Dear PVES Families,
Happy Saturday! Many of us are waking up to a little snow on the ground on this sunny day in May, and that just seems to fit right in with this strange time in which we are living. It’s nice to see the sun though, and I hope that you all enjoy a relaxing and healthy weekend ahead. We at PVES are missing our students so very much, and we do hope that you are all staying well and settling even more into productive, calm, and pleasant learning days. We know how hard you are all working, and we thank you for your efforts!
As we look ahead to next year, we are all hoping to return to normalcy. There are still many questions about what school in September will look like, but as of now, we are moving ahead with planning as usual. In the Weekly Notices attachment today, you will find the Student Information Sheet that all parents with students currently in grades Kindergarten through Grade 3 are welcome to complete. This information will help us with student placement in classes for next year. If you would like to fill out this sheet about your child, please do so and email it back to me by May 29th. My email is mpodesta@pvcsd.org. As always, we ask that you do not make specific teacher requests. Teacher positions have not yet been finalized for next year. Thank you!
This past week, we celebrated some very hard-working and caring people in our lives. I would like to again express my gratitude for and admiration of our teaching staff during this week of Teacher Appreciation. Our PVES teachers are providing lessons and opportunities to meet via Google Meets and live chats in order to connect with our students, and lessons continue to provide new information and support. Thank you to the entire staff for learning so much so quickly as they continue to provide meaningful instruction. And on Wednesday, May 6th, we celebrated Nurse’s Day! Thank you to our caring school nurse, Mrs. Hill, for all she does to keep us all safe and healthy!
As you may know, two of our longtime teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Sperling, will be retiring at the end of this year. In honor of their final Teacher Appreciation Week, many members of the PV community assembled to surprise them with an overwhelming drive-by tribute this past week. Please take a look at this video of the event that was created by their daughter Sarah. What a celebration this was for these devoted and talented teachers! We wish Deb and Scott a long and healthy retirement together, and we thank them for their many years at PVES!
And, tomorrow is another very special day! Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wonderful moms out there who are working harder than you ever have to provide love, stability, and even home instructional support to your young ones. As poet Linda Wooten wrote, “Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” Thank you, mothers and grandmothers, for all of the strength you are finding within yourselves right now, and for loving your children in the way that you do. May you enjoy a special day of love and relaxation. You deserve it!
As the weeks move forward, we will be in touch with specific plans for retrieving personal items from the school building and any virtual events to help us celebrate the end of the school year. In the meantime, please reach out if you have questions or concerns. Thank you for doing the best you can with the distance learning, and for staying in touch with your children’s teachers on a regular basis. We make a strong team together, and the children know that!
Have a happy and healthy week ahead!
Warmly,
Dr. Margaret Podesta