Message From the PTO President
Dear Valley Forge families
Hard to believe Thanksgiving is almost here and, with it, the start of one of the busiest times of the year. We hope the new school year has begun in fine fashion and continues
to go well.
We have some exciting projects going on in the school right now - one is the Beautification Project (more later in the blast) and another is the 50th anniversary of VFMS, which we will be talking about in more detail very soon!
I hope that you will have received a letter from the VFMS PTO Executive Board requesting your help to provide some additional technology for our students. Any contribution you are able to make will be wonderful and much appreciated by the staff and students. We will keep you updated on the campaign both on the website and in the school foyer.
While I am talking about the website, it has come to my attention that some of you may be missing out on some important notifications. Whilst I realize that we are all busy, I have found that receiving timely communications from the school and the PTO actually makes my life easier because I know exactly where to go when I need information. The main sources are the VFMS Morning Announcements, the Counselors' weekly email which comes out on a Friday afternoon and this Blast! Please visit the school's website or the VFMS PTO website for more details or contact your Counselor directly.
Thank you for supporting the VFMS PTO and our school community. Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Sarah Culbert
VFMS PTO President
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Winter Dance Chaperones Needed
Winter Dance Chaperones Needed - December 19th We are seeking 3 - 4 of our VFMS parents to chaperone the upcoming Winter Dance that will be held at VFMS on Friday, December 19th from 7:30 - 9:30. Your role will be to assist Mr. Gibson with monitoring hallways around the dance and looking out for the well-being of the attendees. (You will not have to interact with your children - we promise!) Please contact Frani Aufiero as soon as possible, to volunteer! Further details will be provided to chaperones the week of the dance.
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VFMS Parents' Network
Dear VFMS parents! 
Please join us for "White elephant" Game and Brunch at Taste of Britain on December 9 at 11 AM!
(Taste of Britain is located in West Eagle Village Shops, Eagle Village Shops, 503 W Lancaster Ave, Wayne, PA 19087)
BRING WRAPPED GIFT for about $10 to PLAY the game!
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Upcoming ARCH Events
ARCH offers two programs for parents...  JUST TALK ABOUT IT Thursday, December 10, 2015 (7-9pm) ARCH, along with Conestoga High School, invites parents and teens to join Minding Your Mind in a discussion on mental health education. Topics addressed will include anxiety, depression, self-harm, substance abuse, and the difference between positive and negative coping mechanisms. All Conestoga juniors and seniors will attend this presentation in an assembly on December 10 during the school day. The evening presentation is open to all parents. Teens are encouraged to attend as well. Full info here. PARENTING IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA Monday, December 14, 2015 (morning and evening presentations)
ARCH invites parents to a Screening of Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens, followed by strategies for navigating this topic with children; the digital citizenship curriculum in T/E and Q&A. Full info here .
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Upcoming Parent Events
Mark your calendars!!
B.U.I.L.D* PARENT support GROUP Presents:
Tuesday Night, November 17: "How's Your Child/Teen Doing with Making Friends this School Year? Ideas and Suggestions on Improving Social Skills".
-Speaker: Tara Trievel, M.Ed., Owner, 2 Be Social in Malvern. Former teacher at The Concept School in Westtown, PA.
At VFMS Audion, 7:00 -8:30 pm.
Thursday Night, December 3: Parent Night Out at 30 Main Restaurant, 660 Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn, PA.
-Come out for a bite to eat and relax with fellow parents before the Holidays! 6:30 -8:30 pm.
*B.U.I.L.D. (Better Understanding of Individuals with Learning Differences) is a local support group in T/E
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Flite Tributes
Thinking about teacher gifts for the holidays? Consider a FLITE Staff Tribute! Tributes can be made online at
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T&E Care Holiday Drive 
T&E Care would like to say a huge thank you to all the families that donated items to the holiday drive at VFMS. We collected about 15 blankets, 15 packages of socks, almost 50 hats and almost 100 pairs of gloves. These will help a lot of families. If anyone still wants to help out, please go to the T&E Care website and you can sign up to purchase something for another family through the Holiday Drive going on until 12/5. Thanks again,
Karen Ridder and Rita Gosnear
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Beautification Collaboration Project with Penn Charter Friends School
Randy Granger and his design class at Penn Charter are in the process of creating a proposal to enhance the covered pick up structure and area at Valley Forge Mid dle with easily-maintained sculpture, decoration and/or plantings.
The Beautification Project, chaired by Gerry Morgan and Kristin Courtney, with support and funding from the PTO, and guidance and support from Dr. Hickey have been working with Randy Granger since last year on this exciting collaborative project. Dr. Hickey will be spearheading VFMS's student and staff involvement in this creative and collaborative project.
The project will be implemented in phases due to financial constraints. Our budget for the first phase is $2,000. If you would like to provide financial support for this exciting project please see the VFMS website for more information.
If you would like to get involved with the project directly please contact either Gerry Morgan (610 304 5624),
or Kristin Courtney (610 220 1251).
Let's work together to make a difference . . . and to support our students learning about stewardship of their own environment!!!!
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| THIS WEEK AT VFMS |
Tues, Nov 24th:
1/2 day for Grades 1-8
Wed-Mon, Nov 25th-30th: No school
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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| PTO Board Meetings |
Please be advised that we have changed our meetings to the t
hird Tuesday of every month. Meetings are
held in the conference room in the main office at 12 noon and all are welcome to attend. We do not meet in December, so our next meeting will be Tuesday January 19th 2016.
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GRATITUDE CORNER
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Thank you to everyone who came out to support Valley Forge Middle School at the Barnes & Noble
Bookfair! A big thank you also goes out to all of the teachers that provided book suggestions and wish lists, and to the PTO members who helped get everything organized. Happy reading!!!!
To the VFMS PTO Many, many thanks for your wonderful help with and contributions to 5th Grade Math Night! The event was a tremendous success, and we have much to thank you for! The snacks were a great part of the evening. We, as staff members, are so fortunate to always be able to count on the support of the PTO! Thanks again! Susan Smith and Susan Crocker Especial thanks go to the 5th Grade parents who organized the snacks and helped to man the snack table during the evening - Stacey Pellegrini, Carole Wittschieben, Sukie Carpenter.
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FLITE AND WHOLE FOODS TEAMING UP
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FLITE is Whole Foods Nickels for Non-profit beneficiary from September 28th through January 17th. Whole Foods in Devon will donate a nickel for every reusable bag. This is a wonderful and easy fundraiser for FLITE. Click here for full details and how to help!
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Shop Amazon/Help PTO
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There is nothing you can't find on Amazon and we know many of you use this site frequently.
But, did you know that by making a slight adjustment to the way you access their website, you could be benefiting the VFMS PTO?
When you shop at AmazonSmile (www.smile.amazon.com), rather than the regular Amazon site, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Valley Forge Middle School Parent Teacher Organization. Bookmark the link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-2936863 and support us every time you shop.
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| 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 NOON the preceding Friday afternoon. Blast will go out each Sunday afternoon.
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