GVES Weekly Announcements
December 20, 2019
Principals' Message
Happy Friday GVES families!
We started our week by coming in cozy and leaving an hour early! Our high school band and orchestra even managed to fit in caroling in our hallways. Tuesday was filled with hair flair, a 4th grade trip to the Arden Theatre and 4th/5th grade chorus trip to Fox Hill Farms. Wednesday had festive sweaters and Thursday was mad for plaid. The 4th/5th grade chorus concert was superb and we finished the week in pajamas while listening to Mrs. Vicky Town tell us stories of near and far. Whew! What a week!
We wish your family a winter break filled with warmth, love, and light!
Warmly,
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Conley
Upcoming Events
1/2: Classes Resume
1/3: GVES Spirit Day
Nurses Notes
NURSE’S OFFICE NOTES: SNAP (STUDENT EMERGENCY INFO)
If you have not yet completed your child’s emergency information on our SNAP portal~~PLEASE take a moment to do so. For those of you who DID complete the info~~please check to see if you completed the ‘Medications’ portion of the program. The following directions will hopefully be helpful:
Log onto Studentehr.com If you do not remember receiving an email, enter your email then hit “forgot password” and follow the directions to log back in.
Select child on the left side.
Update any Allergies/Conditions that you would like us to know about.
Provide consent for over the counter medications (OTC). Click on “Medications, OTC”
and click on any medications that you give permission for us to dispense to your
child. Then click SAVE. If you do not hit SAVE, we will not be able to see what medications you would like your child to be able to receive.
***THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS HEALTH CONCERN!!!***
OH NO! IT’S COLD & FLU SEASON… Tis the season for lots of cold and flu germs to ‘visit’ us.. Please keep your child home if they have a body temperature over 100 and/or a persistent cough. If you have any concerns regarding health issues please contact the nurse’s office. We always appreciate hearing from you especially if you have given your child OTC medication at home prior to school.
GVES NURSE’S OFFICE #610 579-4146
GVE HSA Weekly Announcements – 12/20/2019
Garnet Valley CTC Quick Tip #15 – New Realities of Parenting (NROP)
Did you know? The activity known as Vaping or Juuling has captured too many of our young people. National statistics in 2015 showed that 1 in 6 high school youth were using e-cigs, which is another name for Vapes. If that isn’t scary enough, between 2017 and 2018, there has been a 78% increase in high school students vaping nationally (CDC, 2018) Permanent lung damage has occurred (ALA, 2018). The effects on young brains from nicotine are just as scary and include: addiction to nicotine which primes young brains for addiction to other substances, and disruption of brain circuits that control attention, learning, impulse control and mood disorders (Surgeon General, 2016). Young children are at risk too. “Nationally, approximately 50% of calls to poison control centers for e-cigarettes are for kids 5 years of age or younger,” (CDC).
Call to action… Save the date, Wednesday, 1/8/20, 7- 8:30 pm at GVMS. New Realities of Parenting will tackle Vaping with a panel of experts. Learn the facts about Vaping/Juuling. Find out where to turn for resources and how to stop this dangerous trend. Free childcare is available. Look for the flyer in your principal’s e-alerts for more details. Find more information from the American Lung Association (ALA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) below.
Elementary Handbook & GVSD Procedural Manual
Communication Procedures
Early Dismissals - Early dismissals due to weather or unforeseen circumstances will be announced through the phone number you provide in Alma, email, district-level social media, and websites. Please keep your Alma contact information current. You can update this information in your account.
Absence Reporting - Launched at the end of the last school year, the new School Messenger (Safe Arrival) Absence Reporting System makes it easy for parents/guardians to report their child's absence, reduces the time it takes to verify student attendance and will allow our staff to respond to unexplained student absences more efficiently. Please click here for directions on how to use your phone, app, or computer to report an absence.
Social Media - GVES is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Our handle is @GarnetValleyES on all three platforms. We also podcast on iTunes. Just search iTunes for "Jaguarmax."
GVES Calendar
The view the full calendar on our website, click here or go to https://gves.garnetvalleyschools.com/calendar.
Attendance Information
State law establishes conditions under which any child may be excused from attendance at school. In keeping with these statues and recommendations of the State Department of Education, pupils in the Garnet Valley Schools may be excused temporarily from school attendance for the following reasons:
Sickness
Quarantine
Death in the immediate family
Weather so inclement so as to endanger the health of the child or make roads impassable
For observance of a major religious holiday
College visits, pre-approved educational trips
In order for an absence to be excused, a parent/guardian must respond to the Safe Arrival phone call, use the Safe Arrival app to report the absence ahead of time, or submit a written note to the office within three days after return from an absence. The absence of any student failing to comply with this time period will automatically become unexcused and illegal, and the school laws of Pennsylvania shall be applied accordingly.
Raptor Information
The Raptor system is used to enhance our ability to monitor who enters our buildings by screening visitors, contractors, and volunteers. Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit.
Please adhere to the following regulations:
1. Enter the building at the main office door.
2. Go directly to the office, sign in through Raptor and inform the school secretary of your
destination.
3. PLEASE DO NOT GO to any area of the building without receiving permission from the office.
4. Do not attempt to go to a classroom to pick up a child. Students who are being dismissed early
will be sent to the office.
5. Return the visitor badge at the conclusion of your visit to sign out.
Volunteer Clearance Information
Legislation in Pennsylvania requires community members and parents to obtain clearances in order to volunteer in our schools. If you have previously submitted your clearances to the Human Resources office, they are good for five (5) years from the date of the clearance.
Governor Wolf has waived the fees associated with the Pennsylvania State Police—Criminal Background Check and the Child Abuse History Clearance. Since the FBI clearance is a federal program, those costs still remain; however, the district has decided to permit individuals who have resided in Pennsylvania continuously for ten years or more to sign a certification form that saves the volunteer the expense of the fee, ensures compliance with the law, and allows the district to maximize student safety.
Jaguarmax Radio Podcast
Jaguarmax Radio is changing formats! We will be a student-run podcast created through the after school club program starting in the fall. Check us out on iTunes!
Jaguarmax Radio Podcast on iTunes
Important Links
After School Activity Dismissal Procedures - Dismissal Locations
VEFLS - Foreign Language Contact Person, kgardler@yahoo.com or 610-717-2755
Cafeteria Information - Menus and Payments
GVES Yearly Calendar - Important Dates
Safe Arrival - Attendance Reporting App
GVSD App - Download app here
MySchoolBucks - Online Payments
District Text Messaging Opt-In - Registration Info
Handbooks & Manuals - GVSD Resources
Parent Right to Know Information
Connect with GVES!
Garnet Valley Elementary School
"A Caring Community of Learners"
Est. 1997
The mission of our learning community is to maximize the potential of all students by empowering them to do their personal best.
Website: gves.garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 599 Smithbridge Rd
Phone: (610) 579-4150
Facebook: facebook.com/GarnetValleyES
Twitter: @GarnetValleyES