Dear PVES Families,
Just a reminder that schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, in honor of Labor Day.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make our opening of the 2026-27 school year such a success! Our PVES students are off to a wonderful start, and I want to thank our faculty and staff who worked so hard to welcome them into their bright and inviting classrooms. Thank you, parents, for reading the Weekly Word, staying informed, and supporting us in our work. It’s going to be a great year ahead!
We look forward to welcoming our parents and guardians to our Back to School Nights this week. On Tuesday, we are asking parents of students in Grades 3 & 4 to arrive between 6:30 and 7:00. During this first half hour, you will be able to meet with some of our Special Area teachers (Art, Music, Band, Physical Education, Innovation Lab) and our Professional Support Staff (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Counselors, Psychologists, Reading and Math AIS, Speech, and ENL). At 7:00, we will all gather in the Auditorium for a general meeting before visiting your child’s classroom for the teacher curriculum presentation. On Wednesday at 6:30, we will host the same evening for parents of students in Grades 1 & 2. We always aim to have 100% attendance at these parent events, as a great deal of important information will be shared.
We also look forward to introducing our new faculty members this week. We are so excited to welcome Miss Maddie Deegan as our new K-4 Elementary Art Teacher. Miss Deegan was born and raised in Putnam Valley, and she has worked at our school for the past several years as a teaching assistant. We are thrilled to have her on board! We also welcome Miss Ally Rastelli to Kindergarten, and Miss Stacie Kinlen and Miss Emily Sherwood to first grade. Our new speech teachers are Miss Alyssa Reis and Ms. Gina Gentile. This past week, we also welcomed several teaching assistants, teacher aides, and lunch monitors to our team. We have such a talented, caring elementary staff! If you think you would like to serve as a substitute at our school, please contact our district office.
This week, our children will practice their first Evacuation Drill (fire drill). As you know, these mandated drills take place throughout the school year, and we practice safety and routines while reassuring our young students that they are safe. The teachers have been practicing single class fire drills with their classes already, and we have already viewed a mandated safety video.
Our new Playground is almost ready, and we hope to be able to have the students enjoy the beautiful weather and the brand new equipment this week. We are so grateful to our district and community for making this new Playground possible. It will be enjoyed for years to come!
As we settle into the school year, please note that only students whose parents have signed them up for Breakfast will go to the Cafeteria at the start of the school day. (Kindergarten students will have breakfast delivered to the classroom). If your children eat breakfast at home, please remind them that they should not get breakfast in school in the morning.
Again this year, we look forward to hosting Building Steering Committee Meetings throughout the year. If you as a parent/guardian are interested in participating in these meetings, we will be meeting on several Wednesdays throughout the year from 2:15 to 3:15 PM. The BSC is made up of teachers, administrators, and parents who collaborate to discuss any school issues, new initiatives, solutions to problems, and any agenda items that are appropriate for our team. If you are interested in participating, please email me directly at mpodesta@pvcsd.org.
As we look ahead in September, please note that our PTA/PVES Picnic will be held on the back Playground area on Thursday, September 17th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Schools will be closed on Monday, September 21st for Yom Kippur. Our Elementary School Picture Day will be held on Monday, September 28th. Thank you for volunteering with the PTA to help out on this day.
Enjoy the four-day week ahead. We are so very proud of your children. They returned to school happy and ready to learn! Thank you!
Sincerely,
Dr. Margaret Podesta
Principal