{"id":18843,"date":"2026-04-06T09:58:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvcsd.org\/?p=18843"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:59:17","slug":"april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvcsd.org\/index.php\/ms\/middle-school-letter\/april-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"April 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AprilDear PVMS Families,<\/p>\n

April is here and we will be entering the fourth quarter of our school year!\u00a0 To say this month is busy would be an understatement!\u00a0 Our temperatures are slowly warming up and precipitation this month always leads to May flowers.\u00a0 With the change in weather we see our students able to get outside more often than not.\u00a0 Please make sure that your children dress appropriately for outdoor recess as we will try to get outside as often as possible.<\/p>\n

I wanted to take a moment to congratulate the cast and crew of Once Upon a Mattress.\u00a0 <\/i>Four shows took place over the weekend of March 20th.\u00a0 <\/i>We have such an incredible music department!<\/b> <\/span>A special thank you to JeanMarie Craane, Jocelyn Kraus, Jen Cahill, Mike Soprano, Ashley Bennett and Ben Durland for your dedication and hard work and participation in preparing our students for Once Upon a Mattress<\/i>. If you were able to attend, you might agree that it was a comedy with many laughs and great talent on stage.\u00a0 It truly takes a village – so many staff members came together to participate in four dress rehearsals and make the weekend of four shows such a success. Year after year, we are\u00a0 reminded of the remarkable talent within our student body. It\u2019s inspiring to see them take ownership of every aspect of the production – from stage crew and lighting to costumes, makeup, choreography, and acting. Well done to everyone involved!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The third quarter finishes up on Friday, April 17th.\u00a0 Our students get a fresh start to the fourth quarter and the final ten weeks of the school year beginning Monday, April 20th.\u00a0 Please check PowerSchool on Friday, April 24th for finalized grades regarding the third quarter.<\/p>\n

With this time of year, we must remind our children to stay focused on their goals and continue to work hard as some students develop \u201cSpring Fever\u201d and, recognizably, have busy lives outside of the school day.\u00a0 Executive functioning and planning the day outside of school is even more important when life becomes hectic.\u00a0 Please ensure to plan accordingly and finish the year strong academically.<\/p>\n

Speaking of academic excellence and determination, please join me in recognizing and congratulating those that earned induction into our National Junior Honor Society.\u00a0 To be considered for induction, middle school students needed to have a 92.5 average in all subject areas for grade seven and for the first two quarters of grade eight. In addition, there could be no report card grade under an 85 in grade eight for the first and second quarter. Student applications were then reviewed and assessed by a faculty committee.\u00a0 Congratulations to our 26 NJHS students who were officially inducted on Wednesday, March 25th at 6:00PM on our PVMS Stage.\u00a0 Thank you to those who were able to join us for this ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\nSaarina Asif<\/td>\nElla Mallick<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Terra Connolly<\/td>\nMaevry McCarty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hudson Conte<\/td>\nSamantha Molnar<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Peyton Conte<\/td>\nAnthony Mondelli<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Leah Craane<\/td>\nShpend Paloka<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elijah Cruz<\/td>\nBreana Paterno<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
James Curran<\/td>\nLukas Platt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lauren Driscoll<\/td>\nCarly Smith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grace Gibbs<\/td>\nCaden Sullivan-Quinones<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Erin Kilian<\/td>\n\u00a0Stephanie Tellez<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Katherine Lau<\/td>\nAlejandro Velez-Benenson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Robert Leisengang<\/td>\nClaudia Vukcaj<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Marcel Lomot<\/td>\nRhyan Alexis Zubradt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Our New York State assessments that will directly impact your children are approaching in late April and early to mid May.\u00a0 We have been working extremely hard this year in addressing NYS standards while writing and integrating our International Baccalaureate work into our daily instruction.\u00a0 Our intention this year has been to grow and improve academic rigor.\u00a0 We use multiple measures to assess the progress of our students that include New York State assessments (once a year), iReady benchmarks (3 times a year), and ongoing classroom formative and summative classroom assessments.\u00a0 The data is used for placement with academic intervention support services (AIS) and help to inform teacher instruction.\u00a0 These assessments are developed by New York State teachers and address the standards that all students in the state are working toward all school year.\u00a0 It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to show off what they have learned and help teachers identify standards that they should continue to focus on moving forward.\u00a0 The test is also untimed.\u00a0 I encourage you to have conversations with your children about taking advantage of this opportunity!\u00a0 We rely on this information as the results inform our practices as well as give us insight into the needs of our students.\u00a0 Please know that our high school has many exams (Regents, IB, AP, etc.) that our students will need to complete, and the assessments offered this year will also help our students prepare for the stamina required of those high stakes exams in future years.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s homework, academic progress, and social media choices.\u00a0 Here are a few ways you can support your child:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Check your child\u2019s understanding of reading assignments.\u00a0 We often find that they have a better understanding when you check for understanding.<\/li>\n
  2. Encourage your children to read nightly.\u00a0 Reading 20 minutes a day enhances their comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and background knowledge.<\/li>\n
  3. Help your child plan ahead for long-term projects.\u00a0 Projects are an opportunity for children to express talents and apply themselves in an authentic way.\u00a0 Projects should be taken seriously and turned in on time!<\/li>\n
  4. Check your child\u2019s assignment pad, Google Classroom assignments and Power School nightly to make sure all work has been completed.\u00a0 Nightly homework assignments review and reinforce material covered daily.<\/li>\n
  5. Review class notes with your child.\u00a0 A quick review of daily notes will aid in the understanding of materials covered and will help prepare your child for the final exams.<\/li>\n
  6. Talk to your child about their school day.\u00a0 Building relationships through communication is such an important aspect of fostering life-long learners.<\/li>\n
  7. Monitor your child\u2019s social media presence.\u00a0 We continue to investigate situations where poor choices are made in group chats, Snapchat, and Tik Tok where students are sharing images and using inappropriate language with one another.\u00a0 Once this is brought to our attention, we must investigate.\u00a0 Please help us in monitoring your child and their use of these platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Key Dates<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Spring Recess<\/b> will continue through Monday, April 6th<\/b>. We will return to school on Tuesday, April 7th.<\/p>\n

    NYSESLAT<\/b> testing (speaking portion) will begin Thursday, April 9th (8th Grade), Monday, April 13th (5th\/6th Grade), April 14th (7th Grade).<\/b><\/p>\n

    Our PTA Book Fair<\/b> will take place from Tuesday, April 14th – Thursday, April 16th <\/b>during lunch and recess periods.\u00a0 Our PTA is looking for volunteers to make this year’s book fair a success!<\/p>\n

    Erin\u2019s Law Presentations <\/b>(6th\/8th Grade) will take place on Wednesday, April 15th and Thursday, April 16th.<\/b> Separate email communications have been sent to families.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Washington DC Trips – 2026 and 2027\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n