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West Word
An Update from Perkiomen Valley Middle School West
A Word From Mr. Creeden
The West auditorium was filled with the amazing voices of the PVMS West Choir during their annual Winter Choral Concert this past Tuesday evening. The evening began with the sixth grade chorus’ lovely rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear." After one more selection, the seventh grade choir took the stage singing "Hine Ma Tov" and "Jinglin’ Bells." They were followed by the eighth grade choir offering four selections including "Shalom Chaverim," featuring accompanist, Bryn Myer and instrumentalists Lily Knickerbocker, Avi White, and Jason Kawczynski. The Select Choir sang "Carol of the Bells" and the entire choir closed out the concert with the beautiful Nigerian folk song, "Betelehemu." Congratulations to Mr. Sands and the members of the West Choir for an outstanding performance! We're looking forward to the always impressive and festive West Band and Orchestra Winter Concert this coming Monday evening.
We are also looking forward to our annual Toys for Tots Stuff-A-Bus event taking place next week as well as we collect toys for children in need, have some fun and participate in a holiday spirit week all students can get excited about. Here at West we want to dedicate our time and efforts to supporting those that may be in need and do our very best to bring cheer to everyone from student, to staff, to our very supportive community. Please see more details about this information in the West Word below.
Quick Snapshot📸
- What's Up @ West
- Middle School West Winter Concert🎵🎶
- WEST NOVEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH🏆
- Stuff-A-Bus 2023 is Next Week!
- Family Meal Boxes
- After School Clubs & Activities @ West
- After School Athletic/Activity Transportation
- West School Store
- Order Your 23/24 Yearbook Early and Save!
- 23/24 PV Middle School Handbook
- Raptor System
- PV West Athletic Update
- Tween Talk Group
- School Cafe
- Community Education Registration
- Be Part of the Conversation - Upcoming Programs
- Safe2Say
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- PV West on Social Media
- Community Bulletin Board
- West Weeks At A Glance
- HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!
What's Up @ West
Chamber Theater Group Encore Live!
Following a short story unit that focused on the horror genre and featured stories by Poe, Irving, and Maupassant, our eighth grade students traveled to The Scottish Rite Theater in Allentown, PA on Thursday, December 7th to attend a presentation by the Chamber Theater Group. Each of the six stories in the their ENCORE!! collection had a flavor that highlighted the versatility of five great authors: Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, W.W. Jacobs, Guy de Maupassant, and Mark Twain. Their timeless glimpses into the human experience were brought to life on the stage. Many of the plays directly aligned with our eighth grade ELA curriculum.
Winter Trail Maintenance
Ms. Emers and the West Green Team members performed important maintenance on the trail through our beautiful Muhlenberg Woods.
PVMS West is located on over 100 idyllic acres, part of which is forested. This area has been named Muhlenberg Woods, after Henry Muhlenberg , a Lutheran pastor and American botanist who resided in Trappe. He was renowned for his ability to recognize native flora and fauna and listed and described over a thousand plants growing in the area. The property and trail, along with our courtyard provides our students and community with valuable places to hike, play and learn.
Keep Your Eye on the Birdie!
Badminton is a racquet sport played on a court using racquets to hit a birdie (shuttlecock) across a net. Students in Mr. Weygand and Mrs. Burg's physical education classes began their exploration of this popular game this week. The badminton lessons will include an introduction, rules, grip, shots, and serving. Playing badminton can improve one's hand-eye coordination, flexibility and balance because of the agility that's required to aim correctly and move to hit the birdie when it comes to your side of the court. It can also help to improve cardiovascular endurance, as it is an excellent form of aerobic exercise.
Middle School West Winter Concert🎵🎶
Our West musicians will be showing off their musical talents at our upcoming Winter Concerts. The West Winter Band & Orchestra Winter Concert will take place this coming Monday December 11th at 7:30pm. Both concerts will take place in our West Auditorium. Please come and support our talented students musicians at West.
WEST NOVEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH🏆
We recognized our WEST Strong November students of the month this week. Each of these students received an Amazon gift card and PV Strong Color Changing Cup. They were chosen by their teaching teams as students who have consistently modeled the WEST Strong characteristics throughout the past month and school year. Those characteristics are Respectful, Responsible, and Careful. Congratulations 6th grade students Ava Johnston and Jack Quinn, 7th grade students Colin Arnold and Raina Corrpolese, and 8th grade students Andrew Colvin and Brynn Myer. We are very proud of our students of the month and look forward to recognizing many more students in the coming months. See below for a pic of our November students of the month.
Stuff-A-Bus 2023 is Next Week!
Family Meal Boxes
Perkiomen Valley community members are organizing family meal boxes for those in need for winter break. The box would include a complete meal box to feed a family of 6. Please use the form below to sign up to pick up or receive a meal box. This registration will remain open until 70 families sign up, after that we cannot guarantee meal boxes.
After School Clubs & Activities @ West
Math Lab
Homework Club
Homework Club will meet every Tuesday and Thursday in our Large Group Instruction room. Homework Club will provide a quiet, comfortable, and supportive setting for students to complete school work and become better organized. Students will receive assistance and support when needed. School resources will also be provided for all students in attendance. There is no sign-up required. If students are attending they can report directly to the Library after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Students attending Homework Club that need to take the 4:00 activity bus must sign up for the activity bus before 10:00am on the day of Homework Club. See below for more information about signing up for the activity bus.
The CAUSE Club
The CAUSE (Connecting And Uniting Students to Empower) is a student leadership group that works collaboratively to educate the larger school community on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as to support the individual club members. Students joining The CAUSE Club will meet every other Tuesday to collaborate, plan, create, and help make positive change in our school community. If you are interested in joining The CAUSE Club please email Mrs. Moreno at tmoreno@pvsd.org.
After School Athletic/Activity Transportation
- 4:00pm Departure (outside main office) - Monday through Thursday.
- 5:00pm Departure (outside gym entrance) - Monday through Thursday. The 5:00 activity bus will begin running on Fridays starting after Thanksgiving break.
For each day students intend to take either the 4:00pm or 5:00pm activity bus, they are asked to inform the school district and bus company for routing purposes using the electronic form provided. The form links are below and also available to students via the PV LaunchPad - Classlink. Students must submit their information each morning by 10:00 am if they intend to ride the afternoon activity bus that day.
West School Store
The West School Store is open and ready for all of your school needs. It is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 - 7:40am in the Cafeteria. Students can purchase school supplies such as pencils (regular and mechanical), erasers, highlighters, and whiteboard markers. The store also has earbuds and PV West water bottles. Students can make their purchases in the cafeteria as they arrive in the morning and before they go to homeroom.
Order Your 23/24 Yearbook Early and Save!
23/24 PV Middle School Handbook
- Attendance (pg. 8)
- Educational Trips (pg. 9)
- Dress Code (pg. 13)
- Parent Questions/Concerns (pg. 20)
- Personal Equipment (pg. 20)
- Procedure for Administration of Medications in School (pg. 32)
Raptor System
PV West Athletic Update
Middle School West Girls' Basketball Head Coach: Alesia Davis
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday December 12th (Scrimmage) - Away vs. Upper Merion Middle School @ 3:30pm
Thursday December 14th (Scrimmage) - Home vs. Norristown @ 3:30pm
Middle School West 8th Grade Boys' Basketball Head Coach: Reynone Frederick
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday December 12th (Scrimmage) - Home vs. Upper Merion Middle School @ 3:30pm
Thursday December 14th (Scrimmage) - Away vs. Norristown @ 3:30pm
Middle School West 7th Grade Boys' Basketball Head Coach: Nagash Cockburn
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday December 12th (Scrimmage) - Home vs. Upper Merion Middle School @ 4:30pm
Thursday December 14th (Scrimmage) - Away vs. Norristown @ 4:30pm
Middle School Boys' Wrestling Head Coach: Kyle Barnes
Wednesday December 13th (Scrimmage) - Away vs. Spring-Ford Middle School @ 3:30pm
Middle School Girls' Wrestling Head Coach: Mike Moyano
Mike Moyano is the Head Coach for the inaugural season of Girls Wrestling at PV. Coach Moyano has coached boys and girls wrestling for almost 25 years, most recently at Pope John Paul II last year where he grew the program from just 6 athletes to 18. Originally from California, Coach Moyano moved to the area with his wife, Denise, and their two children, Michael and Samantha in 2020. They love their new home and the opportunities to be part of the community. Coach Moyano owns a sports card shop, "What's Hot Cards & Collectibles" in Limerick, and has a passion for all sports, especially the San Francisco Giants. When asked about what brought him to PV, Coach Moyano said, "I came to PV because I'm excited about the opportunity to start a new program and tradition at the school. Wrestling is a sport that teaches lessons that the athletes will carry with them the rest of their lives, and I'm passionate about building a legacy that our student-athletes can be proud of when they graduate."
Tween Talk Group
Tweens, ages 11 to 13, are invited to chat in a fun, informal atmosphere with Erin McMonagle, a guidance counselor at Perkiomen Valley East Middle School - as part of our Julia’s Joy Youth Empowerment Program. We have created a safe group, where they can come relax, unload and learn they are not alone all while meeting new friends. We believe learning Stress Management tips will help youth deal with the pressures they are feeling at this age and into the future!
This group is free thanks to donations, if you would like to make a donation, it is always appreciated, but not necessary!
Learn more about our workshops and our mission at http://www.JuliasJoy.org
School Cafe
School Cafe is a secure, online system that can be used by parents to make payments to their child’s cafeteria meal accounts, to review student buying history, and to set low-balance alerts. If you already have an account, you may log in to School Cafe using the button below. For more information on how to set up an account, please review the documents below.
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.
Safe2Say
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Did you know that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisit Lifeline?
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.
https://988lifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/
The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
PV West on Social Media
We would love to have you join our social media accounts to stay updated on the latest West news and happenings. Please see below on where to find each of our accounts.
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 December 11th - Friday December 15th - STUFF-A-BUS Spirit Week! (See Above For Spirit Days)
Monday December 11th - PVSD Board Meeting @ 6pm (Time Change) in PVHS Library; West Band & Orchestra Winter Concert in West Auditorium @ 7:30pm
Tuesday December 12th - Homework Club/Math Lab Help @ 2:30pm; PV Wellness Committee Meeting @ 3:45pm in PVHS Library Learning Lab
Thursday December 14th - Homework Club/Math Lab Help @ 2:30pm
Friday December 15th - STUFF-A-BUS from 5-7:30pm in West Cafeteria