The next PV Partners for Equity and Inclusion meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the library at Perkiomen Valley Middle School East. If you would like to review past presentations and meeting notes for the PV Partners group, please click here. 

Perkiomen Valley School District residents are invited to provide feedback at upcoming Community Facilities Committee meetings being planned for Wednesday, Nov. 28, and Tuesday, Dec. 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. These meetings are being held to determine how the district can best address South Elementary School's facility needs while keeping an eye toward key points, such as providing a safe learning environment, providing equity of experience for all students, and maintaining respect for the sense of community that exists at South. Be advised that participants will be invited to work in small groups to identify the educational values we want to uphold, and how the various options presented reflect those values. Any district resident may attend - you do not need to have filled out the previous survey we posted to participate. If you would like additional information about what is being considered, please click here. 

Please save the date for our upcoming Family Literacy Night, which will be held on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria and library of Perkiomen Valley Middle School East. All K-5 parents and currently enrolled K-5 students are invited to participate in this event, which will feature a super hero theme and include activities such as “celebrity” book readings, literacy games, reading to a therapy dog, and a raffle to win a literacy-themed basket.

If you attend, please bring a gently used book along so that children can participate in a book swap. The idea is that every child will leave the event with another book of their choice.

PV faculty and staff will facilitate the activities and discussion. Please RSVP by Nov. 26 so that we can properly staff this event: https://goo.gl/forms/Bkiilo2EFssgosTC3

American Education Week will be celebrated Nov. 12-16. The week is a celebration of public education and the people who contribute to our students' success. We will mark the occasion with Parent Visitation Day on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Parents/guardians may visit between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the elementary schools and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the middle schools and high school. Please note the following:

Looking to take your involvement with the district to the next level? Work at PVSD as a Substitute Aide! Submit your application as a Substitute Teacher Aide and spend your days providing meaningful service to students and staff in our schools. Although regular availability is preferred, this job provides significant scheduling flexibility from week to week. Apply now online or contact Susan Angel (sangel@pvsd.org) with questions.

A draft of Perkiomen Valley School District's comprehensive plan was approved at the Oct. 1 School Board work session, and has been posted for public review online. Hard copies of the draft will also be available at the District Office (3 Iron Bridge Drive), all schools, as well as at the Perkiomen Valley Library. Should you have comments to share about the draft plan, please submit them to Laurie Smith, Assistant to the Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction. Following this period of public review, the plan will be voted on again by the School Board in November and then submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For more information about the comprehensive planning process, please click here.

Do you have a child who will be entering kindergarten within the next year or two? Sign up to begin receiving our GETSET4K texts. Texts arrive three times a week and are filled with information and tips to help prepare your child for kindergarten. Go to https://goo.gl/forms/bOMahyt0mQ0xjc873 to sign up.

As you and your children begin the 2018-19 school year, we wanted to share some information about various items that are new for this year and some reminders for the fall. Please read on for details:

TEXTING: This year, we will begin using the texting feature of our communications system to delivery timely and important information to you. Texts will be sent to any phone number associated with your student in our student information system. The text will come from a “short code” such as 23177, 63079 or 82932. When you receive a message from one of these codes, you may want to create a new contact and name it “PVSD” so you know next time who the sender is. If you do not want to receive texts, there will be instructions following our texts that allow you to opt out. Standard message and data rates will apply.

VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK: We have developed a Volunteer Handbook to assist anyone who would like to volunteer in knowing our expectations. The handbook helps to explain the differences between different types of volunteers and requirements for each. We invite you to review this handbook and other information on our website prior to volunteering.

ACTIVITY FEES: Student activity fees for grades 7-12 can be paid online through Home Access Center (HAC) this year. Once all team and activity/club rosters have been finalized by the coaches and sponsors, fees will be assigned to a student in HAC. Parents will be able to see a “Fees” tab upon logging into HAC. If no tab appears, it means that team/activity rosters are still being finalized. Please be patient as this is a new process and may take some time to fully implement. Continue to check back for updates.

BUSING INFORMATION: Please be sure to check HAC regularly to make sure you have accurate and up-to-date information about your child’s bus stop and number. Information is subject to change as the bus company continues adjusting routes to be the most efficient.

PUBLICITY REFUSAL FORM: This is a friendly reminder to complete a publicity refusal form if you do not want your child’s image used for publicity purposes. Please download the form from our website and send it to school with your child so that we may keep a record.

The Fall 2018 Community Ed brochure is now available online, and will be mailed to residents by the end of August. We hope you will check it out to learn more about our swimming programs, Behind-the-Wheel training, and new classes for children and adults such as Mixed Media Art, Knowing Your Strengths for Teens, and cardio and strength training. You can register online at https://perkiomen.revtrak.net/.