The Monday Minute

Welcome to the 2022-23 School Year! We are sad to see Summer end so quickly, but we are excited for all of the great opportunities and plans we have made for our Panthers this school year!

This "Back to School Edition" of the Monday Minute has A LOT of important information. Please review this very closely as it provides much information on the start of our school year. Specifically, this Monday Minute shares additional information on:

• Updates to our Daily Attendance & Student Arrival / Dismissal Procedures
• Our 2022-23 Student Handbook
• Daily Bell Schedules / Calendars
• School Lunch Information

We look forward to working with you and your children this year and we extend best wishes for a successful school year at Long Valley Middle School!

New Washington Township Schools Website and Mobile App!

• On Monday, June 20th, the NEW District Website was launched!
• There is also a NEW District Mobile App!

App Information:

• Instructional Video
• Download for Android https://bit.ly/3rvTCE7
• Download for iPhone https://apple.co/38OJZtO
  

**Don't forget to enable push notifications for quicker updates!**

**Be sure to scroll through the LVMS Section of the App to get a look at our "Live Feed". We have been highlighting some great events from this past school year already. We hope to continue to utilize the new App during the 2022-23 school year to increase our communication with our families, highlight all of the different events, and most importantly, showcase our great students and staff!**

IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE WTSCHOOLS MOBILE APP! THIS WILL BE A MAIN METHOD OF COMMUNICATING IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO LVMS FAMILIES THIS YEAR!

URGENT: If you have not already done so, please submit any immunization or medical records to Mrs. Hade, our school nurse, as soon as possible. The deadline to submit any records is was, Friday, August 19th. As per the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Chapter 14 N.J.A.C.8:57-4, failure to submit these immunization forms or records prior to the start of school may result in your student's delay in starting at LVMS in September. All students are required to provide proof of Tdap Vaccination and Meningococcal Vaccine. Additional information can be found on the Long Valley Middle School Website and WT Schools Mobile App.

If you have any additional questions please contact Mrs. Hade directly at ahade@wtschools.org.

Please be sure to check out the LVMS Sports Portal for all schedules / sports team updates.

Fall Sport Tryouts will begin on September 7th!

**6th graders only eligible to participate in Cross Country**

Boys Soccer (7, 8)

Fall 2022 Team Schedule

Coach: Mr. Petrucelli

Website

Girls Soccer (7, 8)

Fall 2022 Team Schedule

Coach: Mr. Demarest

Website

Field Hockey (7, 8)

Fall 2022 Team Schedule (will be updated soon!)

Coach: Mrs. Kozimor

Website

Cross Country (6, 7, 8)

Fall 2022 Team Schedule

Coach: Mrs. Erbe

Website

Any questions can be directed to individual coaches or to Mr. Mitch Schlesinger, LVMS Sports Coordinator

Please reach out to your grade level counselor with any specific questions! They are here to support all of our students as they transition into a new grade level and navigate middle school.

Please use the following links to review our important 2022-23 School Year Calendars:

2022-23 WTS School Calendar

• 180 Day School Calendar
• Holidays, Days off, etc.

WTS District Calendar

• District wide events / important dates

LVMS School Calendar

• LVMS specific events / important dates

Throughout the year the LVMS School Calendar on the website / app is the best resource for all student events, programs, etc. and will be updated regularly. This can be downloaded as a PDF or syncing directly to a personal calendar if needed.

Please take some time to review the updated LVMS Student Handbook. Here you can find important information about LVMS, as well as review expectations that we have of all of our students. This information will also be reviewed in Homerooms, but also reviewed at Grade Level Meetings held by Mr. Ippolito and Mr. Mirabella in the first week of school.

Included is our daily Building and Bell Schedule. Please CLICK HERE for our website the following additional information:

• LVMS Master Schedule
• LVMS Delayed Opening Schedule
• LVMS Early Dismissal Schedule
• LVMS Marking Period / Course Rotation Schedule

This year LVMS will be piloting PickUp Patrol. PickUp Patrol is a platform that will allow LVMS parents to report student absences from school, submit requests for ‘early dismissal', and late arrivals. The goal of the program is to assist with our student attendance and reporting safety mechanisms, as well as make this process more convenient for parents to use through a user-friendly website (link on our district page). For more information visit our district website!

As of Friday, August 26th, all LVMS families should have received information on creating their account from PickUp Patrol directly. LVMS will utilize PickUp Patrol in the following ways:

• Reporting Student Absence from school (sick, doctors appointment, etc.)
• Reporting a student coming to school late
• Requesting to pick up a student early from school
• Giving permission for a student to walk home after school or NOT take the bus.

LVMS will continue to accept phone calls for absences / hand-signed parent notes for early dismissal and walking until October 1, thereafter all LVMS Parents/Guardians will be expected to enter ALL attendance information exclusively on PickUp Patrol.

It is preferred that LVMS students ride buses to/from school since our parking lot is not structured for parent drop-off or pick-up; our buses are the easiest way to ensure timely arrival and dismissal. Of course, we know this is occasionally necessary and information specific to those procedures will be coming to parents soon. Please note that, effective immediately, students will not be permitted to enter the building until 8:30am unless they are participating in a club/program meeting before school begins - the club/program advisor will arrange to meet the students at our main entry on club days and provide supervision before the school day begins.

Please plan to come to school on your first day with: something to write on (a notebook) and something to write with (pen/pencil). It is also highly recommended that students bring a water bottle of some sort with them - our filler stations are located throughout the building so students can refill during the day. Chromebooks will be distributed to students on our first days back, as well, so you’ll probably want to have a backpack to help carry it to/from school each day. Many of our learning tools are embedded right in those devices. If any additional supplies are needed, teachers will let students know when they meet with them, allowing ample time for parents to help acquire those supplies.

Washington Township BOE Policy 5200 has been updated to reflect the importance of student attendance. A student must be in attendance for 170 or more school days in order to be considered to have successfully completed the instructional program requirements of the grade/course to which the student is assigned. Prolonged or repeated absences, excused or unexcused, from school or from class, deprive the pupil of the classroom experience deemed essential to learning and may result in retention at grade level.

Included are the list of Excused / Unexcused Absences as outlined by District Policy 5200:

Excused Absence

1. Requirements of a student’s individual health care plan

2. A death in the student’s family

3. Quarantine or isolation as determined by school health personnel

4. Observance of the student’s religion on a day approved for that purpose by the New Jersey State Board of Education

5. Requirements of the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP)

6. Participation in “Take your Child to Work Day”

7. The student’s required attendance in court

8. Interviews with an admissions officer of an educational institution.

Unexcused Absence

1. Family or Personal travel

2. Other daytime activities unrelated to the school program.

Please CLICK HERE to visit the WTS Sodexo Website. Here you can find all information on meals offered at LVMS. Parents are HIGHLY encouraged to register for and create a MealTime Account for their student. Through MealTime families can add money to a student lunch account online and monitor student spending virtually. This method is preferred as it is a cashless option.

For your information, the free meal program for all students ended at the conclusion of the 2021-22 School Year. If you require information on free and reduced lunch programs, please visit the Sodexo Website where it will direct you to the appropriate forms. Any questions regarding school lunches can be directed HERE.

Based on recent CDC guidance, the district will no longer be implementing social distancing, contact tracing procedures, and quarantine requirements for individuals who have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case. Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must stay home for 5 days before returning to school, at which time they are encouraged to wear a mask from days 6-10. This remains consistent with district guidelines released by Dr. Turnamian in March 2022.

Join or Renew Your PTA Membership for 2022-23

Individual Family membership $20

Staff membership $15

Sponsor a Staffer

Welcome our LVMS teachers & staff back to school on 8/31 by sponsoring a breakfast box.

CLICK HERE to sponsor a staffer!

Order LVMS SpiritWear, 8/24-9/9
Time to show your Panther Pride! The LVMS Online SpiritWear store is now open until Friday, 9/9. Orders to be delivered by 9/30 at school by your child’s homeroom teacher.

CLICK HERE for order information.

PTA Meeting, 9/7, 7 PM, LVMS Library. Join us for the first general meeting of the school year.

Save the Date for these PTA Events! Visit www.Lvmspta.org for details
9/16, 7th Grade Social
10/1, Color Run Fundraiser

Website: www.wtschools.org
Location: 51 West Mill Road, Long Valley, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-876-3434