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West Word
An Update from Perkiomen Valley Middle School West
A Word From Mr. Creeden
It's hard to believe that March has arrived. There is some increased excitement for the weeks and months ahead. Read Across America Week @ West is taking place next week, many West students have been working very hard in preparation of our West musical, Oliver Jr., starting on Friday March 8th, and team meetings have been taking place for the upcoming Spring sports season starting on Monday March 11th.
We hope you can join the talented PV Middle School West Students as they follow the journey of an orphaned boy named Oliver Twist. After escaping from a workhouse and meeting the Artful Dodger and his gang of thieves led by the cunning Fagin. Oliver becomes entangled in a world of theft and mischief, while singing and dancing to his triumph of finding his family. Our drama students, under the direction of Mary O'Neill and Shannon Bricker have been working extremely hard in preparation of the performances. Please see pictures and more information in the newsletter below about the upcoming musical 'Oliver Jr.'
Quick Snapshot📸
- What's Up @ West
- Read Across America Week @ West
- Oliver Jr. Coming To West
- Makerspace @ West
- PVHS Info For 8th Grade Students
- Spring Break Meal Boxes
- After School Clubs & Activities @ West
- PVMSW Green Team's Native Plant Sale
- West Cleans Up The Perkiomen Creek
- After School Athletic/Activity Transportation
- West School Store
- Attendance Announcement📢
- 23/24 PV Middle School Handbook
- PV Hall of Fame - Now Accepting Nominations
- PV West Athletic Update
- The 7th Annual Perkiomen Valley Art and Food Truck Festival
- Tween Talk Group
- School Cafe
- Community Education Registration
- Virtual Parent Support Group
- 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
String Festival
On Friday, February 23rd, ten talented PV West orchestra members traveled to Pottsgrove Middle School to participate in the annual Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 String Festival. PMEA is a nationally sponsored organization for music teachers, promoting excellence in music education. As part of their programs, they host events at all levels to honor exceptional young musicians and display their abilities and talents. Our orchestra students practiced a rigorous folder of music in addition to their school orchestra music and stayed after school for extra rehearsals. On the day of the event they rehearsed with students from twelve other school districts across Montgomery & Bucks counties. The festival culminated with an impressive concert for family and friends that evening. The participants include sixth graders Juliana McCracken, Jenna Flor, Lillyanne Taffe, Magnus Rosario, and Thomas Colvin: seventh graders Colin Arnold, Hailey Pitchford, and eighth graders Keira Pitchford, Ben Lawler, Abigail White The students represented our schools with intense focus, maturity, and musical skill that led them to success at a fun and challenging opportunity!
Ursinus Mentoring Program
The Ursinus Mentoring Program pairs PV middle school students with student mentors from Ursinus College. Goals for the partnerships range from academic help, goal setting and advice on preparing for high school, college, and beyond, to simply staying connected during these challenging times....and to have some fun while doing so! Seventh grade science teacher Danielle Emers proctored the first session this past fall and the current session that began again this week and will run through the end of April. Meetings are held from 2:45 until 3:45 every Monday. All students are eligible with no cost to participate in the program. A huge thank you to Ms Emers and our wonderful Ursinus mentors!
CALCUSOLVE Math Competition
The Math Club is pleased to announce West’s participation in CALCUSOLVE, a math competition sponsored by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit incorporating advanced level math skills for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. During the competition, groups of up to four students worked both individually and as a team to solve problems that put their mathematical skills to the test! The competition took place on Friday, March 1st at Perkiomen Valley Middle School West where our math whizzes participated via Zoom.
Read Across America Week @ West
PV West will be recognizing Read Across America Week next week as all students and staff will participate in a spirit week (see below), visits from guest readers, and opportunities to receive prizes if they are caught reading throughout the week.
Read Across America Week is the nation's largest celebration of reading. This program focuses on motivating students to read through events, and reading resources that are about everyone and for everyone. Readers who feel included, recognized, and a part of the world are engaged readers.
To learn more about Read Across America Week go to https://nationaltoday.com/read-across-america-week/.
Oliver Jr. Coming To West
Perkiomen Valley Middle School West proudly presents Oliver Jr. Get ready for an enchanting theatrical experience that will leave you spellbound. As we gear up for the upcoming show, the excitement is building! Join in on the anticipation and be a part of this extraordinary event.
See the performance dates below. See below for ordering information to secure your tickets and reserve your spot for a night filled with unforgettable performances.
Friday March 8th - 7:00pm
Saturday March 9th - 6:00pm
Sunday March 10th - 2:00pm
Tickets on Sale Now!
See below for ordering information.
Makerspace @ West
Our library is excited to announce the opening of our school's own makerspace, Viking Visionspace! A makerspace is an area where students can design, create, and problem solve; it is a place where their imagination and creativity can take flight, launching from personal interests or academic pursuits. Some of our stations include a LEGO wall, dye cutters, a cardboard challenge center, and lots of opportunities for "free builds," with many ideas to keep expanding in the future!
If you would like to contribute to our makerspace, we would appreciate donations of supplies listed below. These can be dropped off to the main office or the library at any time. Thank you to those who have already contributed to stocking our makerspace!
PVHS Info For 8th Grade Students
Currently the teachers are making their recommendations for the students core classes next year, and meeting with their students from January 23rd until February 8th. On February 6th & 8th, Mr. Specht will be speaking to social studies classes to inform the students of the process, and their options in regards to program planning. The powerpoint that Mr. Specht will use during the presentation will be posted to their Class of 2028 Google Classroom to have as a source of information. It is also linked below as the "2024 West Electives Presentation." On February 15th there will be a Parent Presentation at the High School. On February 16th, students will be able to go on StudentVue to see their recommendations, as well as make selections for all of their courses/electives. Mr. Specht will be going back into classrooms on February 20th & 21st to ensure all students have accurately selected their courses/electives. The window to select courses for the 24-25 school year will be open until March 7th. March 31st is the deadline for any changes to the course recommendations. The student's ability to select courses in StudentVue ends on March 7th, but changes can be made until March 31st through the school counselor.
Lastly, please save the date as there will be a mixer for West & East students on May 17th. Please see a number of resources below to help your discussions with your children regarding PVHS Program Planning.
Spring Break Meal Boxes
Perkiomen Valley alumni and community members are organizing family meal boxes for those in need to obtain during spring 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. Pick up will be on Wednesday, March 27th, between 11am and 1pm. Registration for this will close on Friday, March 22nd OR once we reach the 55 families signed up threshold.
After School Clubs & Activities @ West
Math Lab
Homework Club
Homework Club will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:30pm 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.
Attendance Announcement📢
Just a few reminders for Student Attendance
Written Excuses are always required (per the State of Pennsylvania) - email is a valid written excuse mswattendance@pvsd.org
Phone calls are helpful but not necessary
If your child is going out of town for any reason (other than family emergency or funeral), a trip form must be completed and submitted for the absence(s). We can allow up to five (5) excused trip/travel related absences per school year.
Please see the helpful links below for forms and more information.
Kacie Kaufmann, kkaufmann@pvsd.org
Middle School West Attendance/Counseling Secretary
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)
PV Hall of Fame - Now Accepting Nominations
The Perkiomen Valley School District Hall of Fame was established in 2018 to recognize distinguished alumni, or others, whose outstanding athletic, professional, or civic endeavors have brought honor to Perkiomen Valley School District and serve to inspire future graduates to perform and serve in the same spirit.
Nominations for the Hall of Fame are now open! Nominations will be accepted through May 1, 2024. We are excited to return this tradition here in Perkiomen Valley. We ask that you please follow the criteria on the link below to make your nominations. Please click the link below to nominate.
PV West Athletic Update
Middle School Boys Wrestling
As a team the boys reached a record breaking 287 individual wins this season with nineteen of the wrestlers, including many first-years, finishing with five or more wins showing the team’s depth. Jackson Hopkins, Jacob Anepete, K.J. Miller, Vincent Petaccio, Daniel Shuta, Gavin Rodriguez, and Alex Lieb each had ten or more wins and the five outstanding wrestlers with twenty or more wins included James Knox, Kody Miller, Taylor Grater, Wyatt Merschbach, and Landon Johns!
Unsung athlete of the week: At the SEPA tournament many wrestlers pulled off amazing feats, but maybe none so much as Zach King winning a tiebreaker in triple overtime. The only PV wrestler to go past sudden death overtime into the tie breaker rounds showed true grit proving the Vikings do not quit easy.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR SPRING SPORTS
Spring sports registration must occur by FEBRUARY 20.
First day of Varsity, JV, and Freshman Spring Sports Tryouts MARCH 4.
First day of Middle School Sports is MARCH 11.
If the spring sports season will be the first sport of participation at PV this school year: Registration for spring sports must occur by February 20. 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 2024 school year, the physical must occur June 1, 2023 or later. The form is found on www.planeths.com when you register.
If the spring sports season is your second or third sport season this school year: Complete section 7 Spring Recertification at http://www.planeths.com by February 20. If there has been a change to your health history or an injury since completing your last physical, an additional section 8 form is required as well. This does require a clearance from a doctor.
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.
The 7th Annual Perkiomen Valley Art and Food Truck Festival
Good Afternoon West Families,
The Perkiomen Valley School District Art Department is proud to host its 7th annual Art & Food Truck Festival on Saturday, June 1st from 11 - 3 pm at PV High School. The festival was established to create awareness for our students and community members of the numerous careers in the art fields. Our mission is to encourage students to pursue their aspirations in the arts while also supporting local artists.
In addition to the Art and Food Trucks, we pride ourselves in promoting our local businesses, large and small. I am reaching out to see if anyone in the West Community has a local business or connection to a company that might be interested in donating items for our raffle. The donation could include a company themed basket, gift card, coupons or even an offered service. All proceeds of the event raffle will benefit our PV art students in grades K-12 through PVAB, the Perkiomen Valley Art Booster Club! Check out our booster club at www.pvab.org!
If you are interested in supporting our event, please contact Christina Bolc, AFTF Raffle Basket Coordinator at Raffles@pvartfest.com to coordinate your donation. All donations are due by Friday, May 17th, 2024.
Thank you in advance for supporting the Perkiomen Valley Art Department!
Sincerely,
Miss Marla DiCicco
Middle School West Art Teacher
Virtual Parent Support Group
Embark Behavioral Health continues to expand our services to meet the growing need to teen and young adult mental health needs throughout our country. With incidents of depression in adolescents up by 216% since 2006 and suicide as the 2nd leading cause of death for our preteen youth, it is our responsibility to act now and act quickly. In partnership with all of you, we can reverse this youth mental health crisis and change the trajectory of the next generation.
Continuing on our mission to be the leader in driving teen and young adult depression, anxiety, and suicide rates from all-time highs to all-time lows, Embark Behavioral Health is proud to offer our FREE Monthly Virtual Multi-family Support Group. This structured group, led by a licensed clinician is open to the public (ages 18+) and assists with the challenges that many loved ones and caregivers face while caring for someone with a behavioral health concern.
Please see the flyer below for more info about Embark Behavioral Health and the free monthly virtual multi-family support group.
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.
We love being with you in person, but we are also pleased to provide you with recorded programing that can be viewed at your convenience on our YouTube Channel! See the link below to view and subscribe.
Safe2Say
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Did you know that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis 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 March 4th - Friday March 8th - Read Across America Week @ West
Monday March 4th - Favorites Day (Wear Your Favorite Outfit, Color, Shoes, etc.)
Tuesday March 5th - Bright Neon Day (Wear bright or neon clothes or accessories);
Wednesday March 6th - Travel Day (Wear something from your favorite place)
Thursday March 7th - Comfy Day (Wear Comfy Clothes - no slippers)
Friday March 8th - Theatre/Disney Day (Wear Shirt or something Disney Inspired); MS West Presents Oliver Jr. @ 7pm in Auditorium
Saturday March 9th - MS West Presents Oliver Jr. @ 6pm in Auditorium
Sunday March 10th - MS West Presents Oliver Jr. @ 2pm in Auditorium
Monday March 11th - First Day of Middle School Sports