PQ Tuesday Newsday

Principal Message

Dear Families,

I hope you are all doing well. I’ll keep my message brief this week, as I’ve attached two documents for your review. At the most recent Board of Education meeting, the district shared an update on our district goals. I wanted to follow up by also providing a holistic look at the progress PQ has made over the past several school years. I encourage you to take some time to review what we have been working on together.

A few shout-outs to share; yesterday we had a half day dedicated to professional development. While I know these days can feel disruptive to the normal routine, they are incredibly valuable and directly connected to the work outlined in the documents shared. We were fortunate to leverage the expertise within our own building, as Mrs. Savarese, our Instructional Coach, and Mrs. Ahearn, our MTSS Coordinator, led professional learning focused on maximizing our support block. This is the time each day when Tier 1 instruction pauses so students across the building can receive the targeted support they need. We will continue to lean on the incredible professionals in our building to build capacity and strengthen outcomes for students.

Lastly, Stephane Matteau is back in the building working with our 4th graders; truly an incredible experience for our students. Please see below for the full list of upcoming events.

Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and support.

Dr. Martin

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PQ Progress at a Glance

There will be no morning or after-school band practice this week. Instrument lessons are on-going during the school day.

Grade 4/5 band practices (morning and afternoon) will resume the week of January 18th.

If you are dropping your K thru 5 student off in the morning, please know that after 8:55 there will not be an adult down by the gym to assist students. Any time after 8:55am please drop your student off at the main entrance. If the buses are still there please wait until they leave. Thank you.

The Pre-K program is run for 4 year old North Salem Central School District students at Pequenakonck Elementary School (PQ). The program will be full day (9am- 2pm) and will operate on the NSCSD calendar. The lottery is chosen at random at the end of January and all parents will be notified of their child's status. If your child is chosen, they will need to be registered with the North Salem Central School District. If your child is not chosen, you will be placed on the waitlist. If you would like to be placed on the lottery list, please complete the form below. This form closes on January 26th.

UPK Lottery Entry Form

Kindergarten registration is ongoing. Your student is eligible for Kindergarten in the 2026-27 school year if they turn 5 years old by December 1, 2026.

Please contact Lucy Barry to set up an appointment - (914) 669-5317 x 3056 or lbarry@northsalemschools.org

**If your student is currently in our UPK program you do NOT need to set up an appointment. A registration packet will be sent home with your student.

Any student interested in participating in NYSSMA must sign up with the district by January 28th. Piano students who study with a private teacher are encouraged to sign up by January 16th as their registration portal opens sooner. Fifth grade band students may check in with Mrs. Dee if interested.

The Sign Up Form

All Grades

This year, all children in the school receive meals at no charge regardless of household income. However, families are strongly encouraged to complete and submit the Free and Reduced-Price application as this form is used to determine eligibility benefits for State and federal funding/programs. Please read the letter linked below for more information.

Parent Letter (English version, Spanish Version)

Free and Reduced Application (English version, Spanish Version)

Grades K - 2

Author Nick Bruel (Bad Kitty books) is scheduled to visit PQ on January 29th. Thank you ABC PQ Committee and the PTO for making this happen!

Grade 4 and 5

Chorus has begun! Please make sure to update School Dismissal Manager if your students stays after school for chorus.

3rd Grade's Bowling Trip

A big thank you to Mr. Gilchrist, Mr. Mackenzie, and Mr. Veteri for planning the bowling field trip for our 3rd graders. As always, they had a great time!

Citizenship

Our students are amazing citizens!

Collaborator

PQ loves when students and staff collaborate!

Continuously Improving Learner

For the month of January we like to high lite all of the continuously improving learners in our school! It's happening daily and in many different ways. Here are just a few pictures showcasing our learners.

Mr. Gilchrist took time to teach students about team work. Then they followed that idea while practicing their basketball skills.

Our PQ Nurses had members of Northwell Health come to remind the 1st grade students all about the importance of hand washing.

Mandated NYS Hearing and vision screenings have begun and we will continue screening as scheduling allows. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns!

Danielle Zaetz, R.N.

Chrysta Gomes, R.N.

914-669-5414 x3043

Symptoms of Coxsackie and the Flu

When to Keep Your Child Home

Absences, Allergies, Immunizations, Medications, etc.

From Dr. VanDerStuyf

Please click below for information on Universal Free Meals and our new phone system.

August Letter to the District

The link below has information about our new school start times and the district's new policy on electronic devices - including cell phones and smart watches.

July Letter to the District

Updated District Calendar

Our district calendar was updated. Please click on the link below to view it.

Updated District Calendar