Soaring to Skyview

It is time for our 4th graders to begin to “soar to Skyview.” We are excited for them to join our 5/6 learning community.

In order to prepare for 5th grade, students will participate in a number of transition activities including:

• Class presentation with Skyview counselor (beginning in May)
• Transition visit at Skyview—students go on guided tours with current students
• Information Night for Parents and Guardians - Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 7 p.m. - brief presentation and building tours.
• Summer Open House - Thursday, August 22, 2019, 6-7:30 p.m. - Students participate in a “scavenger hunt” activity and have the opportunity to find their homeroom. This is not a “meet the teacher” night. See information below on this event.
• Student Orientation—on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL our teams orient students to the building and procedures (including locker assignments!)

Families will also receive a series of newsletters geared to transition topics to help learn about Skyview. The information in this newsletter highlights some of the social and academic characteristics of 5th graders. All children go through developmental stages and each child is unique in their growth. This information was taken from the book, Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4– 14.

This year our scavenger hunt will be a bit different than in the past. We are looking to incorporate information for families along with the opportunity for students to find their homeroom. We will have the following available at this event:

• a H & S information station with the opportunity to make sure you are "in the know" for Skyview activities
• a station for trying out a Skyview locker
• a "Character Counts" pillar challenge station

This event is not a "meet the teacher" night nor orientation; in fact, Skyview teachers are not present at this event. All Skyview teams will do "orientation" type activities on the first day of school.

We understand that not all families may be able to attend this program. If you are unable to attend the evening program, the following times are offered: Monday, August 19 from 3 -4 p.m. and Monday, August 26th from 4-5:30 p.m. During these alternate times students will have the opportunity to locate their homeroom only.If you plan to attend one of these alternate sessions, we ask that you contact the Skyview main office at 610-489-5000 ext. 34204.

Mrs. Melissa Gorla, Principal

Mrs. Melissa Gorla is the principal of Skyview Upper Elementary. Mrs. Gorla is a graduate of Muhlenberg College and Villanova University. She started her career in education as a middle school German teacher in the Perkiomen Valley School District where she also served as an Assistant Principal. Mrs. Gorla is the former principal of Audubon Elementary School.

Mrs. Gorla lives in Collegeville with her husband and three sons, Joe, Chris, and Vincent. When not at school she can be found cheering at her sons’ sporting events. By far, the favorite part of Mrs. Gorla’s day is interacting with the students and staff at Skyview. Whether it is stopping into a class or greeting students in the morning, she can often be found in the halls of Skyview.

Dr. Judy Gallagher-Landis, Assistant Principal

Dr. Judy Gallagher-Landis is the assistant principal of Skyview Upper Elementary. Dr. Landis is a graduate of Kutztown University, Chestnut Hill College, and Gwynedd Mercy College and University. Starting her career as a computer training specialist, Dr. Landis first taught in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Later, employed at a non-profit teaching in an alternative school, she set the stage to teach at Methacton High School. Teaching English for nine years, she became the assistant principal and then building principal. After 21 high school years, Dr. Landis’s next adventure is learning more about the elementary curriculum and child development.

Dr. Landis lives in the Souderton School District and enjoys time with family, the Jersey shore, and her dog, Cooper.

Dr. Danielle Fowlston, Supervisor of Special Education

Dr. Danielle Fowlston is the Supervisor of Special Education for grades 5 through 8. Dr. Fowlston is a graduate of Temple University and Wilkes University, and in March completed her doctorate from Immaculata University. She began her career in education as a special education teacher at Methacton High School. After 6 years in the classroom, she became the Special Education Supervisor at Skyview Upper Elementary School and Arcola Intermediate School. Throughout the day, Dr. Fowlston can often be found stopping in to classrooms or working with students. The best part of her job is seeing the growth the students make and figuring out how she can best support the students to help them succeed.

Dr. Fowlston lives in Phoenixville, with her husband and dog, Daisy. When not at Skyview, Dr. Fowlston enjoys planning her next vacation and travelling. She also enjoys spending time at the gym or on the golf course, if the weather is nice.​

Mrs. Beth VanBuren, 6th Grade School Counselor

Mrs. VanBuren is one of the members of the two-person school counseling team. Mrs. VanBuren is originally from Chester County and is a graduate of both Syracuse University and Northeastern University. She started her career as a middle school special education teacher. Mrs. VanBuren has served as a school counselor in the Methacton School District since 2002 at both Woodland Elementary School and Arcola Intermediate School prior to the opening of Skyview Upper Elementary School in 2010. Mrs. VanBuren will be the sixth grade counselor for the 2019-2020 school year.

Mrs. VanBuren lives locally with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys time with her family and for her personal health and well-being and is a cross-country runner.

Mrs. VanBuren thoroughly enjoys being a member of the Skyview Community and coming to such a great school each and every day.

Mrs. Perly Hadrick, 5th Grade School Counselor

Mrs. Perly Hadrick is the school counselor for incoming 5th graders for the 2019 – 2020 school year. She grew up in Philadelphia, but currently resides in Norristown, PA. Mrs. Hadrick attended West Chester University for her undergraduate degree and Eastern University for her Masters in School Counseling. She worked in the School District of Philadelphia and in Norristown School District through different roles. Mrs. Hadrick also worked for Central Montgomery Mental Health agency serving as a Bilingual Family Therapist. Mrs. Hadrick is fully bilingual – speaking both English and Spanish. Her professional mission is to help our youth help themselves in achieving their very best! Mrs. Hadrick truly loves working at Skyview and serving such amazing students and families!

Outside of her professional life, Mrs. Hadrick enjoys spending time with her family. She is married and has a son – Ernesto. Her husband Tre Hadrick is also an educator, serving as a school counselor in a middle school. Mrs. Hadrick is also a self-proclaimed foodie. She enjoys trying new restaurants and cooking vegetarian foods.

Please know that we work diligently to program for all of our students so that they may grow and succeed. We work to evenly distribute students from each elementary school among the teams so that students will have a "familiar face" in their homeroom. All of our teachers recognize that a big part of the start of 5th grade is students getting to know each other and making new friends. Each of our teams and teachers plan activities geared towards students getting to know each other.

If you feel that you need to share information about your child that you believe would be important for us to know prior to the start of the school year, this may be emailed to either Duperly Hadrick (dhadrick@methacton.org) or Melissa Gorla (mgorla@methacton.org). We respectfully request that families do not include requests for specific teachers.

Social

· Competitive but cooperative

· Need adults to be patient and explain clearly

· Enjoy adult recognition

· Need time to talk with peers

· Like to challenge rules, argue and test limits

· Sensitive

· Need adult lightheartedness, humor and encouragement to lighten their mood and ease anxiety

Academic

· Work hard and pay attention to detail, but may jump quickly between interests

· Take pride in their work

· Likes rules and logic

· Begin to challenge adult explanations

· Like “adult tasks” such as researching, interviewing, analyzing—though may outwardly fuss while secretly enjoying the work

Website: http://www.methacton.org/Domain/732
Phone: 610-489-5000
Twitter: @skyview_msd