Dear Patuxent Valley Families and Community;
The new school year is upon us! Yesterday we welcomed our faculty back into the building and had a great day of community building, sharing food, of course, beginning setting up our spaces so we can host our young people when they are back in the building (8/21 for New Student Orientation or 8/25 for the first day of school at 8am).
Our theme for the 2025/2026 school year is: E3: "Expect Excellence from Everyone," and the marquee has been updated with our theme quote for the year: “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up,” by Nelson Mandela. We know that when our students, staff and community dream big, and work hard then we see excellence. This school year you will hear this charge again and again as we want our young people to know that they can achieve their dreams and we expect excellence from each of them.
Before the school year begins we need you to complete your emergency card! 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, then selecting “Family File” at the top right.
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.
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/ .
Our summer office hours are 8am to 2pm. After August 11 the office will be open from 8am to 3pm. 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:
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)
PVMS BCHI Communication:
Parents, Guardians, and Families, The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all students. Preventing bullying is an important part of this goal. HCPSS Policy 9460 states that bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and intimidation are prohibited in HCPSS. Our administration and staff have been trained and made aware of this policy as…
PVMS Theater:
The back to school edition of the Narrator! It includes a welcome from Ms. Clark and news on auditions, ITS, and the fundraiser.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DI50iDY7O2VKA6iSVRQnSG1bbKn-6vVYm5BiRRSQ3dU/edit?usp=sharing
Student Schedules
From Aug. 8-15, high school students and their parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy to view a list of scheduled courses only without details (no teachers or periods). Beginning Aug. 20, all students and parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy to view schedules including courses, teachers, and room numbers.
Transportation Information
The online HCPSS bus locator application is scheduled to be available Wednesday, Aug. 20. At that time, eligible families can access bus stop locations, and pickup/dropoff times.
Update Your Student/Family Emergency Information Today!
Parents/guardians must verify and/or update emergency information for each child every school year. This is completed online in Family File, which has several new updates including how and where to access. Full details on updating your Family File are available online.
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.
PTSA: Donations Needed for the Back to School Staff Breakfast 8-22-25
Please help us welcome back our PVMS staff with a staff breakfast!
Donations can be dropped off at the school between 8 am-3 pm on Wednesday, August 20th or Thursday, August 21st, or by 6:30 am on Friday, August 22nd. If you are signing up for a cooked item and can't bring it in Friday morning (or if you can donate other items, but can't get there during school hours), please message us and we will coordinate further with you. There are currently 120 PVMS staff members.
Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4AA8AB2FA1FC1-57739882-staff#/
Save the date for PVMS PTSA’S Annual Back To School Bash!
Please join us on Friday, 8/22 from 5-7pm on the PVMS blacktop! We will have games, refreshments, music, photo booth, community vendors, food truck and lots of fun with friends and our PVMS community!
We can’t do this without your support, we are in need of volunteers, in addition to borrowing some needed items. If you are able to do so please sign up using this link HERE!
We look forward to seeing all of our young people and families soon!
HCPSS Family Academy Kick-Off
New Date: Friday, Sept. 27, 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Location: Oakland Mills High School
This districtwide event is open to all HCPSS families and will feature:
- A session with Superintendent Bill Barnes
- Resource tables hosted by HCPSS offices and local organizations
- Information on programs, resources, and services available throughout the school year
- Childcare and language access provided
For additional information, please visit the Family Academy Kickoff HCPSS News Post.
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.
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
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.