Dear Patuxent Valley Families and Community,
This week was a great week, from seeing our young people meeting old friends on Monday, students playing Gaga Ball at recess, to visiting classrooms, it's hard to pick just one highlight! Suffice to say that I'm so glad that your young people are at our school, and that we have the amazing, skillful and caring educators that we do at Patuxent Valley.
All of this is both for our community and dependent on its support. Thank you for your patience with with all the new things this week, and especially for your support at arrival, dismissal and with buses.
See here for the slides that were shared in Home Room this week including information on Back to School Procedures, Code of Conduct, and Emergency Preparedness. We took time each day to share important information with our young people and hope you'll take a moment to review yourself and check in with them to see if they have any questions about anything we talked about.
Next week we have Back to School Night on Thursday and we hope to see some one from each of our families. There's more information posted on our website here.
Check out the information below for items we’ve been sending out this week, and a number of new items. Let us know if you have any questions or if there is something you’d like to see in the newsletter. All of this information is also posted on our website at http://pvms.hcpss.org/.
There is nothing too big or too small for us to work on together, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Regards,
Richard Smart, Principal (richard_smart@hcpss.org)
UPCOMING DATES:
09/04/2023 - Labor Day
09/07/2023- Back to School Night @6:00pm
09/13/2023 - Picture Day
09/15/2023 Schools and offices closed for holiday
09/25/2023 Schools and offices closed for holiday
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT:
We are delighted to share more information about our 23-24 Back to School Night on September 7 from 6pm to 8pm here at Patuxent Valley Middle School. Please book this time on your calendars and we can't wait to see you. Read more
Back to School Night: GT Parent Information Presentation.
The Middle School Parent Information Presentation for the Gifted and Talented Education Program will be held on September 7 from 6 - 6:25 p.m. in the PVMS cafeteria, followed by Back to School Night at 6:30 p.m. This presentation will provide an overview of the Howard County Gifted and Talented Education Program for middle school students, with information on G/T content classes, G/T instructional seminars, and placement. All parents and guardians of students new to the HCPSS are encouraged to attend. Please contact the school’s G/T Resource Teacher, Monica Chelidona, at Moncia_Chelidona@hcpss.org for more information.
Black Student Achievement Program (BSAP) Saturday Math Academy Fall 2023 Program
Registration for HCPSS’ BSAP Saturday Math Academy will offer an in-person enrichment program for HCPSS students in all levels of math for grades 3 through 12 based on course availability. Registration will take place online Saturday, September 16, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. until capacity is reached. Class space is limited.
ARRIVAL DISMISSAL AND TRANSPORTATION
Talk with your young person today about how they are getting to school on the first day. Consider a trial run and check out the resources below. Contact us with any questions - we are here to help.
PVMS & BBES Joint Message about Arrival and Dismissal with a map
HCPSS Important Transportation Reminders and Updates
SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR VISITORS
Please be aware of the following procedures for any visitor to a school/office:
The front door is the only entrance point for all visitors.
Please ring the bell and look into the camera.
Be prepared to state your name and purpose for visiting.
All visitors must walk directly into the front office with a valid photo I.D. and sign in using our LobbyGuard system.
A visitor’s sticker will be given to visitors following the above procedures and must be worn and prominently visible.
Any visitor in the school without a visitor sticker will be escorted directly to the front office by a staff member.
NEW SCHOOL MEALS AND PAYMENT INFO
HCPSS no longer will use Nutrislice for school menus or MySchoolBucks for meal payments. LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows families to view breakfast and lunch menus, make online meal payments, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more. Details and information. are available online.
REVIEW IMPORTANT HCPSS POLICIES
The Secondary Student & Parent Handbook that includes the HCPSS Student Code of Conduct
Policy 1020: Sexual Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
Policy 1025: Title IX Sexual Harassment
Policy 9010: Attendance
Policy 9210: Student Dress Code
Policy 9200: Student Discipline
Policy 9230: Alcohol, Other Drugs, Prescription Medication and Over-the-Counter Products
Policy 1050: Alcohol, Drug, and Tobacco Free Environment
Policy 9460: Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, and Intimidation Involving Students
WELLNESS CENTER AT PVMS
The Patuxent Valley Middle School-Based Wellness Center is a partnership between Howard County Health Department and Howard County Public School System. School Wellness Centers do not replace students' regular health care providers in the community. By providing some health care at school we can help parents stay at work and help students stay at school or more quickly return to school. There is no co-pay or fee for visits at the Wellness Center. Read more
UPDATED PATUXENT VALLEY SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST
Click here for the 23-24 PVMS School Supply Menu, now updated to include a School Planner to help all of our students with organization.
ANNOUNCING A FUNDRAISER FOR PVMS THEATER:
Saturday, September 9, a Chipotle restaurant night is scheduled to support the PVMS chapter of the International Thespian Society and PVMS’ after school productions. Just show the flyer when you purchase food between 4 and 8 pm that day (or use the code when you order online) from the Chipotle in Laurel Lakes to support PVMS Theatre. Please pick up a flyer or use the link below to access an electronic copy of the flyer.
Chipotle flyers for September 9, 2023.pdf
COMMUNITY RESOURCE NEWSLETTER
Click here to see a comprehensive list of resources and support available to our community. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need help navigating any of these opportunities.
FAMILY FILE UPDATES
HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. All parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child each school year. Parents/guardians can access their student's Family File by logging into HCPSS Connect, selecting the “More Options” tab on the left and then selecting “Family File” in the center column.
Please be sure to read each section carefully and answer all of the questions. You can contact us here at school if you have any questions or concerns.
IMMUNIZATIONS
All students must have the required State of Maryland immunizations in order to attend school. Details on immunization and health form requirements can be found online. 7th graders: MCV 4 (meningococcal vaccine) and TDAP must be completed before first day of school. Upcoming Immunization Clinics
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please visit the Community News and Programs page on the HCPSS website for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.