GVMS Weekly Update
January 21st, 2020
Garnet Valley Middle School
Email: stenzl@garnetvalley.org
Website: https://gvms.garnetvalleyschools.com/
Location: 601 Smithbridge Road
Phone: 610-579-5100
Twitter: @GarnetValleyMS
Weekly Update
GVMS School Community
We would like to wish our GVMS Science Olympiad the best of luck this weekend. We are hosting the GV Science Olympiad Invitational this Saturday, January 25th. We have teams coming from five states which include more than 40 middle school teams and 700 students. It provides us with a chance to showcase our wonderful school community which includes highly talented students and our supportive parent and family community.
We would like to stress that there are only 10 days left to order our GVMS yearbook at a discounted price. All orders before Friday, January 31st are hardback at $25 and soft back at $18. After the 31st, pricing goes up to $30 and $23 respectively.
To order online you must enter code: 14208YB by visiting barksdalephoto.com. Order your yearbook NOW!
Thanks,
Lisa, Gerry, and Rick
YouthTruth Survey for GVMS Students
Dear Parent or Guardian,
We are writing to let you know that the Garnet Valley School District is asking all 3rd through 12th grade students to participate in the Youth Truth Student Survey this year. The survey will be administered at the Garnet Valley Middle School during the week of February 18th. Selected by a district committee of K-12 teachers, administrators and counselors, the Youth Truth Student Survey is a nationally recognized survey used in hundreds of schools and districts across the country, surveying hundreds of thousands of students. The survey asks students about their experiences in the school and with their teachers, including how engaged they are at school, the rigor of their coursework, their preparedness for the future, school safety, student motivation, and grit. Our school, other schools, and researchers may use such information for developing plans to help schools and teachers improve. For information about this survey, please visit http://youthtruthsurvey.org, or speak to a school administrator. A copy of the survey is also available if parents want to preview it.
Although we want to hear from all students, participation in this survey is voluntary.
Your child’s ratings will not be identified in any reports because results are shared at the group level. Personally identifiable information will not be released to any third party. Please be aware that under federal law, you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your child. If you would like to do so, you can view a copy of the survey at school.
Please use the link below to open the Opt-Out form. This form should only be completed and printed if you would like your child to be excluded from the survey.
Thank you,
Lisa Stenz, Principal
Rick Martin, Assistant Principal
Gerry Weinhardt, Assistant Principal
High School Music Night - February 26th
GVMS Pura Vida Bracelets are Back!!!
The Garnet Valley Middle School HSA will be selling custom made Garnet Valley Pure Vida bracelets this week at all lunches during the week of February 3rd!
The bracelets will be here just in time for Valentines Day! The bracelets are made with our own Garnet Valley colors of garnet and white! This is the perfect way to show off your GV school spirit and pride! These bracelets are amazing and will sell out quickly so make sure you get yours soon! All proceeds from the bracelets will support Garnet Valley Middle School and the HSA!!
A Word From Our School Nurse
There are still many students who do not have updated Emergency Cards for the 2019/2020 school year. If you have not done so, please follow the directions below. Also, please do not send your students to school with medication. If a medication needs to be given during the school day a parent must bring the medication to school and sign a medication consent form. Students are not permitted to carry medication on them throughout the school day. Thank you for your cooperation.
Log onto Studentehr.com. If you do not remember receiving an email, please enter your email then hit “forgot password” and follow the directions to log back in.
Select child on the left hand side.
Update any Allergies/Conditions that you would like us to know about.
Provide consent for over the counter medications. Click on MEDICATIONS, OTC, click on each medication that you would like your child to be able to receive. Then hit SAVE. If you do not hit SAVE, we will not be able to see what medications you would like your child to be able to receive.
Thank you for your time in completing this information.
Links to Important Information
GVMS Student Item Drop-off
We have a few considerations to think about as we continue to maximize our expanded 57-minute classes. We are hearing from our teachers that the 57-minutes has improved engagement, opening, and closing of lessons, time to process, and expanded opportunities for student collaboration. In our discussions, we have learned that the number of school-wide announcements and interruptions to the classroom have disrupted the learning environment. In researching the concern, we have approximately 80-100 drop-offs in one day (i.e. gym bags, lunches, homework, instruments, etc.). We will always find a way to feed a student that forgot their lunch. Our teachers will work with you to improve your students' organizational planning for homework and projects.
We kindly and respectfully request that drop-offs are limited to critical needs. We are not calling into rooms or making school-wide announcements that interrupt the flow of instruction. We post all office pick up alerts for students on our TV screens in the cafeteria and hallways as a form of communication. Please note that the TV screens will be updated once a day before all the lunches. Any items dropped off after 10:00 will not show up on the TV announcements. Additionally, limiting the number of drop-offs will better prepare us for our own future front entrance renovation, similar to the high school's front entrance renovation. Thank you so much for your consideration.
Early Dismissal Notes
GVMS HSA Information
GVMS Box Tops for Education
GVMS is finally registered with Box Tops for Education!! It’s a super simple way to raise money for our school! And we no longer have to cut out the Box Tops & bring them into school! The new system makes everything so easy!!
Here is a link to the website!
https://www.boxtops4education.com/en/How%20To%20Earn
Find Garnet Valley Middle School as one of the listed schools. Register online to raise money for GVMS. Download the app. Then start scanning the box tops! It’s that simple!!
HSA Updates and Announcements
Upcoming HSA Student Events
SAVE THE DATES
1). Friday, 2/28/2020
6:00 - 10:00 PM
6th Grade Madness 2020
Please register your student for the event by clicking the link below:
2). Wednesday, 3/11/2020
4:00 - 8:00 PM
Urban Air Adventure Park Fundraiser
Snowflake Dance
Thank you to all of the parents and Interact students who volunteered their time to help with this year’s 7th & 8th Grade Snowflake Dance. Thank you to all of the teachers and administrators who also volunteered their weekend time to help make the event fabulous & fun! Thank you to Janine Sangillo Graff & her hardworking & creative decorating crew for transforming the school into a winter wonderland! Thank you finally to the amazing Snowflake Dance co-chairs, Sherie Higgins & Alison Bliss, for putting in so many endless hours of their time to create an incredibly fun night for our 7th & 8th graders!
It was a fabulous & fun night for everyone who attended! We had over 500 students attend last night! We could never do it on our own! It takes a village!!
AMAZON SMILE
GVMS HSA is registered as a nonprofit educational charity with Amazon Smile. Raising money for our school has never been easier. The next time you are shopping on Amazon, please considering registering to participate in Amazon Smile. When you select Garnet Valley Middle School HSA as your charity of choice, Amazon will make a donation to our school whenever you shop through Amazon Smile. Here is a link to the GVMS HSA Amazon Smile page for more information & to register: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-3075301
Box Tops for Education
GVMS is finally registered with Box Tops for Education!! It’s a super simple way to raise money for our school! And we no longer have to cut out the Box Tops & bring them into school! The new system makes everything so easy!!
Here is a link to the website!
https://www.boxtops4education.com/en/How%20To%20Earn
Find Garnet Valley Middle School as one of the listed schools. Register online to raise money for GVMS. Download the app. Then start scanning the box tops! It’s that simple!!
Interested In Volunteering?
If anyone is interested in volunteering for any of our upcoming HSA events, there are endless ways to get involved! Please contact Missy Rosenthal at mmrosenthal@comcast.net or Andrea Romaniello at andrear.ed@hotmail.com for more information on volunteering this year at GVMS with our HSA! Or check out our HSA website at https://sites.google.com/garnetvalley.org/gvmshsa/home for more details! We love our volunteers!!
Garnet Valley Communities That Care
Garnet Valley CTC Quick Tip #18 –Critical Parent Role
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? Adolescence is a period of rapid development during which teen strengths are revealed. It is a time to hone in on likes and dislikes. It is when young people begin to uncover what comes naturally to them and what takes greater effort. Teens push boundaries, take chances, and stretch limits in order to get closer to figuring out what they value and what they want to do with their lives ( Center for Parent & Teen Communication).
Call to action… Parent/caregivers have a critical role that begins well before the teen years. As teens head toward adulthood, parents can help them uncover their potential. Once young people know what they enjoy and excel in, they can begin to imagine how to shape satisfying, productive lives. However, learning what you are good at means you must also gain insights into what you are not good at. People are uneven. Young people who recognize both their strengths and limitations learn how to focus their energies. (Center for Parent & Teen Communication).
Click on link below to learn more
Garnet Valley Middle School
Email: stenzl@garnetvalley.org
Website: gvms.garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 601 Smithbridge Road
Phone: 610-579-5100
Twitter: @GarnetValleyMS