August 2019
Dear PVMS Families,
I hope you have been enjoying the warm days of summer and finding some time to relax with your loved ones. Some of you may have even been able to get away on vacation. Children have been busy at summer camps, baseball, lacrosse, and various travel teams and other outside organizational activities. Please find the time to decompress and unwind and continue to communicate with your children regarding all of their experiences.
The first day of the upcoming school year is Tuesday, September 3, 2019. School will be in session daily from 7:45AM until 2:38PM. Please note that we do not have morning supervision for students unless they are attending a club that starts at 7:00AM. A full list of clubs will be provided once school starts.
If you are dropping off your student, as opposed to bus transportation, please use the crosswalk area as the drop off point. This is a monitored area where students can safely cross the driveway and avoid moving bus traffic.
Our “Advisory Period,” period 0, will continue in our schedule where every student will meet with a staff member and start their day from 7:45AM – 8:02AM. A group of 10 -12 students on each grade level will focus on various activities. The focus of this time will be to read our one book, one school, book, The Misfits by James Howe and lessons around the themes of the book. Students will also be working on technology awareness, mindfulness and team building activities, as well as fostering student voice and advocacy.
Encore classes, which typically run seven weeks, have been revised for the upcoming school year. We still offer Art, Health, and Technology for all students in every grade level. We have added the following classes that enhance our encore program.
5th – Drama, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
6th – Digital Citizenship, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
7th – Family and Consumer Science (FACS), Sustainability
8th – Family and Consumer Science (FACS), Finance
Our incoming 5th graders we will be participating in our new student orientation from 11:00AM – 12:00PM on Tuesday, August 27th in the Middle School gymnasium. Please note that this is a change from what we had originally sent out in the spring. Families should come prepared with your child’s schedule. This event also includes all new transfer students of any grade level to our District. As a reminder, 5th graders have their lockers in the classroom and they may bring in supplies to be left in their locker on this day.
Additionally, a locker opening for our 6th graders will be on Tuesday, August 27th from 1:00PM – 2:00PM. Please note that this is not a student drop-off event. Families should come prepared with your child’s schedule, which has their locker number and combination. Once your child feels comfortable with their locker and their schedule you may leave.
In order to help with opening your locker we have produced a short video. Please click here.
Regarding Schedules….
Your PowerSchool account will be available for you to view your new class schedule on Thursday, August 22nd at 11:00AM. A few simple clicks on our website will give you access to everything you need to know about the opening of the 2019-2020 school year.
Please take a moment to read the information below…many of your questions may be answered.
1) Students who selected Band and Chorus: placement in Band and Chorus will be arranged in September through the Music Department. Only Band will appear on your schedule. If you have questions, please email your music teacher. msoprano@pvcsd.org, jkraus@pvcsd.org, jcraane@pvcsd.org
2) If you wish to change your music selection, please send a note to school and bring it to the Main Office on the first day. Please allow a few days for your request to be processed.
3) If you have questions regarding logging into PowerSchool, or creating a parent account, please visit https://sites.google.com/pvcsd.org/pvcsd-parent. If you still have questions, please email Mrs. Sherwood at lsherwood@pvcsd.org.
4) IE stands for Intervention/Enrichment. This time is when students will receive additional academic support and enhancement. Students may receive AIS services, band lessons, and/or speech or OT/PT services during this time.
5) If you have other questions regarding your schedule, please email our Guidance Counselor, Ms. Coleman at kcoleman@pvcsd.org.
Now let’s get to your student information:
1) First, go to the Putnam Valley Central School District website at https://www.pvcsd.org. Click on the Middle School tab at the top of the page. Please click on the Student/Parent Resources tab to find all things necessary for the school year including the tab, Code of Conduct/Student Handbook/Laptop Agreement. Please read the three documents titled, Code of Conduct, Student Handbook, and Laptop and Mobile Device Agreement in their entirety and when completed, please fill out and electronically submit the Online Middle School Agreement Permission Form.
We will not issue a laptop unless this form is completed in full and returned electronically. If you cannot submit electronically, bring this form to the Main Office on the first day of school.
2) The link to PowerSchool Parent Access will provide you with your child(s) class schedule as well as transportation information. Please enter your account user name and password. For directions to create an account and to link your child or children to your account, please click on the following link: https://sites.google.com/pvcsd.org/pvcsd-parent. PLEASE NOTE: those students moving up to grade 5 have received a mailing that included a special code that is needed to create your parent PowerSchool account. Without this information, you cannot create an account. If you did not receive this letter, please email lsherwood@pvcsd.org.
Once you have logged into the parent portal of PowerSchool, you will see a number of tabs along the left sidebar. We ask that you focus on four tabs that will have all the information you need.
Grades & Attendance: This tab provides the area where you will see the student’s grades and attendance throughout the year. You will also see your locker number and locker combination here.
Transportation information is located under the tab that looks like a small bus. This will provide you with your bus number and any additional transportation needs. The link to the bus schedule is on top of this information. If you would like to contact the transportation department, please call 845-528-8900.
The Demographic Change tab needs to be reviewed and updated. The center column of this form is the information we currently have on file. If changes need to be made, please enter the new information in the right hand column. Once all changes have been made, please click on the “submit” button located in the lower right hand corner of the page. We will then confirm and update your Demographic Information. We need this information to be current and correct. We use this information in case of emergency.
My Schedule: This tab will provide a printable copy of your child’s schedule. Please note, our schedules run on a four-day rotation cycle. A, B, C, D days will appear on your schedule.
Once you finish, please click on the logout tab in the upper right hand corner. Please DO NOT share your User Name or Password with anyone. Each student will have his or her own login.
As the year progresses we will continue to provide you information in a paperless fashion.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Main Office at 845-528-8101.
Enjoy the month of August and spend time together with your family. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Travis W. McCarty
Principal