Putnam Valley Central School District
Newsletter
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Building a Foundation for the Future |
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Dear Putnam Valley Community,
The month of December is always an exciting time of year here in the Putnam Valley School District. We are proud of the perseverance of our students in our classrooms and for the hard work many are putting in to prepare for musical performances and the winter sports season. With each passing day, you can see the excitement build on students’ faces, everyone is looking forward to the well deserved holiday break.
The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone. It is important to recognize its impact on our school community, everyone is looking forward to the day we are able to move past these difficult times. Despite all the challenges before them, I remain extremely grateful for the hard work and dedication of students, staff, teachers, and administrators; each group of individuals continues to go above and beyond to best serve the students of Putnam Valley. The Putnam Valley School District continues to excel; this success was most recently acknowledged in U.S. News and World Report, which placed Putnam Valley Elementary School in the top 4% of all elementary schools in New York State on last year’s state assessments.
This holiday season is an opportunity to reunite with friends and family, rekindle traditions that may have been put on hold last year, and to reflect on all we have experienced over the past year. It is also a time to remember those in our community who are struggling. The Putnam Valley School District, through the support of student organizations, is currently involved in a variety of community service and charitable events, including pajama and toy drives and support of the Putnam Valley Food Pantry. There is no greater gift than giving to those in need.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season!
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Sincerely,
Dr. Jeremy Luft
Superintendent of Schools
Putnam Valley Central School District
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PVES Library Open for Readers! |
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We have exciting news from the PVES Library! After a long break, our elementary students will now begin to visit the library for book exchanges again!
All students will soon be borrowing books from our wonderful library to read at home. The children will be able to share these stories with family members and then return them to borrow again! All classes will follow a multi-week Book Exchange Schedule that will allow them to visit the library with their classroom teacher.
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We are so excited to welcome our young readers back to the library again! A special thank you to all of the faculty, staff, and high school volunteers who made this possible. Let's celebrate the love of reading together! |
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Middle School Students Gives Back to the Community |
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Students at Putnam Valley Middle School collected over 1,400 food items during its annual food drive, benefitting the Putnam Valley community food pantry at Grace Methodist Church and the First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown’s food pantry.
“My hopes and expectations of any event is that our families and students are willing to help those in need,” Travis McCarty, principal of PVMS, said. “I always say that no matter how little or how great the turnout is, we have helped our community. I am extremely proud of our students and families for their overwhelming donations.”
The food drive was sponsored by the PVMS student council, which turned the food drive into a contest, creating friendly competition between the students in grades five through eight. For each item donated, students received a ticket for a lottery—one student from each grade level winning a $10 Amazon gift card. The grade level that collected the most items also won Dunkin Donuts at lunch.
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The student that donated the most items school-wide won a $20 Amazon gift card. This year, sixth-grader Abigail Kui was determined to win, donating a truckload of food, literally. Abigail's father unloaded cases of canned goods, pasta, and ramen, as well as holiday staples like stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, gravy, and cornbread mix, totalling 352 items.
“My dad, when he was little, used to go to food banks to get food, so he wanted to give back,” Kui said.
The student council is led by eighth-graders Maria Argirou, president, and Grant Rosoff, vice president. The student council advisors are Sarah Reilly, ELA teacher, and Wanda Diaz, science teacher.
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Senior Treat Thorpe was celebrated last month by students and faculty as his ASPIRE artwork, Terra Mater, was unveiled in the Tiger's Den of the High School. Each year, students create artwork to express the elements of A.S.P.I.R.E., which captures the values we hold dear in our High School (Awareness, Safety, Perseverance, Integrity, Respect, and Empathy). Learn more about ASPIRE and Treat's work from Dr. Sepe herself in this video! A special thank you to the Media Production Club for filming this terrific video.
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PV Athletics News and Updates |
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Winter Athletics have officially begun! All of our teams are working hard to prepare for the competition ahead. From basketball to ice hockey, our PV student-athletes have been working tirelessly to develop their skills and improve their physical fitness. |
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The Athletic Department is busy organizing and building the new "Hall of Fame" which will be located in the corridor between the athletic wing and the new wellness center. On display, you will find all of our League, Regional, Sectional, and State Championship plaques organized by year, season, and sport! We are looking forward to it's unveiling in the near future! |
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Also, three of our Fall programs earned Scholar-Athlete Team Awards with a team GPA over 90%!
Congratulations to our scholar athletes!
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Field trips are back on the agenda for students in all grades, and fifth grade took advantage of the beautiful fall weather we had this year to go to SHARPE Reservation. As a class, the students had opportunities to explore space in the site's planetarium, to engage in orienteering, and to reconnect with the great outdoors. It was a beautiful day for hands on learning! Thank you to the faculty at SHARPE and to our Middle School teachers who made such a great day possible! |
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PVHS Counselors Discuss College Application Processes |
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This November, high school guidance counselors reviewed the college application process with the junior class. Topics of the presentation included factors to consider when researching and applying to colleges, how colleges evaluate applicants, and other important information. We also discussed the NCAA process, as well as touched on the financial aid process.
Every junior was informed that they will meet individually with their counselor throughout the months of December and January to work on specific, individual post secondary plans. These meetings are already underway.
The juniors were also given a Naviance account, in which they can take a career interest inventory and research colleges.
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Attention Parents and Guardians of 11th Grade Students: |
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You are invited to an evening event on January 27 at 7:00pm in the PAC to learn about the college application process from our counselors. Please reach out to your child's counselor for additional information about this event! |
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Winter Wonderland Success! |
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"The holiday spirit is certainly in full swing now!" Dr. Margaret Podesta cheered after a successful Winter Wonderland event hosted by our incredible PTA on December 11. Students and families enjoyed a magical day of lights, festivities and fun at the elementary school. This was an afternoon of old-fashioned, charming celebration, with Santa and Frosty too! Thank you to our PTA and our PVES faculty for making such a great day possible for our community. |
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Lead learners from Putnam Valley Middle School took part in a regional conference held by PNW BOCES to discuss teaching the Whole Child. Our very own MS/HS Art teacher, Lisa Furlong, presented "The Visual Arts: A Powerful Tool for Social Emotional Learning." Mrs. Furlong presented at the conference alongside colleagues from around the Lower Hudson Valley Region, including districts such as Somers, Bronxville, and Ossining. Way to go, Mrs. Furlong! |
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Our band and chorus students at the middle school returned to the stage to the delight of parents, faculty, and the school community in exceptional winter concerts. We are so proud of our students and their dedication to the arts as well as their academics! |
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Ilyanna Garcia Alicea has been selected to be the LWV of Putnam County’s representative and participant at the 2022 League of Women Voters Students Inside Albany Program conference in May (22-25-2022).
Congratulations, Ilyanna! We are so #TigerProud!
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Did you know that 4,520 students auditioned this year for the New York State School Music Association and only 493 were accepted? Victoria Spitzer and Ben Lowder of Putnam Valley were among that select group this year!
The students (and their proud teachers) had a wonderful and educational experience attending the NYSSMA Winter Conference this December. Our PV students played very well and the collaboration and learning with other students from across NYS were epic!
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Our students had a chance to work with the band director from Ohio State University throughout the week while music educators from NYS had a 4-day educational conference. In addition, PVHS alumni Peter Leo presented a research-based workshop on "music education for visually impaired students." |
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We are so proud of our students and our music department for leading statewide and continuing to shine a bright light on the power of the arts in school. We are especially proud that our students go on to lead after they graduate, such as PVHS alumni Peter Leo, who presented a research-based workshop on music education for visually impaired students. |
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Spotlight on the Board: Meet Ms. Barbara Parmly |
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I was lucky to be born into a military family that valued both tradition and individual differences. I was raised on four continents and attended schools in three countries and eight states. Learning was how you lived your life, and it happened in and out of school buildings. I may not have fit the traditional student profile but was encouraged to learn my own way and always do my best.
I chose to go into education because it had been difficult for me, and I thought a teacher who struggled was a good model for student learning. I tried to always celebrate the hard work that is involved in learning anything new. When I was raising my own children, I decided not to attempt to teach in school. But I couldn't get too far from education.
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I became involved in Putnam Valley schools as my children moved through, in the PTA, volunteer work and going to Board of Education meetings. I decided to run for the Board and loved my years in that role. When I decided to return to the classroom, I only wanted to teach in my town, Putnam Valley. So with much regret, I left the Board and began to apply for a job. After I started work, I continued to attend Board meetings and to learn all sides of how a district operates. When I retired from teaching, I again decided to run for the Board and, thankfully, was elected again. I love what I do, even (maybe especially) when it is hard. This is a wonderful town and a wonderful school that works to make our students smart, happy, safe, and prepared. I am proud to serve. |
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PVHS Toy Drive a Success! |
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National Honor Society members conducted a Toy Drive this holiday season to be able to provide gifts to children in need. The members bought the toys, wrapped the boxes, and delivered the toys to the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Valhalla.
Thank you to our members, including Allison Walsh, Sophia Derella, Kelsey Simpson, Ava Derella, Rachel Shook, and Fijona Osmanaj for organizing this wonderful drive and shining a bright light on the generosity of our school community. You make us
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The PVCSD, in partnership with our families and community, will ensure that all students are engaged in a challenging, student-focused educational program, understand and assume their responsibility for life-long learning, work to achieve their personal best and become productive citizens in a diverse global society. |
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Contact Us:
Putnam Valley Central School District
(845)528-8143
171 Oscawana Lake Rd
Putnam Valley, NY 10579
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