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,

Happy Friday!

During this week's advisory period, our students participated in arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, nature walks, contests like a paper airplane contest, and team-building activities. Our teachers continue to use this time to support our students by creating the space and time to interact in a safe and supportive environment. Our students continue to look forward to our advisory time because it gives them a moment to enjoy themselves with their peers in a stress-free environment.

Tonight, we are excited to welcome our 8th Grade to their Winter Fun Night. Our students will enjoy music, basketball, an inflatable obstacle course, human foosball, and a plethora of food choices. This concludes our winter evening events. These events would not be possible without our generous and supportive parents who lead and volunteer for these events. Thank you!

Have a good weekend! March is just around the corner...

Sincerely,

Lisa Stenz, Principal

Rick Martin, Assistant Principal

Gerry Weinhardt, Assistant Principal

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,

The eighth grade teachers are excited to announce our end of the year field trip to Camp Saginaw on Friday, June 2, 2023. We are asking for completed permission slips to be returned no later than Tuesday, March 7, 2023. We ask that you read through the letter attached to the permission slips and follow up any questions with your student who had a presentation in class. The Social Studies teacher on your team is the point. We are excited to have this opportunity for our students this school year!

Thank you for your support!

8th Grade Teachers and GVMS Administrators

Students should turn in a check and the permission slip to the following teachers by Tuesday, 3/7:

Link to Permission Slip

Serengeti- Mr. Smeins

Komodo- Mr. Pease

Olympus- Mrs. Bradley

Galapagos- Mrs. Milito

GVMS 17th annual International Night will be Wednesday, March 15th from 5-7pm in the Middle School Cafeteria. Admission is $10/person for all you care to enjoy. Children 5 and under are free. Come experience an evening of authentic ethnic cuisine, cultural performances, and interactive multicultural games. Foreign candy, henna tattoos, and T-shirts will be available for purchase. Advance ticket sales are available in language classes or by contacting Teri Tenaglia at 610-579-5184 or tengagt@garnetvalley.org.

Dear Incoming 6th Grade Families,

We will host our 5th to 6th Parent Transition Night on March 8th at 6PM in the Garnet Valley Middle School Auditorium. We will be hosting this event in person. However, a Zoom webinar will be live for those unable to attend in person. Our incoming 6th-graders are welcome to attend, but please note we will be visiting GVES and BSES the week before with a similar student-oriented presentation.

Please use the link and passcode listed below if you would like to join via the Zoom webinar:

https://garnetvalley-org.zoom.us/j/99987617280?pwd=R3dzMXZCVWpXYmduSk9SY3BHeitBZz09

Passcode: 931243

We look forward to highlighting the various aspects of middle school life on March 8th. In closing, we would like to welcome you to our GVMS family, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Dr. Lisa Stenz, GVMS Building Principal

Mr. Rick Martin, GVMS Assistant Principal

Mr. Gerry Weinhardt, GVMS Assistant Principal

Your Spring Picture Day scheduled on March 14th, 2023 is approaching. Please use the web banner below to email out to your families, post on a school website or social media to remind them picture day is coming. This web banner will direct family’s right to our website if they prefer to order pictures online.

Garnet Valley School district strives to preserve the optimum environment for teaching, learning, and growing for all students. In order to provide that environment, at times we need to respond to disruptive and inappropriate behavior with corrective measures in a firm and consistent manner. Sometimes these corrective measures result in disciplinary actions. In order to continue to re-engage with our families we wanted to inform you that parents will have access to discipline incidents occurring after January 30th in Alma. All reports are located in the Alma filing cabinet and will be updated weekly. To access these reports, login into Alma and select your child's name. At the top, select the filing cabinet tab to view the reports located in the Discipline Referral folder.

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.

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

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