February 1, 2019

CONGRATS to our students for making overall growth on their Winter MAP test!!  We have improved and shown growth in EVERY grade level and EVERY subject!  This is awesome news!

Teachers are reviewing individual scores with their students AND we just wanted to share the awesome academic growth!  Want to know how to read scores, understand what they mean, and how your Viking is projected to do on the CAASPP test?  Take a look at this Parent Guide to Understanding Map!

We continue to remind students DAILY of our easy to follow school rules, remind them to keep their hands to themselves, and to be kind.  We do appreciate the reinforcement at home as well!  

We continue to struggle with social skills with many of our students still.  Things like poking someone to get their attention, calling them names to get their attention and throwing things at them to get there attention are ALL behaviors that we see DAILY that we are trying to change.  It's something that has been a HUGE challenge this year.  Please help us reiterate how to be a friend, how to be respectful, and how to follow our school rules!  

Need some conversation starters or ideas?  Check out THIS WEBSITE from Parenttoolkit.com for all sorts of ideas!

Every day, over our loud speakers, we make lots of announcements to our students.  These include: events coming up, clubs to join, sports activities, grading windows, and more.  PLEASE make sure that you all, at home, bookmark this page HERE so that YOU don't miss out on what's happening at GVMS!  We have a LOT of exciting activities coming up that you won't want your student (or YOU!) to miss out on!

The SPRING FLING IS COMING!!  We are gearing up for our 4th Annual Spring Fling at GV Cellars on Saturday, April 28 from 4-8 PM and WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Do you have connections for tickets to sporting events, time shares, winery tours, limo tours, etc?   Click HERE to see if you can donate! 

Please reach out to your connections and help us make this year's event even more fun and successful than last year's (that may be hard as last year was a TON of fun!).  More details, donation letters, and Sign Up Genius links will be sent at the beginning of February!  You DON'T want to miss this!

Tickets are on SALE NOW for $25.00 in the main office and ARE ON LINE!

Dessert Donation Sign Up: Click HERE

Auction Donation Sign Up: Click HERE

We are SO excited that Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club is signed up for Amazon Smile, where a portion of purchases comes back DIRECTLY to GVMS!  As you are doing your shopping on Amazon, remember to log into Amazon Smile and click Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club to help support GVMS!  Thank you!!

*CHECK OUT OUR PROJECTS!!*  THERE ARE MANY of THEM!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  NEW PROJECTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!!

January 25, 2019

Any parent/guardian/family member wonder why your sweet middle school student has turned into someone you may not always recognize?  There are real and scientific reasons, so don't panic and there is good news.  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE from Parent Tool Kit on what's going on in their brains, how it WILL get better and ways that you can support them through this transition!

Have you ever uttered the words to your tween/teen, "you just put so much pressure on yourself"?  Honestly, many young adults today are more burned out and stressed by the pressure that others put on them, including parents.  How can that be, you ask.....Well, take a look at THIS ARTICLE to see what's going on and ways that you can support without adding pressure to your Viking!

Every day, over our loud speakers, we make lots of announcements to our students.  These include: events coming up, clubs to join, sports activities, grading windows, and more.  PLEASE make sure that you all, at home, bookmark this page HERE so that YOU don't miss out on what's happening at GVMS!  We have a LOT of exciting activities coming up that you won't want your student (or YOU!) to miss out on!

The SPRING FLING IS COMING!!  We are gearing up for our 4th Annual Spring Fling at GV Cellars on Saturday, April 28 from 4-8 PM and WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Do you have connections for tickets to sporting events, time shares, winery tours, limo tours, etc?  Tickets will be on sale FEBRUARY 1st for $25.00 and the Sign Up Genius has gone out!  Click HERE to see if you can donate! Please reach out to your connections and help us make this year's event even more fun and successful than last year's (that may be hard as last year was a TON of fun!).  More details, donation letters, and Sign Up Genius links will be sent at the beginning of February!  You DON'T want to miss this!

Tickets are on SALE NOW for $25.00 in the main office and will be available through PayPal by February 1!  

Dessert Donation: Click HERE

Auction Donation: Click HERE

We are SO excited that Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club is signed up for Amazon Smile, where a portion of purchases comes back DIRECTLY to GVMS!  As you are doing your shopping on Amazon, remember to log into Amazon Smile and click Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club to help support GVMS!  Thank you!!

*CHECK OUT OUR PROJECTS!!*  THERE ARE MANY of THEM!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  NEW PROJECTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!!

January 18, 2019

Please take a moment to watch this video from Kid President, one of our favorites.  He is a great speaker and we love to watch his videos!

I have sent this article out before and it is totally worth sending out again.  It's a great reminder to really sit down and discuss social media with your tween/teen.  Reading THIS ARTICLE was truly an Ah-ha moment for me, as a parent.  We STILL come in contact with parents that didn't realize that their child had an Instagram/Snap Chat/Twitter account.  One that is fake and one that is real.  MOST tweens and teens don't just use their phones for social media: once you take a phone away at night, some just pull another to get back on.  Take some time to read this.  It's worth it, I promise.  

As we start the last semester of this school year, we want to remind all parents and students that this is a fresh start.  Parents, please stay on top of your student by monitoring Parent Portal, downloading the "Grades" app, signing up for Remind texts from the teachers that use it, asking to be connected to Google Classroom and checking out teacher websites.  Please ASK your Viking to show you what they are working on.  Please, oh please, don't wait until May to see what they are missing or what their grades are.  Need help with any of the tech tools we use?  PLEASE reach out to our office at 707-646-7000, email your Viking's teacher directly, check out our website here, or email us!

The SPRING FLING IS COMING!!  We are gearing up for our 4th Annual Spring Fling at GV Cellars on Saturday, April 28 from 4-8 PM and WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Do you have connections for tickets to sporting events, time shares, winery tours, limo tours, etc?  Tickets will be on sale FEBRUARY 1st for $25.00 and the Sign Up Genius has gone out!  Click HERE to see if you can donate! Please reach out to your connections and help us make this year's event even more fun and successful than last year's (that may be hard as last year was a TON of fun!).  More details, donation letters, and Sign Up Genius links will be sent at the beginning of February!  You DON'T want to miss this!

Tickets are on SALE NOW for $25.00 in the main office and will be available through PayPal by February 1!  

Dessert Donation: Click HERE

Auction Donation: Click HERE

HAVE YOU HEARD?  We are SO excited that our own Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club is signed up for Amazon Smile, where a portion of purchases comes back DIRECTLY to GVMS!  As you are doing your shopping on Amazon, remember to log into Amazon Smile and click Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club to help support GVMS!  Thank you!!

*CHECK OUT OUR PROJECTS!!*  THERE ARE MANY of THEM!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  

January 11, 2019

As we start the last semester of this school year, we want to remind all parents and students that this is a fresh start for permanent grades.  Parents, PLEASE stay on top of your student by monitoring Parent Portal, downloading the Aeries app for iPhone and Android, signing up for Remind texts from the teachers that use it, asking to be connected to Google Classroom and checking out teacher websites.  PLEASE ASK your Viking to show you what they are working on.  Please, oh please, don't wait until JUNE to see what they are missing or what their grades are.  

Need help with any of the tech tools we use?  PLEASE reach out to our office at 707-646-7000, email your Viking's teacher directly, or check out our website here!

We know that all parents want what's best for our children and that includes raising a good digital human.  Many of our students feel that they are "invincible" behind the screen of their phones and do not truly realize that everything they put out on any form of social media is part of their digital footprint.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  So how do we, as adults still navigating our own way through this digital time, support and teach our students to be very aware that what they throw out there has a LASTING effect?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE for ways to work with your Viking!

The SPRING FLING IS COMING!!  We are gearing up for our 5th Annual Spring Fling at GV Cellars on Saturday, April 27th from 4-8 PM and WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Do you have connections for tickets to sporting events, time shares, winery tours, limo tours, etc?  Please reach out to your connections and help us make this year's event even more fun and successful than last year's (that may be hard as last year was a TON of fun!).  Tickets are ON SALE starting February 1, 2019, donation letters are HERE and have been emailed, and Sign Up Genius links ARE LIVE!  

Please click HERE to help with our Dessert Auction!  

Please click HERE for our Donation Auction!

You DON'T want to miss this!

December 19, 2018

Happy Holidays from our GVMS family to yours!

We, at GVMS, want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday.  We appreciate your communication, diligence in working with our Viking students and being a part of this journey in middle school. 

We also want to send out a special thanks to all of our volunteers including our WATCH DOGS, GVMS PTC, Auction Committee and Book Fair Committee for all of the volunteer time, energy, efforts, and support!  We are SO grateful and thankful for your involvement in our school!  

Thank you to ALL of our families for the support that they give to our students, teachers and our staff.  Please be sure that you are checking Parent Portal as many electives are changing for the Spring Semester.  

We will be enjoying the holidays with friends and family so all emails will be returned when we come back to GVMS on January 7, 2019!

Have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!

2018-2019 GVMS Staff

December 14, 2018

Many parents have expressed frustration, in meetings we have had, as to why their tween/teen is pushing them away and how to deal with it.  Take a look at THIS SITE, which has amazing resources in addition to what is going on with their tween/teen.  This site gives great ideas including 5 strategies to strengthen your relationship with your teen during this time!.

While you know that selling and having tobacco products under the age of 18 are illegal, there are places that sell them to kids, even right in our community.  
Most adults can't recall what a Juul looks like or ever having tried one themselves, however, most teenagers can tell you what they look like, the best ones to have, and where to get them.  Juuling and vaping are on the rise among teenagers and it's something that all parents need to be aware of.  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE to see the harmful effects, what to look for, and the difference between Juuling and vaping.

Grades....ahhhhh.....a subject we talk about with our students on a DAILY basis.  FINAL grades will be done December 20, which means ALL assignments MUST be turned in and these grades go on our students' transcripts.  No work will be accepted after December 18.

We continue to struggle with turning in assignments, though students are given multiple opportunities during class, tutorial, before/after school (depending on availability), free tutoring in our library, and more.  PLEASE check your student grades HERE and if you need the codes, please call our office!  We would love to help!  

It's that time of year again when we, at GVMS, do our best to support those in need!  We are currently collecting new toys for our Toy Drive with Officer Holecek and his Toys for Tots Drive!  Thank you for all of your generosity as we help those that are in need!

HAVE YOU HEARD?  We are SO excited that our own Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club is signed up for Amazon Smile, where a portion of purchases comes back DIRECTLY to GVMS!  As you are doing your Christmas shopping on Amazon, remember to log into Amazon Smile and click Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club to help support GVMS!  Thank you!!

Wow.  We have NEVER seen so many requests for short term Independent Study (IS) as we have this school year.  It is SO very important for our students to be in school, even if they get the work from their teacher.  The instruction that they loose is way too valuable.  PLEASE, parents and guardians, remember the policies for IS as outlined in our student agenda, webpage, and welcome pamphlet:

• GVMS must be given at least 5 school days advance notice prior to the request
• IS must be at least 5 school days missed or more (weekends and holidays don't count)
• IS will not be granted the first two weeks and the last two weeks of school
• Please let us know if your student has an IEP as we must hold an additional meeting
• All assignments are due the day that the student returns
• IS may not be granted leading up to a long holiday week break (Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break)

If you didn't purchase your yearbook at the beginning of the school year, it can NOW be purchased online!  AWESOME!  Click HERE to order and enter the code 7927!  Yearbooks will arrive sometime at the end of May, 2019!

*UPDATED WITH ALL NEW PROJECTS!!*

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  NEW PROJECTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!!

December 7, 2018

Grades....ahhhhh.....a subject we talk about with our students on a DAILY basis.  FINAL grades will be done December 20, which means ALL assignments MUST be turned in and these grades go on our students' transcripts.  No work will be accepted after December 19.

We continue to struggle with turning in assignments, though students are given multiple opportunities during class, tutorial, before/after school (depending on availability), free tutoring in our library, and more.  PLEASE check your student grades HERE and if you need the codes, please call our office!  We would love to help!  

The holiday season can bring a time of great joy and happiness!  It can, however, be a time that causes great stress and depression for many.  
Teen depression is a major concern in our society AND at Green Valley Middle School.  We have noticed, over the last few weeks, more and more students coming to school and changes in their behavior.
Issues with peer pressure, social media, access to information, academics, and more can seriously over power how they feel.  What are the signs that you, as a parent, should look for?  What is "normal" and what isn't?  At what point should medical professionals be included in concerns?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE (though there are MANY other reputable ones as well) to see what signs to look for!  Please be on the lookout and notify us if there is something we need to know or help with!

Wow.  We have NEVER seen so many requests for short term Independent Study (IS) as we have this school year.  It is SO very important for our students to be in school, even if they get the work from their teacher.  The instruction that they loose is way too valuable.  PLEASE, parents and guardians, remember the policies for IS as outlined in our student agenda, webpage, and welcome pamphlet:

• GVMS must be given at least 5 school days advance notice prior to the request
• IS must be at least 5 school days missed or more (weekends and holidays don't count)
• IS will not be granted the first two weeks and the last two weeks of school
• Please let us know if your student has an IEP as we must hold an additional meeting
• All assignments are due the day that the student returns
• IS may not be granted leading up to a long holiday week break (Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break)

It's that time of year again when we, at GVMS, do our best to support those in need!  We are currently collecting new toys for our Toy Drive with Officer Holecek and his Toys for Tots Drive!  Thank you for all of your generosity as we help those that are in need!

HAVE YOU HEARD?  We are SO excited that our own Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club is signed up for Amazon Smile, where a portion of purchases comes back DIRECTLY to GVMS!  As you are doing your Christmas shopping on Amazon, remember to log into Amazon Smile and click Green Valley Parent-Teacher Club to help support GVMS!  Thank you!!

*UPDATED WITH ALL NEW PROJECTS!!*

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  NEW PROJECTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!!