Dear Putnam Valley Community: 

The February break reminds me that we are halfway through the school year. It’s hard to believe how fast time goes by, but when you see our students so engaged in their learning, building connections with classmates and teachers, and sharing their talents and skills in numerous ways, you can clearly see how much has been accomplished and you can feel the excitement about what’s coming next. Our athletic teams are entering sectional and state tournament play, our students continue to excel across the arts with several successful musical performances completed, and student artwork is on display in a local museum. Our elementary school creatively celebrated the 100th day of school, our middle school had one of the most exciting students vs. staff volleyball games, and the college acceptances are starting to roll in at our high school. The energy in our buildings is contagious.

Our high school recently announced the valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2023. Please join me in congratulating our valedictorian Michael Fitzmaurice, and our salutatorian Spencer Brown. These young men are an inspiration to our students to strive for academic excellence.  

Across the district, parent engagement continues to be a goal of PVCSD this year, with many events already completed. Our Parent Learning Series has covered a wide range of topics and we greatly appreciate the parent participation. Workshops focused on managing anxiety, drug and alcohol awareness, and the proper use and pitfalls of the internet and social media. Parent presentations about our elementary school Scholastic reading program and our initial introduction to the IB Middle Years Program were well attended. These new initiatives will ensure that students are engaged in a challenging, student-focused educational program. We are hoping to schedule upcoming workshops focused on youth mental health, cyber-bullying, and the power of words. Thank you to all who have participated thus far. Please keep a look out for additional opportunities on the horizon.  

I hope everyone enjoyed a restful mid-winter break.

As always, I thank you for your partnership. 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Jeremy Luft 

Superintendent of Schools 

Girls Basketball is Westchester County Center bound. Again! Semi-finals will be Monday, February 27, at 6:30 pm.

Go Tigers!

Congratulations Esuar Ordonez - our Section 1 wrestling champion! And, Congratulations Coach Carano! With this win, head coach and PVHS Chemistry teacher Will Carano now holds the Section 1 record for the most section champions.

On February 2, parents and community members joined Dr. Gerry Micera for a learning session designed to introduce tools for helping students manage anxiety. From reframing the stories we tell ourselves to breathing techniques, Dr. Micera walked through helpful strategies and took questions from attendees. Watch for more workshops for parents on student mental health, cyberbullying, and more!