Dear PVES Families,

I hope you have enjoyed the long weekend, and that you were able to take the time to honor those who we celebrate on this Memorial Day. We look forward to finishing up the month of May this week and heading to a busy but productive end to the school year.

Thank you to all of you who participated in the District Budget and Capital Bond votes this past week. We appreciate your support, and we look forward to providing the best educational programs for your children. A great number of our elementary students took part in the Student Field Day Treat Vote as well. This year, the Ice Cream Sandwiches were chosen over the Ice Pops! Through this democratic process, our students learned that every vote counts! We are also continuing in the process of voting for the most popular names for our three baby chicks. We will keep you posted on the results!

Last week, PVES held its annual Community Read Event with many friends, neighbors, and retirees visiting to read to our children. On Monday morning, we welcomed almost 30 readers to our school, and a great time was had by all. We are so fortunate to have such a supportive community to partner with us for many special days. The love of literacy is strong in the elementary school!

Thank you to all the families who attended the magnificent Planting Event that was held after school last week. The perfect weather, the wonderful attendance, and the beautiful flowers helped to make this event so very special. Thank you to Mrs. McCarty and to the many teachers who stayed to help with the planting, the art, the music, the snacks, and the crafts. What a very special afternoon. Please be sure to notice the gorgeous flowers on our campus when you visit the school! Thank you for your donations!

Over the next couple of weeks, we will hold several Evacuation (Fire) Drills in order to practice our required safety protocols. We will also be holding another Lockdown Drill in the month ahead. If you have any questions about our mandated safety drills, please be sure to contact us.

We look forward to the Fourth Grade Concert this Thursday at 7:00 PM. Thank you to Mr. Durland and to Mrs. Bennett for their excellent work with our students. We look forward to a very special show.

Congratulations to our first and second-grade students who participated in the early-morning Springtime Reading Academy over the past month. We are fortunate to be able to provide this “extra boost” to some of our young readers during the springtime weeks. We encourage all our students to read on a daily basis over the summer, and to work regularly in their Summer Work Packets that they will receive at the end of the year.

We are now working through the second half of the fourth quarter of the school year. The calendar is full, but the learning continues. Thank you for your support and partnership.

Have a great week ahead!

Sincerely,

Dr. Margaret Podesta

Principal