Penndale Middle School

October/November - Dates to Remember

Wednesday October 3rd - Interim Reports available on HAC

Friday October 5th - Penndale's Welcome Back Dance [7-9 pm]

Thursday October 11th - Early Dismissal [11:50 am]

Friday October 12th - No School for Students

Friday October 26th - 9th Grade Day of Service

Monday November 5th - No School for Students

Tuesday November 6th [Election Day] - No School for Students

Thursday November 8th - End of the 1st Marking Period

Wednesday-Friday November 21- 23 [Fall Break] - No School for Students

Penndale Middle School is pleased to introduce Naviance Student, a web-based service designed for students and parents to help in making decisions about their future plans. Counselors and families are able to track and analyze data about college and future career plans while providing up-to-date information specific to your child as they move through middle school to high school graduation.

WHAT IS NAVIANCE STUDENT?

Naviance Student will provide a number of resources in one place, including several inventories and assessments to identify your student's learning style, personality and career interests. These results will allow your student to discover and explore potential careers that match their specific skills and interests.

Our goal is to assist in identifing your individual student's environmental, emotional, sociological and physical preferences to create their best possible learning environment at school and at home. We are excited to work together utilizing Naviance Student in the planning and advising process to help guide you and your student to make decisions about their future.

[Examples include: Learning Style Inventory Assessment, Career Cluster Finder, the "Do What You Are" Assessment, Academic SMART Goal, the Strengths Explorer Assessment and the Resume Builder.]

Current eighth and ninth grade students have their login information and should have completed their assigned grade level assessments. Current seventh grade students will be receiving their login and password information in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more information as grade-level presentations continue this fall.

Study Skills

With each new school year comes new and unique challenges. Developing your study skills is critical to helping you succeed in middle school and throughout your academic career! With some dedication and hard work you will be on your way to success!

What kind of learner are you?

Figuring out how you learn best will help you to understand the best methods for studying. If you’re unsure about what kind of learner you are, check out some of the options listed below.

Kinetic: Do you learn best while you are on the move? If so, you may be a kinetic learner!
Visual/Spatial: When learning, do you prefer having an image of the material that you are studying, in order to best remember the information? If so, you may be a visual/spatial learner!
Auditory: Do you prefer to listen to information and incorporate music or sound into your study routine? If so, you may be an auditory learner!
Linguistic/verbal: Would you rather write out your thoughts, read, and/or have a conversation with someone about the information you are learning? If so, you may be a linguistic learner!
Interpersonal: Do enjoy working in a group setting while learning? If so, you may be an interpersonal learner!
Intrapersonal: Do you take time to reflect on the information that is being taught, in order to fully understand the material? If so, you may be an intrapersonal learner!
Existential: Are you able to easily make connections and envision the big picture of what is being taught? If so, you may be an existential learner!

[Eighth and ninth grade students can log into their Naviance account to discover your learning styles, by taking the Learning Style Inventory. Seventh grade, you will be given your login information in the near future.]

Once you have discovered your learning style, you can begin to customize your methods of studying. If you are still struggling, don’t worry - there are plenty of additional study skills that you can use to figure out what is the most helpful to you and your learning.

Chunking assignments: Some assignments may seem overwhelming at first. Students can chunk assignments or break assignments into more manageable parts. Chunking assignments prevents procrastination and makes the task seem less daunting.
Time management: Middle school students have many assignments and after school activities. With everything going on, it is important that you schedule time to study. This prevents students from procrastinating and builds study time in to their daily routine, ensuring plenty of time to study and gain a better understanding of the topic.
Reduce distractions: Find a quiet place to study. Avoid technological distractions.
Create or join a study group: Studying with others allows students to share ideas and information.
Muscle memory: Scientist have found writing your notes out on paper helps your brain remember information better.
Repetition: Practice makes perfect! The more you practice the easier information is to remember. You can use spaced repetition to also help you recall information long after you are done studying. When you make studying a daily habit you are exposed to the information more often, increasing your ability to recall that information at a later time.

A Message from the Health Suite

The Health Suite is conveniently located on the first floor directly next to the Guidance office. Students who are feeling ill should report to the Health Suite. Once the student has been seen by a nurse, the nurse will contact the students parent/guardian to communicate whether or not the student needs to be picked up. The North Penn School District has implemented a new cell phone policy. Students are not permitted to use their cell phones during school hours to contact home if they are feeling unwell.

7th - 9th Immunization Requirements: All students at Penndale are required to have up to date vaccinations. This includes the Meningococcal Vaccination (MCV) and the Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Vaccination (Tdap). If you are unsure what your student still needs, call the health suite to talk with one of the school nurses.

Medication Drop Off: If you are dropping off prescription medication, it must be brought directly to the health suite in the original container by a parent/guardian. Medication should be accompanied by a signed note from the physician with instructions for administering the medication, as well as a note from the parent/guardian providing permission to dispense the medication to the student. Over the counter medication must also be dropped off at the health suite in the original container. These medications should be labeled with the students name, grade, and date. Parents/guardians should include a signed note with complete instructions on how to administer the medications. If any required documentation is missing, the nurse will be unable to provide the medication to the student.

Flu Shots: Flu season is approaching quickly and if you still need your flu shot for this year, you’re in luck! The Montgomery County Office of Public Health is offering no cost walk-in flu shots to all Montgomery County residents. Check out some of the upcoming dates listed below:

DATE: 10/2/2018

TIME: 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Montgomery County - Norristown Public Library, 1001 Powell Street, Norristown

DATE: 10/11/2018

TIME: 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 North Sunnybrook Road, Pottstown

DATE: 10/13/2018

TIME: 10 AM - 1 PM

LOCATION: Abington Junior High School, 2056 Susquehanna Road, Abington

DATE: 10/16/2018

TIME: 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Upper Merion Township Building, 175 West Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia

DATE: 10/27/2018

TIME: 10 AM - 1 PM

LOCATION: Montgomery County Community College, College Hall 144/148/151

340 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell

Enter from Morris Rd, turn left and then right at the stop sign. Drive to Parking Bay 1A and 1B. Enter at lower glass atrium.

DATE: 11/6/2018

TIME: 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Trinity Lutheran Church (Vote and Vax!), 1000 West Main Street, Lansdale

If you have health insurance, please be sure to bring your insurance cards. You will NOT be charged any co-pay and there will be no cost for Montgomery County Residents. For more information, visit www.montcopa.org/flu

Are you looking for an opportunity to positively impact the lives of others? Well, we are here to help you discover service opportunities that are located in your area. Below you will find links that will direct you to local organizations that are always looking for volunteers to help them, help others!

Manna on Main Street

This organization is located in Lansdale. They are currently looking for volunteers to assist them with serving food to those in need and/or assist with their food pantry.

North Penn YMCA

The North Penn YMCA is always looking for volunteers to assist them with a variety of different projects that focus on helping those in the North Penn community. Visit the site above to learn more about how you can become a volunteer!

Montco Parks & Rec

Montgomery County offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities that incorporates the rich history of various historic sites and many popular parks and trails within our community. If you enjoy working outside in nature or learning more about the history of our area then this is a perfect match for you!

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity helps communities rebuild and improve homes for residents on a local and international level. By donating your time and energy, you can learn how to build and repair homes, improving the quality of life for others in your community.

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross offers critical services for those who are in need. From disaster relief efforts, blood drives, and assisting those who serve in the military, the Red Cross helps to prepare and respond to emergency situations and those in need.