District Profile
About the Schools - Middle School

Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School (Grades 5-8)
3 Glen Place
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
Phone: (914) 271-2191
Fax: (914) 271-6618
Website: http://www.croton-harmonschools.org/PVCWeb/pvchome.html

Organized into academic teams and heterogeneously grouped, Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School offers an interdisciplinary education in a caring environment. Because the school is small, teachers and students know each other, and a supportive family atmosphere prevails.

Each grade-level team, consisting of teachers of social studies, English, science, math and special education, meets daily to plan together and share student progress. A reading specialist, guidance counselor and other support personnel consult, as needed, with the teams to address parental, student or teacher concerns. Other staff support includes a student assistance counselor, school psychologist and speech/language therapist. Individual needs are met through differentiated instruction within the classroom.

The PVC Artist-in-Residence program brings different artists to the school during each quarter. This collaborative creation is the result of the work of our sixth graders who worked with an artist to make their own paper as the Egyptians did and use the paper to paint in the style of the period.

The interdisciplinary approach is evident in units focused on the environment and the Civil War. Students read books, do research on the Internet, create art projects, produce charts and graphs, and prepare written reports and oral presentations.

In addition to the usual courses, PVC students can take French or Spanish in seventh and eighth grades and Course 1 Math in eighth grade. Both of these courses can lead to one year of High School credit. Art, music, chorus, band, physical education and home skills are also part of the curriculum. A special program, ACES (Academics, Citizenship and Effort) recognizes students for their efforts in these areas.

As an instructional tool, technology is an important component of PVC. Students have access to 24 Macintoshes in a computer lab, as well as computers in each classroom. The computers are networked and students regularly search the Internet for information. They also use computers for word processing, desktop publishing, databases and multimedia presentations. Classes use technology in various ways. For example, the eighth-grade language arts classes create digital portfolios and correspond with e-mail pen pals in other countries. A separate Technology course emphasizes the making of commercials and editing of videotapes using computers.

Creativity is encouraged in all middle school art students.

Field trips extend the learning experiences of PVC students - to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness a launch, to get steeped in history at West Point or to continue environmental studies at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Authors and artists from the community regularly share their expertise with the students.

PVC youngsters can choose from a wide variety of after-school activities: 16 interscholastic athletic teams, intramural teams, yearbook, Academic Triathlon, Odyssey of the Mind, Drama Club, literary magazine, spring musical and Student Council, which is involved in food drives, fundraising activities and dances.

Parents and community members are integral to the school's success. At the Building Planning Council parents, teachers and students meet on a regular basis to review different programs. The PTA sponsors pizza and deli days, and provides numerous enrichment activities. A Literacy Committee, consisting of teachers, parents and students, sponsors spelling bees and family book discussion nights to keep literacy in the forefront. And in an effort to keep communication lines open, the principal holds evening office hours for parents.

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