Dear Patuxent Valley Families and Community,
I hope that each of you have been getting what you need during this hot July with many opportunities to stay cool and connect with each other!
Our admin team has been working hard reflecting on the school year and working with our teams to prepare for next year. Last week and this week we’ve had a number of important conversations with staff working on intentional ways to build classroom and school community around values, and also some important work reviewing our academic data and revising our school improvement plan. I can honestly say that we have an amazing staff and they are leaning into our theme for next school year: “Expect Excellent from Everyone.”
Jen Macomber, the PTSA President and I met last Monday to collaborate on our plans to welcome staff, students and families back at the end of the summer. We have confirmed that PTSA will be hosting the Back to School Block Party on August 22 from 5-7pm, following the Grade 6 and New Student Orientation on August 21 from 1pm to 2:30pm, both at Patuxent Valley.
In addition to this we are hosting a Mid-Summer Check in for rising 6th Grader students and their families and any new families to Patuxent Valley at the School’s Blacktop on July 30 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. We will have recess equipment, popsicles, and an opportunity to meet PTSA and school leaders and each other. Please complete this form if you are planning to attend! https://forms.gle/aRvni4gYy1ydUzB18
Our summer office hours are 8am to 2pm and we’ll be open every weekday. Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything. We are here to help. Our registrar will be on site every Wednesday during office hours if you need support with transfers to and from PVMS.
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/ .
Summer is an important time to recharge and reconnect, and to follow your passions. We’d love to hear what you are doing, and we look forward to seeing students, and families at summer school or our meet and greet sessions. There is nothing too big or too small for us to work on together, so don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us.
Regards,
Richard Smart, Principal (richard_smart@hcpss.org )
UPCOMING DATES:
7/30 - New Student and Rising 6th Grade MId-Summer Check In
8/21 - New Student Orientation
8/22 - PTSA Back to School Block Party
8/25 - First Day for Students 2025-2026 School Year
9/4 - Back to School Night
PVMS Updates (Priority and New this week)
HCPSS Family Academy Kick-Off
Join us for the HCPSS Family Academy Kick-Off on August 16th from 9am - 12pm at Guilford Park High School, a free event designed to support families as we prepare for a successful 2025–2026 school year! This event will feature valuable school and community resources, opportunities to connect with staff and partners and a keynote address from Superintendent Bill Barnes. Registration preferred, but not required. Childcare is provided with registration. All families are welcome! If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Shereé Tilley-Whitaker.
Event Flyers:
CAREER CAFE 2025-2026
In an effort to begin to expose students to the wide range of careers in today's society we are looking for in person speakers to partner with us to engage students. We also want to leverage the resources within our own community. If you are interested in helping to broaden student exposure through your career journey, please take a few minutes to complete this form. We’re looking for careers that students can access from any of the after high school pathways(Military, Job, 2yr/4yr, Trade school, Apprenticeship).
UPDATED PATUXENT VALLEY SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST
Click here for the 25-26 PVMS School Supply Menu, now updated to include a School Planner to help all of our students with organization.
COMMUNICATION
Emails/Text Messaging: All parents/guardians are in our system to receive HCPSS and school emails/text messages. Our systems will update in early August, at which point parents will automatically receive communication from your child’s 2025-2026 school. Prior to that rollover, you will continue to receive communication from your child’s 2024-2025 school. Parents/guardians with a child new to HCPSS in the fall will automatically begin to receive communication from that school in August.
Please do not unsubscribe to summer emails/texts!
Unsubscribing from any HCPSS or school messages will block you from receiving all future messages from the district and your child’s school, including notifications of emergency closings.
From the Health Room
Vaccines: The Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene requires all incoming 7th- and 8th-grade students in the state of Maryland to have one Tdap and one meningococcal (Meningitis) vaccine before entering school. Letters have been mailed home to parents of students who still need to provide proof of vaccination. Failure to provide proof of updated immunizations by the first day of school, August 25, 2025, will result in your student being excluded from school.
See flyer for details: English Version and Spanish Version
HCPSS Summer Meal Program
HCPSS will offer its free summer meal program weekdays from June 23 to August. 1 (except July 4) from 12:30-2 p.m. at locations across Howard County. Open to all HCPSS students and children aged 18 and under, this program has no application, enrollment, or fee requirements. However, children must be present to receive free meals. Free meals will also be provided to all students participating in HCPSS summer programs.
Free Summer Program:
Calling all Howard County tweens and teens, age 11 to 17. Are you looking for a fun way to spend your free time this summer? Be sure to check out Recreation & Parks’ Teen Kick Backs program this June through August. This FREE drop-in program features free pizza and snacks, sports, video games, and lots of fun. Times & Locations:
- Gary J. Arthur Community Center, Fridays, 5-8:30pm (July 11-August 22)
- Harriet Tubman Cultural Center, Fridays & Saturdays, 6-9pm (July 11-August 23)
- North Laurel Community Center, Fridays, 5-8:30pm (June 20-August 22)
- Roger Carter Community Center, Saturdays, 1-4pm (June 21-August 23)
- Thomas Viaduct Middle School, Fridays, 5-8pm (June 20-August 22)
- Wilde Lake High School, Fridays, 5-8pm (June 20-August 22)
Summer Reading
Recommended summer reading lists for students in all grade levels, developed by HCPSS library media specialists and Howard County Library System staff, are available online. Children, teens, and adults are also invited to participate in the HCLS Summer Reading Program. All HCPSS students received an A+ Student Card account number at the beginning of the school year. With it, they have access to all HCLS eContent by using their account number to log in via hcpss.me.
HC DRUGFREE UPDATES
Teen Advisory Council - Open to Howard County students in grades 8-12. Earn Community Service Hours and make meaningful contributions to the community. Next meeting: Monday June 9, 2025, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on Zoom. Must register to receive the meeting link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TAC_6-9-25 More information: https://hcdrugfree.org/teen-advisory-council/
Senior Week: Staying Safe in Ocean City - Senior Week should be a celebratory, memorable time with friends—not a risk! With the right planning, it can be a safe and fun experience for everyone. Check out HC DrugFree's recorded webinar, "Senior Week: Staying Safe in Ocean City", for graduating high school seniors and their parents. The tips shared by Howard County teens, the Ocean City Police, and the Ocean City Beach Patrol are appropriate for all families or anyone visiting Ocean City, MD this summer or throughout the year. View webinar: https://hcdrugfree.org/senior-week/
Thank you for your continued support!
PVMS Updates (recurring from previous newsletters)
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.
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.