Superintendent’s Message

Dear Putnam Valley School Community,

On behalf of the Putnam Valley Central School District, it is my great pleasure to welcome you back for the 2025-2026 school year.  For the past two days, our buildings have been filled with dedicated staff eagerly preparing for the upcoming school year.  Each September brings the excitement of new opportunities, renewed goals, and the promise of growth for every student.

This year’s district-wide goal and the theme of our work throughout this school year will be “Resiliency”, which aligns with our CORE Values of Community, Opportunity, Resilience, and Empowerment.  Resilience will guide our work as we support students and staff in navigating challenges and building strength through learning and connection.

As always, this summer has been incredibly busy across our district.  Work continues on our planned Turf and Track replacement.  Installation crews have completed the turf, and a second crew is currently working to complete the track.  While there is still some work to be done and we are waiting for some backordered products to arrive, we remain hopeful that it will be open for student competition in the very near future.  Along with this ongoing work, our buildings have been returned to their original pristine condition, and our grounds have been well-manicured.  Other summer projects that were completed this summer include a new instructional space at Putnam Valley High School to support a specialized program, and at Putnam Valley Middle School, underutilized space on the second floor has been transformed into small group instructional spaces, an office, and a conference room.  This has allowed us to free up space that will now serve as a full-size classroom for our students.  At Putnam Valley Elementary School, we are preparing to welcome our first cohort of students into the Putnam Valley Universal Pre-Kindergarten, made possible through New York State funding and a partnership with the YMCA of Northern Westchester.  We are looking forward to welcoming these youngest learners into the Putnam Valley school community.

Throughout the summer, our buildings have been active with a variety of professional learning opportunities and academic programs. Earlier in July, we hosted a Regional Leadership Institute at Putnam Valley High School, welcoming administrators from across the region to learn together. Our Extended School Year program, Summer Boost programs, and Kindercamp have filled our classrooms with eager and enthusiastic students. Each of these programs provides invaluable support and learning, and we are so grateful for the dedication of our leaders, instructional staff, and teaching assistants.

We deeply value the partnership between our schools and our families. By working together, we can create meaningful experiences that support the academic success, social-emotional development, and the well-being of every student. Your engagement and collaboration are vital to the strength of our school community.

As we begin this new year, we do so with optimism and enthusiasm for the opportunities that lie ahead. In just a few days, our buildings will reopen, and we will welcome back our students, staff, and new enthusiastic educators joining our team.

Please watch for important information from our school building leaders regarding the start of the school year. We also encourage you to follow the Putnam Valley Central School District on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates, celebrations, and photos.

Thank you for entrusting us with the education and care of your children. We look forward to a successful and rewarding school year for all.

August 4, 2025

Dear Putnam Valley Community,

On July 21, 2025, the Putnam Valley Board of Education approved Policy 5695 titled “Students and Personal Electronic Devices” to ensure compliance with the newly enacted NYS Education Law §2803. This law requires that all public schools in NYS prohibit the use of internet-enabled devices during the entirety of each school day, with the hope that by removing said distractions, student engagement will increase, and the negative mental health issues associated with excessive smartphone usage will begin to decrease.

The State gave each school district flexibility in how to enforce this bell-to-bell ban, and through collaboration with various stakeholders within the community, including, but not limited to, teachers, parents, students, administrators, and members of our support staff, Policy 5695 was created, approved, and adopted into the District’s Policy manual.

New York State has required schools to implement these bell-to-bell bans starting with the 2025-26 school year. What this means for parents, guardians, and students is that every Putnam Valley school now has a policy prohibiting the use of non-district-provided internet-enabled devices, from the beginning of the school day, through the very last bell. Students will not be able to use internet-enabled devices during lunch, free periods, or transitions between classes.

To comply with NYS’s storage of internet-enabled device requirements, all students at the middle and high school level must silence their phones (and other devices) and store these in their lockers for the entirety of the school day. Storage in a student’s backpack is not compliant with this policy. Students at the elementary level are discouraged from bringing internet-enabled devices to school, and any device that is brought in must be silenced and kept in the student’s cubby, or securely stored by the teacher. Regardless of the school, in the event of non-compliance, the student’s device may be confiscated and held in the main office until a parent or guardian can pick it up, and/or the device will be locked away in a secure pouch for the duration of the day.

A common concern that students, parents, and guardians have raised is how a parent or guardian gets in contact with their child during the school day. We understand the ease of being able to communicate via text message, but the distractions of internet-enabled devices to the learning community outweigh the convenience they offer, therefore parents/guardians are encouraged to contact their children via school email, a phone call or email to the building’s main office, through the school nurse, a building administrator, or the clinical staff.

It is important to note that exceptions to this policy will be made when needed to comply with a student’s IEP or Section 504 plan, but requests for these exceptions must be made to the Building Principal, approved by the Superintendent, and include documentation from an appropriate healthcare professional, specifying why a healthcare exception is necessary.

We are embarking on a new age, one where students are being asked to part with items that have served as their source of comfort since pre-COVID times. The transition will be difficult, but not impossible, and the reward promises to be great, not just from an educational standpoint, but to the overall health and well-being of all students within our District, and within our State.

Prior to the start of the year, building principals will share resources for families, which will include contact numbers in the event you need to reach your child during the school day. If additional supports are needed or if you have further questions about your child’s building’s policy, please feel free to reach out to your respective building principal or assistant principal for assistance.

We look forward to partnering with you as we implement NYS’s new law, and we hope that through a collaborative effort between our schools and our families, student compliance will become standard practice, and that the new normal will cultivate greater creativity and community within our District.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

Summer Meals and Summer EBT are two ways to help your family with food over the summer!

Summer Meals
During the summer, all kids and teens ages 18 and under can get free, nutritious meals at community centers or schools that are operating Summer Food Service Programs. Meals vary, but all include nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein. There is no need to sign up. Just show up! Find a Summer Meals spot near you  (Peekskill High School (open site) July 7th – August 8th Monday – Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Summer EBT
Summer EBT (S-EBT) helps families with school-age kids buy food during the summer. Most eligible children will automatically receive Summer EBT, but some families may need to apply. Learn more at NYSOTDA’s Summer EBT webpage\

·       SummerMealsNY.org(link is external)

·       1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) English

·       1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) Spanish

Additional local resources:

Putnam Valley Food Pantry: https://www.putnamvalleyfoodpantry.org/

Feeding Westchester: https://feedingwestchester.org/find-help/agency-locator/ (use zip code 10535 / 20 miles)

Putnam Valley Library: https://putnamvalleylibrary.org/resources/food-resources/ (frozen food pantry available)

Meals on Main Street: https://www.mealsonmainst.org/services#truck-schedules

Second Chance Foods: https://secondchancefoods.org/hunger-resources/

Subscribe to Putnam Valley Town E-Mail Alerts: https://www.putnamvalley.gov/emergency-numbers-procedures/

Please share this information with family and friends.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

Gratitude

I want to extend my gratitude to our students, families, educators, and the Putnam Valley community for your engagement, feedback, and support throughout this school year. Together, we have made it a year of growth, achievement, and opportunity.

Opportunity is one of our district’s core values and the focal point of our goal setting—and this year, we saw it come to life in countless ways. Whether it was a kindergartner learning to read their first sentence, a middle schooler discovering a passion, or a graduating senior preparing for the next chapter of life, every moment in our schools was a chance to unlock potential.

Over the last few days, it has been my honor to stand before the Class of 2025 and our fourth and eighth grade students, celebrating their important milestones. Each of our students plays a role in shaping our school district into a place where students feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow. We are proud of the inclusive programs, dedicated staff, and innovative learning environments that create opportunities for every learner.

As we look ahead to the summer months, I encourage all of our students to explore new interests, stay curious, and take time to recharge. Our team will be hard at work preparing for the year ahead—one where we remain focused on our core values of Community, Opportunity, Resiliency, and Empowerment. 

Facilities Update

The scheduled replacement of our turf field, track, and fencing is well underway.  Crews have already removed the old turf, milled away the track and blacktop, and disassembled all of the fencing.  The current work is now focused on drainage, preparing the “D Zone” on the far end of the field/0track to be converted to turf, along with other preparation work.  In the coming weeks, we expect the new turf to arrive and paving to begin throughout the complex.  We are hopeful that this project will stay on schedule and be completed in a timely manner.

The voter-approved facilities project is also underway as we begin the detailed planning and development phase of the project.  Architects have already met with our Elementary School nurses, administration, and district staff to discuss priorities for the renovation of the nurse’s’ office at PVES.  Engineers are scheduled to be on-site in the coming weeks to begin the design work for our geothermal and HVAC work at PVES, as well as the parking lot, retaining wall, and drainage work on the middle and high school campus. This work will continue throughout the summer as we engage with the appropriate parties to plan and design each aspect of the upcoming project.  We remain hopeful that at least some of the approved work can begin as early as the summer of 2026, helping to avoid any unnecessary escalation costs.

Thank you for being a part of this incredible community. Thank you for everything you do to support our schools, students, and one another.

Have a great summer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

We have some truly exciting news to share with our school community!

First, we are proud to announce that Putnam Valley Middle School has officially been authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School! This milestone represents three years of dedication, collaboration, and innovation by our staff. Thank you to every educator, leader, and team member who contributed by writing units, embracing new instructional practices, and committing to the rigorous and inspiring work of the Middle Years Program.

We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Travis McCarty and Jaime Zecca for their vision and leadership in guiding this process from the start. A special thanks to our incredible MYP Coordinators, MaryKay Cohen and Stephanie Trchala, whose tireless commitment and thoughtful leadership made this achievement possible. Your work has created a lasting foundation for excellence in teaching and learning at PVMS.

In more exciting news, Putnam Valley Central School District has been selected as a recipient of the New York State Green Ribbon Award, presented by the New York State Department of Education Board of Regents. This prestigious recognition honors schools and districts that demonstrate innovative efforts in sustainability, environmental education, and wellness. It is a powerful reminder that our commitment to building a foundation for the future includes both academic excellence and environmental responsibility.

We would like to acknowledge Mr. David Spittal for his leadership and commitment to this effort and for ensuring Putnam Valley CSD is a leader in sustainability in our state. This Green Ribbon recognition reflects years of vision and action—from implementing geothermal energy systems and efficient building practices to promoting environmental stewardship throughout our schools. We would also like to recognize all of the work done at each building to make Putnam Valley CSD green! From Mr. Shawn Tarkington’s Go Green Club, to the Sustainability Fair led by Ms. Jenn Bruno and Ms. Liz Broas, to Ms. Jeannine Lewis’s Environmental Club, and many more initiatives and opportunities led by our colleagues, our students at every level are taught the importance of caring for our planet and finding innovative and sustainable solutions.

This afternoon, representatives from our district will attend the Regents’ monthly meeting at 2:00 pm to formally accept the award on behalf of our community. Please tune in to the livestream here to hear about Putnam Valley’s journey to the Green Ribbon and watch the recognition.

Congratulations to everyone who played a role in achieving these outstanding honors. We are so proud of what we’ve accomplished together—and even more excited for what’s ahead.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

1/17/25 PVCSD Green Ribbon School Nominee
MYP Information from PVMS

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

I am excited to share some important updates regarding leadership transitions within our district. These changes reflect both our commitment to excellence and our confidence in the dedicated professionals who serve our students every day. It should be noted that all of these positions are currently filled within the District, and no new positions were created.

With the upcoming retirement of Dr. Natalie Doherty, the District will be moving Melissa Estrella into the role of Director of PPS (Pupil Personnel Services). Ms. Estrella has served the District for the past six years, first as a CSE Chairperson (Committee for Special Education) and then as Supervisor of Special Education. Over that time, Ms. Estrella has cultivated strong relationships with students, staff, parents, and colleagues across the region. As Ms. Estrella begins this new role, we know that she will continue to build on her successes and provide exceptional leadership for many years to come.

Ms. Estrella’s promotion to the Director of PPS has created a vacancy in the Supervisor of Special Education position. After an extensive interview process, the committee recommended and the Board appointed Christina Feal to the position of Supervisor of Special Education.

Ms. Feal joins us from the Hendrick Hudson School District, where she most recently served as a Transition Specialist & CSE Chairperson and previously as a Special Education Teacher. Ms. Feal demonstrated tremendous knowledge, a passion for learning, and a genuine care for all students throughout the interview process. Ms. Feal will bring many years of experience in the field of special education when she joins our team here in Putnam Valley.

The human resource responsibilities currently filled by Dr. Doherty will be transitioned to Ms. Jacqueline Levine, who will assume those responsibilities moving forward. I will be recommending that the Board of Education transition the title of Assistant Superintendent currently held by Dr. Doherty to Ms. Levine, who will become the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Human Resources.

Please join me in welcoming Ms. Feal into the Putnam Valley School Community and congratulating Ms. Estrella and Ms. Levine on their new roles and responsibilities. Ms. Feal will begin on July 1, 2025, and will work closely with Ms. Estrella throughout the summer to plan for the upcoming school year and support our summer extended year program.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Good afternoon,

Due to a rainy, rather than snowy, winter, we are considering some adjustments to our school calendar. It is anticipated that the Board of Education will approve the following calendar changes at their next meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 12.

Thursday, June 26, and Friday, June 27, will be a half-day for Putnam Valley Elementary School and Putnam Valley Middle School.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

Appreciation is the theme of this month’s message.

As Superintendent of Schools in Putnam Valley, I want to thank every community member who participated in this year’s school budget and capital project bond vote. Whether you supported the proposals or not, your engagement and commitment to civic involvement are deeply valued.

I’m happy to report that this year’s school budget and bond referendum, along with the Putnam Valley Town Library Budget proposition, all passed. With over 2,200 ballots cast—and over 1,250 in support of each proposition—this marked a significant increase in voter turnout, which the District actively encouraged throughout the year.  Thank you to the District Facilities Planning Committee and the Communications and Finance Subcommittees for your dedication and insight.  It was through these community connections that we were able to provide the community with accurate and timely information.  We remained committed to transparency, facts, and community engagement, and the results indicate that our efforts were successful.

Thanks to the approved spending plan, we will continue providing a rigorous academic program and a wide range of extracurricular activities that our students have come to expect. This plan helps us retain current staff and enhances our ability to support all students.

Each year, we strive to balance students’ academic needs with the financial responsibilities of our taxpayers.  Strong schools are built and sustained when communities come together to support them, and the Putnam Valley Community continues to do so each year.  Great schools enhance community appeal, strengthening home values and attracting families seeking quality education.

The approval of the District’s bond proposal will allow the District to address much-needed infrastructure repairs and upgrades. Upgrades to the Middle School parking lot and the Elementary School nurse’s office will create safer spaces for students and staff. Investments in our buildings will allow for long-term cost savings through the installation of sustainable energy sources, improve access to our outdoor learning spaces so all students can take advantage of them, and address vital infrastructure needs, including roofs, drainage, parking lots, and retaining walls.

Two seats on the Board of Education were also on this year’s ballot and the community overwhelmingly reelected Sam Oliverio and Janette Yetter to continue their service on the Putnam Valley School Board.  Congratulations to Sam and Janette, and thank you for volunteering to serve this important role within our school community.

The Putnam Valley School District continues to be known across the region for its strong academic programs, competitive athletic teams, exceptional art, music, and performing arts programs, and the caring staff members who serve our students every day. Please take a few minutes to provide your feedback here as we continue our work to improve communication, increase engagement, and better serve our community.

Thank you once again for your continued support.  We look forward to another outstanding year in Putnam Valley. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend as we remember and honor those who served and sacrificed for our country.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

Today is the day! Please remember to get out and vote today, Tuesday, May 20.  The polls will be open from 6 am to 9 pm at Putnam Valley Elementary School.  Please visit our website www.pvcsd.org for detailed budget and project information.

Proposed Budget highlights:

• Below the allowable tax levy cap (14th consecutive year)
• Maintains academic programs and staffing
• Balances educational programs with fiscal responsibility
• Revenue generated by welcoming Garrison students to PVHS

Capital Project highlights:

• Includes infrastructure improvements to all three buildings
• No additional cost to taxpayers
• 66% of the project will be reimbursed by New York State building aid

School Board Trustee Election:  Two candidates are running for two open seats.  Sam Oliverio (incumbent) and Janette Yetter (incumbent) will be on the ballot. Please join me in thanking these volunteers for their willingness to serve our community.

Budget Newsletter (mailed to every residence in the PVCSD)
Budget Newsletter – Spanish

Budget and Capital Project Information – Presentation and videos

Capital Project videos

We are excited to propose a budget that prioritizes the preservation of our District’s instructional program while staying under the tax cap and a capital project that addresses infrastructure needs at all three buildings. This is the result of thoughtful planning, and we are hopeful that we have provided the information necessary for you to make an informed decision.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Thursday, May 22, will be a half-day for Putnam Valley Elementary School.

Friday, May 23, is the first “give back holiday” as noted on the school calendar, and all school buildings and offices will be closed.