Dear PVES Families,
I hope that you are enjoying this gorgeous November weather! What a great opportunity to spend quality time outside with your family, and to breathe in the wonderful fresh air! Your children have been enjoying many days of outdoor recess and physical education classes, and our teachers take advantage of our outdoor learning spaces whenever possible. We know winter will be here soon, so let’s make a point to enjoy this.
The weeks ahead are short but busy ones. Schools will be closed on this Wednesday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day. Elementary students will have no school on this Friday, November 13th, so that our virtual parent/teacher conferences can take place. Our elementary students will also have a 12:00 noon dismissal on Thursday, November 19th due to our parent/teacher conference schedule. (On that day, our special area teachers will be available throughout the afternoon for conferences, and in the evening as well. Classroom teachers and professional support staff will be holding virtual conferences on the evening of November 19th).
We are aiming to have our teachers hold conferences with 100% of our elementary students’ parents, as this communication at the 1st Quarter of the school year is so very important. All teachers can be reached at the following email: first initial, last name @pvcsd.org. Please reach out to any teacher with whom you would like to schedule a conference! You can also call the main office at 845-528-8092.
Thank you to our Character Education Committee for organizing a safe Thanksgiving Food Drive for those in need. We love having our children take part in helping others, especially at this time of year, and we thank you so much for your generosity.
Our PTA Virtual Book Fair will be taking place next week, from Monday, November 16th through Friday, November 20th. Our PTA will also be facilitating our School Picture Retake Day on Tuesday, November 17th. Our in-school learners will have their retakes (if arranged) taken between 9:30 and 11:30 AM outside on that day, and our remote learners are welcome to have their retakes taken between 3:00 and 5:00 PM outside on November 17th. Thank you to the PTA volunteers for making all of this possible!
Our Kindergarten and First Grade students continue to benefit from our weekly Mandarin language program this year! Our new visiting teacher, Ms. Lum, visits every K and 1 classroom, and the children are counting and learning words in Chinese. Thank you again to the Putnam Valley Education Foundation and PNW BOCES for supporting this innovative program for our students at PVES!
As you know, this Friday, November 13th, marks the end of our first quarter marking period. We are incredibly proud of our students for how they have adjusted to the many changes in our school organization and processes, and how they have worked so cooperatively with their caring teachers to transition back to school life, student responsibilities, homework routines, and the setting of personal learning goals after such a unique interruption in routine. These children are amazing, and we at PVES will continue to support them emotionally, socially, and academically throughout this school year. Together, we are doing an incredible job.
Welcome back to Mrs. Mary Sullivan, school psychologist, on this Monday, who is returning from her childcare leave. We missed you!
Please check the calendar and Weekly Notices carefully. Enjoy the week ahead. Stay safe, and be well.
Thank you,
Dr. Podesta
Principal