As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of all that I am grateful for this year.

I am especially thankful for my friends and family both at home and in school. I am thankful to be part of the Putnam Valley School community, surrounded by talented and passionate staff members, doing whatever is needed to support our students. I am thankful to work in a community that supports our schools, our students, and our staff, and I am thankful for the fantastic students that attend our schools.

I hope you had a chance to see The Play That Goes Wrong a few weekends ago. I laughed out loud and enjoyed seeing our hardworking students on stage and those behind the stage who made it all come together. Our fall season student-athletes enjoyed great success and the season culminated with a sectional title for volleyball and a state championship for Game Day Cheerleading.

On Monday, I had the pleasure of attending the Gratitude Festival at the High School. This annual event, hosted by our Music Honor Society provides a special opportunity for our students to share their talents. On Tuesday, we welcomed our state championship cheerleading team into the Elementary School, and they may have performed to their most enthusiastic audience yet.

We certainly have much to be thankful for, and I am so proud of the leadership and compassion of our students and staff who consistently pay it forward. Each of our buildings participated in Thanksgiving food drives to support the Putnam Valley Food Pantry. The response from our community was wonderful and is deeply appreciated by the pantry, which helps to support families across our area. The United For The Troops collection also received generous donations and will provide some comforts of home to troops currently serving overseas. These acts of kindness continue to bring us together as a community.

Currently, our High School’s National Honor Society is holding their annual toy drive with all donations going directly to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. Additionally, the National Honor Society along with both the Middle School and Elementary School will be holding coat drives, and drop boxes can be found in the entrances of our buildings.

I hope you all find some time to reflect on what makes you thankful and find opportunities to share your gratitude. Enjoy the Thanksgiving break.

Take care and stay well.

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

A reminder on Veterans Day…

Dear Putnam Valley School Community,

In recognition of National First Responder Appreciation Day, the Putnam Valley School District has partnered with United For The Troops for their Defend the Holidays donation drive.  United For The Troops is a not-for-profit organization established in 2007 with a mission to bring comfort to service members by sending the comforts of home to them while serving abroad.

If you are interested in participating, drop-off locations will be available in each of our buildings, beginning on October 18 through November 14.  United For The Troops has provided a “wish list” of donations, please see the list attached.  Personal cards and letters are also encouraged.

Thank you for your consideration and thank you to all of our Veterans!

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

File attachments:
United For The Troops Wish List.pdf

Dear Putnam Valley Families:

Please consider joining me for a Listening Hour on Thursday, November 16, in our High School library beginning at 5:45 pm. This meeting will be held just prior to our regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting and is an opportunity for us to spend time together in a casual setting. The goal of the Listening Hour is to share perspectives on school issues and consider our opportunities and challenges. I hope you will join me.

The Board of Education meeting will be held in the High School cafeteria at 7:00 pm. Meetings are open to the public and are also streamed live. The link is available via our website, pvcsd.org. Board meetings are a great way to learn more about our district’s goals and achievements. Videos of past meetings can be found here.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

This weekend the cast and crew of The Play That Goes Wrong will showcase their talents in our Performing Arts Center. The passion, creativity, and dedication of these students are sure to impress the audience. Be sure to take note of the set built completely by nearly 40 of our high school students.

Get your tickets now or at the door, but don’t miss it! By all accounts, this play will have you laughing out loud.

Let’s celebrate the power of the arts and the incredible efforts of these hardworking and very talented students.

Performance dates are: 

Friday, November, 3rd – 7PM 

Saturday, November 4th – 7PM

Sunday, November 5th  – 2PM

Tickets are $15.00 for adults ($20.00 at the door)

$5.00 for senior citizens and students 18 years and under ($10.00 at the door) 

Tickets can be purchased here.  

We are so proud of the cast and crew!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Please join us for one of these opportunities to learn together.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Virtual Listening Hour with High School Principal Mr. Mello

Open to all high school parents/guardians

Wednesday, October 25 · 6:00 – 7:00pm

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/vcq-umox-cbc

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 347-773-0150‬ PIN: ‪143 584 345‬#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/vcq-umox-cbc?pin=3518342237397

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Join us for opportunities designed to help you support your child at home academically, socially,

emotionally, and physically.

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

This evening, the school district was contacted by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department regarding a report filed this evening accusing a student of being in possession of a weapon while at a high school event last weekend.

The Sheriff’s Department promptly began an investigation and has already made contact with the individual involved.  After completing their initial investigation, the Sheriff’s Department has determined the claim to be unfounded at this time. The district will remain in contact with the Sheriff’s Department as they continue to investigate the allegation.

At this time, this is all of the information we have available; we have no reason to believe there are any safety concerns in our schools.  In an effort to reassure students and staff that our buildings are safe, we have requested additional police presence at our buildings tomorrow.

The purpose of this message is to dispel any misinformation that may spread in the community while providing accurate information regarding this serious, but currently unfounded, accusation. As always, we will continue to share information as available and appropriate.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley School Community,

In recognition of National First Responder Appreciation Day, the Putnam Valley School District has partnered with United For The Troops for their Defend the Holidays donation drive.  United For The Troops is a not-for-profit organization established in 2007 with a mission to bring comfort to service members by sending the comforts of home to them while serving abroad.

If you are interested in participating, drop-off locations will be available in each of our buildings, beginning on October 18 through November 14.  United For The Troops has provided a “wish list” of donations, please see the list attached.  Personal cards and letters are also encouraged.

Thank you for your consideration.

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

File attachments:
United For The Troops Wish List.pdf

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

It has certainly been a terrific start to the school year.  Our students continue to impress us inside and outside the classroom, teachers are implementing new and exciting instructional practices, and the many members of our support staff continue to ensure your child is healthy, safe, and cared for each and every day.

As you know, we are planning multiple events to recognize National First Responder Appreciation Day.  Putnam Valley has a proud history of supporting the many first responders who live in or serve our community.  Whether you serve in the ranks of our volunteer Fire Department or Ambulance Corps, or if you serve another community as a paid member of law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical, military, or any other health profession; your service is greatly appreciated by the entire Putnam Valley School Community.  It is my hope that all first responders, paid and volunteer, take advantage of one of the upcoming appreciation events scheduled at each of our buildings.  Please let us take a moment to acknowledge you and say thank you for all that you do each and every day.  Click here for details.

While we take this opportunity to thank those first responders who currently serve our community, we must acknowledge the horrific events that are currently unfolding in Israel and throughout the Gaza Strip.  Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the civilians and all of the first responders currently living in and working through unspeakable acts of violence.

Whether students have a direct connection to the region or are simply exposed through social media, we should recognize the emotional and psychological impact these incidents may have on our children.  Please do not hesitate to contact an administrator or clinical staff member if you feel that your child may need support.  We are here to help each and every child in our care, please don’t ever hesitate to reach out.

As a school community, we stand united to combat acts of violence and hate, near and far.  We remain committed to the social-emotional wellness of all our students and staff and stand ready to support those in need.  Let’s all look forward to a time free of senseless violence and a commitment to empathy, caring, and compassion.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
​Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

In honor of First Responder Appreciation Day 2023, we will once again hold special events at each building and would appreciate the participation of our First Responder families and town residents. We are looking for all First Responders (volunteer and professional) – law enforcement, firefighters, medical professionals, military personnel, etc. If you are interested and available to attend any of these events, please complete the form below.

Community Event at Putnam Valley High School – Honoring our First Responders – Friday, October 20, 5:30 pm: We invite all first responders, living or working in Putnam Valley, to be recognized before our football game. Kickoff is at 6:00 pm.  We would like our first responders to lead the team down onto the field at approximately 5:30 pm and be recognized at the start of the game.

All welcome! This is a great opportunity for our community to say THANK YOU.  Please mark your calendars and join us to thank your first responders.

Putnam Valley Elementary School – First Responder Visit – Wednesday, October 25:  Spend 10 to 15 minutes with one or more of our classes and tell the students a little bit about your typical day, answer questions, and/or read a book about your work. (Arrival 9:15 am)

Putnam Valley Middle and High School – First Responder Equipment and Apparatus – Thursday, October 26 : We are inviting local first responders to show off their gear to our High School and Middle School students during their lunch periods, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm.

Please Click Here to Access the Form

Thank you all for your service!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Putnam Valley Community:

I am aware there is some discussion in the community regarding the approval or disapproval of student parking space designs, specifically as it relates to the painting of a “Thin Blue Line Flag.” For the benefit of the larger community, I would like to clarify that asking a student to avoid the symbol is NOT an indication that this district is anything other than fully supportive of our first responders. Personally, I have always viewed the thin blue line as being nothing more than supportive of law enforcement. However, in our roles, as educational leaders, we must recognize that our own personal perspectives are not shared by everyone.

Putnam Valley is far from the first community to participate in this discussion. In fact, several school districts in our area have already experienced significant division within their school community, contentious board meetings, hateful comments on social media, and in some cases, national media attention. Our intent was only to avoid this for our community.

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2022/10/18/blue-line-flag-irvington-westchester-community/69568045007/

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/04/15/thin-blue-line-flag-greece-ny-school-district-stirs-controversy/7218143002/

Regardless of anyone’s personal feelings, it is evident that the thin blue line flag carries multiple meanings for different people.

I would encourage everyone in our community to take some time to consider that actions speak louder than words. In this case, the actions of the school district speak louder than the insinuations made on Facebook. I am extremely proud of all Putnam Valley does to recognize the law enforcement members who live and/or work in our community. Our annual first responder appreciation events at each building provide all community members serving in these vital roles with an opportunity to be acknowledged and celebrated. The district supports students who wish to attend the law enforcement career and technical education programs at PNW BOCES. We employ three active or retired law enforcement members in our schools, and we work with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department to recruit students into their Youth Cadet Program. Putnam Valley is and has always been a school community that supports law enforcement. I encourage you to ask any member of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department who has worked in or has visited our schools about their experience in Putnam Valley.

The painting of parking spaces at Putnam Valley High School is certainly a time-honored tradition; one that has unfortunately become increasingly difficult to manage in recent years.  After nearly 20 years of student parking space designs going largely unnoticed, it now seems that every year someone takes offense to something painted on public property.  While I strongly support a student’s right to free speech, painting a public parking space is certainly a privilege, one that requires careful thought and consideration. Coming into this school year, it was the hope of our administration that a strict adherence to “nothing that may be deemed controversial” during the design approval process would allow us to get through a school year without parking lot controversy. Based on conversations I had this week with individuals from Putnam Valley and beyond, we were again unsuccessful.

To their credit, students have been receptive to the feedback they are provided and willing to change their designs.  Something that was intended to be a celebration of a student’s years at Putnam Valley High School has unfortunately become a focal point for some adults. The approval, revision, and monitoring process related to this privilege is becoming unmanageable with countless hours spent answering phone calls, emails, and holding meetings; taking valuable time away from educators who could better spend their time focused on classroom instruction, student mental health, and the overall student experience in Putnam Valley.

Please keep in mind, that we are not discussing personal property, we are not talking about a private parking space, and we are not talking about individual feelings, beliefs, or convictions.  This conversation focuses on only a few matters: How do we avoid allowing something that may become controversial to be painted in a parking space that belongs to every taxpayer in our community?  How do we, as a school community, find a way to navigate this process in a way that does not end in a lawsuit or the unfortunate possibility that this privilege may be taken away from our students?  How do we support law enforcement officers in a way that offends no one in our community?

I would encourage everyone in our community who works as a first responder or supports first responders to take the opportunity to be recognized or show your appreciation during one of the upcoming events scheduled to recognize National First Responders Day (October 28, 2023).  The following activities are scheduled to take place. If you would like to participate in any of these events, please reach out to a building administrator, a school resource officer, or our Public Relations Assistant, Jeannie Denike (jdenike@pvcsd.org) for more information.

October 20, 2023 – First Responder Appreciation Football Game: Putnam Valley High School
October 25, 2023 – First Responder Read Aloud: Putnam Valley Elementary School
October 26, 2023 – First Responder Equipment and Apparatus Event: Putnam Valley Middle School

Thank you.

Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools