Summertime has arrived!

Before we all head in different directions, let's take time to celebrate a great school year at Mount View Middle School.  

We've maintained traditions of excellence: MSA success, Honor Roll and PRIDE recognition, authentic student service learning, PTA partnership, communication through Teacher Ease and our website(s), successful performing arts programs, student leadership through SGA, Spirit Team, and Student Ambassadors, GT seminars and research projects, Bioeyes,  and a culture of achievement and caring.

We've initiated some new programs that we hope will become new traditions to promote student engagement and excellence at MVMS.  This year our Band commissioned a musical piece that they performed with mastery and the Band/Orchestra groups took their first New York City trip.  We launched interactive learning in classes that used the MOODLE for student homework, quizzes, and discussions.  We signed a partnership with Turf Valley, who hosted a wonderful family dinner night for us.  We've begun the Green School application and the students are promoting strong recycling efforts and planning for an Outdoor Classroom.  We received Healthy School recognition.  Registration for the pilot program Advanced Inquiry and Innovation boasts over 200 students who will participate in engineering design, environmental science, civic literacy, and media technologies.

With best wishes we send off our retirees to their new endeavors, along with well-deserved rest and relaxation: Harriet Gaskins, Media Assistant; Carolyn Young, Reading Teacher; Sandy Thompson, Special Education Teacher; Debbie Klein, Counselor; Art Lyons, Math Teacher.  Christina Garner and Alex Peck will be headed to school to further their own career education, and Ellen Taddeo is transferring to elementary school; Kay Peck will move from Special Education Paraeducator to Media Assistant.   Andrea Aldrich and Kristin McKenney plan to spend time at home with their children.  Join us in welcoming some new faces: Kristen Strickler, World Language Teacher and Debbie Finley, Media Specialist.  We'll keep you posted as other positions are filled.

One final change will be in our Administrative Team.  Debbie O'Byrne will be moving to Glenwood Middle School as Assistant Principal.  Her caring leadership will be a gift to her new school community.  Linda Monti is coming to us.  She has many years of experience as Assistant Principal at Murray Hill Middle School.  She is excited to meet our school community and she is ready to SOARRR with us!

Summer is a time to refresh.  On behalf of the MVMS staff, I want to encourage you all to spend time with family.  Relax and refresh.  Use the summer days to encourage authentic learning opportunities: reading a good book, even try an electronic book; calculating a summer budget with daily groceries and special "field trips"; visiting museums or cultural arts performances; experimenting with a new effort to preserve the environment or try a healthy recipe; creating an artistic sand castle; playing a new sport with the whole family; using the internet safely and wisely to keep in touch with friends; keeping a journal and capturing memories in pictures and artwork.  Think about what excites you and find a way to spend time doing that so that you can return to school with new energy and enthusiasm.