Dear PVES Families,
I am thrilled to begin this Weekly Word with some double big news! Congratulations to our Assistant Principal, Mr. Tom Chickery, and his wife Kristina, on the birth of their twins this past week, a boy and a girl, Mia Anne and Joseph Thomas! Mia and Joey join their 1 ½ year-old sister Aria to complete this “Party of 5”! Best wishes to the Chickery Family at this very exciting time! We know you are all in great hands with a wonderful (and busy) father!
Please remember that our very important District Budget Vote takes place by mail this Tuesday, June 9th. Be sure to vote! Details about the budget vote can be found on our district website at https://pvcsd.org/index.php/district/community-info/vote-absentee-ballot/.
In order to be sure that your ballot reaches the district office in time, you are welcome to bring your ballot to the district office by Tuesday at 5:00 PM.
We now have only 10 instructional days left to this school year. Although we have never seen a school calendar such as this, we have all worked together to support continued instruction and social emotional wellness over the past three months. Neither teachers nor parents had time to prepare for this unprecedented distance learning plan, but I am beyond proud of our district and the PVES community for our combined efforts in support of student learning. Please keep up the great work over the next two weeks. These are important instructional days, and we all look forward to school being in session soon!
More detailed information will be sent out this week regarding the PVES Student Supply Pick-Up and Drop-off Days that are scheduled for June 22 – June 24. We ask that you begin gathering school library books, classroom texts, musical instruments, and other materials that must be returned to school along with any borrowed laptops during the grade level time slots. We will set up an organized drive-by procession for each grade level according to the schedule below:
Monday, June 22:
9:00-11:00 Grade 4 Drop-off/Pick up
12:00-2:00 Grade 3 Drop-off/Pick up
Tuesday, June 23:
9:00-11:00 Grade 2 Drop-off/Pick up
12:00-2:00 Grade 1 Drop-off/Pick up
Wednesday, June 24:
9:00-11:00 Grade K Drop-off/Pick up
12:00-2:00 Drop-off/Pick up for anyone who missed Grade Level time
Most importantly today, it is vital to recognize that we are living through extremely important times. Along with the COVID-19 Pandemic that has caused so much stress and sadness, our young students are asking about the protests that are taking place throughout the nation, and their questions about racism and injustice must be heard and honestly answered. We know, as educators, that we must play an active role in ensuring and teaching that justice is for all, and our school is working hard to continue and to improve our teaching and learning efforts in this area. Our teachers are collecting and sharing age-appropriate resources to share with the elementary students, because we all must grow, and learn, and work to make this world a better place. As school leaders, we are focused on doing all we can to lead this work with passion, thought, and a hope for a much better tomorrow, with no place for racism, bias or hatred. Please share your questions and ideas with us, and if you feel your child would benefit from speaking with school personnel on these matters, please let us know. Our students may help us lead the way with this critical work!
Please take care of yourselves, and be sure to contact me with any questions or concerns. My email is mpodesta@pvcsd.org. We will never forget this time in our lives, but I do hope every day that good will come from it.
Warmly,
Dr. Margaret Podesta
Principal