VFMS "Think Pink" Month 
The VFMS Student Council encourages you to help us raise awareness for an important cause. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Valley Forge shows our support by thinking pink. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, until October 24th, the Student Council will be selling VFMS Thinks Pink T-Shirts. Shirts cost $10.00, and can be purchased in the morning before school in the Student Council Corner. Friday, October 24th will be the school wide Pink Out. Join the cause. Buy a new shirt, or replace your old one. All proceeds will benefit a local charity that helps raise awareness of the this disease that continues to affect so many families. Thank you for your support.
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VFMS Parent's Network LUNCH at Black Powder Tavern
Please join VFMS Parents' Network for LUNCH and Conversation on October 22, noon at Black Powder Tavern located at1164 Valley Forge Rd, Wayne, PA 19087. It is a fun and informal way to discuss concerns and idea of raising middle school kids!
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VFMS Student Directories
Have Arrived!
V FMS student directories were distributed to home base teachers on Thursday. If you ordered a directory and it has yet to arrive home, please do the following:
1. If your child was given the order form to turn in at school, double check that it is not in their backpack or in their locker.
2. If you are certain that the order was received, ask your child if the directory is still in their locker. Often, students forget to bring them home.
3. If you have gone through steps 1 & 2 and still have not received your directory, please contact Janine Stern. She can confirm that the order was received and distributed.
If you did not order a directory but would still like one, the office has a limited supply available for purchase. Thank you!
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Happy Halloween at VFMS!
We are having a Halloween Celebration. Wear or bring your costumes to school this year. During each grade's 5th-8th lunch we will have some Halloween fun....
Halloween costume judging contest!
Teachers and parents will be the judges. Studen ts
may wear or bring their costumes to
school on October 31.
Masks and large hats should not be worn to class. Before the
students' lunch and activity period, students may change into their costume and/or bring any additional pieces of their costume with them.
We need parent volunteers for each grade. Please contact Lynnsey Perrin Hee if you are interested in being a volunteer at our Halloween fun.
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5th Grade Math Night
Mark your calendars for the 5th Grade Math Night ! This event takes place on November 13th and is open to all 5th graders and their families. Come out at your leisure for this fantastic event at our school! Find out more information and details about the night here. |
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The VFMS CARE Team
Who We Are...
The CARE Team is part of a state-wide Student Assistance Program. There are SAP teams in operation in all of Pennsylvania's middle schools.
Our Mission Statement...
The VFMS CARE Team is a certified group of teachers, administrators, school & community counselors who are trained to help remove the barriers that impede a student's academic success.
Barriers may include: self-esteem, family problems, appearing sad, use of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs, issues with eating, problems with peers, etc. CARE Team members do not diagnose, treat, or refer students for treatment, but they may refer a student for a parent approved assessment.
Warning Signs - Why a Student May be Referred
· Dramatic attention-getting behavior
· Drop in grades
· Changing group of friends
· Loss of interest/eligibility in sports
· Appears sad
· Puffiness around eyes
· Bloodshot eyes that appear glassy
· Change in sleeping/eating habits
Parental Involvement:
The CARE Team recognizes that you as a parent have a major role and responsibility in making decisions regarding your child. The team will make every effort to involve parents in every step of the process.
All information collected through the CARE
process is confidential.
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Barnes and Noble Book Fair
Q: What do Cheesecakes and Books have in common?
A: Both are available at the 2014 VFMS Barnes and Noble Book Fair this year!!!
Save the Date - Saturday, November 8th and Sunday, November 9th for the VFMS Barnes and Noble Book Fair in Devon on Swedesford Road. Shop for holiday gi  fts, the latest best seller, DVD's and more! Make your life easier this holiday season and order a cheesecake for that special dessert! Pick from the 6 amazing flavors: Plain, Pumpkin, Eggnog, Red Velvet, Godiva Double Chocolate, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Each cheesecake contains 14 servings and costs $40.00 Please pick one flavor for each whole cheesecake. Ordering your delicious cheesecake is easy and can be done in one of 2 ways. Click here for order information. Regardless of how you order, please specify the date you would like to pick up your frozen cheesecake! Cheesecakes are available for pick-up any time between November 8, 2014 and December 31, 2014.
For example, need a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dessert? Specify November 26th as the pick-up date, and your cheesecake will be ready on that day.
Questions? Please email Fran Arvan or call 610-304-9716 A portion of the proceeds goes to the VFMS PTO. Thank you for your support.
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 Open PTO Positions
Please consider taking on one of these positions and becoming more involved in your children's school!
*Executive Vice President - Work alongside the President to oversee the workings of the PTO Board with a view to taking over the position of President the next school year. A great way to get your feet wet before full immersion!
*BUILD Coordinator - BUILD stands for Better Understanding of Individuals with Learning Differences and is a group of parents and professionals of TE School District who have formed a support group for parents of children with learning differences.
The coordinator helps spread the word about Build meetings, forwards meeting announcements to LD teachers/counselors at VFMS and puts announcements into the VFMS Blast.
*Audit Review Committee - Once a year review the expenditure of the PTO and verify expenses tally with receipts. This is not an official audit per se and does not require accounting experience.
Please contact Sarah Culbert at president@vfmspto.org if you are interested in any of the above positions. |
Golden Apple Grants
Do you know what a Golden Apple Grant is? Ever heard of them? Well, here is your chance to find out! The Valley  Forge Middle School PTO has created a fund to support outstanding and innovative programs, ideas and/or purchases which will enrich the educational experience at VFMS. The standard Golden Apple Grant is $200 and typically up to 10 grants will be made available during each school year. To learn more, click here. Interested in suggesting a recipient of a Golden Apple Grant? Check out the guidelines and application form to make your idea a reality! |
Shop Amazon / Support the PTO!
If you love to shop on Amazon, we have a fantastic way for you to help VFMS at the same time. On the VFMS PTO homepage, you will see an Amazon.com graphic. When you want to shop on Amazon, we are asking that you simply use this link which will send you directly to the regular Amazon.com home-page.
However, it will mark that your order is associated with our school and Amazon will donate a certain percent of your sale to VFMS! It is that simple and takes just one extra step! You do not need to sign up or register with the program and if you are already an Amazon Prime member, you will still receive all of your Prime benefits. VFMS has already earned roughly $650 with just a few parents participating and we bet there are more Amazon shoppers out there! Think how much more we can earn by just one extra click!
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| This Week at VFMS |
Tuesday 10/21:
Gal Chorale, 9:00am-2:30pm
Wednesday 10/22:
Fall Sports Picture Day, 2:30
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Gratitude Corner
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Thank you!
We are so lucky to have fantastic parents, willing to help the VFMS in so many ways. This week, we must take a moment to thank a few for going above and beyond.
Putting a directory together for over 900 students is no small task. Thank you to Cathy Barrios, Julie Kanto, Janine Stern, and Shari Junikiewicz for handling this monumental job! We all applaud you!
Our revamped adult social was no small undertaking. Our chairperson, Trish McFillin, tirelessly lead the way to an amazing event. A very special thank you for Corinne and Michael Ackerman for graciously offering their beautiful property for this event. The work to pull this off was HUGE - we are so grateful for your time and generosity.
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PTO Volunteer Opportunities
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Volunteer opportunities are still available at the Middle S chool level! Please contact us and let us know how you'd like to stay involved. All information is here on our website. Looking forward to working with you!
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Hillside 5KRun/1Mile Walk
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Get the family out on November 2nd for Hillside E.S.'s first Fun Run! Day-of registration is available or register  on Hillside PTO's website. The run takes place at Wilson Farm Park and is a great way to start out a Fall Sunday morning! Download the registration form here or contact Lisa Nishikawa.
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Paoli Wildcats
Girls Basketball
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Attention All Girl Basketball Players...
The Paoli Wildcats Basketball League (PWBL) has decided to enter girls travel basketball teams in the Inter-County Basketball Association  (ICBA) for the 2014-2015 season. The ICBA is a competitive travel basketball league. We will be seeking to field 5th, 6th, and 7th grade teams. If you are interested, read information here about registration and try out dates. |
Conestoga Cavalcade
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Come out on November 1st to hear wonderful music from 'Stoga's Cavalcade! Check out more information about this event here. 
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Distracted Driving Seminar
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Radnor Area School District has opened its doors to an assembly that it is hosting on October 13th which will foc  us on a push to "End Distracted Driving." A hot topic in our modern day society, all are welcome to come learn how to reduce the effects of this dangerous habit. For more information, check out this flyer. |
CHS Girls' Basketball Clinic
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A Girls Youth Basketball Clinic will be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 (10am-Noon) at VF Middle School for girls in grades 2 - 8. Pre-registration is encouraged. Information can be found here.
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| Parent Seminar |
Interested in protecting childhood and family relationships in the digital age? Come to the BIG DISCONNECT seminar on November 11th hosted at The Agnes Irwi n School. Space is limited so click here for information on registering.
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Trash Vocal Performance
| Delta is sponsoring a fabulous performance that you won't want to miss! Described as a cross between "Glee" and "Stomp" this green-minded ensemble entertains with a unique type of "Urban Broadway!" Takes place on Friday, November 14th. Click here for more information or check out Delta's website. |
| Box Tops for Education! |
Box Tops for Education
are an easy way to help raise money for VFMS.
Just clip Box Tops
and drop them in the collection box located in the main office.
Help us reach
our goal this year!
If you have any questions, contact
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| Important Numbers | |
VFMS Main Office:
610-240-1300
Attendance Line:
610-240-1330
T/E Transportation:
610-240-1680
T/E District Office:
610-240-1900
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Blast Submissions
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If you have school news you want to have published in the Blast, please write it up exactly how you want it to appear and send it in email to the editor, Lori Benedict, at lori.mb@gmail.com by 4PM the preceding Friday afternoon. Blast will go out each Sunday afternoon.
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