join your student for lunch!
This SignUp Genius is broken out into tabs across the top for different lunch periods, listed out by grade and classroom. Find your child’s grade/class on the appropriate tab…. select from the available dates…and MARK YOUR CALENDAR to enjoy lunch with your student!
PLEASE NOTE: Only one guest per student per school year can sign up.
Jag Jog – Sunday, April 26th
Lace up your running and walking shoes and save the date for the Sixth Annual Jag Jog 5K and 1 mile fun run on Sunday April 26!!!!!
Middle School Music Night--5th Graders
Dear Parents,
The music faculty is excited to announce the date of this year's Middle School Music Night! Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 31st at 7pm, at GVMS!
Middle School Music Night is a crossover event for 5th graders entering 6th grade. It is a chance to meet the middle school orchestra, band, and chorus directors, hear information about how the program and class schedule works, and listen to some brief performances by the various middle school ensembles.
Mr. Wunder (orchestra), Mrs. Kynett (band), and Mrs. Rothman (chorus) are looking forward to meeting all the current 5th graders and presenting about the wonderful program at the middle school. Please plan on attending and continuing your instrument into middle school and beyond.
Donations Donations!
https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/philadelphia/take-action/donate-goods/items-we-accept/
https://rmhde.org/wp-content/uploads/New-Pop-Tab-Flyer-1.pdf
Red Cross Blood Drive is Coming!
2020 Make a Difference Awards
Garnet Valley CTC Quick Tip #24
The results are back from the 2017 Pennsylvania Youth Survey for Garnet Valley’s 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. We also have results from 2013 and 2015.
The results of this anonymous survey are self-reported and represent 83.9% of our students.
Did you know? According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), teen use of marijuana is at the highest level in 30 years. Garnet Valley 2017 PAYS results revealed that an average of 10% of students surveyed reported using marijuana in their lifetime and 5% reported using it regularly. However, unlike the AACAP survey, vaping marijuana was not included in the PAYS question. When asked if students were vaping marijuana, 18% of students who reported vaping, had vaped marijuana. While we wait for our 2019 PAYS results, it is worth noting that the percentage of students vaping marijuana has increased by 7.7% from 2015 to 2017.
Call to action… Our students are receiving mixed messages about marijuana from many sources. The AACAP encourages parent/caregivers to listen to what their child has heard about marijuana as early as upper elementary school. From an early age, honest and factual discussions about marijuana help keep the lines of communication open. The link below details how to have a productive discussion that will help your student to understand the facts about marijuana.
Click on the link below to learn more.
Elementary Handbook & GVSD Procedural Manual
Communication Procedures
Early Dismissals - Early dismissals due to weather or unforeseen circumstances will be announced through the phone number you provide in Alma, email, district-level social media, and websites. Please keep your Alma contact information current. You can update this information in your account.
Absence Reporting - Launched at the end of the last school year, the new School Messenger (Safe Arrival) Absence Reporting System makes it easy for parents/guardians to report their child's absence, reduces the time it takes to verify student attendance and will allow our staff to respond to unexplained student absences more efficiently. Please click here for directions on how to use your phone, app, or computer to report an absence.
Social Media - GVES is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Our handle is @GarnetValleyES on all three platforms. We also podcast on iTunes. Just search iTunes for "Jaguarmax."
GVES Calendar
The view the full calendar on our website, click here or go to https://gves.garnetvalleyschools.com/calendar.
Attendance Information
State law establishes conditions under which any child may be excused from attendance at school. In keeping with these statues and recommendations of the State Department of Education, pupils in the Garnet Valley Schools may be excused temporarily from school attendance for the following reasons:
Sickness
Quarantine
Death in the immediate family
Weather so inclement so as to endanger the health of the child or make roads impassable
For observance of a major religious holiday
College visits, pre-approved educational trips
In order for an absence to be excused, a parent/guardian must respond to the Safe Arrival phone call, use the Safe Arrival app to report the absence ahead of time, or submit a written note to the office within three days after return from an absence. The absence of any student failing to comply with this time period will automatically become unexcused and illegal, and the school laws of Pennsylvania shall be applied accordingly.
Raptor Information
The Raptor system is used to enhance our ability to monitor who enters our buildings by screening visitors, contractors, and volunteers. Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit.
Please adhere to the following regulations:
1. Enter the building at the main office door.
2. Go directly to the office, sign in through Raptor and inform the school secretary of your
destination.
3. PLEASE DO NOT GO to any area of the building without receiving permission from the office.
4. Do not attempt to go to a classroom to pick up a child. Students who are being dismissed early
will be sent to the office.
5. Return the visitor badge at the conclusion of your visit to sign out.
Volunteer Clearance Information
Legislation in Pennsylvania requires community members and parents to obtain clearances in order to volunteer in our schools. If you have previously submitted your clearances to the Human Resources office, they are good for five (5) years from the date of the clearance.
Governor Wolf has waived the fees associated with the Pennsylvania State Police—Criminal Background Check and the Child Abuse History Clearance. Since the FBI clearance is a federal program, those costs still remain; however, the district has decided to permit individuals who have resided in Pennsylvania continuously for ten years or more to sign a certification form that saves the volunteer the expense of the fee, ensures compliance with the law, and allows the district to maximize student safety.
Jaguarmax Radio Podcast
Jaguarmax Radio is changing formats! We will be a student-run podcast created through the after school club program starting in the fall. Check us out on iTunes!
Jaguarmax Radio Podcast on iTunes
Important Links
After School Activity Dismissal Procedures - Dismissal Locations
VEFLS - Foreign Language Contact Person, kgardler@yahoo.com or 610-717-2755
Cafeteria Information - Menus and Payments
GVES Yearly Calendar - Important Dates
Safe Arrival - Attendance Reporting App
GVSD App - Download app here
MySchoolBucks - Online Payments
District Text Messaging Opt-In - Registration Info
Handbooks & Manuals - GVSD Resources
Parent Right to Know Information
Connect with GVES!
Garnet Valley Elementary School
"A Caring Community of Learners"
Est. 1997
The mission of our learning community is to maximize the potential of all students by empowering them to do their personal best.
Website: gves.garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 599 Smithbridge Rd
Phone: (610) 579-4150
Facebook: facebook.com/GarnetValleyES
Twitter: @GarnetValleyES