GVES Weekly Announcements
April 10, 2020
Principals' Message
Dear GVES families,
We thought a lot about how to connect with you all today. This experience continues to be such a roller coaster of emotions for everyone. The sadness in the finality of a brick and mortar school year. The fear of how we’re going to manage our homes for many more months. The anger that this will eliminate or change so many experiences for many of our children. But then also comes the relief of a final decision that will now allow us to put all of our creative and optimistic energy towards staying and improving upon the course we’ve started. We encourage you all, as Dr. Bertrando shared in his message, to take time this weekend to process the news. Enjoy the time of holiday traditions to reflect on the ‘bright spots’ that this new normal has brought to you and yours. The GVES team is ready to roll up our sleeves, lift each other up, and focus on moving forward to keep our kids connected and engaged academically, socially, and emotionally! We’ve got this!
Warm regards,
Mrs. Jones & Mrs. Conley
GVES FRIDAY LOOM
3RD GRADE IS BETTER WHEN THEY'RE DANCING!
GVES - SCHOOL NEWS - HOME EDITION
APRIL 9TH COMMUNICATION FROM DR. BERTRANDO
Please read this helpful communication (and linked information contained within it) if you have not already:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ro4kakT4honqJ4L1SLAr4_sC5COiaKfsbdmG0AWunk0/edit?usp=sharing
CURRENT SCHEDULE FOR ON-LINE LEARNING
CURRENT SCHEDULE OF DUE DATES
30 THINGS TO KEEP HEADS AND HEARTS HEALTHY
HSA Weekly Update
YEARBOOK: Calling all home learners!!! We need your help to make this section of the yearbook. Please send us photos of your child doing their at home learning. Don't forget their fun recess photos!!! Additionally, if you have any pictures from school events such as Band/Orchestra/Chorus concerts, Bingo Night, Math/Science Night, Class Parties, Field Trips, MLK Week, Book Fair, etc. we would love to have them for the yearbook. All photos can be emailed to ashlynvance@gmail.com. Yearbook ordering information will be out shortly.
DISPLAY MY ART:
Get those creative juices flowing! Keep the kids busy and foster their creativity while supporting the school. The entire family can participate! This is a great time to create family collaboration art pieces.
It's easy.
1. Visit http://www.displaymyart.com and print the art paper template (located under "resources"
2. Create your masterpiece (FREE art projects are available on http://www.displaymyart.com)
3. Take a picture or scan your art
4. Email your masterpiece along with your order to info@displaymyart.com (they will contact you for payment once the image is processed). Provide them with our school name, teacher, and grade so the school gets the credit.
Free shipping through April 24 for Mother's Day and Father's Day gift giving!
JAGUAR JOG:
Unfortunately the Jaguar Jog has been cancelled. We look forward to seeing the GVES community next spring at the 6th annual Jag Jog!!
Click the Seesaw or Schoology image to check for service interruptions
District Device Update
Families,
Prior to the extended school closure, all elementary student iPads were managed by each classroom teacher. Each teacher monitored the student iPad daily and reinforced which free apps should and should not be downloaded. Due to this extended school closure, we had to alter that model and need your support in managing your child's iPad. Students should not be downloading free apps to their school-issued iPad without teacher or parent permission. Please check-in with your child/ren to ensure they are not downloading apps that are not school-related. If you find an app that was downloaded without permission, please delete it.
We greatly appreciate your support with this.
GVSD Technology Department
ON-LINE LEARNING
A reminder that teachers are available during regular school hours to communicate with parents through e-mail. Teachers will try to answer parent e-mails within 24 hours. We ask for your patience and understanding. Teachers' priority is communication with students about their learning, but we also want to help our parents through this process. Many of our teachers are parents and are navigating the online learning experience with their own children. They see that managing our children's learning at home, along with other work and family obligations, is a challenge! We will keep that in mind!
All assignments issued by teachers are required at this time. Since Governor Wolf's announcement (4/9) yesterday we will be providing updated guidance in the coming week. Please see the image above to reference assignment due dates.
If students finish assignments and you are looking for more learning resources, click link below:
https://www.garnetvalleycurriculum.com/instructional-resources
While this situation is not anything that any of us expected or wanted, we will make the best of it, looking for the bright spots--time together with our loved ones, supporting each other as a school community, new learning that comes from meeting the challenges of a new situation, and pride in our own strength and resilience!
ATTENDANCE DURING ONLINE LEARNING - UPDATE
Attendance will be reported on a weekly basis. A student in grades K-5 will be considered present when a completed parental verification of attendance is received. The form will be emailed on Mondays following the week of instruction. You will receive the second form on Monday, April 13th to confirm attendance for the week of April 6th to April 9th. This verification form includes a space for you to indicate a reason for missed days of “school.”
If you do not complete the attendance form by Wednesday you will receive a reminder email from Mrs. Centone or Mrs. Smith with the form attached again. If you would like to verify your child's attendance it will be current/accurate on ALMA Thursday of each week.
Our secretary Mrs. Centone will keep track of attendance. If you have any questions, please email her for clarification. tcentone@garnetvalley.org
Garnet Valley CTC Quick Tip #30 Vaping and COVID-19
The results are back from the 2017 Pennsylvania Youth Survey for Garnet
Valley’s 6 th , 8 th , 10 th , and 12 th 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? “Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug
Abuse, [has said], as people across the U.S. and the rest of the world contend
with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the research community should be
alert to the possibility that it could hit some populations with substance use
disorders (SUDs) particularly hard. Because it attacks the lungs, the coronavirus
that causes COVID-19 could be an especially serious threat to those who smoke
tobacco or marijuana or who vape,” (2020). “Vaped cannabis delivers an aerosol
of ultrafine particles and chemicals deep into the lungs too. It would be sensible
to stop using these cannabis products, too,” (Glanz, 2020).
Call to action… Garnet Valley students who reported vaping on a regular
basis showed the following increases from 2015 to 2017; .6% to 1. % in 6 th grade,
5.4% to 7.3% in 8 th grade, 9.1% to 16.4% in 10 th grade, and 17% to 28.8% in 12 th
grade (PAYS 2017). When the perceived risk of harm is high, the use of that
substance is low (PAYS 2017). Parent/guardians have an opportunity to have
conversations about vaping that convey the risk of harm we are discovering.
For more information that can spark a conversation with your student, see below.
https://salud-america.org/coronavirus-risk-increase-smoking-vaping/
https://tobacco.ucsf.edu/reduce-your-risk-serious-lung-disease-caused-corona-
virus-quitting-smoking-and-vaping
Find many online and text-based sites to help teens and adults to quit vaping
below.
https://www.publichealthdegrees.org/resources/teenagers-vaping-and-nicotine-
cessation/#teens
LINK TO GVSD CORONAVIRUS WEBPAGE
ADJUSTMENTS TO SCHOOL CALENDAR
PARENT PORTAL
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