Dear PVMS Families,
April is here and those showers that bring May flowers have begun. We are hopeful that temperatures warm up and our students are able to get outside more often than not. Spring Break will be here soon and a time to rest and recharge for the last 10 weeks of the school year. Sports and other activities have slowly started to open back up. With that being said, we must stay focused on our goals and continue to work hard as some students develop “Spring Fever” and, recognizably, have busy lives outside of the school day.
Although most middle school children do not want parent involvement with academics and social decisions, this is a critical time. Please partner with us in monitoring your child’s homework, academic progress, and social media choices. Here are a few ways you can support your child:
- Check your child’s understanding of reading assignments. We often find that they have a better understanding when you check for understanding.
- Encourage your children to read nightly. Reading 20 minutes a day enhances their comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and background knowledge.
- Help your child plan ahead for long-term projects. Projects are an opportunity for children to express talents and apply themselves in an authentic way. Projects should be taken seriously and turned in on time!
- Check your child’s assignment pad and Power School nightly to make sure all work has been completed. Nightly homework assignments review and reinforce material covered daily.
- Review class notes with your child. A quick review of daily notes will aid in the understanding of materials covered and will help prepare your child for the final exams.
- Talk to your child about their school day. Building relationships through communication is such an important aspect of fostering life-long learners.
- Monitor your child’s social media presence. We continue to investigate situations where poor choices are made in group chats and Snapchat where students are sharing images and using inappropriate language with one another. Once this is brought to our attention, we must investigate. Please help us in monitoring your child and their use of these platforms.
Key Dates
We will have our Spring locker cleanout during lunch periods on Wednesday, 4/6/22. Students will take home all clothing items from their lockers as well as cleaning out old paper and garbage.
Spring Break will start on Saturday, 4/9/22 through Sunday, 4/17/22 and students will come back to school on Monday, 4/18/22.
The third quarter ends on Friday, 4/8/22 and our fourth quarter will begin Monday, 4/18/22. Please log-on to PowerSchool on Friday, 4/22/22 and review your child’s grades with them. This is a great opportunity for you to communicate expectations and reflect on the year up to this point.
Our PTA Book Fair will take place in person from Tuesday, 4/19/22 – Thursday, 4/21/22. In addition you will have the option to shop the on-line Book Fail and have items shipped right to your house. Please use the following link from 4/18/22 through 5/1/22.
We are excited to announce that our music department will present our middle school drama, “High School Musical.” This will take place on our stage from Friday, 4/22/22 through Saturday, 4/23/22 at 7:00PM. We will have more information to follow regarding tickets and additional details.
Fifth and sixth graders will start Encore 5 on Wednesday, 4/27/22.
Our New York State math assessment will take place on Wednesday, 4/27/22 and Thursday, 4/28/22. All students are to bring independent reading books and sharpened #2 pencils on this day. Students have worked so hard this year and it is an opportunity to show their skills and apply what they have learned. Please note that these are untimed, do not impact teacher APPR, and are a great opportunity to practice standardized assessments that students will need to take in high school. Good luck to all!
Together we must keep our children focused on the importance of school, their social and emotional well being and to ensure a successful last few months of the year.
Sincerely,
Travis W. McCarty
Principal