Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos. Students in Janine Zumbano's eighth grade Spanish classes enjoyed a hands-on lesson about the Mexican holiday, The Day of the Dead, celebrated during November 1st and 2nd. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have passed away. The decorating of sugar skulls that represent departed souls, is an important part of the celebration.The students were given the opportunity to decorate their own cake sugar skulls, bringing an intriguing Mexican tradition to life.
Books Bring Us Together!
PVMS West is holding its Annual Book Fair from Monday, October 31st through November 7th. All students will have the opportunity to visit the book fair with their ELA classes. Thanks to the generosity of our MSW Home and School Association, one student from each visiting class will be eligible to win a free book of their choice at the fair! Parents and guardians are also invited to stop by and shop during the school day! Again this year, purchases will be rounded to the nearest nickel for all cash sales at the book fair. Rounding proceeds will be used to purchase new books for our MSW Library collection. The convenient online shopping option will be available through November 13th at https://www.scholastic.com/bf/pvmsw1
Happy Campers
Parent/Teacher Conference Information
Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled during the days of Monday, Nov. 21, and Tuesday, Nov. 22. Parent/teacher conferences are onsite and in-person unless otherwise requested. Please reach out to your child's teacher(s) directly to specify the desire to have a virtual conference after scheduling your time. Parents/guardians can schedule conferences with teachers using the ParentVUE parent portal.
ParentVUE will open up for conference scheduling at 12 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7. Instructions for how to schedule a conference are located here. Please note the conference module referenced in the instructions will not be viewable until it is turned on at 12 p.m. on Monday Nov. 7.
If you do not have a ParentVUE account, you will need to create one in order to access the conference scheduling module. To set up your account, please contact the helpdesk@pvsd.org.
At the middle school level parent/teacher conferences will be scheduled with your child's team of teachers. Each team's conferences will be scheduled through one teacher on each team, but include all team teachers (English, Math, Science, Social Studies). The list below will indicate what teacher on each team to schedule your child's parent/teacher conference with. Meeting with your child's special area teachers is optional. If you would like to meet individually to talk with your child's Special Area/World Language/PE/Music/Gifted Education teacher you may schedule a separate time with them within the ParentVUE conference module.
6th Grade
Element Team - Amy Corr (Science)
Wilderness Team - Colleen McGuigan (Science)
7th Grade
Crusader Team - Tina Glanski (Social Studies)
Titan Team - Danielle Emers (Science)
8th Grade
Adventure Team - Sean Murphy (Social Studies)
Journey Team - Brad Merkl-Gump (Social Studies)
STAR & Freckle Math
Through our comprehensive plan, the district has identified math performance as an area of focus, specifically at the secondary level. We have developed an action plan to define specific steps toward improved student proficiency and growth. One of the action steps has been an investment in Renaissance’s STAR Math assessment, which serves multiple purposes including screening, progress monitoring, instructional planning, forecasting proficiency, standards mastery, and measuring growth. STAR Math is an efficient standards-based,
computer-adaptive assessment designed to measure student performance in key math skills.
As part of the district’s annual assessment calendar, all students in grades 6 through 8, and students enrolled in Algebra I, Geometry, & Algebra II, will participate in the STAR Math assessment 3-4 times per year. The results of the assessment inform classroom instruction, small group work, and individual student support and enrichment. The results from your child’s fall assessment will be shared later this month.
In addition to STAR Math, the district has also purchased Freckle Math for all middle school students. Freckle utilizes the STAR Math results to create an engaging, differentiated learning path for each student that both reinforces skills and challenges students. Students practice standards in Freckle at their “just right” level and Freckle continuously adapts as students’ progress. Freckle Math is a supplement to our core math instruction. Students will continue to receive daily math instruction with their teacher to strengthen and grow their math skills.
Freckle provides opportunities for students to practice and enhance their math skills beyond
the daily classroom experiences.
We have identified the following structure and expectations for student use of Freckle Math.
• 60 minutes of Freckle Math over the course of a 6-day cycle
• Scheduled during Advisory periods
• 20 minutes per scheduled session
Our teachers will monitor student progress and utilize feedback from both Freckle and STAR to design lessons, as well as plan individual and small group instruction. For additional information about Freckle, please visit their website - Freckle - Guide for Families.
We appreciate your support as we develop and implement opportunities for our students to strengthen their math skills.
AM Drop-Off/PM Pick-Up
Parent drop-off will begin taking place at 7:25am each morning. Please do not drop your child off before 7:25am. Parent pick-up will occur at 2:30pm each afternoon.
When parents come to drop-off or pick-up their children from school please proceed past the first lot (bus lot) and to the second lot. This lot is our parent drop-off/pick-up lot as well as our staff parking lot. When dropping off or picking up your children please form a line along the curb as you pull into the lot. This is illustrated as the green line in the diagram below. Those arriving earlier can wrap around the curb past the entrance of the building to allow for more cars to pull into the lot.
Please refrain from bypassing the pick-up line and pulling into the parking lot to pick-up your children. This presents some significant safety concerns as it will require students to walk through the parent pick-up line into traffic. This can also be a safety concern for our staff leaving or driving to other buildings at the end of the school day.
Please refer to the diagram below for an illustration of the procedure. Thank you for your understanding.
Victim Services Presents Better Boundaries Lessons to 7th Grade Students
Victim Services Center of Montgomery Country will be presenting a couple lessons to our 7th grade students called Sexual Harassment: Respecting Boundaries, which includes online harassment. The goal is to help students recognize the personal, physical, verbal and virtual boundaries of others. They will talk about ways to respond, seeking help and how to help a friend if you know someone is either harassing others or being harassed. The presentations will take place on Monday November 7th and Wednesday November 9th.
For more information about Victim Services presentations for schools please go to https://www.victimservicescenter.org/for-schools or view the What's Up at West October Parent Information Night presentation above.
During the presentation students will be asked to complete pre and post survey. To view the surveys please see below:
Pre-survey before the presentation session 1
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/preBB23
Post-survey after the presentation session 2
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/postBB23
If you have any additional questions or would like to opt your child out of the presentations and/or surveys please email Mr. Creeden at rcreeden@pvsd.org.
Laurel House Presents Healthy Relationships Lessons to 8th Grade Students
Laurel House located in Montgomery County will be presenting a couple lessons to our 8th grade students called Healthy Relationships. The presentations will discuss all types of relationships (dating, “talking”, hanging out, friendships, etc.), identify healthy/ unhealthy/ abusive relationships through realistic case scenarios, identify warning signs and barriers to leaving through a group scenario, and practice what to say to a friend who may be in an abusive relationship.
The presentations will take place for one team of 8th grade students on Monday 11/7 and Wednesday 11/9 and for the other team of students on Thursday 11/10 and Friday 11/11.
For more information about Laurel House presentations for schools please go to https://laurel-house.org/about/our-programs/prevention-education/.
If you have any additional questions or would like to opt your child out of the presentations please email Mr. Creeden at rcreeden@pvsd.org.
Homework Club
After School Activity Transportation
- 4:00pm Departure (outside main office) - Monday through Thursday
- 5:00pm Departure (outside gym entrance) - Monday through Thursday
Yearbook Art Contest
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.
Sign up for your child(ren) to receive a Power Packs bag by filling out this form: 2022-23 Power Packs or by emailing PowerPacks@pvsd.org.
If you would like to make a donation to Power Packs, please do so by sending a check to the District Office at 3 Iron Bridge Dr. Collegeville made out to PVSD and note Power Packs in the memo line or donate through PayPal. For PayPal the email to send a donation is donations@pvsd.org. Thank you for your support!
West Home & School Information
If you would like to volunteer at any events that Home and School may have in the Spring, please email pvmswesths@gmail.com
PV West Athletic Update
At our recent home football games, administration has observed the need for greater oversight of our elementary and middle school students. For the remainder of the football season, these students must be accompanied by an adult to gain entry into the game. Student safety is our highest priority and we appreciate your support.
Important Winter Sports Dates
Winter sports registration must occur by NOVEMBER 7.
First day of Middle School Wrestling is NOVEMBER 18.
First day of Middle School Basketball is NOVEMBER 28.
Registration for winter sports must occur by November 8. This can be done at http://www.planeths.com. In addition to registering, student-athletes must have a PIAA physical examination done by a doctor and the proper paperwork completed by the doctor. In order to count for the 2022-2023 school year, the physical must occur June 1 or later. The form is found on www.planeths.com when you register. If you played a fall sport, you only need to complete and submit section 8.
Dress Code
Cell Phones
Procedure for Administration of Medications in School
No medication should be in the student’s possession (pockets, lunch, purse/handbag, or backpack). All medications are to be delivered directly to the nurse’s office and kept in the health room unless otherwise designated by the school nurse. Please contact our school nurse Sharon Saks at ssaks@pvsd.org with any questions.
Be Part of the Conversation - Upcoming Programs
Be a Part of the Conversation equips families and communities in Pennsylvania with skills and resources to understand substance use, addiction, and related health issues. We provide community programs, foster supportive connections, highlight lived experiences, and challenge stigma.
We are a collaboration of community leaders, clinicians, students, school district representatives, and families who believe that having meaningful, inclusive conversations about substance use and addiction will support individuals and their families in their efforts to develop healthy coping skills and access support whenever there is a need. Learn more about us. See the link below for a number of programs that Be a Part of the Conversation offers.
Social Media and Mental Wellness
Social media is known as an “Interactive Technology”, and despite the ever-changing platform names and popularity, it is the main form of communication for young people between ages 10 and 19. Interactive technology is constantly evolving to be more attractive, user friendly and
harder to “live without.” This webinar will explore how various forms of social media and video games from Tik Tok to Snap Chat to YouTube, affect both psychological and social development, as well as how it impacts the overall wellness of adolescent age youth. Discussions will include exploring the benefits (pros) of using these platforms, such as feeling less isolated or discovering new ways to be creative, as well as the negatives, such as cyber-bullying, sexting, glorification/advertising of substance use, as well as misinformation. Correlations will be explored between excessive technology use; the brain and how chronic use of interactive technology may be priming the developing adolescent brain for future substance use disorders.
Register for this free event below to learn more.
PVSD Food Service Updates
Parents/Guardians put money in their student(s) accounts electronically in SchoolCafe or by sending cash or checks in with their students. For more information about SchoolCafe please go to https://www.pvsd.org/departments/food-service/school-cafe-information/. If you are sending funds in with your students, please note the students’ names and account number on the envelope and ask them to give the envelope to their cashier in the cafeteria.
Upon entering the serving area, students make their selections and enter their 6 digit Student ID number on the pin pad or scanner. Our staff will be happy to help them become more comfortable with the system.
Safe2Say
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and is now active across the United States.
When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary. Please see below for more information.
The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
Community Bulletin Board
Want to find out what’s going on in the PV Community? Visit here for flyers about upcoming events in and around our area!
To submit an event for posting, please send a PDF version of your flyer to webmaster@pvsd.org for review.
Please note that Community Bulletin Board items may contain links to websites of organizations outside Perkiomen Valley School District. Items are posted to this bulletin board as a free service to the community, and should not be interpreted as being sponsored or endorsed by the district.
West Weeks At A Glance
Monday November 7th - PVSD School Board Work Session at 7pm in the PVHS Library
Tuesday November 8th - No School for Students (Teacher In-Service)
Thursday November 10th - Homework Club at 2:30pm in the West Library
Friday November 11th - PVMS West 17th Annual Talent Show at 7pm in the Auditorium
For more details on the 22/23 school year go to the 22/23 Instructional Calendar
