Putnam Valley Elementary School

Dear PVES Families,

And the last week of the school year has arrived. Congratulations to all of you for your amazing flexibility, resilience, and care that you have put into supporting your young children this year.  We are all so proud of what we have been able to accomplish together this year, and I know the children have benefited.  When so many schools around us struggled to get started or remain open to learners, PVES has offered both in-school and at-home learning since September. Thank you for working with us every step of the way, to make this all possible.  We have certainly grown together and as a community, and I do hope that the hardest days are behind us. I wish you all much health and safety in the months ahead!

Happy Father’s Day to all of our PVES dads! I hope that you have enjoyed this beautiful day with your loved ones, and that you never forget how very important you are to your growing children.  You are a role model for them at all times. Thank you for all you do.

Our country officially recognized the Juneteenth holiday this past Saturday, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.  Our students have begun to learn about the origin of this holiday, and how our President signed the Juneteenth Independence Day Act into law this past week.

Our PVES community enjoyed a spectacular Spirit Week last week.  Thank you for helping your children to join in the fun of the themed days and fun attire. Our Field Day on this past Thursday was truly wonderful, with amazing weather, great outdoor activities, and a surprise Bubble Bus visit for each grade level in the afternoon.  Thank you to our physical education teachers, Mrs. Aurigemma and Mr. Heitman. Thank you also to our PTA for making the Bubble Bus surprise possible!  Our remote learners were able to access their Field Day activities virtually on Thursday.  Thank you to the parents who sent in video of the at-home participation.  It was a wonderful Spirit Week!

Your children may have come home with several books from school that they can keep! Thank you to Mrs. Broas for setting up “The Great Book Give-Away” in our Auditorium this week!  All students were able to visit the Auditorium to browse through the many donated books and choose some to take home.  What a great way to kick off a summer of reading! Thank you also to Mrs. DeRubeis who helped with the book set-up!

Please encourage your children to look through our Lost & Found Collection which is displayed in our main hallway.  If you know your child is missing a particular sweatshirt, hat, or jacket, please remind your child to take a look, or please send a quick email to his/her teacher. It is always good to label these items so that they can be quickly returned.

Our remote learners will be able to drop off their laptops and school supplies on this Thursday afternoon between 2:00 and 3:30, or Friday morning between 9:00 and 12:00.  Thursday will be a half-day of school for our elementary students, and there will be no school on Friday.  Our rubric-based Report Cards will be available online on Friday afternoon, and they will be mailed via U.S. mail by early next week.

We are looking forward to our in-school individual class 4th Grade Moving Up Ceremonies this week.  Only people with tickets may attend the ceremonies.  Thank you to our PTA committee who created such a beautiful yearbook this year. The in-school fourth-grade learners were treated to a wonderful bagel breakfast on their special yearbook day.  Our fourth graders were also able to visit the middle school this past week for a brief orientation. There is so much to celebrate and to look forward to!

All staff and students are invited to wear Blue and White on this Thursday, June 24th!  Fourth graders can wear their special 4th Grade T-shirts if they would like!  Our school spirit is strong, and we are all looking forward to a strong start in September! Together, we can do anything!

Have a great week ahead!

Sincerely,
Dr. Margaret Podesta