This is going to be my third start to a school year at MVMS. I believe that it takes a unique and talented group of educators to work with middle school students. Some people also say you have to be a little bit crazy. And I think that is true too! Middle school educators have to be as fun and energetic, and sometimes goofy, just like our students. That perfectly describes my team of educators here at MVMS. I truly understand how important the start of each school year is for your student and here at MVMS we make it a priority to ensure your students are supported from the very first day and welcomed to a safe, respectful, and exciting learning environment. This is even more important given the circumstances created by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Having an open house has been a long-standing tradition and has been our way of welcoming students and parents back-to-school for another exciting year. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 the district is canceling in-person open house activities as a part of our risk management strategy. We understand this creates a challenge for our students and parents, especially our incoming 6th graders, as there will not be an opportunity for you to tour our building to find your classrooms and meet the teachers before the first day of school. In order to help ease students into the new year, as students arrive on the first day of school all of our staff members will be greeting students as they arrive and guiding them to their first period classes and will have copies of their student's schedules if they need them.
After arriving to first period, students will watch a "Welcome Back" video. Each year we look forward to our MVMS Back-to-School Celebration assembly. Due to COVID-19, we will not be hosting our celebration as a whole school assembly. Instead, we are conducting virtual kickoff events in the mornings on the first two days of in-person instruction for students to be welcomed back by administrators and support staff. During this time students hear about our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) program, building expectations, as well as the procedures of how we are mitigating the risk of COVID-19 within our building.
Our teachers are purposefully planning the first few days of school to be as welcoming and informative as possible while keeping them fun and exciting. They too are excited to have your students back in class and understand the challenges students face not having an open house. Each team is designing activities in their classrooms to welcome students back, help the students get to know their new classmates and go over team expectations. For the first few days, teachers and support staff will be in the hallways during class changes to assist students in locating their next class.
Go Jackets,
Darin Prince
Middle School Principal