Dear Patuxent Valley Families and Community,
Today our 6th grade students visited the Horse Farm for their Field Trip and had a great day exploring new experiences.  Our 8th graders were performing scenes from Romeo and Juliet after a week working with the Chesapeake Shakespeare company.  It’s been a busy week and I know we are all ready for the long weekend!

As I shared last week we hosted our STEAM Night last Wednesday and this week we were recognized in the HCPSS News - check out this great article full of student voices and great pictures.  Thank you HCPSS Communications for uplifting our community!

https://news.hcpss.org/news-posts/2024/05/young-steam-ambassadors-emerge-at-patuxent-valley-middle-school/ 

Last Friday our Band, Chorus and Orchestra programs traveled to Kings Dominion to play in the “Music in the Parks.”  This is the first time Patuxent Valley has returned since 2019 and none of the student will forget this experience as all of our groups were scored at Superior or Exemplary and came first in their categories.  We are so proud of them and thankful for our amazing Band Teachers, Mr. Bickham and Mr. Curran, our Orchestra Director, Ms. Lentz and our Choir Director, Ms. Francis.  Don’t forget to come out to our Spring Concerts - Orchestra was fabulous last night to kick off the season!

On Wednesday, May 29 we will be celebrating our young people on Honor Roll or those nominated as "On a Roll".  Parents are welcome at the celebrations at the times listed below!  You do not need to pre-register to attend, but you will need to sign in at the front office.

Q3 Honor Roll Celebration for Grade 8, May 29 at 8:55am
Q3 Honor Roll Celebration for Grade 7, May 29 at 9:50am
Q3 Honor Roll Celebration for Grade 6, May 29 at 1:00pm 

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.https://forms.gle/8uE8SgtLhULBDEZH8

Regards,
Richard Smart, Principal (richard_smart@hcpss.org)

UPCOMING DATES:

5/28 - Choir Concert at Hammond HS

5/29 - Quarter 3 Honor Roll Celebration (G8 9am, G7, 9:55am, G6, 1pm).

5/29 - ES Orchestra Feeder Concert at PVMS, 7pm

6/4 - Band Concert at Hammond HS, 6:30pm

6/4 - High School Visits

6/7 - 8th grade dance

6/11 - 8th Grade Promotion from 6-8 at GPHS

PVMS Updates (Priority and New this week)

Information on 8th Grade Activities
8th graders are being sent home today with permission slips for the class trip to the Baltimore Zoo and high school visits to Hammond HS and Guilford Park HS. This is such a busy time of year for 8th graders and there are so many details to keep track of. To help answer any questions and organize everything our students (and families!) need in one place, I’ve put together a class link tree: https://linktr.ee/pvms8thgrade 

Check out information in the Link Tree about the PTA 8th Grade Dance - sign up soon!

IMPORTANT BUS REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Parents/guardians whose children are eligible for bus transportation are asked to register to receive bus service each year to help the school system plan for student transportation needs. The transportation registration process will open at 9 a.m. Monday, April 8 through May 31, and will be completed online via HCPSS Connect Synergy. Registration must be done for each eligible child. 

To be eligible for bus service, your child’s home address must be outside of a school’s walk zones. You can verify address eligibility in the HCPSS School Attendance Area Locator. After inputting your address, a window will appear that will indicate either bus or walk for each school level. Please note, the attendance area locator also includes a link for the bus stop locator, which is set for the current school year. Bus stop information for the 2024-2025 school year will be available in August.

You do not need to take any action if:

• Your child is not eligible for bus transportation
• Your child receives transportation as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan, or
• Your child is a graduating senior

Details on bus transportation registration, including a guide to register and scenarios families may see when registering, can be found online.

Guilford Park HS - Athletic Update - 5.19.24

• Volleyball Camp Added!  GPHS Boosters is excited to announce the addition of a Volleyball Boosters Camp for Rising 4th-9th Graders on 8/5-8/9 from 9-12pm in the GPHS Gymnasium.  Registration is NOW open - go to https://gphsboosters.com/summer-camp to register and for a full list of camps!

• Girls Soccer Summer 7v7 Opportunity for Rising 9th Graders - GPHS will play in a summer 7v7 soccer leagues with games over the summer.  If your are a Rising 9th grader, you are eligible to participate with the team.  Please reach out to Coach Molly_Schaefer@hcpss.org for more information. 

• Boys Soccer Summer 7v7 Opportunity for Rising 9th Graders - GPHS will play in a summer 7v7 soccer league with games over the summer. If your are a Rising 9th grader, you are eligible to participate with the team.  Please reach out to Coach Tomas_Potts@hcpss.org for more information.

• Fall Academic Eligibility for Sports:

  • Athletes returning to high school must earn a MINIMUM of a 2.0 weighted GPA for 4th quarter of THE CURRENT school year to be academically eligible to participate in fall sports.

  • Rising 9th Graders are ALL academically eligible for to participate in fall sports.  HOWEVER, this is a one time exemption from the policy.

REMINDER:  Rising 9th Grade Fall Sports Information Night - 6/4/24 @ 6:30PM - Cafeteria

- A brief presentation will be given by the Athletic Director followed by break-out sessions led by coaches for fall athletes and their parents.

Need More Information About GPHS Athletics?  Go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YTsOFoK3c_f0Tu0Cx52r0VcHFizXYSIfip-zMPJCzvA/edit?usp=sharing 

BIPOC Leadership Panel Discussion:
BIPOC Leaders Panel Discussion: The Howard County Student Committee for Equity has planned a BIPOC Leaders Panel Discussion for June 6 from 6-8pm. Please register and share with others. Registration is recommended (for refreshment planning). See this flier for registration information.

Wellness Workshop and Supports Summer Series: In partnership with Backpack Healthcare and Congruent Counseling/Integrative Counseling, HCPSS presents a spring/summer series of "Wellness Workshops and Support for Parents". All HCPSS parents are invited to attend any or all of these free, virtual evening workshops. Sessions are from 6-7 p.m. on a variety of dates. Wellness Workshops and Supports for Parents Flier

2024 Free Summer Meals Program

To continue meeting the growing need to feed hungry children and families in Howard County and fill the nutritional gap over the summer months, HCPSS once again will provide free summer meals Monday-Friday, June 24-Aug. 2, at locations throughout the county. Meals will be served only on days schools are open and there will be no meal service on Thursday, July 4. Complete details on the HCPSS 2024 Summer Meals Program are available online.

PVMS Updates (recurring from previous newsletters)

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL SCHEDULED
HCPSS used three inclement weather days this school year, and as such, the last day of school for students in full-day Pre-K through grade 11 is now scheduled to be Friday, June 14, with June 12-14 being three-hour early dismissals. The last day for half-day Pre-K/RECC students is currently Tuesday, June 11.

Recognizing and Reporting Bullying

As we approach the second half of the school year, we wanted to remind you that HCPSS is dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment that focuses on student well-being. We are taking this time to uplift the importance of reporting any type of bullying that has occurred. We will be reviewing this with our students and staff as we start the second half of the school year, and we hope that you, too, can uplift this at home. 

For children facing the emotional toll of bullying, a supportive individual can make all the difference. Please encourage your children to reach out to a trusted staff member at school should they need to report anything. As parents and guardians, you will use the same reporting form as students by following the steps outlined below. 

How do I report bullying?

1. When you believe bullying has taken place, you should report it through the Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, and Intimidation (BCHI) reporting form.  Reporting can take place in one of three ways:
   1. Complete a BCHI online reporting form
   2. BCHI paper reporting form (available in the main office, staff workroom, school counseling office, media center, and health services office
   3. An oral report to a staff member 
2. It is important to note that the policy states “In the event the reporting party does not complete a BCHI Reporting Form, school administrators/supervisors will take the appropriate steps to address and document the incident.”  Therefore, if you or someone else makes an oral report, it then must be documented (i.e. through a BCHI reporting form) by the administrator.

Thank you for your partnership and attention to this important topic.

CELL PHONES - MIDDLE SCHOOL
This is a friendly reminder to our community that per HCPSS Policy 8080, middle school students “will not use personal technology devices during non-instructional time, to include but not limited to transition between classes, lunch, recess, or in bathrooms.”  Please remind your students that their cell phones should be off and away during the school day. Students are always welcome to use an office phone to reach out to a parent during the school day. If you need to contact your child at school, please call 410-880-5840.

PVMS Attendance Procedures 23-24

Please review for comprehensive attendance procedures.Read more

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.

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.

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.

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

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.