DRAGONBITES
Welsh Valley Middle School
Home and School Association
Weekly Newsletter
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
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Monday, October 7 - ISC School Board Candidates Forum 7 pm, LMHS LGI
Thursday, October 10 - Flu Vaccines administered at WV
- Parent/Teacher Conferences 6-8 pm
Friday, October 11 - Family Spaghetti Dinner Night has been Rescheduled for 1/10/14
Thursday, October 17 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 6-8 pm
Tuesday, October 29 Thursday, October 31 - Early Dismissal 11:55 am, No lunch served
- Staff Development Day
Monday, November 4 Tuesday, November 5 - No School for Students (Election Day)
- Staff Development Day
Wednesday, November 6 Thursday, November 7 Friday, November 8 |
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This Week's FORUM
This week was our second FORUM lesson and took place on Wednesday, 10/2! Below is the description of the activity all students and staff participated in this week. Our three administrators were even presenting their bag on the morning announcements!
Bring Yourself in a Bag Activity
Select 3-4 objects that symbolize and relate to areas of your life (you need a different object for each category) that you wish to share with FORUM. Put all of the objects in a bag (the bag may be meaningful as well) and be prepared to show the objects and discuss their significance, specifically detailing information about your life and experiences. All objects need to be school appropriate and need to "fit" into a reasonably sized bag - so get creative!
Bag Restriction:
You may use one "kind" of object only once. For example, if you decide to reveal information about a category by using a photograph, you may not use a photograph to reveal information about another category (even if the photographs are different).
The benefits of this lesson are:
- When we share personal information, it humanizes us and makes us less likely to treat each other poorly.
- It is interesting to learn about each other and not only allow everyone's personal culture and interests to enter our rooms, but we are intentionally creating a forum to do just that.
Please talk to your student about their FORUM experience this week and thank you for your support from home!
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HSA Needs Your Help
The HSA is looking for 1 Co-Vice President to join the Welsh Valley HSA Board. If you are interested, please contact Nanette Taraya-Vonk at ntarayavonk@comcast.net . We also have various school events that need volunteers. Please go to www.SignUpGenius.Com to signup to help. We are looking for a Welsh Valley representative for the Committee for Special Education (CSE) which is a parent-led volunteer organization serving families of children with IEPs, GIEPs, and/or 504 Service Agreements in Lower Merion School District.
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Flu Vaccine for Students at WVMS - Thurs., 10/10, Consent forms due Today, 10/3
The LMSD Health Services team is pleased to announce that the influenza (flu) vaccine program will again be offered this fall to students in grades K-12. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Lower Merion School District support influenza immunization programs as they offer parents/guardians a convenient opportunity to immunize their children against a disease that can cause significant illness and complications. Immunization of school-aged children is a significant factor in limiting influenza outbreaks in a community.
The PA Department of Health has provided us with injectable (inactivated) influenza vaccine and FluMist (intranasal weakened live vaccine) enabling us to offer vaccination free of charge. Injectable vaccine is generally suitable for administration to all children however FluMist may only be administered to children with no underlying health issues such as asthma, diabetes etc. Please read the information carefully to determine which form of vaccine (injectable or mist) is appropriate for your child.
If you want your child to receive the vaccine, please read the attached influenza fact sheets (Inactivated and Intranasal) and complete the consent form. Consent forms should be returned to the school nurse at your child's school one week prior to the day of administration.
For more information on Influenza please refer to The Flu: A Guide for Parents, a fact sheet from the CDC.
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Spaghetti Dinner - Postponed to Fri., 1/10/14
Attention All Families - Welsh Valley's Back To School Spaghetti Dinner is rescheduled for Friday, January 10, 2014, 6-8pm.
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Welsh Valley Musical
Mrs. Vaughan and Mrs. Hunt are pleased to announce this year's musical. This year, the musical will be Once on this Island Jr. Please go to Mrs. Vaughan's eBoard for a synopsis of the show and information on auditions. There will be drama club after school on Fridays until 4:15 pm in Mrs. Vaughan's room. Link to Mrs. Vaughan's e-board
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Parents of 7th or 8th grade Chorus and Advanced Chorus Students:
As stated in the June Dragonbites, 7th and 8th grade students who are in chorus this year will need to purchase a chorus shirt. These shirts are $25. The money for their shirt is due Oct. 4th. Students are bringing home envelopes with their names on it. You may put cash or a check made out to Welsh Valley Middle School. Students will not need to purchase a shirt if they have a sibling, neighbor, or friend who has given them one that says either Welsh Valley Advanced Chorus OR Welsh Valley Chorus (even if they are not in that particular ensemble). Since chorus is an elective/performanced-based class these shirts are similar to purchasing classroom materials or equipment/special sneakers for a sport. In addition, these shirts make students look professional, appropriate, and uniform while they perform on stage. Students will be performing in these shirts 3 or more times this year. 6th Grade students may wear a white dress shirt, black pants/black shirt with black stockings or tights, and black shoes to their concert. Thank you for your support! Mrs. Vaughan
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Head Lice Information from the School Nurses
With the exception of the common cold, head lice (pediculosis) affect more school-aged children than all other communicable diseases combined. While head lice most commonly affect children from the ages of three to eleven, older children returning from overnight camps or those with younger siblings can also be at risk. Head lice are human parasites and cannot live on animals or family pets. Head lice can be spread wherever there is direct (head to head) contact with an infected person or indirect contact such as the sharing of personal articles like hats, towels, coats and jackets, brushes, helmets, hair ties, pillows, etc. Head lice can't jump or fly. While they are repulsive to most people and can cause intense itching and irritation, they do not pose a health threat. Excellent information about head lice including prevention, diagnosis and treatment methods can be obtained through the following link for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (click here).
It is helpful for parents/guardians to check their child's head on a routine basis during the school year. If your child has head lice, please contact your health care provider for treatment recommendations. There are various treatment options for head lice including over the counter and prescription treatments. Please notify the school nurse if your child has been treated for head lice. The school nurse will check your child's head before returning to the classroom. This will be done confidentially and, you are invited to be present. If a child is found to have head lice while in school, the parent/guardian will be contacted so that arrangements can be made for appropriate treatment. Your child can return to school after appropriate treatment. Consistent with CDC & Pa. Department of Health recommendations on head lice management in schools, LMSD does not support a "no nit" policy. However, it is important to remove nits following treatment because the nits (eggs) can hatch and become viable lice.
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Running Rams Girls Basketball Clinics
Basketball season is right around the corner. The Running Rams Girls basketball clinics are open to any girl at Welsh Valley who wants to be a better player. Clinics are run by Welsh Valley coaches, with assistance from former Welsh Valley Girls basketball players and current high school basketball players. Clinics are Wednesday night from 6-7pm at Welsh Valley. Students should see Mr. Gari in D104 for more information or click here for more details .
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Dragon Pride Student Commendations
We are pleased to recognize our Dragon Pride Commendation award winners. The following students were recognized by our staff for demonstrating Random Acts of Kindness or Contributing to the Welsh Valley Community. We encourage all students to do the right thing for the sake of it being the right thing to do. We want to recognize students for good deeds, sometimes with a smile or thank you, other times with a commendation. But our overall goal is for our staff with the commendation program is to acknowledge students for doing the right thing in the most genuine sense. The Character and Citizenship Committee and WVMS faculty would like to thank these students for helping make Welsh Valley a better place.
Congratulations to the following students for receiving a "DRAGON PRIDE" commendation for the week of September 23rd:
8th GRADE
Hannah Goldman commended by Mr. Kagen
John-Paul Paternoster commended by Mr. Gressel
7th GRADE
Carlo Stuccio commended by Mrs. Quinn
Emily Hersh commended by Ms. Dubashi
Siobhan Daley-Gibson commended by Ms. Dubashi
6th GRADE
Presley Daggett commended by Mr. Harrison
Blake Rayfield commended by Mrs. Hecht
Yusef Shah commended by Mr. Delia
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Welsh Valley Athletics - Go Dragons
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Fall Sports - 7th & 8th Grade
Did you know that there is FINALLY a WV cross country team?? Any 7th and 8th grade students who wish to participate in Cross Country must turn in a completed PIAA form to Mrs. Petty in the Main Office. PIAA forms are available in the main office. Practices are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays until 4:15pm. Please contact Mrs. Vaughan (vaughal@lmsd.org) for further questions.
Please review the Transportation Policy for home and away games and practices. Please contact Megan Kiczek, athletic director, if you have further questions.
Athletics Schedules
Welsh Valley Middle School uses DigitalSports.com to share all important information related to our athletic teams. http://wvdragons.digitalsports.com is where you can see all upcoming events, sign up to receive email alerts of any schedule changes, and access complete team schedules. For more information, visit the link above or see the documents linked below.
DigitalSports.com Guide
Athletic Director: Megan Kiczek KiczekM@lmsd.org
Link to WV Athletics
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Building Stronger Families Speaker Series
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Child Guidance Resource Centers in collaboration with Minding Your Mind is offering a 1-hour program:
How to Know When to Worry: Developmental Challenges, Birth-18 years.
To register, please email Education@cgrc.org
When: October 9th, 2013 5:30-6:30pm
Where: Child Guidance Resource Centers
2000 Old West Chester Pike Havertown, PA 19083
Click here to view flyer.
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ISC School Board Candidates Forum - Mon., 10/7, 7 pm, LMHS LGI
The Interschool Council will sponsor a nonpartisan forum featuring the four candidates running for election to the LMSD school board: Laurie Actman, Ben Driscoll, Melissa Gilbert and Maureen O'Leary. Join us on Monday, October 7th at 7 pm in the Lower Merion High School LGI to learn more about the candidates' views. The election will be held on Tuesday, November 5th. Click here to view the flyer.
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Interschool Council Meeting - Tues., 10/8, 9:30 am
Please join us for our next Interschool Council General Meeting on Tuesday, 10/8 at 9:30 a.m. at the District Administration Building (adjacent to Lower Merion HS) in Room 264. Our speaker will be Barbara Giorgio, Supervisor of Secondary Humanities for the district. Ms. Giorgio will focus her talk on the grades 6-12 writing program and how it dovetails with writing as it is taught in the elementary grades. Light refreshments will be provided. All parents and guardians are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
Please note that parking at the District Administrative Building (DAO) is limited. Once the "Visitor" spots adjacent to the building are gone, several other options include visitor spots behind LM High School (continue right out of first parking area and straight ahead - in first row are visitor spots), and then - if necessary - street parking where posted for up to two hours.
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Dr. McGinley's Presentation at ISC General Meeting
Dr. McGinley, Superintenent of LMSD, provided an update on a variety of current topics in the district at an Interschool Council (ISC) General Meeting on 9/17/13. Minutes from the meeting - including a copy of Dr. McGinley's presentation - can be viewed here in the ISC section of the LMSD website.
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C-MITES Weekend Workshops - Sat., 11/9
C-MITES is once again offering Weekend Workshops at Lower Merion High School this Fall. Classes include Marine Biology, Funky Science, Rockets - Action and Reaction, Chemistry Chaos, LEGO Pneumatics, Science of Harry Potter and Stellar Geometric Stellations.
These challenging, hands-on classes are designed for academically-talented students in grades K-8. Classes meet from 9am-noon or 1-4pm on Saturday, November 9th. Parent sessions will also be offered - The ABC's of Gifted Education and Social and Emotional Experiences of Gifted Students. For more information or to register online, visit http://www.cmu.edu/cmites/weekend_workshops.html. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and financial aid is available.
C-MITES (Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary Students), based at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, has offered challenging and fun classes for gifted students for more than 20 years. Link to Informational Post Card
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Lower Merion School Board
6/10/13 Revised Timeline Presentation - Continued Public Engagement for Expanded School Choice Proposal: information available on lmsd.org, click here.
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Main Line Girls Basketball Association (MLGBA) 2014 Season - Registration Open!
Online registration is now available for the upcoming season. For more details, click here.
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Parenting on the Main Line: Growing up together: How to foster independence
Mon., 10/21, 7 pm at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
Please join Dr. Zeitlin and Dr. Hitelman for a lively discussion to share your insights with other parents.
They will explore the many ways to remain connected to your teenagers as they become more independent and the importance of an evolving relationship as your teen transitions to young adult and leaves the home.
Parenting on the Main Line is an interfaith effort to provide parents with opportunities to discuss how to raise healthy, well-adjusted, ethically-grounded children on the Main Line. The program, now in its third year, was developed by Bryn Mawr Presbyterian and Main Line Reform with support from Lower Merion School District. For more information and event dates go to www.parentingonthemainline.com.
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"The Hills Are Alive" - Belmont Hills Library Fall Fundraiser, Sat., 11/9, 7:30-11 pm
Come enjoy great food, drinks and dancing and auction with great prizes. Tickets can be purchased at the Library for $30 ($35 at the door) or through the following link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/8414507017. If you have any questions, or wish to donate any food or auction items, please contact danjamie@hotmail.com. The event will take place at the Belmont Hills Fire Company, 4. S. Washington Avenue, Bala Cynwyd. Must be 21 or older to attend.
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RESOURCES: Contact information and links
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School Hours: 8:20 am - 3:05 pm
Early Dismissal: 8:20 am - 11:5 am Welsh Valley Administration
| MAIN OFFICE | | 610-658-3920 | | PRINCIPAL | Mr. Christopher Hall | | | ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS | Ms. Sarah Stout | | | | Mr. Scott Weinstein | | | COUNSELORS | | | | 6th Grade | Mr. Josh Gansky | | | 7th Grade | Mrs. Beth Cooke | | | 8th Grade | Mr. Boris Oden | | | SCHOOL NURSE | Kathy Bromley | | ABSENTEE, LATENESS &
ARRIVAL HOTLINE | | 610-658-3946 | | DAILY ACTIVITIES HOTLINE | | 610-658-3901 | | SCHOOL CLOSING NUMBER | | 302 | | WELSH VALLEY OFFICE | | | | Principal's Secretary | Mrs. Mary Ann Fusaro | | | Attendance | Mrs. Cheryl Campbell | | | Guidance | Mrs. Sherri Pitts | | | Athletics | Mrs. Kim Petty | | | Scheduling Secretary | Mrs. Lori Davies | | | TRANSPORTATION | | 610-645-1940 |
Reminder: WV is not permitted to issue bus passes to students. This is a transportation policy, which is written in the WV student handbook. Please know that this policy is in place for safety reasons and is in the best interest of all students. WVMS Home and School Association (HSA) 2013-14
Co-Presidents: Lynn Hertzfeld & Nanette Taraya-Vonk
Co-Vice President: Rebecca Segall
Co-Vice President: OPEN Secretary: Yaz Rosner
Co-Treasurers: Bill Cook & Aliza Remer
President Emeritus/Member at Large: Kiki McKendrick
Helpful Links
WELSH VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL:
DISTRICT INFORMATION:
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Listserv Information
Dragonbites is published every Thursday during the school year. New submissions should be emailed by noon on Tuesday to WVDragobites@gmail.com in order to be included in Thursday's email edition. Dragonbites is intended to publish news and announcements related to Welsh Valley Middle School and the Lower Merion School District. An Archive of past Dragonbites is available by using the link in the Resource section of this issue or go to the WV page of the LMSD website under Parents/HSA.
To unsubscribe to Dragonbites, click on the "SafeUnsubscribe" link below.
To update your information and/or to sign up for other HSA listservs, click on the "Update Profile/Email Address" link below.
To forward this email to another WV parent who may not be receiving our weekly newsletter, please click on the "Forward this email" link below.
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