Dear Putnam Valley Community,

The start of the school year has been filled with learning, connection, and new opportunities. I’m thankful for everyone who makes this possible, from our dedicated staff to our supportive families, and most importantly, our amazing students.

Presentations at recent Board of Education meetings highlighted the work happening at each of our schools. Every day, our students engage in meaningful learning in an environment where they feel empowered to explore, take on challenges, and are excited to learn.

You can view the presentations here:



• Elementary School 2026-27
• Middle School 2026-27
• High School 2026-27

We have received positive feedback from families following our Back to School Nights, and I want to thank everyone who attended. These evenings provide valuable opportunities to connect with teachers, learn about classroom expectations, and meet other families.

We are especially excited to welcome back parent-teacher conferences at the Middle School. We encourage families to take advantage of these important opportunities to connect with their children's teachers, discuss progress, and identify ways to support continued growth and success.

Upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences

Putnam Valley Middle School

• Tuesday, November 10: 12:15 PM–5:40 PM
• Tuesday, November 17: 5:00 PM–8:00 PM

click here to sign up no later than Friday, 11/6 

Putnam Valley Elementary School

• Tuesday, November 10: 12:15 PM–5:40 PM
• Wednesday, November 18: 5:00 PM–8:00 PM

(Sign up with your classroom teacher no later than Friday, 11/6)

Last week, we were proud to recognize the first responders who serve our community through our annual appreciation events. Middle School students met representatives from several local and regional agencies, while Elementary School students welcomed family members for classroom visits. You’ll find pictures and more information in this newsletter. We are grateful to everyone who took the time to connect with our students.

We are looking forward to the High School fall drama production, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, opening Friday, November 6, with additional performances Saturday and Sunday. Please come out to enjoy the show and support our talented cast and stage crew. (Click here)

This year, our C.O.R.E. value focus is Empowerment. Throughout our District, students are developing the confidence to take ownership of their learning and use their strengths to make a positive difference. Together, we are building a community where we empower every student to grow, lead, and thrive.

As always, I encourage families to visit our District website, pvcsd.org, for helpful information, including communications from building principals, calendar reminders, and parent and student technology support.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeremy Luft

Superintendent of Schools

Always keeping the student at the center of our work.

Community: Empathic learners who take great pride in their school community.

Opportunity: Courageous learners seeking opportunities to improve themselves and others.

Resiliency: Joyful learners who display resiliency when faced with challenges.

Empowerment: Reflective learners who empower themselves and others to grow and improve.

The Putnam Valley CSD is once again partnering with the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester to offer a Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program for 4-year-olds who reside in the Putnam Valley School District.

The program will be housed in the modular building located behind PVES.

Students turning 4 years of age on or before December 1, 2027,

can enter the lottery until December 31, 2026.

The lottery will be held on January 14, 2027.

Please use this link to register for the UPK Lottery.

Students selected through the lottery process must register by February 18, 2026.

During Fire Safety Week, we were honored to welcome the Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department, who provided safety lessons to all our students in grades K through 4, and UPK too! The children were able to see firefighters in full gear, and tour the visiting fire trucks while asking questions about fire safety and fire prevention. Thank you so much to our wonderful PVVFD, who come every year with great safety tips and fire hats for all. We appreciate your partnership!

You can give the PVVFD a shoutout by following their Facebook page.

Although our Back to School Picnic was delayed at first due to rain, our PVES/PTA Picnic turned out to be a huge success in October this year! Thank you so much to the PTA for providing the Bubble Bus and for bringing the Icy Truck for all to enjoy! The weather was perfect for this community event at PVES, and the children enjoyed the beautiful new playground, the snacks, and the many bubbles that filled the air. We welcomed over 200 people to our school picnic, and we thank everyone who made the effort to attend. We have such a special learning community!

The World Famous Harlem Wizards visited the elementary school for a fun day of activities, games, and basketball tricks! Get your tickets now to see them face off against our teachers on November 10!

On Friday, October 9, PVMS and the PTA partnered with Main Stages for our annual community Building Game Show. The interactive extravaganza included trivia categories from today's pop culture. Through teamwork, communication, and a little friendly competition, students were able to build connections, strengthen friendships, and helped make our school community stronger!

A huge thank you to the PTA for making this event a success.

Our middle school community came together during October to celebrate Red Ribbon Week! This week of awareness is aimed at inspiring students to lead healthy, drug-free lives. Our students showed their enthusiasm for Red Ribbon Week by dressing as superheroes, wearing a favorite hat, and twinning with a friend! Throughout the week, our students were invited to a variety of events themed around superheroes which promoted a respect for their health and that of others. By calling attention to this topic, we encourage our students to make good choices which safeguard their health.

Putnam Valley Central School District was

proud to welcome back our first responders!

In recognition of the many first responders who reside in and/or serve the Putnam Valley Community, we held our annual first responder appreciation events. Middle School students enjoyed the opportunity to meet several first responder agencies during recess. We welcomed the Westchester County Police Special Response Team and Bomb Squad, the New York State Police, the Putnam Valley Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and the Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department, who sent several members, two fire trucks, and provided support to the LifeNet medical transport helicopter that landed in our back field. 

At the Elementary School, our in-person First Responder classroom visits were made especially meaningful by the mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who shared their experiences serving as first responders. Participation continues to grow each year, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who took the time to visit our classrooms, connect with students, and share their service with our school community.

As part of our commitment to academic excellence and global readiness, our school district is actively preparing for authorization as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). We recently reached an exciting milestone in this journey by hosting our official IB MYP Consultant visit!

To support this transition, our 9th and 10th-grade teachers have been hard at work refining and elevating their curriculum. They are actively remodeling unit plans to embed core MYP Approaches to Teaching and Learning (ATL), design collaborative lessons, and infuse International-Mindedness into daily learning. Additionally, educators are developing authentic, performance-based assessments that seamlessly align the IB philosophy with the new New York State Inspires Portrait of a Graduate initiative—ensuring our students graduate as reflective, critical thinkers prepared for a global society.



Our MYP coordinators, Mrs. Schoetz and Mrs. DiSiena, have created a link on our website with important information about MYP at Putnam Valley High School. 

We look forward to sharing more updates as we continue shaping an innovative, inquiry-driven learning environment for all students!

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Annual International Baccalaureate (IB) Information Night

For Middle and High School Families:

Monday, November 9th, at 6:30 PM in the PVHS Library

This is a fantastic opportunity to discover how our prestigious IB Diploma Program empowers students to excel academically and personally. Learn how it benefits your child, and discover ways to support their academic journey.

 

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This year, the Friends Network has spent so much time together building friendships, strengthening social skills, and creating meaningful connections! We’ve enjoyed spending time in the Wellness Center, playing cornhole and parachute games outside, and simply getting some fresh air while walking around together.

We’ve already had some wonderful fall adventures, including a trip to Stewart’s Farm for apple picking and pumpkin painting! Our students also had the exciting opportunity to connect with students from other schools at a Halloween party, giving them even more opportunities to build friendships and expand their social circles.

We are so proud of the connections our students continue to make as we foster friendship, acceptance, and inclusion. Every day, we are reminded that together, everyone belongs!

Fall Postseason & Leadership Updates

It’s been another incredible fall season. Every single one of our varsity teams qualified for the postseason!

Our Tigers Leadership Council also held its second meeting of the season. Our varsity captains focused on transformational leadership and set two main goals for the upcoming winter season: building great sportsmanship and driving positive spectator support in the stands.

Update: Game Day Cheer is the section champion!

This weekend:

Our merged swim team will compete, and Cross Country will compete in the section championships.

For complete playoff schedules and future game updates, check the PV Athletics Schedules.

Winter Sports Registration & Live Streaming

Registration is managed online through FinalForms. Log in or create an account here: PV FinalForms Registration

• High School: Open now | Closes Sun, Nov 8
• Modified (MS): Opens Sat, Oct 31 | Closes Sun, Nov 22



Can’t make it to a winter home game? You can stream our home events live on HUDL.