GVMS Weekly Update

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

Garnet Valley Middle School Community,

It has been a wonderful week here at GVMS! We celebrated NCTE’s National Day of Writing by having our 6th graders participate in sidewalk poetry, our 7th graders journal about their nature walks, and our 8th graders create a "Poe Times" newsletter. As you will see in the pictures below, our students showed a lot of support for breast cancer awareness and the push to find a cure by sporting pink on the same day our 6th-grade worked on chalk poetry.

We ended our week with our GVMS Fall Pep Rally. Mr. Lonergan was our MC with assistance from Dr. Stenz. Four of our 8th grade Choir students began the festivities with a beautiful rendition of The National Anthem. We then celebrated our athletes and Science Olympians. This week, our 7th and 8th grade students participated in a raffle to earn the chance to play in our Staff vs. Student Dodgeball game. All proceeds earned from this raffle are going to the GVHS Mini-Thon Fundraiser (Four Diamonds - Childhood Cancer Foundation). Ms. Catanzaro was our game commentator providing a play-by-play of the action. Our yearbook team was out taking countless pictures to commemorate this event. The 7th grade game went to the staff and the 8th grade game went to the students.

During the Pep Rally, we introduced our JAG CASH initiative. All of our staff from across the building will be recognizing our expected student behaviors related to "safe, respectful, responsible, and compassionate" actions. We modeled how students can earn JAG CASH. The students will be able to use JAG CASH at our School Store on Friday, November 4th from 7:45 to 8:00 am. Our GVMS Student Council will be managing our store and have already purchased some fun items for our school. The students are excited by the chance to be rewarded for showing our expected behaviors across all environments. GO JAGS!

In this SMORE, please note our Red Ribbon Spirit Week and our pledge and commitment to "Saying No to Drugs." On Tuesday, we will also begin our school community Veterans Drive where we will be collecting donations (toiletries, non perishable food items, candy) for the Delaware Center for Homeless Veterans.

Lastly, we want to wish a happy Diwali to all of our families celebrating on Monday, October 24th. This festival gets its name from the row of clay lamps that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. This festival brings people together to celebrate the light and prepare for a fruitful year ahead.

Please be sure to click on the video below. Three of our very own Acadia students created an informational video on Diwali.

Thanks,

Lisa, Rick, and Gerry

Hi! We are 3 seventh graders from the Acadia team. We have made a presentation about Diwali as it is the first time Garnet Valley is recognizing it as a holiday!

GVMS 8th Graders - Come experience the fun and excitement of Friday Night Lights with the GVHS Band at our 8th Grade Night Oct 28! The band is one of the best activities you can be a part of in high school, and we welcome ALL interested new members, even if you have no band experience. Check out the details and register at our website www.gvhsmusic.org/8thgradenight - More info also at our instagram page @gvhs.band

LOOK AT THIS STUFF, ISN'T IT NEAT?!

Calling all Little Mermaid fans! We are SO excited for this year's performance of The Little Mermaid at our very own middle school! Show your Under the Sea spirit with a cozy hoodie, available in black or white. Hoodies are $25 (plus tax); A portion of the proceeds will benefit our GVPAA-MS. Order online NOW to receive this commemorative hoodie.

Store closes on OCTOBER 24th.

Orders will be delivered to your student's GOAL Period Teacher's classroom before Thanksgiving Break. Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you at our performances in January!

https://gvpaams22.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Information on Excused & Unexcused Absences

Parents/guardians shall provide a written explanation for a child's absence. Excuse notes shall be completed and turned in to the Main Office by the student 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. Below are a few additional reminders:

• Click here to learn more about reporting an absence. This link can be used to report a full-day absence, an early dismissal, or a late arrival.

• Click here to access our Educational Leave Form. Please have your student return the completed form to the GVMS Main Office for review by Mrs. Valerie Intenzo and Mr. Gerry Weinhardt before the start of the leave.

• Click here to view our Board Policy #204 - Attendance.

Information on Excused & Unexcused Latenesses

We strongly believe that punctual arrival to school each morning is critical to our student’s success.

• Five parent notes denoting illness or emergency (see reasons for excused absences in the link provided above) will be accepted throughout the semester, and the lates will be marked as excused. After 5 excused lates, additional lates will be regarded as unexcused unless a legal doctor's excuse is provided. Oversleeping, car trouble, and missing the bus are not excused reasons for lateness (even if accompanied by a parent note).

• A school administrator will meet with any student who accumulates more than four unexcused latenesses per semester and school actions will be taken, which may include detentions and a home and school team meeting to establish an action plan for improvement.

If your student is coming in late or leaving early due to a doctor/ortho visit, please ask the office for a return to school note and send it in with your student to the main office when they return, so their attendance file can be updated.

If you have any questions regarding attendance, please contact Mrs. Valerie Intenzo at 610-579-5100 or vintenzo@garnetvalley.org.

As of October 1, 2022, and through the end of the 2022-2023 school year, Garnet Valley School District schools, excluding Garnet Valley High School, will be able to serve students a school breakfast at no charge.

This change is only applicable to the School Breakfast Program in the 2022-2023 school year and does not affect a student’s eligibility status for lunch (free, reduced, and paid, respectively).

October 24th - Diwali: School Closed/Offices Open

October 25th-28th - Red Ribbon Week

October 26th - GVMS Advisory Day

October 29th - GVSD vs. Harlem Wizards

November 1st - GVMS Picture Retakes

November 8th - In-Service Day

November 9th - New Realities of Parenting event

November 11th - Veterans Day

November 11th - End of Quarter One

The Harlem Wizards are back!!! The Garnet Valley School District will take on the Harlem Wizards in a charity basketball game on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 5:00pm. The game will be held in the Garnet Valley High School gymnasium. All money raised will benefit district libraries and Innovation Labs. Money raised at the food concessions will benefit Hearts to Home.

Due to the overwhelming success in previous years, this event will no doubt be a sell-out. Please purchase your tickets early for this event. Tickets can only be purchased online.

Purchase tickets online at https://harlemwizards.thundertix.com/events/202980

Ticket Types

General Admission ($15) - seating in rows 5+

Reserved ($25) - $5 souvenir voucher and seating in rows 2-4

Courtside Plus ($50) - pregame meet and greet, $10 voucher, seatings in row 1

Benchwarmer ($95) - all the benefits of Courtside Plus, seating on Wizards’ bench

Please consider assisting in fundraising with a $500 Business Sponsorship. To submit your business information for the game program, please contact Sam Mormando at mormans@garnetvalley.org no later than October 1, 2022.

Thank you for your support!

At virtual back-to-school night on September 14th, parents of students who are in grade level and accelerated 6th-grade math classes will learn about the Illustrative Mathematics (IM) curriculum resource. Garnet Valley’s K-8 grade level curriculum is aligned to IM’s scope and sequence and utilizes this program as its core resource.

If you would like to learn more about Garnet Valley’s math curriculum please click HERE to visit the Garnet Valley Curriculum Website. To explore Illustrative Mathematics directly, please click HERE to visit their webpage and access student and parent resources.

Finally, if you would like to explore Ed Report’s independent evaluation of Illustrative Mathematics please click HERE.

Click here to review the community communication regarding how to purchase a locker and/or planner.

The You Be the Chemist club is for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and will meet Fridays after school from 3 to 4 pm, starting Friday, October 14 in room 218. This club prepares students for the middle school chemistry competition run by the Chemical Education Foundation. The coaches are Mrs. Sohail and Ms. Kunze.

Students will learn and practice as a whole group from October through December 9th. On December 9th there is a tryout for the small competition team that we can send to the regional in-person tournament on January 20th, 2023. That small team will also prepare one or more projects and videos to submit for the state competition which is in March.

If you're interested in learning chemistry, just come to the first meeting! Please have a ride home at 4 pm at the front of GVMS.

Questions should be directed to:

sohails@garnetvalley.org Mrs. Sohail

kunzec@garnetvalley.org Ms. Kunze

School Counselors

Students with the last names beginning with A-Em should contact Mrs. Marisa Mahon at
mahonm@garnetvalley.org

Students with the last names beginning with Ep-Ler should contact Ms. Wendy Xanthopoulos at
xanthow@garnetvalley.org

Students with the last names beginning with Les-Rom should contact Mr. Matt Bradshaw at bradshm@garnetvalley.org

Students with the last name beginning with Ros-Z should contact Mrs. Christy Francart at
francac@garnetvalley.org

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

Dear School Community,

The federal program that allowed Garnet Valley School District to provide free meals to all students in grades K-8 is expected to expire June 30, 2022. Grades K-8 will return to pre-pandemic food service operations for the 2022-2023 school year, meaning that breakfast and lunch are no longer free, but must be purchased. Grades 9-12 have already returned to pre-pandemic operations; there will be no change for these grades.

Families of students facing financial hardships can register and complete an application for free or reduced lunch at www.schoolcafe.com or contact Charlene Price for a paper application: pricec@garnetvalley.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. Marc Bertrando, Superintendent

This Video - Alma Navigation for Parents explains what to do to update your information in Alma.

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