It was a great first week back to school!! Our new 6th graders did a great job navigating a new building and our 7th and 8th graders jumped right back in to MSW. We are looking forward to a fantastic year. A huge thank you to our Bear Ambassadors who help our 6th graders all week with lockers and navigating the building.

A few upcoming dates:

• Back to School Night for 7th and 8th grade students is Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 6:30PM. Students should not be attending this event. More information will be coming home with students.
• 6th Grade Team building day is on September 13, 2024.
• Early Dismissal is September 18th @ 11:35am

PLEASE NOTE:

There is quite a bit of construction surrounding the High School that is going to eventually start making its way down towards MSW. Please make sure you allow extra time to travel to the building.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has initiated a change in the standards that pertain to science and technology education that is to be fully implemented by the 2025-2026 school year. Science, technology & engineering, environmental literacy, and sustainability, referred to as the STEELS standards, are the revised standards which direct the instruction and learning of our students. In response to this shift, BASD has been working for over a year to prepare and establish our instructional programming and design for this change and will be implementing the STEELS standards in our grades 6-8 sciences classes this year. Adoption of a new curriculum was approved by the BASD Board of School Directors in the spring, and our teachers will begin implementing lessons, activities, and experiences that align and prepare our students for success with the STEELS standards. Students will notice an increase in critical thinking, experimentation, and collaborative work. They will collaborate with their peers to solve problems and defend their solutions with evidence gained from their investigations. Students may notice a reduction in direct instruction and note taking along with an increase of hands on and experiential instruction. We are excited to see this development implemented in our classrooms and enhancement to our students’ learning experiences.

If you have any old T-shirts that you are looking to get rid of... LOOK no farther! The Community Artists Club is going to be making dog toys for local shelters using T-Shirts. Please bring the clean T-shirts to Mrs. Stamm!

Boyertown, Colebrookdale, Earl and Washington are the identified Title I elementary schools in our district. Middle School West is also identified as a Title I school. These schools receive Title I funding based on the percentage of low-income eligible students.

Title I is a federally funded program purposed with ensuring all children have a fair and equal opportunity to learn and grow. Boyertown has transitioned to a Schoolwide Title I program. A Schoolwide program is designed to serve all students in a Title I building and improve all structures to help support student learning. Our Schoolwide plan was developed with the help of parents, community members, teachers, and administrators. Our plan is evaluated annually to determine the impact that these supports have on student achievement.

As a Schoolwide Title I building, the staff is reviewing all students' data to determine needs. Students are identified for intervention if in need of academic support, primarily in the area of reading. All students receiving additional support must qualify through our district assessments. Support is provided to the students individually or in small groups both in class and as a pullout program. Schools set a goal for academic progress that will be measured through mid-year and end-of-the-year assessments. The Reading Specialists, Intervention teachers, paraprofessionals, and classroom teachers partner together to support students.

Our district works diligently to use the Title I funds as required and to provide these additional services to enhance the educational program of our Title I students. If you have any questions about the Title I program, please reach out to your building's reading specialist or call the Title I office at (610) 369-7414.

Title I Programs Website Link

https://sites.google.com/boyertownasd.org/basdtitle1website/home

Thanks for ALL of your support,

Please see the below maps for parent pick up and student drop off for both the mornings and the afternoons. School starts at 7:35AM. Students MUST be in homeroom by 7:35AM in order to not be tardy. We do have a large pickup up and drop off line so please plan accordingly. Lateness due to traffic will not be a valid excuse for tardiness.

Please see the links below for EZPay and the forms link for the Free/Reduced lunch form.

Below is a link to the MSW School Calendar for the year. This link has all of the early dismissals, school dances, music concert dates and so much more.

This program will be shared with our 8th grade students in REACH. For any questions please reach out to Mrs. Tyler at ttyler@boyertown.org. Here is a short synopsis:

Sexual harassment continues to be a common problem in middle and high schools, affecting the educational experience of millions of children nationwide. The American Association of University Women (2011) reported that nearly half of the students surveyed experienced some form of sexual harassment and the majority of those students (87%) said it had a negative effect on them. Fortunately, your school community leaders are making sexual harassment prevention a priority. They have asked for help from Victim Services Center of Montgomery County, Inc. (VSC) to address and prevent sexual harassment in their school.

This year VSC will provide a developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed sexual harassment prevention program called “Better Boundaries” to eighth grade students. VSC is a private, non-profit rape crisis center and comprehensive crime victim agency offering advocacy, counseling, and education to individuals and communities. The goal of the program is to reduce and prevent sexual harassment victimization and perpetration by teaching healthy relationships skills such as:

• How to set boundaries in all types of relationships.

• Understanding the importance of respecting boundaries.

• Identifying various forms of sexual harassment.

• Empowering the community to learn ways we can safely create protective environments.

If you would like to opt your child out please see the link below.

The PA Department of Health mandates two additional immunizations for entry into the 7th grade. Please note if immunizations are not completed by the first day of school, students could face temporary exclusion until proof of immunizations are received.

The required immunizations are:

· 1 dose of Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis)

· 1 dose of MCV4 (Meningococcal Conjugate vaccine).

Please check with your child’s Primary Care Physician to ensure they are up to date and submit a copy to the MSW nurses’ office if you have not done so already.

28 PA Code § 23.3 (a) requires a dental examination for all children in the 7th grade. Exams completed after July 1, 2023, are considered acceptable to meet this requirement.

Please submit proof of these requirements as soon as they are complete to ensure there is no disruption in your child's education.

https://www.boyertownasd.org/cms/lib/PA01916192/Centricity/Domain/10/Bell%20Schedules%2024-25.pdf

The 2024-2025 BASD Student Handbook is now available. It can be found at here: https://www.boyertownasd.org/domain/52. Student and parent/guardians should familiarize themselves with the different components of this document.

Good afternoon,

As many of you know, Boyertown Area School District has a rich history of volunteerism. Last year, we updated our process for managing volunteers and their required clearances, etc. to include the Raptor software platform already in place throughout the district. We are pleased to share that the rollout was a huge success with more than 1,000 volunteers participating in the new process for 2023-2024!

As we approach the start of the 2024-2025 school year, more than 870 of those who registered remain active, approved volunteers who can volunteer starting immediately for upcoming summer camps, as athletic coaching volunteers, and in our buildings (provided your clearances do not expire between now and the start of these activities and the school year).

We strongly encourage the remaining 160+ who have expired within Raptor to update their documentation following the instructions received from Raptor, so they can do the same.

Finally, we invite those of you who are new parents/guardians to the district, and those of you who want to become new volunteers to do so now. Doing so will ensure that you are ready to join us when volunteer opportunities of interest arise.

Avoid delays. Get started today!

Our volunteer newsletter outlines the process.
SMORE: https://secure.smore.com/n/kr7en

Our volunteer web page has the additional details and links you will need.
WEBSITE: https://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/6459

We are here to help! Please email us at volunteers@boyertownasd.org.

We truly appreciate your willingness to share the generosity of your time and talent with our students!

Boyertown Area School District

BASD hosts an online Community Bulletin Board. The electronic bulletin board features district and community activities, events, clubs, resources, and more. The board is updated regularly and is an excellent source of information regarding things happening throughout our community and beyond. Be sure to check it out regularly!

Middle School West
380 South Madison Street
Boyertown, PA 19512

(610) 369-7471