Dear Putnam Valley Community:
As the end of summer draws near, our schools are busy preparing for the opening of schools. When students and staff return in a few short days, they will see buildings in pristine condition, enjoy exciting enhancements to our grounds, and experience infrastructure upgrades that will enhance our safety and security practices. Some highlights of this work include new windows at Putnam Valley Elementary School, and the creation of an outdoor learning space and wellness trail at the Putnam Valley Middle School and High School campus. When students return to their classes, they will experience the meaningful work completed by their teachers this summer; revised lesson plans, new units of study, and new opportunities for student engagement and empowerment within the learning process. Our High School students, for the first time in Putnam Valley, will experience the globally recognized International Baccalaureate curriculum.
I want to commend the hard work of our buildings and grounds, technology, and office staff as well as the many teachers who participated in our summer workshops and curriculum writing initiatives. It has certainly been a busy summer here at Putnam Valley Central School District.
Looking forward, this is already shaping up to be an amazing year. A year that will empower our students within student-centered learning environments. The International Baccalaureate will provide both Juniors and Seniors with the opportunity to challenge themselves within a globally-minded curriculum. A new outdoor learning space and wellness trail will provide opportunities for Middle School and High School classes to embrace the outdoors. Finally, we are on schedule to begin our capital project this spring. The project includes much needed facility upgrades to both the Middle School and Elementary School along with the construction of a new health and wellness center that we believe will quickly become the academic and athletic hub of the District. Our architects will present the final renderings of the project at both the September 12 and October 10 Board of Education meetings. Board of Education meetings are open to the public and are also streamed live at pvcsd.org. For information on the facilities project, including recent presentations, please visit our website https://pvcsd.org/index.php/district/district-info/facilities-project/.
A theme for this upcoming school year will be accepting and overcoming challenges and understanding that by doing so we can realize meaningful change. We want to challenge ourselves to be better and more creative educators, challenge our students to assume greater ownership over their learning and to develop the essential skills they will need to be successful later in life. We want to encourage our parents to work alongside the school district to support our students socially, emotionally, and academically. All meaningful change comes with a level of discomfort. It is what we do during these times of discomfort that defines who we are and who we want to be. We all can be better and do better. Our challenge for the upcoming year is to ensure that everyone is provided the opportunity to improve themselves.
I am looking forward to another year of PVRising!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools
Upcoming dates:
Tonight, Monday 8/26 Kindergarten Back To School Night for parents – 7 pm
Tuesday, 8/27 5th Grade Orientation 11 am
Wednesday, 8/28 and 8/29 Superintendent’s Conference Days
Tuesday, 9/3 School Opens for Students
Monthly Event Calendar
pvcsd.org