Below is a letter from Principal John Puccio to students and parents:
Dear Students and Parents/Guardians:
We hope you all had a fun and relaxing summer and are looking forward to the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Pascack Valley High School opens its doors to all students on Wednesday, August 31st. Throughout the summer, our custodial, maintenance, guidance, and support staff have worked diligently to ensure we are prepared to welcome everyone back. We know that you are eager to see your schedule and would like to inform you that they will be available later in the day on Genesis Parent Access. Since our schedule consists of a five-day rotation, we have provided you with an Excel file to download and input your schedule. Please note that our rotation days will begin on Tuesday, September 6th.
We continue to enhance our security system to provide a safe learning environment. This summer, we added new strobe lights in the corridors to identify when a lockdown is in place and upgraded our surveillance system. Our current lockdown system offers an audio message when a lockdown is issued. Adding strobe lights will provide a visual layer when the corridors are busy and for individuals with hearing impairments. We are also implementing new procedures to modify visitors entering the building and dropping off items during the school day.
We will continue to utilize the front entrance as our entry point into the building, and the front doors will be locked as soon as the school day begins. We have installed an intercom system at the front entrance to communicate with visitors before they enter the building. Our goal is to limit the number of unscheduled visitors, and with that in mind, we will have two bins outside the front entrance for items such as lunches, laptops, athletic equipment, etc. The bins will be brought into the building each day at the beginning of our unit lunch period (11:02 am) for students to obtain their items.
You may have noticed that the front of the school looks a little different, and that is due to our beautification project. Over the years, a significant amount of our foliage was overgrown, decreasing front parking and interfering with the power lines. Our grounds staff did a fantastic job completing the first phase, and the project will be completed in stages throughout the school year. We are looking forward to enjoying the new plantings, including native plants that will prosper in the valley.
Many of you have a Pascack Period built into your schedule. During Pascack Period, you will have the opportunity to catch up on homework, study, visit your counselor, etc. Similar to last school year, we will continue to allow all students the chance to arrive at the school late (8:40 on a Monday's schedule and 8:55 on rotation days) if their day starts with Pascack Period. Students can leave early (2:08 on a Monday's schedule and 1:53 on rotation days) if their day ends with Pascack Period.
As a senior privilege, 12th-grade students can leave campus for lunch with parent/guardian permission. We will continue to allow seniors to leave campus during the school day when they have Pascack Period. Please know that in inclement weather, privileges may be temporarily suspended for safety concerns.
Please don't hesitate to contact your guidance counselor if you have any questions or concerns regarding your schedule. I cannot express how excited I am to welcome all of you back to Valley next week. Until then, I hope you enjoy the final week of summer break.
With PV Pride,
John Puccio, Jr.
Principal