Dear PVES Families,
Happy Saturday! As we continue to settle into this unique school year, I am amazed at the resilience and positivity of our students. Together, they have adjusted to major changes in their learning environment, and they are working cooperatively with our wonderful faculty to make every day a productive and safe day of learning. I am so proud of these PVES children, and I thank you for your ongoing support.
Thank you to all of you who were able to attend our Virtual Back to School Nights this past week. Over the course of three nights, our teaching staff was available to meet with parents of students in grades 3 & 4, 1 & 2, and in Kindergarten. Our classroom teachers shared very important information about the school year. If you were not able to attend, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher. Thank you for your continued involvement in your child’s educational journey.
This coming week, our in-school learners will have their School Picture Day on Wednesday, September 23rd (rain date October 1st). School Picture Day for our Remote Learners will be held on Friday, October 2nd (with an appointment schedule to be sent out soon). Our school pictures will be individual photographs (no whole-group shots, as masks will not be worn, of course), and photos will be taken outside. On all picture days, Remote Learning families should be aware that Class Google Meet times may be shortened or rescheduled due to the Class Picture Day schedule. Thank you for understanding.
Our Remote Learners have been joining our classroom lessons, and this process continues to increase and improve with time. Thank you for your patience, as we are learning as we go about what is working best for both our in-school and our distance learners. It is VERY important that parents know that NO part of our classroom Google Meets may be recorded, or shared via email or social media, at any time, as this goes against our school policies. Please understand that our teachers are putting tremendous effort into teaching students virtually while simultaneously teaching students in their classrooms. It is imperative that we work together to make this successful for our young learners, modeling respect and cooperation at all times. Parents at home should also not be speaking on the computer during the Google Meets, as this is a time for students to attend to classroom lessons, as independently as possible. Thank you so much!
Remote learning families should remember that pick up/drop off of work materials can take place on Fridays between 12 and 2, if that pertains to your class. However, the materials will be ready for you any day after this time, and the main office staff will bring them to you at the front door if you come to the school at your convenience.
All students who were busy reading over the summer should turn in their completed summer reading logs to their teacher any day this week, if they haven’t already. Summer Challenge prizes will be distributed after this week. Thank you for your participation.
Thank you again to our PTA who supplied beautiful water bottles for all of our students. (Remote learning students will be receiving these on their Picture Day, October 2nd!) If students choose to use different water bottles in school, that’s fine! Water bottles with spill-proof tops are best!
Please be aware that there will be no school for students on Monday, September 28th, in honor of Yom Kippur. Schools will also be closed on Monday, October 12th, in honor of Columbus Day.
The beautiful fall weather is here, with the official first day of autumn arriving this Tuesday. These sunny, comfortable days will allow our classes to enjoy our outdoor learning spaces when possible, and the weather makes for very enjoyable days of outdoor recess and physical education, filled with fresh air and exercise. Our students continue to follow social distancing guidelines, and mask-wearing and handwashing are essential parts of the day. Random temperature checks of students and staff are being done throughout the day in our school to help ensure everyone’s safety, and student bathrooms are cleaned in regular intervals throughout the school day. Arrival and Dismissal procedures have been extremely efficient this week. There are many reasons to show off our #PVPride!
Thank you for all of the positive feedback we have been receiving in our efforts to open our schools safely and provide all of our students with meaningful and engaging learning opportunities. Our PVES teachers are putting extreme care and effort into all of their planning and teaching. Thank you so much for taking the time to acknowledge that. These are unique times, and we are all important parts of this wonderful learning community.
Enjoy the weekend!
Thank you,
Dr. Podesta
Principal