From the Desk of the Principal, May 3, 2024

Dear Patuxent Valley Families and Community,
This week saw the beginning of May and some amazing activities here at school from the Spring Social last weekend, to student of the month celebrations.  May is also Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Month; Check out this site from the NPS if you want to connect with these cultures, and please take time to learn and celebrate with our students and community to honor their important contributions to who we are.  

Last Saturday was our PTA sponsored Spring Social which included over 250 students and more than 30 volunteers from our Parent Teacher Association.  It was amazing event and our young people had a wonderful time of dancing, games, socializing and a lot of sugar consumption!  I cannot thank Amy Hamilton and all the PTA volunteers enough for their hard work, even bringing flowers to decorate the path and entrance from the Savage Community Association.  Our community is amazing!

Next week is Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week in HCPSS.  Thank you to PTA and Student Council for organizing food, treats and celebrations for our amazing teachers and staff.  We are giving another opportunity for our community to shout out our staff. Feel free to submit this form multiple times for different staff members. This can and should include teachers, paraeducators, secretaries, custodians, nurses, and other support staff!  We will share your message with each individual staff member.

Today at Patuxent Valley we took time to recognize the efforts of our April Students of the Month!  Each of these young people demonstrated our #BulldogStrong values through their hard work, caring and excellence.  Please take time to congratulate them if and when you see them!

6th grade: Amanda M., Vera L., Kai K., Jamal K-I., Solomon K., Olivia A., Rana Muhammad D., Kimberlyn M., Kimberly A., Christopher R., Delina B., Olivia N., Izzy A., Mary K-Q., Nyla J.

7th grade: Corrinne V., Alina T., Adrianne F., Lebron B., Asad K., Matthew K., Lukasz F., Zoha A., Chase H., Kinley C., Athena T., Colin J., Edwin J.A., Karsten A., Briseida B.M.

8th grade: Christel A., Valen E., Assie K., Kylie M., Kate N., Isidora M.C., Armani O., Meron E., Jordan E., Madison F., Natalia A., Stacey E-P., Van C.

Don’t forget to check out information below on our STEAM Night on May 15.  We have presenters coming from across the state and within our school community.  It will be a great night of learning and playing including food at the beginning.

Finally, we are incredibly excited for 8th graders, Emily K., Christy P., and Saanvi V, who will be representing Patuxent Valley at the History Day States competition this Saturday.  They have done an amazing job researching, writing an original script, and practicing their performance. We are proud of all their hard work.

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:

5/6 - 5/10 - Staff Appreciation Week

5/6 - Romeo & Juliet field trip

5/7-5/10 - MCAP Social Stuies

5/15 - STEAM Night 5:30pm to 8:00pm

5/17 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal

5/17 - Music Dept Trip - Music in the Parks

5/20-5/24 - 8th Grade Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Acting Residency

5/21-5/24 - MCAP Math

5/23 - Orchestra Spring Concert at Hammond HS, 7pm

5/28 - Choir Concert at Hammond HS

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

6/3 - 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)

STEAM Night, May 15 - Fill out the interest form!

Steam Night Interest Form

PVMS Testing Newsletter Spring 2024

Dear Families, 

We are in our state testing season which began in March.  Our students have been working hard all year and this is their opportunity to show what they know in regards to the standards they have been taught.  Please see the testing dates below for grades 6-8.

 

ELA

4 sessions

70 minutes each

Math

4 sessions

40 minutes each

Social Studies

8th grade ONLY

4 sessions

40 minutes each

 

Testing Dates

Test being taken

4/16 & 4/23

MCAP ELA  

*Starting @ 7:55 am 

5/7-5/10

MCAP Social Studies

In SS Classes

5/21-5/24

MCAP Math

In Math Classes

*In the event that testing dates need to be changed,  we will communicate that information to families.  

Just a few reminders:

  • Please try to have students here and on time on testing days so they do not need to be pulled out of class instruction for make-up sessions.  

  • Please avoid coming to sign students out early during testing sessions.  Once a student leaves, they are not able to restart that test session. 

  • Personal electronic devices (cell phones, ipads, smart watches, etc.) are not permitted in the testing areas. 

  • Headphones may be needed for grades 7 and 8.  Please allow your child to bring their plug-in headphones (Bluetooth headphones are not permitted). 

  • Routine is important when calming any nerves when it comes to testing.  Keeping to normal routines both at home and at school will help students to do their best.  

  • Students need plenty of sleep in order to maintain the stamina needed to do their best. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher or Ms. Porter (Testing Coordinator).

 

PVMS Updates (recurring from previous newsletters)

Report Cards

Quarter 3 report cards will be available in HCPSS Connect Synergy after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17. Instructions on how to access report cards are available online.

GPHS Boosters and our coaches are proud to introduce our first edition of summer boosters camps for rising 4th-9th graders.   

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1td-B0-17CINm-PfC0rsWOsDbirz7be4M/view?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YTsOFoK3c_f0Tu0Cx52r0VcHFizXYSIfip-zMPJCzvA/edit?usp=sharing

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.

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.

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.