In Great Valley
a monthly e-newsletter from the Great Valley School District
FEBRUARY 2019
KDM Focused on Kindness
The KDM Service Council spearheaded a Blizzard of Kindness Campaign. As part of the campaign, art teacher Mrs. Davis and students from GVHS (Caroline Duvivier, Susan Dudt and Emma Gray) designed and painted a Kindness Mural in KDM’s K/1 Wing.
Gone to the Dogs!
As a culminating event to their non-fiction unit study about dogs, General Wayne students held a Dog Expo where parents, students, and staff were invited to hear the students’ presentations and check out their learning! Students also conducted a service project that will benefit Canine Partners for Life.
HS Students Named National Merit Finalists
Three GVHS seniors were selected as finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program: Daniel Han, Julia Hu, and Kimberly Yang.
Board Approves Full-Day Kindergarten Program
The District began a process last fall to consider the implementation of a full-day kindergarten program in Great Valley. At the February 25 School Board meeting, the Board did vote to implement a full-day program for all kindergarten students in the 2019-2020 school year.
In order to make its decision, the Board considered a variety of factors including budget, facility space, program implications, and most recently, the community’s level of support for such a program. All of the research and information that was considered, along with a "Frequently Asked Questions" page, is posted on the District's website at www.gvsd.org/fdk.
The District will use the time between now and August to work with teachers and principals to design its full-day program, examine and develop curriculum, and finalize the schedule. The team plans to consult with Dr. Dominic F. Gullo from Drexel University, who has done extensive research around early childhood topics and issues, including full-day kindergarten programs.
Registration Now Open for 2019-2020 School Year
The District is now scheduling registration appointments for students who will begin kindergarten or who will be new to the District in the 2019-2020 school year.
Registration is a two-part process. Please click here to be directed to the new student registration page for additional information.
Board Review
The Great Valley Board of School Directors conducted its regular meeting on Monday, February 25, 2019.
Complete meeting highlights and meeting agendas are available on our website. Meeting broadcasts are available on GVTV (Comcast Channel 14 and/or Verizon Channel 36), or via our website.
Recognition Items
- Four eighth grade students represented Great Valley Middle School at the 2019 Future City Competition. Students are: Harene Aparna, Sami Hanna, Suhani Mathur, and Benjamin Kirker. Their city, Alta Turris, was located in Iceland one hundred years in the future. The students worked with mentor engineer, Flavio de Rezende, and teacher, Kelly Eidell, to create their vision of the future, including a computer model, a physical model, an essay, and a presentation. The city was recognized with two awards; one for its Outstanding Transportation System, and one for the Most Innovate Use of Technology in their city.
District Begins Planning for Future Needs
The Great Valley School District hired an architectural firm (SCHRADERGROUP) in February that is charged with helping the School Board and administration identify and understand future facility needs. The firm will evaluate the condition of existing buildings. In addition, it will work with a demographer to look at enrollment projections and the impact that projected housing developments will have on those projections.
In addition to growing enrollment, the District also plans to address the aging infrastructure of its schools. To that end, the architectural firm will evaluate the condition of existing buildings. The District currently has four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The middle and high schools are currently housed on the same campus.
The study of facilities is expected to take up to 18 months to complete. The work of the architects will begin this school year; the demographer will begin in the fall. The period of study will include community meetings where taxpayers will be invited to participate.Once the study is complete, architects will present information to the School Board that will include options for meeting capacity demands, especially at the middle school and high school. In addition, options for possible grade reconfigurations may be considered. The final report will also include an overview of the financial impact associated with any of the various options.
Financial Approvals
The Board approved:
- proposal for geophysical testing;
- 3B services proposal for hot water heaters at GVHS;
- fire alarm/voice evacuation system at K.D. Markley Elementary School;
- replacement of washing machine at GVHS;
- white boards for GVHS;
- donation from PTO to GVMS;
- agreements for partial program placements with LearnWell;
- contracts for additional Speaker Series events: Be a Part of the Conversation and Dr. Ken Ginsburg;
- PASBO proposal for education foundation review;
- independent contractor agreement for school psychologist service;
- professional development training agreements;
- E-Rate Technology Bids.
Program Approvals
- GVHS Program of Studies for 2019-2020
- GVSD Summer Learning Experiences
Policy
227AG - Controlled Substances
Policy 622 - Capital Assets and GASB Statement 34 (AG)
Policy 623 - Continuing Disclosure of Financial Info for Bond Issues (AG)
Policy 625 - Procurement Cards (AG)
Policy 701 - Facilities Planning
Policy 703 - Sanitary Management
Policy 704 - Maintenance (AG)
Policy 706 - Property Records
Policy 706.1 - Disposal of District-Owned Property
Policy 802 - School Organization
Policy 803 - School Calendar
Policy 804 - School Day
Policy 806 - Child Abuse (AG)
Policy 807 - Opening Exercises/Flag Displays
Policy 808 - Food Service (AG)
Policy 808.1 - Free/Reduced-Price Meals (AG)
Policy 832 - District-Wide Safety (AG)
The Board approved the following policies for second reading and repeal:
Policy 624 - Taxable Fringe Benefits
Policy 705 - Safety/Smoking
Policy 709 - Building Security
Policy 713.1 - Video Surveillance
Policy 805 - Emergency Preparedness
Contact us
Email: communications@gvsd.org
Website: www.gvsd.org
Location: 47 Church Road, Malvern
Phone: 610-889-2125
Facebook: facebook.com/GreatValleySD