GVMS Start of School #2 - Part 2/3
Five Days Before the Start of the 2020-2021 School Year
Garnet Valley Middle School
Email: stenzl@garnetvalley.org
Website: https://gvms.garnetvalleyschools.com/
Location: 601 Smithbridge Road
Phone: 610-579-5100
Twitter: @GarnetValleyMS
Building Update
Garnet Valley Middle School Community,
Thank you for opening up Part 2 of 3 of our Start of School communication. As we mentioned yesterday, today's email will focus primarily on two topics: Schoology and Alma.
Below you will find an overview of both platforms, which we hope will help you become more comfortable navigating both systems. Staying true to our goal of focusing these communications on what you need to know for just the first week of school, below you will find short, focused information on Schoology or Alma. We will provide additional links and district resources if you would like to learn more.
We hope you find this mode of communication beneficial. We know that the start of this school year holds a lot of unknowns!! Our hope is that the information below and the information we will share over the next few days will provide more clarity in regards to how Garnet Valley Middle School students will begin their 2020-2021 academic journey.
Sincerely,
Lisa Stenz, Principal
Rick Martin, Assistant Principal
Gerry Weinhardt, Assistant Principal
Schoology
Schoology Overview
Schoology is Garnet Valley's K-12 Learning Management System (LMS). An LMS is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of educational courses or training programs. Parents will use Schoology to follow class assignments, due dates, and projects. While Schoology may show grades for certain student work, Alma is Garnet Valley's official grade book and parents should check Alma to see the most up-to-date and accurate grades as well as attendance information.
Schoology Sign-up Directions for Parents
1. In your browser, navigate to https://www.schoology.com/
2. In the top right corner of the screen, click "Sign Up"
3. Select, "Parent"
4. You will now be prompted to type in your Parent Access Code. All families received a Parent Access Code on a piece of paper that was attached to your child’s Chromebook. Please enter that unique code here in the text box.
*If you did not pick up your child's device yet or if you no longer have that piece of paper, please click here to fill out a Google Form link and our Technology team will email you your Parent Access Code.
5. Enter your name, email address, and password. Once you log in, you’ll be able to browse your child’s activities by selecting your child’s name from the top right dropdown.
6.You also have the option to associate additional children using Schoology with this account. To associate additional children, click on the down facing arrow on the top right of your Schoology account, select Add Child, and enter the Parent Access Code for your other child/children.
Click here to access a step by step guide that includes the above directions and screenshots.
Schoology: Student Log in
We realize Schoology is new to many of our incoming 6th graders, but we also know this tutorial might be a helpful reminder for many of our 7th and 8th grade students. To access Schoology, it is important to remember NOT to simply type in schoology.com. Since we have a district license, we have a GVSD specific web portal. The easiest way to access Schoology is to head to the Garnet Valley School District website. From there, select the "Schoology" icon (view image). This link will ask your child to log into Google with this GVSD Google ID. Once logged in, they will begin on their Schoology homepage.
Click here to watch a video tutorial outline the above steps.
Naviagting Courses Within Schoology
Hopefully if you are reading this, you have successfully completed the above steps and your child is now in Schoology. If so, congratulation as you are well on your way to being ready to go for the first day of school. In yesterday's communication we highlighted that all teams will begin on Tuesday, September 1st by meeting as a team from 8:00am - 8:30am. Teachers will review how to log into Schoology during this time. Our main goal for this communication is to acclimate our students and families with how to access Schoology and see their courses on the Schoology home screen.
Click here to learn more about how to navigate once you are logged into Schoology.
*Please note that this video was created for all grades. The presenter mentions that elementary students will start in their homerooms. At a secondary level, we do not have homerooms. At GVMS, students will officially begin their day in their 1st period class.
Additional Schoology Resources
- A Parent Perspective on Schoology
- GVSD Schoology Parent Support Page (Don't miss the FAQ section located at the bottom of the page!)
- Getting Started Guide to Schoology
Alma
Alma Overview
Alma is Garnet Valley's Student Information System (SIS). An SIS is a system for schools to manage student data. Student information systems provide capabilities for registering students in courses, documenting grades, transcripts, results of student tests and other assessment scores, building student schedules, tracking student attendance, and managing many other student-related data needs in a school.
It is important for parents to maintain accurate contact information in Alma at all times as all parent communication is sent using this data. Alma is Garnet Valley's official grade book and attendance system so parents should check Alma weekly to see their child's most up-to-date and accurate grades as well as attendance information.
Alma: How Do I Sign In?
- In your browser, navigate to https://gvms.getalma.com/home. You can also access this link by going to the GVMS homepage and clicking on the Alma icon (view image).
- Type in your username and password in the text boxes and click (view image).
- Once logged in, you should begin on the Overview tab. While Alma does not have an app at this time, users can use the web address above to access this information on any device.
*Click here for a screenshot of a sample of the Overview tab as seen through the mobile
version.
Alma: My Classes
- Once you are logged into Alma using your Garnet Valley account, you will automatically be taken to the Home Screen. Alma will open to your schedule for that particular day.
- To locate which class you have for each period, look at the shaded box a capital P and a number. P1 is your Period 1 Class, P2 is your Period 2 Class, etc. Goal is the only class that won’t meet when we are in the virtual setting (view image).
- If you want to see the schedule for a day that is different than the actual day, use the calendar (view image).
- By clicking on the "Classes" tab, you can see a list of your classes for the entire year (view image).
Alma: Username and Password
Student usernames are firstnamelastname@garnetvalley.org in Alma. Parent usernames are normally first.lastname so if you forget your password, please hit "reset password." If you need help, please use the Tech Support form located on our district's website or click here.
If you have never activated your Alma account, you should have received an auto-generated email on August 24th. If you have not received an email from Alma, please be sure to check your spam mail folder for the automated e-mail from "GarnetValleyMiddleSchool@getalma.com", with your Account Setup information.
Users will use the same credentials to access each building's Alma site. If you have children in different schools, be sure to access the appropriate Alma URL, noted below:
School Specific Alma URL's
Garnet Valley High School
Garnet Valley Middle School
Garnet Valley Elementary School
Concord Elementary School
Bethel Springs Elementary School
You can also use the bi-directional arrows located at the top right of your Alma screen to access the other buildings your children are enrolled in.
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Closing and Tomorrow's Items
We hope you have found this condensed and focused format useful. Tomorrow we are looking to cover the following:
- Overview of the First Week at GVMS
We appreciate your support as we all continue to learn and grow in this new environment. Have a great night and we will be in touch with our third installment tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Lisa Stenz, Building Principal
Rick Martin, Assistant Principal
Gerry Weinhardt, Assistant Principal
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Additional Links and Resources
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Important Information Links
Click here to access the Virtual and Hybrid schedules
Please complete the Photo/Video Opt Form
Our Counseling & Administrative Teams
We wanted to take a moment and introduce our four school counselors. Please know that the GVMS Counseling Department is buzzing on a typical school day. Our counselors do an amazing job working through a multitude of issues with our students each and every day. Also, feel free to contact your child's counselor if you have any questions at any point throughout the year.
School Counselors
Marisa Mahon - Last names beginning with A-Emmahonm@garnetvalley.org
Wendy Xanthopoulos - Last names beginning with Ep-Ler
xanthow@garnetvalley.org
Madison Keller (Rogas) - Last names beginning with Les-Rom
rogasm@garnetvalley.org
Christy Francart - Last names beginning with Ros-Z
francac@garnetvalley.org
Building Administrators
Lisa Stenz - Building Principal
stenzl@garnetvalley.org
martinr@garnetvalley.org
Gerry Weinhardt - Assistant Principal
weinhag@garnetvalley.org
Supply Lists
Click here to access the 6th and 7th/8th Grade student school supply lists.
SAVE THE DATE (VIRTUAL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT)
Our scheduled Virtual Back to School Night will be a live webinar to meet the administrative team, elective teachers, and support service team. Additionally, you will meet your child’s four core teachers in a live webinar zoom. During this evening, you will learn more about our schedule, Schoology, elective programming, core instruction essential content, and expectations for grading. The schedule is as follows:
6th Grade: Tuesday, Sept 15th @ 6:00 Virtual Back to School Night
7th and 8th Grade: Wednesday, Sept 16th @ 6:00 Virtual Back to School NightGarnet Valley Middle School
Email: stenzl@garnetvalley.org
Website: gvms.garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 601 Smithbridge Road
Phone: 610-579-5100
Twitter: @GarnetValleyMS