GVMS Weekly Update

Garnet Valley Middle School Community,

Thank you for all of your flexibility this week with the weather-related interruptions. Yesterday, the teachers and students did all the necessary preparation for today’s FID day. With everyone’s flexibility and hard work, our FID day seemed to go smoothly. We will continue to evaluate our FID day expectations and make any necessary adjustments.

As a reminder for our 6th Grade families, we will reschedule the 6th Grade Fun Night. We will reschedule this event for Friday, February 2nd. All details will remain the same. If you already registered, there is nothing else to do. If you still need to register, there is still time to sign up. All details are summarized below.

We look forward to seeing all of our 6th graders for their first middle school evening event.

Details:

• 6th Grade Fun Night is from 6:30-8:30 PM

• Entrance @ GVMS Front Doors

• Popcorn, cotton candy, and thrilling surprises await!

• Admission is $20 per student - Pay at the Door

• Click here to register for the "Greatest 6th Grade Event on Earth"

• Any student attending this event must be marked present on the day of the event to participate

• Parent volunteers with clearances are appreciated

• Click here for the parent volunteer sign up

• Get ready for a circus-tastic night of fun!

For our 8th grade families, please remember that the GVHS Course Selection Night has been rescheduled to Tuesday, January 23rd from 6-7:30pm in the GVHS Library. Don’t forget to watch the recorded freshman presentation we shared last week prior to attending. Parents and students will report directly to the Library for the “Department Fair” portion of the night, where they can interact with faculty about specific courses, pathways, sequencing, etc.

We will move into our 3rd Marking Period and Spring semester on Monday. It will be an A Day. For many students, they will be joining the new 2nd semester electives. We will have staff on hand to support students with their schedules and location changes. We will release student report cards in ALMA on Tuesday evening, January 30th.

We look forward to our Frozen Jr. debut this upcoming week. Our students, staff, and volunteers have been working so hard. We are so proud to say that we have SOLD OUT shows. Although the weather outlook for Frozen Jr says it will be wet, it calls for above-freezing temperatures. We hope that you are safely managing today’s weather event and that there is some time for our students to enjoy the sleddable snow. Have a good weekend!

Sincerely,

Dr. Lisa Stenz, Principal

Mr. Rick Martin, Assistant Principal

Dr. Gerry Weinhardt, Assistant Principal

Garnet Valley Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year will open on January 8th. There will be a Kindergarten informational night on April 18th at 6:00 PM. Parents with children attending Bethel Springs Elementary will attend the information night at Bethel. Parents with children attending Concord Elementary will attend the information night at Concord. To attend the informational session, your child must be registered by April 4th, 2024. Thank you and we look forward to meeting our new Kindergarteners!

Please click here to access the GVSD registration page.

Our 6th Grade Fun Night has been rescheduled for Friday, February 2nd. All details will remain the same. If you already registered, there is nothing else to do. If you still need to register, there is still time to sign up!

Admission is $20 per student. We'd love to see you there! Click here to register for the "Greatest 6th Grade Event on Earth."

Please note that any student looking to attend this event will have to be marked present on the day of the event in order to be eligible to attend.

Parent volunteers with clearances are appreciated. Click here for the parent volunteer sign up. Get ready for a circus-tastic night of fun!

GVHS Mini-THON is hosting a Valentine Babysitting Night for parents to enjoy a romantic evening, worry-free! The event runs from 5-8pm with a $20 fee for the first child and $15 for any additional child. All proceeds benefit GVHS Mini-THON to fight childhood cancer. The cost will cover food, games, and crafts. There will be adult supervision, along with the Mini-THON leadership team members, at this event. Please click HERE to register.

If you have any questions, please contact Anh Vu (anhvu@garnetvalley.org) or Ally Hoyt (allisonhoyt@garnetvalley.org).”

The Girls' Leadership, Empowerment, And Movement (GLEAM) program has one mission: to promote strength and positivity in young women, both inside and out, to empower and lift them as leaders within our community. If you are interested in building your character to serve yourself and your community, this program is for you! This four session club for girls will emphasize teamwork and self-development through fun activities centered on movement and discussion.

If you have general questions regarding scheduling, course selection, conferences, or questions about our counseling department, you can contact Ms. Rosalee Rosado at 610.579.5106 or rosador@garnetvally.org.

Click here to visit our GVMS School Counseling webpage, which has contains a variety of school and community resources.

We are excited to welcome our new students and welcome back our returning students for the 2023-2024 school year!

Mrs. Marisa Mahon: Students with the last names A-Em. mahonm@garnetvalley.org

Ms. Wendy Xanthopoulos: Students with the last names En-Ler. xanthow@garnetvalley.org

Mr. Matt Bradshaw: Students with the last names Les-Rom. bradshm@garnetvalley.org

Mrs. Christy Francart: Students with the last names Ros-Z. francac@garnetvalley.org

This year, the HSA will be offering spirit wear as a fundraiser. You can shop by clicking the image below.

• Membership Drive - Thank you to everyone that contributed to our membership drive! If you are interested in contributing, there’s still time!

• Venmo - @GVMSHSA

• Cash/Check - Drop at the school office, marked “GVMS HSA”

• Mark your Calendar - Mark your calendar for the individual grade-level events for this year!

• Winter

• 6th Grade Winter Fun Night - February 2nd @ 6:30

• 7th Grade Winter Fun Night - February 9th @ 6:30

• 8th Grade Winter Fun Night - February 23rd @ 6:30

• Spring

• 6th grade Spring Fun Night - May 3rd @ 6:30

• 7th grade Spring Dance/Fun Night - May 17th @ 6:30

• 8th grade Spring Semi-Formal Send-off Dance - June 7th @ 6:30

Click here to view the various student clubs we offer throughout the school year.

Click here to access a curated list of social emotional wellness parent resource list. This list includes books, websites, and parent trainings. Please check back throughout the year as we will be continously reviewing and updating the list of resources.

1. Physical Exam - Students entering 6th grade are required to have a Physical Exam completed within the last year according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and submitted to the school nurse. Please click HERE for a physical form if needed. Your child’s physician may use their own form as well.

1. Dental Exam: Students entering 7th grade in September are also required to have a Dental Examination form submitted to school. Please click HERE for a Dental Examination form if needed.

Click here to access and learn more!

This eBook contains tips and tricks for navigating the transition to middle school as well as how to best support your learner in their quest for agency and growth toward independence. The contents express the ideas of teachers, caregivers, students, and administrators who understand what life is like "in the middle."

Remember to trust in your learner's resilience and embrace the opportunity for growth!

We know that there is so much information shared at the beginning of the school year. Please access Garnet Valley's parent portal, which keeps all of our information in one place. Click here to access the parent portal. To get direct access to some of our services please click the following links.

• Alma - Garnet Valley's Student Information System
• Schoology - Garnet Valley's Learning Management System
• My School Bucks - Register your child for our school lunch program
• Safe Arrival - Report an absence
• GVSD Parent Tech Support - Issues with district technology.
  

Garnet Valley will continue to partner with federal programs to allow Grades K-8 to serve free breakfast options for all of our students.

Lunch will continue to be available for purchase as well. My School Bucks is a secure online platform that allows parents to easily manage and monitor their child's school-related expenses. With My School Bucks, you can make online payments for school meals, view your child's account balance, and set up automatic payments for recurring expenses. Access or setup your MySchoolBucks account.

More information on our Food Services can be found here.

Our Technology Team is asking all end-users to submit any device issue and login question through our new Tech Support ticketing system called One to One Plus. This system allows our Technology Team to better track issues, create reports, and ultimately, better serve our end users.

Click here to access additional information.

Video - Alma Navigation for Parents

Click here to find information regarding our morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal procedures. Our dismissal procedures are the same as last year. We will have two bus locations at the end of the day and only one parent pick-up area.

Email: stenzl@garnetvalley.org
Website: https://www.garnetvalleyschools.com/gvms
Location: 601 Smithbridge Road
Phone: 610-579-5100
Twitter: @GarnetValleyMS