The Skippack Star
October 15, 2022
Weekly Message from Skippack Elementary
Dear Skippack Families,
I hope this communication finds you well. We had a beautiful day for our 2022 Walk-a-thon! Thank you to our Home and School organization for coordinating this fun and exciting event for our students. We are also very grateful to all of our spectators, who attended in record numbers, to cheer on their Skippack student. And, of course, a HUGE thank you to all of our families and friends who donated to our annual event that benefits our Home and School. It's not too late to make a donation, please see below for more details. Overall, it was great to see our school community come together to support our students and our school. Thank you to our Home and School for making this event a reality!
This is a reminder that we will have an early dismissal on Wednesday October 19th. Please see below for information about our half day schedule. Lunch will NOT be served on the 19th.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. In honor of Bullying Prevention month, we'll dedicate the week of October 17 - October 21 for schoolwide recognition. Along with the spirit week, our teachers may engage the students with various activities and read alouds that support anti-bullying.
In this week's Skippack Star we have information about the following: Important Dates, Half Day In-Service Day Schedule, Bully Prevention Spirit Week, Walk-a-thon Donation Information, PSSA Student Reports, Sock-tober Sock Drive, Picture Retake Day, New Coat Distribution, Volunteer Clearances, Power Packs, Free Breakfast Information, daily operational procedures and Home and School updates.
On behalf of everyone at Skippack, I wish you a wonderful weekend!
Warm Regards,
Leslie Nassoiy
Skippack Elementary Principal
Important Dates
10/19- Half Day In-Service - *Schedule below
10/21 - Trunk or Treat - 6:00 PM
10/25 - Home & School Meeting - 9:30 AM
10/28 - Trunk or Treat (RAIN DATE)
11/2 - Picture Retake Day *See details below
11/8 - In-Service (Act 80) Day/Election Day - NO SCHOOL
11/21 and 11/22 - Parent/Teacher Conferences *More information coming
11/21 - 11/25 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
Week of October 17 - 21
- Monday, October 17 - A Day
- Tuesday, October 18 - B Day
- Wednesday, October 19 - C Day
- Thursday, October 20 - D Day
- Friday, October 21 - E Day
Half Day Schedule - October 19th
Students will have a half-day on Wednesday, October 19th. The half-day is so the district can carry out in-service/professional development activities. Elementary schools will dismiss at 12:10 PM. *Parent pick ups will begin at approximately 12:05.* Lunch is not served on half-days.
Kindergarten Half Day Schedule - Morning kindergarten classes will dismiss at 10:30 AM and afternoon kindergarten classes will meet from 10:30 AM until 12:10 PM.
Bullying Prevention Spirit Week
October is National Bullying Prevention Month! Please consider having your child participate in this week's spirit week.
Monday (10/17) - Wear crazy socks, fancy/outrageous shoes, or mixed up shoes/socks!
Tuesday (10/18) - Wear gold/yellow!
Wednesday (10/19) - Wear Orange to support the nationwide Unity Day!
Thursday (10/20) - Wear clothing/hat inspired by a fictional/real hero! No costumes or masks.
Friday (10/21) - Wear PV/Skippack Gear!
Please see the attached flyer below for more details.
Walk-a-thon Donation Information
It's not too late, please consider to donate:
- www.99pledges.com/fund/skippackwalkathon
- The link above will take you to the landing page - you can search for your child's name by typing into the "search for participant" box
- Each child is listed by their FIRST NAME, followed by the first 3 letters of their LAST NAME and teacher. Please make sure you are selecting the correct child
- Each student will have their own donation page with separate links - so if you have multiple children at Skippack, they will each have their own page
- You do not need to log in or change anything. All you have to do is make a donation for whatever amount you can and share your child’s page with friends and family. We are shooting for 100% participation so no amount is too small.
- If you would rather pay by Cash/Check - please fill out the attached form (see below) and use the instructions included to mail-in/return it to the school.
As a reminder, Home and School relies on this fundraiser to be able to offer all the amazing activities & classroom resources to our students each year. Without your support, we would not be able to continue to do these special programs! Thank you for your support!
PSSA STUDENT REPORT - GRADES 4 & 5
Individual student reports from the 2022 PSSA have been released and have been sent home with 4th and 5th grade students on Friday, October 14, 2022.
Perkiomen Valley School District, along with all 500 other school districts across Pennsylvania, participated in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). All of our students in grades three through eight were assessed in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. Students in fourth and eighth grades also participated in the Science assessment.
The report provides you with your child’s overall performance level and raw scores in ELA, Mathematics, and Science. The report also provides a Strength Profile which indicates your child’s performance within each of the reporting categories of the standards. While these scores are used to assess a student’s academic proficiency, they are only one factor to consider in your child’s overall educational attainment. For more information about the PSSA, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website at www.education.pa.gov.
As you examine your child’s report, please be assured that the professional staff of the District are also carefully examining and analyzing the scores of all of our students. We use these data to guide us in our ongoing efforts to improve curriculum and instruction. If you have any questions or would like additional guidance on how to interpret these results, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, counselor, or building principal.
Picture Retake Day - November 2nd
Sock-Tober Sock Drive
What do you get when you hold a sock drive in October?
Sock-tober!
Join the Skippack school community as we collect brand new socks for our friends at the Daily Bread Community Food Pantry.
Any size, color, and type of new sock will be accepted. Collection boxes will be placed in the main lobby area for students to drop off donations on the way to/from class each day until 10/28/22.
Let’s put our best foot forward and support our community in Sock-tober!
New Winter Coats Available
Winter is on its way! If you are in need of a new coat for your child, please reach out privately to Mrs. Hang or Mrs. Barnett, our School Counselor team. They would be happy to get you connected with one, no questions asked.
*Parent Pick Up Notes/Emails ~ Important!
If you plan to pick up your child during dismissal, please remember to send in a note or an email to our office staff, pjacobson@pvsd.org and/or syanulevich@pvsd.org and your child’s classroom teacher. Please include your child’s name, date of the pick up and the adult who will be picking up your child. This is to ensure an efficient pick up procedure process and the safety of our students.
Educational Trip Forms
Attendance Information
Attendance Information ~ If you have a child who will be absent or missing class time, please send an email (from the email you have listed in ParentVue) to: SkAttendance@pvsd.org. This will count as your call-out AND parent excuse. Please indicate in the email the date of absence, student’s grade and the reason for the absence. An absence is considered unexcused when the child’s school has not received an email providing an acceptable reason for the absence within a 3-day period. Parents may also call our attendance line at: 610-409-6060, option 1. If you do this, you would still need to submit an email with the above information in order for it to be excused. Any medical notes should be scanned or sent in with your child, send to pjacobson@pvsd.org.
Dismissal Change?
If you need to make an unexpected dismissal change for your child during the day, please contact the main office via telephone (610-409-6060) by 2:30 PM, if possible.
PV Power Packs
PV Power Packs is a weekend food program for students experiencing food insecurity. Bags of food, including 2 breakfast items, 2 lunch items, 2 snacks, and 2 fruits, are sent home with students prior to every weekend. There is no financial information required to participate in this program and students pick up their bags from their counselor or designated person every week.
For more information regarding how to receive a Power Pack for your child or to make donations to the Power Packs program, click here: https://www.pvsd.org/families/pv-power-packs/
Free Breakfast Program - Opt Out
Governor Tom Wolf announced free school breakfast for all students across the commonwealth this school year. The Universal Free Breakfast Program will go into effect on October 3, 2022 and run through the end of the 2022-23 school year. Note: this applies to breakfast only. For lunch, families in need can apply for the free or reduced school lunch program. Visit our food service webpage for information. Below is additional information about the free/reduced lunch program as well as the option to “opt out” of free breakfast meals for your child.
The free breakfast program will be available at each school. Students interested in obtaining breakfast will be expected to report to the cafeteria upon arrival at school. They will need to input their 6-digit ID when picking up their meal. They will eat their breakfast in the cafeteria prior to reporting to class.
We are aware that some families may prefer that their students not participate in the free breakfast at school (in some instances last year, students were eating two breakfasts - one at home prior to school and one after arriving at school). Families may choose to “opt their child(ren) out” from obtaining breakfast using this form. If a family opts out, the student’s account will be flagged and breakfast will not be available to them. You may change this preference at any time by contacting our Food Service department.
Free & Reduced Lunch Program
The federal funding to provide free meals expires with the start of 2022-23 school year. This means families will need to apply for the free or reduced school meals program if needed. Visit our food service webpage for information and to access the application. In the event you need assistance, do not hesitate to reach out to a representative of the Food Services department.
Home and School Information
WALK A THON
You can still donate if you did not get a chance this week!
TRUNK OR TREAT
Friday, October 21st from 6pm-7:30pm
Join us Friday, October 21st from 6pm-7:30pm at Skippack Elementary and enjoy a night full of fun for our Skippack Community. Children are welcome to dress up and enjoy a safe trick or treating experience. We will need lots of trunkers and candy donations this year. Rain date is October 28th.
*Please consider donating bags of candy. They should be sent in to school with your child and/or dropped off in the front office.
SPIRIT WEAR Closes October 23rd
Please support Home and School and show your school spirit!
https://skippackelem.itemorder.com/shop/home/
HOME AND SCHOOL MEETING October 25th at 9:30am, Faculty Lounge
All parents are welcome to attend and this is a great way to hear what is going on and get involved! Meetings alternate between mornings helda t 9:30am in the Faculty Lounge and 7:00pm in the school library. For information on getting your clearances to volunteer and attend field trips, please visit: https://www.pvsd.org/families/volunteer-procedures/
Join us on our FACEBOOK page to stay up to date on all the latest information. We are very careful to only allow current staff and parents/caregivers of students at Skippack to join the page, so please answer the questions that pop up after your request to join the group. If you have requested to join, but have not answered the questions, your request will not be accepted. https://www.facebook.com/groups/skippackhomeandschool/
If you have any questions about Home & School or would like more information, contact us at skippackhs@gmail.com.
Skippack Elementary
Email: lnassoiy@pvsd.org
Website: www.pvsd.org
Location: 4081 Heckler Road, Collegeville, PA, USA
Phone: (610)409-6060
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skippackelem
Twitter: @Skippack_E