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The early blast of winter weather in many parts of the country is a reminder that we must prepare for school closings, delays, and early dismissals here in Stamford.

When inclement weather is forecast, I stay in close contact with local meteorologists, the City of Stamford Operations and Public Safety Departments, First Student, and superintendents from nearby districts to monitor conditions throughout the area. In most cases, closings and delays will be announced no later than 5:15 am and early dismissals will be announced by 9 am.

Notifications will be made as follows:

Families will be notified via School Messenger phone calls, emails, and texts based on the contact information and preferences set in PowerSchool. Make sure to add StamfordPS@schoolmessengermail.com to your safe senders list so emails do not go to spam/junk. To receive notifications by text, you must also opt in by texting “Y” or “YES” to 67587.
Staff will be notified via an all-staff email to their SPS email address. To receive phone calls or texts from School Messenger, opt-in to School Messenger Notifications by populating the appropriate fields in your DayForce account. To receive notifications by text, you must also opt in by texting “Y” or “YES” to 67587.

Predicting the weather is an inexact science, and sometimes decisions must be made before there is certainty about the forecast, especially when dangerous weather is forecast to begin during the school day. We will always err on the side of caution to ensure the safety of our 18,000+ students, teachers, and staff.

We understand that weather-related school closures can create challenges for families, and we appreciate your understanding as we navigate the winter weather ahead.

Agriscience Program Holiday Fair is December 6 & 13

The 130+ high school students from the Stamford Regional FFA (Agriscience) Program at Westhill are excited to welcome the community to their annual Holiday Shop, which will take place during the next two Saturdays, December 6 & 13, from 10 am to 3 pm in the Agriscience Building. The Holiday Shop features a wide selection of poinsettias, wreaths, and floral arrangements, as well as student-made crafts and food gifts. Tours will also be available for prospective students.

“Annie” Opens Tomorrow Night: Get Your Tickets Now!

This year’s All-School Musical is Annie, the heartwarming, high-energy Broadway musical filled with unforgettable characters, songs, humor, and heart!

The 18th annual All-School Musical features 64 cast members and 18 crew members representing 17 area schools, including AITE, Cloonan, Davenport Ridge, Dolan, Hart, Rippowam, Rogers, Scofield, Stamford High, Strawberry Hill, Turn of River, Westhill, and Westover.

Tickets are on sale now for the following performances at Rippowam Middle School:

Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 7 at 2 pm (includes optional meet and greet with cast and “Sandy” the dog)
Friday, December 12 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 13 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 14 at 2 pm

Please note, this performance is recommended for ages 4 and up.

Annie has been delighting audiences for nearly 50 years and is sure to make you laugh, cry and leave the theater singing classic songs including "Tomorrow," "Maybe," and "It's a Hard Knock Life." Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a professional-caliber musical theater production right here in Stamford!

District Calendar Webinar: December 9 at 6:30 pm via Zoom

Please join the Chief Staff and Family Resource Officer, Dr. Michael Fernandes, for a Zoom webinar about the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school calendars. During the webinar, Dr. Fernandes will share the criteria considered when developing the calendars and present the draft calendars for 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Holidays in Harmony Student Performances Begin December 9

The Stamford Town Center Holidays in Harmony music series features student performances from local schools and performing arts organizations throughout December. Please stop by the Stamford Town Center to enjoy the following performances by our talented SPS musicians:

Tuesday, December 9: Stamford High Concert Band (4:30 pm), Jazz Band (5:15 pm), Choir and Orchestra (7 pm)
Wednesday, December 10: Roxbury Elementary 4th Grade Chorus (6 pm)
Thursday, December 11: Julia A. Stark 5th Grade Chorus (5:30 pm)
Tuesday, December 16: Stillmeadow Elementary Chorus (5:30 pm)
Wednesday, December 17: Westhill Orchestra, Choir, and Jazz Band (6 pm)
Thursday, December 18: Westover Magnet School Chorus (5:30 pm)

Welcome to New BOE Members & Officers

Finally, please join me in welcoming our new Board of Education (BOE) members—Mr. Kristopher O'Brien, Mr. Adam Vandervoort, and Dr. Jennifer Werely—who were sworn in by Mayor Simmons earlier this week. We also would like to acknowledge the newly elected BOE officers and committee chairs for the upcoming year:

President: Andy George
Vice President: Gabriela Koc
Secretary: Julienne Foy
Assistant Secretary: Prasad Tunga
Fiscal Chair: Prasad Tunga
Labor Chair: Adam Vandervoort
Operations Chair: Antonia Better-Wirz
Policy Chair: Gabriela Koc
Teaching, Learning & Community Chair: Julienne Foy

Stay Safe & Healthy!

Dr. Tamu Lucero
Superintendent

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Message from BOE President Andy George

Kim Kempton

Dec 4 2025 10:04 AM

Dear SPS Community,

I am writing to you today as the newly elected president of the Stamford Board of Education (BOE). For those of you who may not know me, I am a long-time Stamford resident and currently the longest-tenured member of the BOE, having first been elected in November 2015.

My wife, Amy, and I have lived in Stamford for nearly 40 years, and our three children attended Stamford Public Schools K-12. In addition to my service on the BOE, I have been an active member of the community as a past member of the Stamford High School Governance Council, a volunteer with Junior Achievement, a past producer of the Stamford All-School Musical, and more than a decade of service with the Stamford Youth Soccer League. Amy and I love Stamford, and we believe that Stamford Public Schools provided our children with a strong foundation from which they went on to become successful adults.

Ensuring that all children have the same opportunities to succeed in Stamford Public Schools that my children did is why I first ran for the BOE and why I am excited to lead the Board as we recruit and hire the next Superintendent of Schools. As we announced last week, the BOE has engaged Zeal Education Group to support this effort. During Tuesday night’s special BOE meeting, I announced the creation of a Personnel Search Committee. This will be a “committee of the whole” and will include all nine BOE members.

The Personnel Search Committee will include a Community Outreach Subcommittee to ensure all voices are heard during the superintendent search, and a Contract and Compensation Subcommittee that will develop the framework for the compensation package that will be offered to the final candidate. I will serve on both subcommittees along with the following members:

Community Outreach: Dr. Werely (Chair), Mrs. Better-Wirz, Ms. Foy, and Ms. Koc
Contract & Compensation: Mr. O’Brien (Chair), Dr. Hamman, Mr. Tunga, and Mr. Vandervoort

This Saturday, the Community Outreach Subcommittee will meet with Zeal Education Group to begin planning how our students, families, teachers, administrators, staff members, and the community at large will be able to participate in the superintendent search. More information about this process— which will include listening sessions, surveys, and focus groups—will be shared no later than the next BOE meeting on Tuesday, December 16.

In closing, I want to express my commitment to keeping the lines of communication open to our students, families, teachers, administrators, staff, and community members. To that end, I will be writing to you periodically with updates on BOE activities, and I urge you to watch or attend BOE meetings to learn more about our work. You may also email the entire board at BOEMembers@stamfordpublicschools.org or reach out to me directly at ageorge@stamfordpublicschools.org.

Sincerely,

Andy George
President, Stamford Board of Education

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Stamford All-School Musical Annie opens December 6: Get your tickets today!

Kim Kempton

Dec 2 2025 2:28 PM

This year’s Stamford All-School Musical is Annie, the heartwarming, high-energy Broadway musical filled with unforgettable characters, songs, humor, and heart! Now in its 18th year, the Stamford All-School Musical is a full-scale, professional-level student production staged under the direction of theater professionals, educators, and dedicated volunteers. This year's production includes 64 student cast members and 18 student crew members from 17 area schools, including AITE, Cloonan, Davenport Ridge, Dolan, Hart, Rippowam, Rogers, Scofield, Stamford High, Strawberry Hill, Turn of River, Westhill, and Westover.

Tickets are on sale now for $22 each (adults) and $17 each (students and seniors) plus applicable fees. Please note, this performance is recommended for ages 4 and up.

All performances are at Rippowam Middle School:

Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 7 at 2 pm (includes an optional "Meet and Greet" with the cast and Sandy the dog!)
Friday, December 12 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 13 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 14 at 2 pm

Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has been delighting audiences for nearly 50 years. The Stamford All-School Musical production of Annie will make you laugh, cry, and leave the theater singing classic songs including "Tomorrow," "Maybe," and "It's a Hard Knock Life."

Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a professional-caliber musical theater production right here in Stamford!

Sponsored by Stamford Public Schools, the Stamford All-School Musical is made possible through the generous support of the Stamford Arts & Culture Commission, the Garden Homes Fund, and the support of many individuals, families, and community organizations.

Stamford Students Perform at the Stamford Town Center as part of Holidays in Harmony 2025

Kim Kempton

Dec 1 2025 12:18 PM

Many talented student musicians will be performing throughout December as part of the Holidays in Harmony Series at the Stamford Town Center Mall. Please mark your calendar to support our students during these inspiring performances!

The Stamford Town Center Holidays in Harmony music series features student performances from local schools and performing arts organizations throughout December. Please consider stopping by The Stamford Town Center to enjoy the following performances by our talented SPS musicians:

School	Date	Time	Group(s)
Stamford High School	Tuesday Dec. 9th	4:30-5:00 Concert Band 5:15-6:15 Jazz	Jazz Band, Concert Band
Stamford High School	Tuesday Dec 9th	7pm start	Choir, Orchestra
Roxbury	Wednesday Dec 10th	6pm	4th grade chorus
Stark	Thursday Dec 11th (Scheduled with Dan last month)	5:30 pm	5th grade chorus
Stillmeadow Elementary	Tues. Dec. 16	5:30pm start	4th & 5th chorus
Westhill High School	Wednesday Dec 17th	6pm start	Orchestra, Choir, Jazz Band
Westover Magnet School	Thurs., Dec. 18	5:30pm	multi-grade chorus

Superintendent's Weekly Message - November 26, 2025

Jennifer Gonzalez

Nov 26 2025 4:00 PM

Dear Families and Staff,

With the Thanksgiving Holiday upon us, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the nearly 3,000 people who work for Stamford Public Schools. I am especially thankful for our educators who work directly with students; your dedication and commitment is truly an inspiration. I am also deeply grateful to the families who entrust us with their children’s education, to our community partners who provide vital services to our students and their families, and to our elected officials in Stamford and our elected representatives in Hartford for their strong support of our schools.

I hope everyone reading this message has a Happy Thanksgiving and that you enjoy a relaxing holiday with those who mean the most to you.

Westhill vs. Stamford High Football Tomorrow at Boyle Stadium

Cross-town rivals Westhill High School and Stamford High School face off tomorrow morning at 10 am in the annual Thanksgiving Day varsity football game. This year’s game is at Stamford High. Tickets are $6 each and may be purchased here. This is a fun Stamford tradition and a great way to start your Thanksgiving Holiday. We look forward to seeing many current students and alumni in the crowd!

Get in the Holiday Spirit with Stamford High

After you finish your Thanksgiving Dinner, the students, staff and families at Stamford High will be ready to get you into the holiday spirit with two terrific events this weekend:

Christmas Tree Sale: The Friends of Stamford High (FOSH) annual Christmas Tree sale begins this Friday, November 28 at 9 am. Stop by to select from a wide variety of evergreen wreaths ($25 each) and 5- to 9-foot fresh-cut trees ($65 and up). The tree lot will be open this Friday-Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm, as well as from 5 to 8 pm on weekdays and from 9 am to 6 pm on weekends in December until everything is sold out. The tree lot is located in the SHS parking lot behind the school on Hillandale Avenue.

Holiday Shopping Fair: The Student Council’s Annual Holiday Shopping Fair is this Saturday, November 29 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm in the gymnasium. Enjoy holiday music, free kids' crafts, face painting, raffles, a food court, and more while shopping for unique holiday gifts from 50 local vendors. Families that make a donation (cash or new unwrapped toy) to Toys for Tots can also get a photo taken by a professional photographer. Admission is free, and free parking is available behind the school off Hillandale Avenue.

Stamford Regional FFA Holiday Fair is December 6 & 13

The students in the Stamford Regional FFA (Agriscience) Program at Westhill High School are getting ready to welcome the community to their annual Holiday Shop on Saturday, December 6 and Saturday, December 13 from 10 am to 3 pm in the Agriscience Building on the Westhill Campus. The shop features a wide selection of holiday poinsettias, wreaths, and floral arrangements, as well as student-made crafts and food gifts. Tours will also be available for prospective students.

Tickets for All-School Musical “Annie” are on Sale Now!

This year’s All-School Musical is Annie, the heartwarming, high-energy Broadway musical filled with unforgettable characters, songs, humor, and heart! The 18th annual All-School Musical features 64 cast members and 18 crew members representing 17 area schools.

Tickets are on sale now for the following performances at Rippowam Middle School:

Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 7 at 2 pm
Friday, December 12 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 13 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 14 at 2 pm

Annie has been delighting audiences for nearly 50 years and is sure to make you laugh, cry and leave the theater singing its many classic songs including "Tomorrow," "Maybe," and "It's a Hard Knock Life." Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a professional-caliber musical theater production right here in Stamford!

Special Education Teacher Appreciation Day

Special Education Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday, December 2. Our dedicated special education teachers and paraeducators work hard every day to meet the unique and specific needs of students with disabilities. We are fortunate to have so many caring and compassionate special education teachers and staff working for Stamford Public Schools. Please join me in thanking them today and every day!