Dear Parents and Guardians,
In response to last week’s parent meeting, I want to update you on how the PVHS faculty and staff are working to ensure that your child feels safe, comfortable and secure in the building. Several parents expressed concern that the 9th graders felt particularly uneasy and vulnerable since last month’s online incident. As a result, Deputy Meury, our Student Resource Officer, visited all 9th grade English classes to reassure students and remind them that he is always available if needed. Additionally, Ms. Anderson, our Student Support Counselor, worked with our psychologists to develop a mindfulness meditation that will occur in 9th and 10th grade Academic Study classes beginning this week to give students strategies to minimize anxiety. The Blue Path dogs regularly visit our school during the Community Lunch and they are always a great comfort to our students. We will also be looking at programs to improve the 8th to 9th grade transition to the high school as we recognize that 9th grade is a very important and challenging year.
First quarter report cards were posted last week. If you have not yet checked PowerSchool for your child’s grades, this is the perfect time to review grades and set short term goals for the next few weeks before the holidays. The time period between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday break can be challenging for families and for students. If you need help with your child’s academics or if you have mental health concerns about your child, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor or one of our psychologists. On December 14th we will have a special assembly, organized by Ms. Anderson, on mental health and suicide prevention by Roger Von Braun. The assembly will focus on messages of responsibility, resilience, and self-control. If you have questions about the assembly, please contact Mrs. Anderson at landerson@pvcsd.org who will be happy to address your concerns.
Our Community Lunch is developing nicely. Students are enjoying their independence and are finding numerous ways to spend their time whether it is in the gym, at a club, working with a teacher or playing the piano in the foyer. Overall, students have been very responsible and using their time well. We have also had the opportunity to hold special assemblies during the Community Lunch time with visits from the Putnam Valley Fire Department, The Vassar Acapella group and a recent African drumming session sponsored by our Music Department.
We had a very strong finish to our fall athletic season and we are excited about our winter teams that kicked off their seasons with competitions last week! Our boys and girls basketball teams, cheerleading, wrestling, hockey, and swimming are geared for success and I encourage you to come out and watch some of the Tiger competitions this year.
As always, your child’s well-being is very important to the faculty and staff at PVHS. We will continue to focus on regularly updating our safety protocols, and supporting your child emotionally and academically. PVHS is a caring community and we want to work with parents to continue to improve and provide the best education possible for our students.
I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season with their family.
Sincerely,
Sandra Intrieri