Dear Patuxent Valley Families and Community,
Two years ago in the Economist Malala Yousafzai served as a guest editor and included young female voices speaking on girls' education and the current state for girls and young women in our world.  Malala's story has always interested me as she was in hospital in my hometown of Birmingham and received her undergraduate degree from my alma mater.  Although parts of her story intersect with my experiences, yet her life experiences are so different to my own.  I find her story inspiring and her voice challenging.  The quote below from this article stood out to me and made me reflect on how I respond to the voices of the young women at Patuxent Valley.

"When young women speak up, we’re brave. When we succeed, we’re inspiring. Yet our voices, though louder and more lauded than ever, remain sidelined. Our youth and enthusiasm get more attention than our expertise. And it’s rare for leaders to offer substantive responses to our demands." Malala Yousafzai

I'm glad that the voices of young women are included in the student voice work we are doing this year, and I see the voices of young women being honored in our building, but we have more to do to respond to her challenge.  I encourage us as a community to consider how we can do more to uplift the leadership of women in our community, and school.

This week the HCPSS Social Studies office visited our school with a number of new teachers to HCPSS for a “Master Teacher Visit”.  I’m so proud of Ms. Olivia Black and Ms. Heather Siepel who hosted the visit and opened their classroom for teachers from other schools in HCPSS to learn from the amazing work that they are doing here.  What is there better to celebrate than rigorous, nurturing classrooms that are influencing other classrooms across the county!

Tonight is the opening night for our Spring Musical, High School Musical.  I’m looking forward to seeing the performance tomorrow evening and the dedication and hard work of the cast members during practices - this show will be a treat, make sure you come out to see it, and support our students and the Theater program.  For tickets see the message below!

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:

3/15, 3/16 & 3/17 - Spring Musical - High School Musical Junior

3/21 - PVMS Spring Dance Concert, 6pm in the Cafeteria

3/21 & 3/22 - 6th Grade Field Trip to the HoCo Conservancy

3/25 - 4/1, 2024 - Schools Closed for Spring Break

4/9- End of third Marking Period

4/10- Professional Work Day- Schools closed for students

4/17- Reports cards issued via Synergy

PVMS Updates (Priority and New this week)

From the Health Room:

Spring time is around the corner and we are beginning to see a lot of children with full blown allergy symptoms in the health room. The health room staff is not allowed to administer medications without doctor's orders and therefore we suggest that parents treat their children at home before school to help them manage their allergies throughout the school day. 

Sincerely,

-PVMS Health room staff

Ramadan:

On behalf of Patuxent Valley Middle School I would also like to extend our best wishes to Muslims throughout our community on the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.  For any student who is participating in the month of Ramadan we are offering our front office conference room during grade level lunches.  Students should check in with the secretaries as they come to lunch.  If any student has other needs during the month of Ramadan they should contact their school counselor who wil arrange with them how we can support them.

2023-2024 YEARBOOKS ARE ON SALE NOW!

Click here for more information, including price and how to order.

 

HC Drug Free Updates:

High school seniors and their parents, grandparents, and siblings: Mark your calendars.

HC DrugFree's annual Senior Week program will be held on Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom.

Learn water safety tips from Ocean City Beach Patrol, the latest law updates from Ocean City Police, and much more to help save your life at any beach and stay safe while enjoying time with friends.

Registration is required and open.

 

PVMS Updates (recurring from previous newsletters)

LGBTeaQi&A 

This program is an opportunity for parents to meet, connect, and learn. In this second LGBTeaQi&A, we’ll be joined by Millisa Bell, an HCPSS graduate, and her mom, Dr. Keisha Bell, to speak with parents about their personal advocacy journey both in and out of HCPSS.

Students currently enrolled in HCPSS are also welcome to attend.

A special activity has been planned for attending students to connect with each other as well as learn effective communication skills to engage with peers and adults.

Space is limited. See below for a link to the Flyer advertisement as well as a link to register. 

Link to Flyer

Link to Registration

2024 Summer Programs Registration Opens February 15 at 6 p.m.

Synergy online enrollment requests for currently enrolled HCPSS students will open Thursday, February 15 at 6 p.m. for the Innovative Pathways High School (math and Science courses only), STARTALK Chinese Language Summer Camp, and Summer Math Scholars programs.

Families can find up-to-date course information and enrollment directions on the Summer Programs web page (https://www.hcpss.org/summer-programs/.)

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.