AugustDear PVMS Families,

I hope you have been able to get away and relax this summer!  The weather has been extremely warm with quite a bit of rainfall (especially on the weekends).  August is already here and although there are many days of summer break left, we wanted to update you on some plans for our 2023-2024 school year.  Our upcoming year will be filled with International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme work on behalf of our administrators and teachers.  This is a framework for learning that all students will be immersed in over time.  Our professional development is integral and we will continue to be focussed on this work that will positively impact our students.

Please visit our PVMS Website to see important updates, images of our school year, and our monthly newsletter. 

If you want to know what’s happening at PVMS each day, check our Daily Announcements Website to get up to date information on upcoming events, club and sports schedules and cancellations.  Sports cancellations will be updated but please remember that this could happen late in the day so check often.  Please bookmark this site on your devices. 

Before school and after school club offerings and dates will be posted in September.  You can find this information on our club page on our PVMS Website. 

The first day of our upcoming school year will be Tuesday, September 5th, 2023 for our 5th and 6th graders. All students will be welcomed back on Wednesday, September 6th.  This staggered start will enable our 5th and 6th graders to get settled in with an orientation and fewer students in the building to start their first day with activities.  

New students in 7th and 8th grade will have the opportunity to come to a locker opening session between 12:30-2:30 PM on Tuesday, September 5th.  Please watch the following video that will help assist your child with opening their locker.  Our 7th and 8th grade teachers will assist with locker opening during this time as well. Parents must drop off their children and wait in our parking lot and pick up their children when they are finished getting acclimated to the locker opening process.  

Important news for incoming 5th grade and new parents – We will have our 5th grade and new student(s) parent/guardian orientation at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, September 5th. Parents and guardians will be welcomed into our gymnasium where we will speak about becoming acclimated to our school.

School will be in session daily from 7:48 AM until 2:36 PM.  Our first two days of school, September 5th and 6th will be A days.  This will enable all students to start consistently.

Students in grades 7 and 8 will notice that they may have new lockers this year.  We took this opportunity to place all 7th graders together in one wing and all 8th graders together in another wing thus creating a sense of community amongst their grade level.  These changes will be reflected in PowerSchool.

Monday 9/4/23

Labor Day

School Closed

Tuesday
9/5/23
 

A Day

Opening Day for 5th & 6th Grade 5th Grade & New Student – Parent/Guardian Orientation – 8:00AM

Wednesday
9/6/23
 

A Day

All students back in session (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th) – Opening Day for 7th & 8th Grade

Thursday 9/7/23

B Day

Friday 9/8/23

C Day

If you are dropping off your child during the school year, as opposed to using 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.  Please do not drop your child off prior to 7:35 AM unless they are attending a before school club that starts at 7:00 AM.  We will have more information regarding clubs in September.

Encore Classes

5th –  Art,  Creative Writing, General Music, Technology,  Textiles and Design

6th –  Art, Creative Writing, Health, Technology, Textiles and Design

7th –  Art and Technology

8th –  Art and Health

Key Details 

A friendly reminder that students should not share lockers, combinations, and the like. Personal belongings should not be shared amongst students.

Please be sure to visit our PVMS Back To School Supply List page. This will help to prepare your children for the upcoming year.

Summer Reading – We have a number of suggestions for summer reading.  Please take a look at our Summer Reading Website if you have not had the opportunity to do so. Reading helps bring the world alive and this is a great opportunity to gain knowledge.  It is never too late to read a great book! 

Regarding Schedules

Your PowerSchool account will be available for you to view your new class schedule on Monday, August 28th at 9:00AM.  A few simple clicks on our website will give you access to everything you need to know about the opening of the 2023-2024 school year.

Please take a moment to read the information below… many of your questions may be answered. 

1) If you have questions regarding logging into PowerSchool, or creating a parent account, please visit https://sites.google.com/pvcsd.org/pvcsd-parent/powerschool.  If you still have questions, please email Mrs. Sherwood at lsherwood@pvcsd.org. Students have their own login to Powerschool.  New students will receive this information at school from their teachers or they can reach out to Mrs. Sherwood in the Tech Office.

2) IE stands for Intervention/Enrichment.  This period is when students will receive additional academic support and enrichment.  Students may receive AIS services, band lessons, and/or speech or OT/PT services during this time.

3) If you have other questions regarding your schedule, please email our School Counselor, Ms. Ortiz at mortiz@pvcsd.org.

Actionable items

Please read through the three important student and parent agreement documents found on 

this page as they are the Code of Conduct, Student Handbook, and Laptop and Mobile Device Agreement.  You must then complete the  Online Middle School Agreement Permission Form.  We will not issue a laptop unless this form is completed in full and returned electronically. Laptop distribution will take place during school hours. 

Log into the Parent Portal of PowerSchool. Please review the 4 tabs listed below with emphasis on the Demographic Change tab.

  • Grades & Attendance: This tab provides you with the student’s grades and attendance throughout the year.  You will also see your locker number and locker combination here.
  • Transportation Info: This tab provides you with your bus number and any additional transportation needs.  A link to the bus route schedule is also provided on this page. You can reach the transportation department at 845-528-8900 with any bus concerns.
  • Demographic Change: PLEASE review for outdated contact information. We need this information to be current and correct for parental correspondences and in case of an emergency. At the bottom Demographics Change page, click the checkbox next to the name of the student to confirm you want to make the changes and then click SUBMIT. Your submission will be reviewed and then updated.
  • Schedule List: This tab will provide a printable copy of your child’s schedule. Please note, our schedules run on a six-day rotation cycle.  A, B, C, D, E, F days will appear on your schedule.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Main Office at 845-528-8101.

Enjoy the remainder of the month of August and spend time together with your family.  We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Travis W. McCarty
Principal                              

Early Dismissal - Friday, December 20, 2024
Due to the forecast for inclement weather later today, all Putnam Valley Schools will dismiss ONE hour earlier than normal. All afterschool activities are canceled.
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