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Mother Goose visits Hart Magnet 

Hart Magnet Kindergarten students enjoyed a surprise visit from who other than Mother Goose herself. Lenka Burke, actress, artist, and university professor captivated our audience with an interactive presentation of popular nursery rhymes and songs. Our Kindergartners were austruck. Students had the opportunity to extend their learning of nursery rhymes they just learned as part of our CKLA Literacy unit. Mother Goose’s presentation was enjoyed by both children and adults alike. 

 

Hart Magnet Elementary School Mural 

As our students enter Hart Magnet School this year, they will see the completion of the beautiful mural titled “Landing on Earth” to the right of the main staircase. “Landing on Earth” is a testament to the unity and creativity of our school community. This mural is a culmination of many hours of volunteer work and student participation. 

 

This project was made possible by the generous support of the City of Stamford Micro Grant and was led by Hart’s Art teacher Mr. Martini, Principal Mrs. Darling, Assistant Principal Mrs. Paolini, parent and community leader Mrs. Maya Donald, and the dedicated teachers and staff who ensured every student participated in painting the mural. A special shout out to Meme Brown from Corners Community for adding the final details. We would like to thank all of our staff, students, current and alumni, families, parents, and community members for their dedication and hard work on this project.

 

Welcome Back Family Picnic 

We held our annual Back to School Family Picnic on Wednesday, September 18. Families shared an afternoon of laughter and fun with our students, teachers and staff. Students played on the playground with friends, stopped at various stations to make bracelets, get temporary tattoos, henna, their faces painted and more. There was even a food and ice cream truck for an added treat! Thank you to our PTO and teacher volunteers who helped make this such a fun-filled event!

 

Submitted by Maria Guzda

 

Connecticut Author Visits APPLES Open House to Share the Importance of Inclusion with Families

APPLES families welcomed Connecticut Author Margaret Anne Moore, Author of Bold, Brave and Breathless as she shares her incredible journey as a person with a disability and how the support of schools played a pivotal role in her success. Margaret spoke to families about her preschool experience and how assistive technology has allowed her to work and conquer all her dreams. 

 

APPLES Staff Participate in Year-Long Book Study on Supporting Positive Behavior in Early Childhood! 

Once a month, APPLES staff under the direction of BCBA Emily Harris participate in a year-long study of the book Building Positive Momentum for Positive Behavior in Young Children by Lisa Rogers. Emily and staff are reading chapters together and identifying ways we already have the strategies discussed in the book implemented at APPLES, celebrating these accomplishments, and then identifying new strategies we can implement to support student behavior. It is a wonderful example of collaboration and continuous learning.

Submitted by Kendra Brown 

 

KT Murphy’s Second Grade Culminating Activity for CKLA’s Fairy Tales and Tall Tales

Our second graders celebrated the end of their first CKLA Unit with a pancake and publishing party. Second Grade families were invited to share in a pancake breakfast and their children’s writing. The students dressed up as their favorite character from one of the tales they read in this unit. Congratulations to our amazing second grade team: Jessica Febbraio, Justine Perloe, Sophie Janvier, Sharron Vartuli, and Maxine Sittol-Keddo on creating this fun family event. 

Submitted by Brendan Fox

 

Fabulous Custodians 

A big shout out to Julia Stark Elementary School Custodial staff: Mr. Mark Fox, Mr. Paul Franco, Mr. Michael Harrell, Mr. Beck and Mr. Forte for keeping our school clean and shiny.

 

We appreciate all that they do to make sure our school is a great environment for everyone. Thank you custodial staff for all your efforts!

 

Reunion Mensual de Octubre - Miss Brea’s Q&A Day 

Karina Brea, our Parent Facilitator, deserves praise for organizing helpful parent workshops each month. During October’s session, the focus was on the significance of family involvement and taking part in school activities. Miss Brea provided families with valuable information on PowerSchool features and ways to improve communication between school and home. It’s great to see such dedication to keeping parents informed and engaged in their children’s education.

Submitted by Iuliana Roata

 

Reading Under the Stars - Celebrating Literacy!

Stillmeadow celebrated its 10th annual Reading Under the Stars event! Thank you to Jen Grant and Lauren Vavoulidis, our Literacy Support Specialists, for organizing this special evening. Thank you to our amazing staff who helped decorate, set up, manage a station, and/or clean-up for this event. Our students and families enjoyed a variety of engaging activities, all centered on literacy! 

Submitted by Kathleen Kelley

 

Henkel visits Newfield 

This week, Henkel visited third and fourth graders to present a program about recycling, reusing and composting and how it can help our environment. They also taught students what items are and are not recyclable! In addition, they showed students the process in which a plastic bottle travels from their house to the recycling plant where it’s washed, shredded, melted and made into a new product! Students then designed their own reusable bag to take home! Thank you Henkel! 

Submitted by Mandi Leale

 

Westover’s Kindergarteners Build Confidence by Reading to Therapy Dog 

If you walked through Westover’s Kindergarten hallway on Tuesday, October 8 you would have heard the voices of students reading to an adorable, black therapy dog named Buoy. We are so excited to continue our partnership with Pet Partners, a therapy dog reading program. The organization works to place therapy animals and their handlers in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and many other facilities so these animals can benefit the health and well-being of community members. For some students, reading out loud can be an intimidating experience, but Buoy is a good listener and doesn’t judge. Teacher’s hope Buoy will help our youngest readers build their confidence and he has many more visits planned this year.

 

Westover Staff & Parents Shop the Night Away at Love Bella

Dozens of Westover staff, PTO members, and Parents spent the evening of Thursday, October 10 shopping, mingling, and enjoying lite refreshments at Love Bella on High Ridge Road in Stamford. The local small business offered a discount and matched all purchases made to donate to our PTO. Their generosity will support arts programming, field trips, and classroom enrichment. Thank you to all of the Westover staff that came out to support the event and all of the parents who also joined in on the fun. We sincerely appreciate Love Bella for opening their doors to Westover and supporting the local Stamford community.

Submitted by Larissa Weir

 

 

Westhill High School holds Town Hall Meeting for the upcoming Mock Election

A special shout out to Social Studies teacher Sheryl Berkley and the students in her AP United States Government & Politics class for their Town Hall Meeting on October 10. A huge shout out to students, Arya and Angelo, for playing Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. To prepare for the Mock Election that WHS will hold on the day before Election Day, Ms. Berkley’s AP Government students conducted a Town Hall meeting to educate the school community on the issues of their campaigns. 

A shout out also to the representative from the Westword student newspaper that not only took photos for the upcoming edition, but asked insightful questions about the process. 

 

At the end of the session, after hearing from both candidates playing Kamala Harris and Donald Trump respond to some difficult questions, the campaign teams fielded additional questions from the audience about their preparation, decisions made, and what their plan is for the upcoming Mock Election. The audience heard from the students conducting polls to get insights into the issues that matter to the potential voters. The campaigns discussed how they selected questions and sources they used when making decisions for how the candidate might answer. 

Submitted by Mary Enright

 

 

 

What is an SPS Shout Out?

An SPS Shout Out is a special recognition that acknowledges school communities, staff members or students who have inspired us with a unique project, an outstanding job or a special effort that had a positive impact on our students or community.  Each week we will celebrate a few by sharing with all SPS staff and posting on the district website. Please share any or all of these with your friends and families.   

Dear Families and Staff,

This week Stamford Public Schools (SPS) and the Stamford Police Department (SPD) hosted two school safety meetings. During these meetings, families learned how we work to provide a safe and secure environment for students and staff, and how families can support school safety.  

I’d like to thank the representatives of the Stamford Police Department and the City of Stamford who helped facilitate these important conversations along with our building principals. A special thank you to Director of Security Joe Kennedy and our school security workers and School Resource Officers for all they do every day to keep our schools safe and secure.

If you missed these meetings, please review the PowerPoint presentation in English and Spanish. 

Magnet School Information Sessions Next Week

Four SPS magnet schools are hosting information sessions next week. If you’re interested in learning if these programs could be a good fit for your child, please make plans to attend.  

 

• Hart Magnet Elementary: Tuesday, October 15 at 10 am and 6 pm

• Strawberry Hill K-8: Tuesday, October 15 at 10 am and 6 pm

• Rogers International K-8: Wednesday, October 16 at 9:30 am and 6 pm

• Westover K-7: Thursday, October 17 at 11 am and 6 pm

SPS Retained 94% of Certified Staff from 2023-24 to 2024-25

Teachers are the heart of our school district and our human resources team is pleased to share that 94% of the certified educators who worked with us last year returned to SPS for the 2024-25 school year! This is especially good news when you consider that budget concerns were top of mind last spring and that districts are in fierce competition to fill vacancies. 

 

SPS has 1,572 budgeted certified educator positions in 2024-25, an increase of more than 3% since 2018-2019.     

Communicating Concerns & Complaints

Over the course of the school year, we recognize there will be times that you have questions, concerns, or complaints that require immediate attention. To ensure that your question, concern, or complaint is addressed quickly, we ask that you follow these steps:     

• Questions or concerns about instruction, differentiation, classroom behavior, and interpersonal conflicts should be directed to the classroom teacher or teacher specialist. 

• Questions or concerns about bus behavior, unresolved classroom-related issues, and school policies and procedures should be directed to the principal or assistant principal.

• Unresolved classroom, bus, or school-level issues should be referred to an associate superintendent (Angela Asaro for elementary, Matthew Laskowski for K-8 and middle schools, and Dr. Lori Rhodes for high schools.)

• Issues that remain unresolved after escalation to an associate superintendent will be referred to my office.

Per BOE policy, complaints or concerns directed to the BOE will be referred back to SPS personnel. 

Flu & COVID Season is Here

With autumn upon us, the presence of respiratory diseases like the Flu and COVID-19 are expected to increase. Please consider getting your children vaccinated to help slow the spread of these diseases among our students, teachers, and staff. The Department of Health and Human Services Henry Street Clinic offers free Flu and COVID-19 vaccines to children under 18 years old through the Connecticut Vaccines for Children Program. Please call 203-977-5385 for an appointment.  

Enjoy the Long Weekend

Remember, all schools will be closed on Monday for Columbus Day. Enjoy the long weekend with family and friends. 

 

Stay Safe & Healthy!

Dr. Tamu Lucero
Superintendent

Espanol

Creole

Stamford Coalition of Parents Expecting Success invites you to join their next meeting!

CT Developmental Services (DDS) is committed to helping individuals with intellectual disability live full lives. Join us as DDS representative Kaitlyn Drenzek covers topics including:

• How DDS can help your child and family
• Registering for DDS services
• Transition planning for high school students reaching adulthood

Representatives of the SPS Special Education Department will also attend this meeting to answer your questions.

Spanish and Hatian-Creole interpretation will be provided.

Wednesday, October 9 at 6 pm
AITE Cyber Cafe
411 High Ridge Road

 

The below Op-Ed was published in the The Stamford Advocate on Friday, October 4, 2024.

Delaying Roxbury K-8 Project is a Dangerous Gamble

Jackie Heftman & Michael Hyman: 

Six years ago next month, mold shuttered Westover Magnet Elementary School. The city went on to spend more than $30 million to not only rehabilitate Westover, but also to house nearly 750 students, teachers, and staff in an office complex for almost two years.  
At the time, taxpayers were dismayed to learn that the issues at Westover had been predicted in a facilities report presented nine years earlier. Despite that report, City Boards underfunded the school district’s capital budget, making it impossible to address the issues in that report until there was no other choice. 

The students displaced from Westover in 2018 haven’t even graduated from high school and history is about to repeat itself. 
On September 12, four members of the Board of Finance—Laura Burwick, Dennis Mahoney, J.R. McMullen and Mary Lou Rinaldi—voted against funding the schematic design work required to advance the new Roxbury K-8 project. Thanks to a generous state grant secured by Stamford’s State delegation, the city’s share of the new Roxbury K-8 will be only 40% of the total construction costs, including just $358,000 of the $895,000 required for the schematic design work.  

The four BoF members who blocked the Roxbury contracts cited the rising costs of the new Westhill, a project for which the state has agreed to reimburse an historic 80% of the construction costs. Ben Barnes, the City’s Director of Administration, has repeatedly confirmed to the BoF that the City can meet its financial obligation for the new Westhill, even as construction costs have increased.
Delaying the new Roxbury K-8 project poses a significant risk for Stamford Public Schools, the City, and its taxpayers.
Today, Stamford stands to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for three non-magnet public schools: a new Westhill High School, the Roxbury K-8 School, and a two-campus K-8 School in the Cove. To secure the millions in state reimbursement for construction of these three new schools, the City had to commit to funding its share of the costs, and to move each project forward within two years of state funding approval. 

Ms. Burwick, Mr. Mahoney, Mr. McMullen, and Ms. Rinaldi are aware of both obligations. 

In fact, in 2022 the BoF and Board of Representatives established a special cash reserve to ensure the City had the funds in place for these projects. Thanks to three consecutive years of budget surpluses, the cash reserve already contains $50 million. These special reserve funds, in combination with City-issued tax-exempt bonds, will be applied to the City’s share of the three school projects. 
So why are Ms. Burwick, Mr. Mahoney, Mr. McMullen, and Ms. Rinaldi holding up the Roxbury K-8 project? Good question.
We know—as do they—that to maintain tens of millions in state funding, the Roxbury K-8 project must start accruing construction costs by July 2, 2025. Construction costs can’t accrue without schematic designs, and the contracts for the schematic design work require BoF approval.  

We also know—as do they—that for as long as the new Roxbury K-8 project remains in limbo, the City must continue to maintain the current Roxbury building, a nearly 70-year-old structure that was recently rated fair/poor in every building category except fire protection and life safety. A catastrophic failure of any major building system in the current Roxbury building will leave us in the same position we were six years ago at Westover: scrambling to address a problem we had been given ample notice to address. If this happens, City taxpayers will be on the hook for 100% of the cost.

The inaction by Ms. Burwick, Mr. Mahoney, Mr. McMullen, and Ms. Rinaldi is disingenuous, shortsighted, and jeopardizes what could be a transformative period of new school construction unlike anything Stamford has seen in more than 50 years. 

The new Roxbury K-8 will enable us to close Cloonan to make way for the proposed new K-8 Hart School. The construction of the new K-8 South School in the Cove, for which the State earlier this year approved a 60% reimbursement, will enable us to close K.T. Murphy Elementary, Toquam Elementary and Dolan Middle School. All remaining school buildings will receive significant upgrades. 
Stamford is the fastest-growing city in Connecticut, and one of the few communities statewide that is not experiencing a decrease in public school enrollment. Yet four BoF members are gambling with tens of millions in state grant money to replace a nearly 70-year-old building that professional engineers have already verified is beyond its useful lifespan. 

Enough. It is time to break the cycle of kicking the can down the road until catastrophe strikes. 

We urge Stamford residents to contact these four BoF members to request that they allow the new Roxbury K-8 school construction project to move forward. 

Jackie Heftman
Michael Hyman

Mrs. Heftman is president of the Stamford Board of Education and Michael Hyman is the Board’s vice president. 
 

Article in Spanish

Article in Haitian Creole

Article in Ukrainian

 

 

A Shout Out to our Custodians!

A huge shout out to our amazing custodians; Darrell DeCausey, Jaime Vazquez, Bruce Williams, and Shawn Brown for their hard work and dedication to the Stillmeadow Community! We are grateful for all they do to make our school a better place!

 

Introduction to Instrumentals 

Adam Jackson, our Instrumental Music Teacher, invited fourth grade students and their families to an evening event in which students were introduced to the variety of instruments available for our students to learn! Mr. Jackson is also Stamford High's Band Teacher and brought several band members to demonstrate! 40 students signed up for an instrument before the night was over! Thank you to Zoe Harris, our General Music teacher, for supporting this event!

Submitted by Kathleen Kelley 

 

News 12 Promotes the Music Program at Rippowam 

Rippowam Band and Strings teacher, Amy Gibson, had her Donors Choose Grant for two trumpets and violins fully funded by News Channel 12. After expressing her gratitude, News 12 asked to do a segment on the music program and filmed the weather live from the music wing at Rippowam! Thanks Mrs. Gibson for your dedication to our students.

Submitted by Kristina Colmenares

 

Art Is Out of This World At Davenport Ridge! 

Davenport Ridge students recently spent time creating a new outdoor mural under the guidance of 5ive, a graffiti artist. The students had a chance to offer suggestions for an outdoor mural that represents recess and SOAR! The end result featured Davenport Ridge students spending time painting the mural on the exterior of the school!

 

5ive spent time meeting with all students and sharing the importance of art, creativity, and diversity. This learning experience supports creativity and ownership of the school. Special thanks to Ms. Lauren Jones and Ms. Katie Noe, Davenport Ridge art teachers for creating this idea and facilitating this experience for all students! 

 

History Coming Alive Through Literature! 

Recently, fifth grade students had an opportunity for a story to come alive in front of their very own eyes. Ms. Honor Crowther Fagan, author, visited Davenport Ridge for an author study session with the fifth grade students on her book, The Man in the Red Bandana. The book focused on the life of Welles Crowther, a young man who saved many lives on September 11 in New York City. He showed great courage and valor during an extremely challenging time in history. 

 

The students were fortunate enough to welcome the author of the book to our school and spent time discussing Mr. Crowther’s positive and enduring impact on humanity. A special thank you to Ms. Kristen Shea for helping bring Ms. Fagan to Davenport Ridge. Thank you to the entire fifth grade teaching team, Ms. Lauren Benvenuti, Ms. Nancy Boccuzzi, Ms. Jackie DeBrisco, Ms. Laketa Holder, Mr. Bill Margiotta, and Ms.Rebecca Rakowitz for bringing this teachable moment into the lives of the students. 

Submitted by Michael Pisseri

 

Northeast First Grade Fable Olympics 

Northeast first grade students were introduced to fables and stories through our CKLA Curriculum and became familiar with the key elements of a story. As a culminating activity, first grade teachers and paras (Pam Hunt, Afrodite Karayiannis, Laura Kanel, Jackqueline Brown, and Sara Weidenbacher) organized the Fable Olympics. 

 

Students used their mind, body, and heart while participating in events that represented the different fables such as ‘Don’t Be Greedy’ from The Goose and the Golden Eggs, ‘Escape from Mr. McGreggor’ from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, ‘Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch’ from The Maid and the Milk Pail, and ‘Don't Get Sour Grapes’ from The Fox and the Grapes.

 

Fifth Grade Breakfast Buddies

Mrs. Florio’s fifth grade class and Mrs. Keller’s kindergarten class met last week during “Breakfast with Buddies” and enjoyed a tasty doughnut treat. Both classes are looking forward to learning from each other and working together on community projects as a team.

Submitted by Angela Plateroti

 

Nursery Rhymes Olympics

The PE teachers Christina Batton and Jenny Annosier took a creative approach to teaching nursery rhymes by organizing a Nursery Rhymes Olympics event on Monday September 30. The event was a fun and engaging way for students to learn and participate in physical activities while also enjoying classic nursery rhymes. The interdisciplinary approach to teaching not only helped students improve their physical skills but also fostered creativity and teamwork among the participants. Overall the Nursery Rhymes Olympics was a successful and enjoyable event that showcased our teachers’ innovative teaching methods and our students’ enthusiasm for learning.

Submitted by Iuliana Roata

 

PLTW Launching! 

Thrilled to see the PLTW Gateway courses launching across all our middle schools! Our MS Technology & Engineering teachers gathered to plan the implementation of three fantastic courses: Design & Modeling for sixth grade, App Creators for seventh grade, and Automation & Robotics for eighth grade. Grateful to have such wonderful staff working with our students! 

 

Battle of the Grade Winner: 6th Grade! 

In Cloonan’s first battle of the grades, students showed up in their grade’s assigned colors. Sixth grade went above and beyond! They created a mini pep rally in the hallway, complete with an inspirational speech by ELA teacher, Mr. Miller. A special thanks to the sixth grade team and their continued commitment to our students. 

Submitted by Jillian Churchill

 

Roxbury Shows Appreciation to our Amazing Security Guard

A special thank you to Mr. Chris Garner, our School Security Officer, for keeping us safe every day. Our students showed their appreciation with heartfelt signs and words of gratitude, and we couldn’t agree more! Thank you, Mr. G, for all you do to ensure our school remains a safe place to learn and grow.

 

Roxbury School Kicks Off the Year with “Making Good Choices” Assembly

On Friday, September 20, Roxbury School kicked off the year with an engaging assembly on Making Good Choices as part of our HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) program. We were thrilled to welcome Lou Del Bianco, a Parents’ Choice Award winner, who led the students through an interactive presentation filled with original songs, stories, and audience participation.

 

Lou took students on an exciting journey through his childhood experiences, touching on important themes of inclusion, equity, and social justice. He also addressed respect, tolerance, kindness, and the issue of bullying throughout the show. Students had the opportunity to put themselves in Lou’s shoes and reflect on what kinds of choices they would make in various situations and how those choices relate to their own lives.

Submitted by Sandra Elhers

 

Kindergarten Olympics 

Our Kindergarten students participated in a Nursery Rhyme Olympics to celebrate the end of our first Literacy Knowledge Unit. Students participated in four engaging activities which were related to several nursery rhymes we learned in class. Everyone did an excellent job listening while having such a BLAST! Our Kindergarten teachers and paraeducators did an amazing job ensuring all students participated in this engaging learning activity. 

 

Olympic Activities: ‘Jack Be Nimble,’ students played a hopscotch game with pretend candlesticks. ‘Jack and Jill,’ students raced up a hill with a pail, collected water and compared the volume of each team at the end of the race. ‘Little Bo Peep,’ students went on a scavenger hunt to help find Little Bo Peep’s sheep. ‘Humpty Dumpty,’ students raced to complete a puzzle putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. 

 

KT Murphy Artists at the Ferguson

We want to shout out to our art teacher, Mrs. Nolasco; her student artists will have work featured in the children’s section of the Ferguson Library! Sixty-three artworks were selected from third and fourth grade. The works will be on display now until November 4. Check them out when you get a chance!

Submitted by Brendan Fox

 

PJs for Pediatrics at Westover

Westover showed Compassion in Action on Friday, September 27 by raising $676 for pediatric patients. The entire school community participated in “PJs for Pediatrics” in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Students and staff wore pajamas to school and donated $1 to benefit Infinite Love, an organization that helps support research for pediatric cancer and supports families who are in need of financial assistance. Westover is excited to organize and support more Compassion in Action events this year!

 

Westover Kindergartners Participate in Nursery Rhyme Olympics

Westover Kindergarten students participated in a Nursery Rhyme Olympics on Friday, September 27 to culminate their Nursery Rhyme and Fables CKLA literacy unit. During the unit students were introduced to new vocabulary, built their phonological awareness, and discussed characters, virtues, and behavior. Olympians carried water up and down the hill for Jack and Jill, made sure Humpty Dumpty did not fall during the egg-and-spoon race, searched for Little Bo-Peep’s lost sheep, and showed Jack how to jump over candlesticks. Thank you to Westover’s entire Kindergarten Team for always making learning fun and engaging! 

Submitted by Larissa Weir

 

 

What is an SPS Shout Out?

An SPS Shout Out is a special recognition that acknowledges school communities, staff members or students who have inspired us with a unique project, an outstanding job or a special effort that had a positive impact on our students or community.  Each week we will celebrate a few by sharing with all SPS staff and posting on the district website. Please share any or all of these with your friends and families.