West Word
A Weekly Update from Perkiomen Valley Middle School West
A Word from Mr. Creeden
Quick Snapshot📸
- West Parent Volunteers Needed
- Home and School Fundraiser
- Onsite Instruction Information
- PSSA & Keystone Testing Update
- After School Homework Help
- Activity Wednesday on 4/21
- Summer LIFT
- Stay COVID Informed
- PV West Athletic Update
- Power Packs
- Purchase Your PV West Yearbook
- Counselor Corner
- Counseling Groups @ West
- Creative Health Social/Emotional Resources for Parents
- Change Demographic Information in Synergy
- Attendance Information
- West Home & School Information
- Technology Help
- PV West on Social Media
- West Weeks At-A Glance
- HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!
West Parent Volunteers Needed!
Home & School Fundraiser
PV West Home & School is running a fundraiser through Pallets & Paints in Collegeville. Please check out the attached flyer with instructions on how to order your PV DIY project.
Anyone in the district can order through the link below.
Orders will be delivered and distributed at West.
If you have any questions please reach out to Kim Harris...Kbb219@aol.com
On-Site Instruction Information
Symptom Monitoring
Parents are reminded to perform regular monitoring for the symptoms in Group A and B below. This should be completed prior to your children getting on the bus or entering any school building. Visitors permitted inside the schools will be limited and screened by a designated staff member prior to entering. Any student who feels symptomatic during the school day is directed to report to the school nurse.
Group A
1 or more symptoms
Cough
Shortness of breath
Difficulty breathing
New loss of taste or smell
Group B
2 or more symptoms
Fever (measured or subjective)
Fatigue
Chills / Rigors
Myalgia (muscle aches)
Headache
Sore throat
Nausea / Vomiting / Diarrhea
Runny nose / Congestion
Please keep your children home under the following circumstances:
- Have one or more symptoms in Group A OR
- Have two or more symptoms in Group B OR
- Are taking fever reducing medication.
Drop-Off/Pick-Up
When parents come to drop-off or pick-up their children from school please proceed past the first lot (bus lot) and to the second lot. This lot is our parent drop-off/pick-up lot as well as our staff parking lot. When dropping off or picking up your children please form a line along the curb as you pull into the lot. This is illustrated as the green line in the diagram below. Those arriving earlier can wrap around the curb past the entrance of the building to allow for more cars to pull into the lot.
Please refrain from bypassing the pick-up line and pulling into the parking lot to pick-up your children. This presents some significant safety concerns as it will require students to walk through the parent pick-up line into traffic. This can also be a safety concern for our staff leaving or driving to other buildings at the end of the school day.
Please refer to the diagram below for an illustration of the procedure. Thank you for your understanding.
Attendance
Starting again on Monday onsite students are expected to be in school at the start of the day. Those not physically present will be marked absent. Virtual students not virtually present will be marked absent.
Traditional attendance procedures will again be in place (see the Attendance section below for more information).
At the middle level, onsite students will only be permitted to work virtually if required to quarantine or isolate.
PSSA & Keystone Testing Update
PSSA testing this Spring will be given electronically. We are asking that all West students have a PV district issued Chromebook to take the PSSA tests. If your child does not have a PV district issued Chromebook please contact Shannon Bricker at sbricker@pvsd.org. As we get closer to the assessment dates teachers will provide students with an Online Tools Training and share tutorials (go here to see the tutorials) with the students in order to familiarize them with the online assessment.
All PSSA tests need to be taken onsite. A communication will be shared with parents of virtual students next week explaining more about accommodating virtual students taking the PSSA tests.
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)
Keystone Exams, which are end of course assessments for students currently enrolled in Algebra I. The Algebra 1 Keystone Exam will be scheduled on Tuesday May 25th and Wednesday May 26th .
After School Homework Help
After school homework help will take place on Tuesday and Thursday of this week from 2:30 - 3:45 in the West library. Please encourage your children to attend as after school homework help time will be a great opportunity to not only get help, but also get organized, and get caught up.
Activity Wednesday on 4/21
We will be practicing and playing in-person. We hope this will be a time for students to play, connect with others, and have lots of fun. Any West student may participate and there is no need to sign-up. Any students participating can report to the cafeteria at 2:30 on Wednesday. Students not attending school in-person on an activity Wednesday may be dropped off by a parent/guardian at the main entrance and report to the cafeteria. We will continue to be extremely diligent at following all health and safety protocols.
Summer LIFT
We hope you will consider joining our LIFT programs, so we can lift up our students through fun learning experiences. More details to come.
Stay COVID Informed
As positive COVID cases are identified in our schools i.e., students, staff, or contracted staff, they are represented on the District's Dashboard. To learn about cases in your child’s school check the dashboard daily.
Note: We no longer send email notifications regarding positive cases (these are represented on the District's Dashboard). We have transitioned to sending notifications via phone and letter to those students identified as a close contact. Families of those identified as close contacts will be informed by a member of the school contract tracing team via phone. An informative letter will follow via email. As per the PA Department of Health, close contacts are defined as having 15 consecutive minutes or more of exposure to a confirmed positive case of COVID, at a distance of six feet or less, with or without a mask. For more information, visit our FAQs.
As a reminder, students and staff are expected to perform daily monitoring for symptoms in Group A and B (outlined here). This should be completed prior to getting on the bus or entering any school building. Your child should not report to school onsite if he/she is feeling ill.
PV West Athletic Update
Middle School West Softball
Schedule
https://schedulestar.bigteams.com/generated/teamskedaltPA1942640473925.pdf
Middle School West Baseball
7th Grade Schedule
https://schedulestar.bigteams.com/generated/teamskedaltPA1942640474229.pdf
8th Grade Schedule
https://schedulestar.bigteams.com/generated/teamskedaltPA1942640474336.pdf
Middle School West Girls' Lacrosse
Schedule
https://schedulestar.bigteams.com/generated/teamskedaltPA1942640474607.pdf
Middle School West Track and Field
Girls Schedule
https://schedulestar.bigteams.com/generated/teamskedaltPA1942640474908.pdf
Boys Schedule
https://schedulestar.bigteams.com/generated/teamskedaltPA1942640474936.pdf
Power Packs
Please fill out a separate form (below) for each child that you would like to receive a Power Pack, including children not yet in school. Power Packs will be sent home with your student on Fridays. If your student is attending school virtually, please indicate that under your student's school and we will be in touch to arrange pickup/drop off of food.
Purchase Your PV West Yearbook
Get your hands on the limited edition collection of our stories from this remarkable year. Share it with your friends and hang on to it for years to come! Pre-order your copy of the PV Middle School West Junior Voyager online or by phone at 1-800-282-1516. (No orders can be taken at school.) It's been a year like no other! Order you piece of West history today!
Counseling Corner
We will be offering two counseling groups starting the fourth marking period and running through the end of the school year. Both groups will be held once a week during advisory.
- Anxious about returning to normal (Tuesdays 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 (Mondays 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).
Counseling Groups @ West
The Counseling Center will be offering student counseling groups during the 2nd marking period. All groups will be created based on the information gathered from our student needs survey that will be shared with students. Parents are also encouraged to refer their children to any of the counseling groups listed below by contacting William Montgomery (wmontgomery@pvsd.org)
6th Grade Life Support- (During Advisory on Fridays) A loss group for anyone who is dealing with the death of any loved one in his or her family.
7th Grade Life Support - (During Advisory on Thursdays) A loss group for anyone who is dealing with the death of any loved one in his or her family.
8th Grade Life Support - (During Advisory on Fridays) A loss group for anyone who is dealing with the death of any loved one in his or her family.
SAFE Collective - (Tuesdays at 3:15 on Zoom) An after school club developed to work directly with students to create equity and actionable change within the PVHS community. SAFE Collective provides a judgement free space for students to have open discussions regarding race, gender expression, ability, and shape. From there we are developing actionable solutions and restorative justice practices to create change.
Lunch Bunch Friendship Group - (During lunch on Mondays and Fridays) for all students maintaining friendships while we are socially distancing at school and virtually. This will be an in-person group only.
LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning) A group for students identifying as LGBTQ to create a safe and a judgement free space in school.
Executive Functioning/Study Skills - (During Advisory on Tuesdays) for anyone who wants additional help organizing or studying.
Creative Health Social/Emotional Resources for Parents
We Want You To Thrive!
Our Mission: Creative Health Services provides quality behavioral healthcare designed to empower and promote wellness for individuals, families and communities.
Depression, Anxiety, or Anger causing difficulties?
We provide integrated, trauma informed and caring treatment services that reach out to children, individuals and families in their homes, schools and community environments.
Struggling with Drug or Alcohol Addiction?
Recovery is possible for all who seek our support to achieve a full and satisfying life. Recovery skills and hope are offered in a safe and confidential environment.
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
Change Demographic Information in Synergy
Attendance Information
If your child will be absent or missing any class time, please send an email (from the email you have listed in our new SIS system) to:
This will count as your call-out AND parent excuse. Please indicate in your email the date of absence, student’s grade and the reason for the absence. An absence is considered unexcused when the child’s school has not received an email providing an acceptable reason for the absence within a 3-day period.
You may also call our attendance line at: 1 (484) 977-7210, option 1. If you do this, you would still need to submit an email with the above information in order for it to be excused.
Any medical notes should be scanned in. When back to school (in person), any Dr.’s notes should be placed in the Attendance Box, right outside the Guidance Department.
If you have any questions at all, please contact Brenda Continelli at bcontinelli@pvsd.org.
West Home & School Information
Our next Home & School Zoom meeting is this Tuesday, May 11th at 7pm. If interested in attending please email PVMSWestHS@gmail.com. All parents are welcome!
Home and School page http://mswest.pvsd.org/home/home-school
Technology Help
Email for Tech help, helpdesk@pvsd.org
Tech Support Zoom Room (Available 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, M-F)
https://zoom.us/j/96825432361?pwd=QTlYS2hzMk9FUmF0ZXhtWmhxalFWZz09
PV West on Social Media
We would love to have you join our social media accounts to stay updated on the latest West news and happenings. Please see below on where to find each of our accounts.
West Weeks At A Glance
April 19 - Special Education Roundtable Discussion @ 6:30pm (https://pvsd-org.zoom.us/j/40727658)
April 20 - After School Homework Help @ 2:30PM in Library; PVSD Policy Committee Meeting @ 6:30pm (Join Zoom Meeting)
April 21 - Activity Wednesday @ 2:30PM in Cafeteria
April 22 - After School Homework Help @ 2:30PM in Library; Report Cards available on ParentVUE