Dear PVMS Families,

Welcome back!  We are looking forward to a productive 2026-2027 school year!  This is the time of year when emotions run high and there is a bit of anxiety in letting go of your children as they start or come back to middle school.   Some of you may have a sense of sadness as you say goodbye to summer and all of the free time you had to spend with your children while others are filled with the excitement of starting a new school year.  I hope you were able to make some memories over the course of this summer that will last a lifetime.  I look forward to seeing our hallways filled with your children who have so much to offer our middle school community.  Please know that your children are in good hands and that we all work together for what is best for all students and be sure to partner with us to ensure that your child has a successful experience.  

We look forward to seeing our fifth graders as they learn how to navigate our building and our sixth graders who will need to get used to memorizing their combinations and opening their lockers.  In what seems to be the most changing time, our seventh graders will be getting used to transitioning more often with more teachers.  Finally, we  look to our eighth graders as the role models of our building who have the most experience with our systems.  One of our goals this year is to empower our students to advocate for themselves and to help hold them accountable in all that they do.

Important news for incoming 5th grade families and new transfer students/families to our middle school – We will have our 5th grade and new student parent/guardian orientation and 5th grade Back to School Night at 6:00 PM on Monday, August 31st.  Students and parents & guardians are invited to attend.

6:00-6:30PM – Students in Dining Hall – Administration

                            Parents in 5th grade classrooms

6:30-7:00PM – Parents in Dining Hall – Administration

                            Students in 5th grade classrooms

                            *Transfer Students & Families in Dining Hall

7:00PM – Parents and students unite in 5th grade classrooms and tour the building

This evening is designed to share content area course syllabi, classroom expectations, systems, and most importantly to put faces with names and connect with families and students that teachers will be collaborating with and educating for the 2026-2027 school year. *Transfer students and families will have an opportunity to meet with administration and tour the building starting at 6:30PM in the Dining Hall.

The first day of our upcoming school year will be Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026 for our 5th and 6th graders. All students (5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th) will be welcomed back on Thursday, September 3rd.  This staggered start will enable our 5th and 6th graders to get settled in with fewer students in the building to start their first day with activities.  

New students in 7th and 8th grade will have the opportunity to come to a locker opening session between 12:30 – 2:30 PM on Wednesday, September 2nd.  Please watch the following video that will help assist your child with opening their locker.  Our 7th and 8th grade teachers will assist with locker opening during this time as well. Parents must drop off their children and wait in our parking lot and pick up their children when they are finished getting acclimated to the locker opening process.  A friendly reminder that students should not share lockers, combinations, or tamper with locker mechanisms. Personal belongings should not be shared amongst students.

School will be in session daily from 7:48 AM until 2:36 PM.  We open our doors at 7:30 AM unless students come in early for 7:00 AM clubs.  Our first two days of school, September 2nd and 3rd will be A days.  This will enable all students to start consistently.

Families should check PowerSchool for locker updates.  This will provide you with locker numbers and combinations. (6th, 7th, and 8th grade only)

Please be patient with our bus runs as transportation settles into a new year.  The bus routes can take some time to get used to so please have your children out at stops 5 to 10 minutes early and please understand if some buses may be running late over the first couple of weeks until routes are fully established.

To start our school year, it is imperative to establish a routine that will help to promote success.  Please create time where your children can focus on school, inclusive of your busy schedules outside of our school day.  An academic planner will come home soon for those students and families that prefer them and should be used on a daily basis for students to write down homework, take notes, and schedule their busy lives.  In addition, please check Google Classroom for assignments that may be posted by classroom teachers.  For those who would like assistance with technological needs such as updating demographics and/or looking at grades on PowerSchool, please see our technology website.  You may also contact Mr. Poust at cpoust@pvcsd.org or Mrs. Sherwood at lsherwood@pvcsd.org for assistance as well. 

Student grades will be posted on PowerSchool.  Please work with your children and partner with us in checking assignments and grades so that everyone stays up to date on work.  We will use an opt in system to send home paper report cards twice a year if you choose this option.  Otherwise, report cards can be seen electronically at the end of each marking period.  We will send home reminders of these calendar dates with reminders when interim reports are posted as well as end of the quarter postings.  You may check your child’s grades as often as you would like.

Please note that if you ever have any questions regarding grades, an event that took place in class, or you just want to share information; please contact your child’s teacher directly.  If you would like to schedule a meeting with your child’s teachers then you may arrange to do so through a grade level team leader (7th or 8th Grade) or classroom teacher.  We encourage you to do this at any point of the school year.  The start of the school year is a nice opportunity for you to schedule a meeting and share how your child is as a learner or share details that may help to develop a strong partnership for a productive school year.  In addition, for the first time, we will be offering parent/teacher conferences here at Putnam Valley Middle School.  This will be similar to what the elementary school has done in the past for many years.  These will take place on November 10th from 12:15 – 5:40PM (half day for students) and November 17th from 5:00 – 8:00PM.  There will be more information to come with regard to scheduling times with teachers.  This will result in additional ½ days for students on November 24th and May 28th.

Please see below for a list of each grade level team leader.

2026-2027 Team Leaders

Encores & Specials – Mary Kay Cohen –mcohen@pvcsd.org

5th – Dorothy Nadell – dnadell@pvcsd.org

6th – Jaimie Hannigan – jhannigan@pvcsd.org

7th – Jack Bohrman – jbohrman@pvcsd.org & Harrison Deegan – hdeegan@pvcsd.org

8th – Priscilla Lutz – plutz@pvcsd.org

Special Education – Toni Petrillo – tpetrillo@pvcsd.org

Please join our Putnam Valley PTA as they help to partner with us and support many events in our schools.  We are looking forward to a continued relationship that brings experiences beyond our classrooms.

To purchase a PTA membership, go to https://putnamvalleypta.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true&category=Memberships

As always, if you have any questions/concerns please reach out to the PTA at putnamvalleypta@gmail.com

In addition, please consider joining our Putnam Valley Education Foundation.  They partner with us as well as provide funding for our teachers and students.

PVEF Website

Please give your support this  2026-2027 school year.

If you haven’t done so already, please make sure to read and complete the following three important student and parent agreement documents found on this page as they are the Code of Conduct, Student Handbook, and Laptop and Mobile Device Agreement.  You must then complete the  Online Middle School Agreement Permission Form.  We will not issue a laptop unless this form is completed in full and returned electronically. Laptop distribution will take place during school hours.

Mark Your Calendar

August 31st – 5th Grade & New Transfer Family Orientation &  / 5th Grade Back to School Night 6:00-8:00PM

September 7th – Labor Day – No School

September 15th – Back to School Night – 6th, 7th and 8th Grade 5:45 – 8:00PM

More information to come!

September 16th – 17th – Fall iReady Assessments – More to come!

September 17th  – Taconic Outdoor Education Classroom Trip (5th Grade) – Group #1

September 18th – Taconic Outdoor Education Classroom Trip (5th Grade) – Group #2

September 21st – Yom Kippur – No School 

Please stay involved and partner with us in your child’s educational journey.  Contact us with any questions, feedback, or stop by and schedule an appointment to meet with us. 

We look forward to an outstanding and exceptional year!

Sincerely,

Travis W. McCarty
Principal