Park Avenue Post

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful and restful break filled with joy, relaxation, and special moments with loved ones. As we gear up to welcome everyone back, we want to remind you that school resumes tomorrow, Monday, January 6. We are so excited to see our students’ smiling faces back in the hallways, ready to learn, grow, and shine!

Let’s make 2025 our best year yet—filled with new opportunities, exciting adventures, and endless success for our students. Together, we can make this a year to remember for the Park Avenue Owls!

The PTO will have its next meeting on next Tuesday in the PAS gymnasium. At this meeting, I will be sharing some data I've gathered about the progress of the school towards our goals. Please join us!

I'm noticing that drivers are doing U-TURNS in front of Park Avenue and also dropping their children off in the middle lane (requiring children to cross the drop off lane traffic). This is not only illegal, but it's really UNSAFE. I like to spend my time high fiving children and interacting with families at drop off and pick up, but more and more, I'm having to speak to parents/guardians about unsafe driving decisions.

PLEASE - NO UTURNS and NO DROP OFF FROM MIDDLE LANE.

For those of us that are rusty on the NYS driving laws, here are the statutes about U-Turns in a school zone:

SECTION 1161

U turns in certain areas prohibited

Vehicle & Traffic (VAT) CHAPTER 71, TITLE 7, ARTICLE 28

b. No motor vehicle shall make a U turn within a school zone. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "school zone" shall mean the distance along a highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway for which a school sign (S1-1) has been posted pursuant to this chapter and in compliance with the manual on uniform traffic control devices maintained pursuant to section sixteen hundred eighty of this chapter.

https://dmv.ny.gov/new-york-state-drivers-manual-and-practice-tests/chapter-5-intersections-and-turns#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20it%20is%20prohibited,turn%20on%20your%20road%20test.&text=Signal%20with%20your%20right%20turn,to%20the%20right%20and%20stop.

As a parent myself, I know quite well how chaotic and difficult the morning routine can be to get everyone out the door to be at school on time, so we do everything we can to be understanding while also launching instruction at the first bell in the morning.

In the mornings, I stand outside until 8:30am with music and high fives at the ready. At 8:30am, I begin my "migration" towards the front door and try to inspire kids that are still making their way to school to "beat me through the doors" to avoid getting a late pass. After the front doors have closed, students are required to get a late pass.

Recently, it seems that there are more and more people coming later to school as the winter goes on. Please make every effort to have your children here and in the front door by 8:30am. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Please see this article for ways that parents can support their children in developing STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS. CLICK HERE

As the weather is turning colder, I want to remind families that it is so important to send children to school with proper clothing for the colder weather. As a general rule of thumb, when the "real feel" is at or above 28-30 degrees, we will likely be going outside. I truly believe that students need fresh air, sun on their faces, and the ability to burn off their energy outside, but in order to do this, we need families to ensure that they are prepared for the cold.

The decision about outdoor recess is, of course, dependent on snow, ice, and wind, so there may be other factors that impact my decision making regarding recess, but it is truly important that students come to school prepared for the cold weather with winter jackets, hats, gloves, scarves every day. I have been communicating this message to our students at school, but wanted you to be informed so you can support it at home. Thank you for your help in ensuring that our students are safe during the recess on cold days.

IF ANY CHILD NEEDS A WINTER COAT, HAT OR GLOVES, THE SCHOOL WILL HAPPILY WORK TO PROVIDE THESE ITEMS TO OUR STUDENTS. PLEASE SEND A MESSAGE TO THE CHILD'S TEACHER WHO WILL NOTIFY ADMINISTRATION.

Be reminded that Wednesday, January 15 is a half day for P/T conferences - noon dismissal. For these conferences, our teachers will be inviting specific parents for meetings. If you feel that you need a meeting, please be in touch with your child's teacher.

Please be reminded that we have no school on Monday, January 20 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Over the course of the week before, many of our teachers will be seizing opportunities in class to touch upon his legacy and impact on our world.

Here is a useful resource for ways in which you can honor MLK and his legacy - CLICK HERE.

PLEASE CLICK HERE for the Virtual Principal Coffee schedule and link. AP Elsy Gonzalez will be joining us to conduct a coffee chat in Spanish while I conduct the conversation in English. All are welcome!

PLEASE CLICK HERE for our Spread the Love and Show Our Unity Spirit Days across January and February. There are lots of days, but they are not consecutive days so please mark your calendars!!

There are a lot of great things coming up! Please mark your calendars:

• Here are some upcoming highlights:

  • Monday, January 6 - Schools re-open
  • Wednesday, January 8 - American Heart Association Assembly
  • Tuesday, January 14 - PTO Meeting (DREVES DATA SHARE OUT)
  • Wednesday, January 15 - Parent Teacher Conferences (NOON DISMISSAL)
  • Monday, January 20 - MLK DAY (NO SCHOOL)
  • Wednesday, January 29 - Lunar New Year (NO SCHOOL)
  • Thursday, January 30 - Black History Month Laser Light Show Assembly
  • Friday, January 31 - Grade 3 Trip to Jacob Burns
  • Wednesday, February 5 - World Read Aloud Day
  • Tuesday, February 11 - PTO Meeting
  • Friday, February 14 - Valentine's Day Parties

The Port Chester School District's mission is to develop responsible and self-sufficient citizens who value cultural diversity, are creative and adaptable, and have the skills to think critically, communicate effectively, and continue growing individually.

The district's vision is "SUCCESS FOR EVERY STUDENT".

• Email: cdreves@portchesterschools.org
• Website: https://www.portchesterschools.org/pas/home
• Location: Park Avenue, Port Chester, NY 10573
• Phone: 914-934-7895
• Twitter: @craigdreves