Dear PVES Families,
Happy November! At PVES, we have so much to celebrate. I am beyond proud to share that in the U.S. News & World Report School 2026 Best Elementary School rankings, the Putnam Valley Elementary School was just ranked in the top 2.99% of all elementary schools in New York State! Out of 3,913 elementary NYS schools, PVES ranked #117, very close to where it has ranked in the past 5 years. This ranking is based on many factors, including support available for our students, academic data, and our highly skilled faculty and staff. Thank you all for your support of our schools and our strong community. We will continue to do the very best for our students!
There will be no school for all PVCSD students on this Tuesday, November 4th, as our faculty will be participating in our Superintendent’s Conference Day meetings. Schools will reopen on Wednesday. On Monday, November 10th, our elementary students (only) will dismiss at 12:00 due to our parent/teacher conference schedule. Schools will be closed for all PV students on Tuesday, November 11th for Veterans Day. In looking ahead, please note that our PVES students (only) will be dismissed at 12:00 on Tuesday, November 25th. All PV schools will be closed from November 26th through November 28th for the Thanksgiving holiday.
This past week, our elementary school was a very exciting place to be! Our facility dog, Mason, is gradually becoming a loved and integral part of our school community. Mason and his handlers visit classrooms, listen to students read, and walk through the school hallways to greet students. Mason and Mr. Gofman even led our Halloween parade! This past Wednesday was our amazing First Responder Day! With over 26 first responder guests, all of our classrooms were visited by honored visitors, and our grade levels were able to visit an ambulance in our parking lot, or attend a wonderful assembly presented by retired Sergeant Jabez Kong, a PV parent. In the afternoon, our entire student body gathered on the front hill of the school to watch a Westchester County Police helicopter land right on the PVES front lawn! What an exciting event! Thank you again to all our first responders who made this day possible!
We can’t wait for the PVES 3rd & 4th Grade Gym Show on Wednesday, November 19th, at 7:00 PM. We are also looking forward to the PTA Fall Scholastic Book Fair, which will run from Monday, November 17th through Friday, November 21st. Please sign up to help if you can!
Our Halloween festivities were filled with spirit and fun! Please check out our PVES Instagram (putnamvalley_es) and Facebook (Putnam Valley Elementary School) pages to see photos and videos! Thank you for having your children prepared for our special events. It was a windy day, but the children were filled with joy, and the costumes were amazing!
Have you signed up for your parent/teacher conferences yet, with your classroom teachers, professional support staff, and special area teachers? The first quarter of the school year ends on this Friday, November 7th. Progress Reports will be shared by classroom teachers at conference time.
Enjoy the week ahead, as the daylight ends a bit earlier each day. Thank you for getting this year off to such an amazing start with us!
Sincerely,
Dr. Margaret Podesta
Principal