Sabercat News
South Valley Junior High School
Volume 1.22
March 31, 2021
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Mission Statement: South Valley's mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment, rich with rigorous educational experiences that engage, empower, and inspire students to higher levels of personal and academic excellence.
Core Values: Character, Community, Commitment
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Principal's Message
Sabercat Family,
We are heading into the home stretch! It is hard to believe that we are into the fourth quarter and that are 8th graders will soon be heading off to high school! Thank you again for all of your support and I hope you have a wonderful April!
Here are three key items to emphasize from the newsletter or "Three Dots with Mr. Dumas":
TEXT MESSAGE COMMUNICATION: Early this week Lindsay Road was being resurfaced. I elected to utilize our messaging system in an attempt alert our families as we approached the end of the day. A text message was utilized for the messaging along with email. Please know that if we use the text message feature it will be due to a need to communicate in a timely manner and we will use it very infrequently. Fortunately, the road crew finished in time and it did not interfere with dismissal.
How awesome are you?!?! This has been a challenging year for our PTSO to raise funds to support our school, but our parents, students and school community have stepped up in a huge way! Every restaurant night seems to be breaking records and the businesses we have worked with are grateful for the support. We appreciate your support!
On April 13th we will be opening up our school for tours for our incoming 7th-grade students. Families and students will come to our campus for an opportunity to walk campus and have an in-person/virtual tour. Yes, it sounds confusing, but we hope it will all make sense when they get here! Look for more details right after break!
We appreciate your continued support.
Best Regards,
Tyler Dumas
Principal
South Valley Junior High
Social Media
Twitter: @SVJHMrDumas
Instagram: @svjhmrdumas
Facebook: South Valley Junior High
___________________________________________________________________________________________
SPRING HOLIDAY THIS WEEKEND!
AZMerit and AIMS Science Testing
Thank you in advance for not scheduling outside appointments for students on these dates. We cannot disrupt classes and other students testing during these testing times to take students out. Below is the BELL SCHEDULE for testing dates. Testing dates are as follows:
AzM2 Writing - Taken during 2nd Hour on April 13th (2nd hour will be approximately 120 minutes in length)
AzM2 Reading/Math - Part I : Taken during 2nd Hour on May 4th (2nd hour will be approximately 180 minutes in length)
AzM2 Reading/Math - Part II : taken during 2nd Hour on May 5th (2nd hour will be approximately 180 minutes in length)
Please note that students will need WIRED, in-ear headphones (no "earbuds" allowed for testing). Inexpensive headphones can be found at many dollar stores if you don't happen to have one in the back of that junk drawer.
Sabercat Athletics
SPRING SPORTS HAVE BEGUN!
Our athletes and teams are off to a great season and the weather couldn't be better!
We are happy to be able to have more spectators and have our students be able to attend and cheer on their fellow Sabercats!
Please be sure to show your game tickets when you arrive at each event. Also, please remember, masks and 6 foot social distancing are required at all Gilbert Public Schools sporting events.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Sabercats!
Have questions regarding South Valley Athletics? Please call our Athletics Department at (480) 855-0015 Ext. 1551
Animal Shelter Donations Drive
Thank you for the Mask Donations!
Ms. Trickett's "GENIOUS HOUR" is Coming Soon!
Ms. Trickett's 7th and 8th grade Honors ELA classes are gearing up for Genius Hour this quarter.
What is Genius Hour?
According to GeniusHour.com, Genius hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school.
Genius Hour Origins
The search-engine giant, Google, allows its engineers to spend 20% of their time working on any pet project they want. The idea is very simple. Allow people to work on something that interests them, and productivity will go up. Google’s policy has worked so well that it has been said that 50% of Google’s projects have been created during this creative time period.
Goals of Genius Hour Are:
- to promote, support, and model creative, innovative thinking and inventiveness
- to allow students an opportunity to discover/investigate one of their passions and reflect on and share their learning with others
- provide students and teachers an opportunity to develop skill sets that are valuable in any learning situation (research, experimentation, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking)
The goal of Genius Hour is to engage students through inquiry, problem solving, and critical thinking.
NJHS Applications for upcoming 8th Graders
What's Happening in the Library...
Scholastic Book Clubs: With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS). Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/GMLH9 for some great books! Class Order Due Date: 04/30/21. Thank you! Each order helps support the library.
Yearbooks are almost gone!
Spring Sports Spirit Week is Coming Soon!
Sabercat Swag
SUPPORT SOUTH VALLEY AND GET SOME COOL REWARDS!
Did you know you can help raise funds for our Sabercats simply by SHOPPING?! Yes. It's true! Help spread the word to family, friends, co-workers and neighbors - you're only a few clicks away!
Mr. Mesquite Taqueria is holding a fund raiser for South Valley for three days in April - 15th, 16th, and 17th ALL DAY!!! Go check out what the community is RAVING about! Everyone LOVES Mr. Mesquite Taqueria! Don't forget to mention you're from South Valley. See below flyer for more information!
Fry's Grocery: https://www.frysfood.com/i/community/community-rewards (Link your Fry's VIP card to South Valley Junior High PTSO #SP076)
Amazon Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/homepage?orig=%2F (Link your AmazonSmile account to South Valley Junior High PTSO - works for Prime and the Amazon Smile app, as well! Then simply shop online at smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com.)
American Furniture Warehouse: Mention South Valley Junior High when you shop in the store or online!
Box Tops: Download the Box Tops app, select South Valley Junior High, and scan your receipts within 14 days of purchase.
PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR THE FLYERS FOR THE REWARDS PROGRAMS AND DONATIONS.
Our winner of the drawing for a yearbook was Ethan Wood. Thank you to Ethan's family for your donation to South Valley's PTSO. SVJH PTSO's only direct fundraiser is a one-n-done $30 check drive (credit cards and cash also accepted) - no selling, no catalogues, no fuss! If you already donated at Sabercat Days, THANK YOU! If you'd like to donate by credit card, please pay through https://www.paypal.com/us/signin. (send to ptsosvjh@gmail.com) Check/Cash donations may be dropped off at the front office. PTSO is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization - your donation is tax deductible! Our winner
THANK YOU for supporting our Sabercats!
Misc. Important Information...
- The Lost and found is located in the Library. Please check it periodically if you are missing any clothing, lunch boxes, hydroflasks, etc. Anything left in the bin when we leave for school breaks, will be donated
- Please be mindful of the Gilbert Public Schools Dress Code Policy. A good rule of thumb is "Raise your hands, touch your toes, if anything shows, go change your clothes"...or if in doubt....you probably shouldn't wear it
- Cell phones are not allowed to be used while on campus from the start of the school day, at first bell, until the last bell of the day rings. They should remain in their backpacks and turned off or turned to silent. If a student needs to call a parent, they can use any classroom phone or one of the many available in the Front Office. If a parent needs to get a message to their student, the Front Office will be glad to relay the message to your student in between class periods.
- Replacement ID Cards - if you have misplaced your ID card, a new one can be purchased from our Attendance Office for $5.
SVJH COVID Safety and Procedural Modifications
- As described in our previous newsletters, SVJH's Four Habits will be used as a helpful reminder of our expectations that can be verbalized to assist students in best practices.
- Seating for lunches has been expanded and spread out for social distancing.
- Wooden tables have been made by Mr. Vera, our Industrial Tech teacher.
- The seating in the cafeteria and under the ramada have been spread out throughout the courtyard.
- Students can utilize the library as a place to eat.
- Staggered bell schedules will allow students to not all be exiting and entering the buildings at the same time.
- Signage was created throughout the campus for the restrooms, to denote the number of students per table, entry, and exits for doors, and more.
- Signage was created to signify the direction of traffic in the hallways.
- Cleaning supplies and hand-sanitizer was given to each teacher.
- Doors will be propped open to create non-contact surfaces.
- We have an outstanding building manager and custodial crew that takes pride in our school and the work they do in making South Valley a clean and safe place for our students and staff.
- Teachers are creating seating arrangements and processes that fit their specific classrooms and content areas to meet the recommendations for our return to in-person learning.
GPS COVID-19 GUIDELINES:
STUDENTS NEED TO STAY HOME IF THEY HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Fever of 100.4 or higher
- New onset cough or shortness of breath
- Muscle Aches/ chillsLoss of sense of taste or smell
- Sore Throat
- Vomiting/diarrhea
- OR Someone at home who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is waiting for test results for COVID-19
- OR Been within 6 feet of someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 for 10 minutes or more
About SVJH
Email: svjhsinfo@gilbertschools.net
Website: www.gilbertschools.net/southvalleyjunior
Location: 2034 South Lindsay Road, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Phone: 480-855-0015
Facebook: facebook.com/SVJHS
Twitter: @SVJHSabercats