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Dear SPS Community: 

Congratulations to Mandi Leale, the Multi-Tiered System of Support Specialist (MTSS) at Newfield Elementary School, who was announced as the winner of the Stamford Public Education Foundation’s (SPEF) 2025 Educator Award last night at the Excellence in Education Awards. Mandi was selected from among 22 outstanding SPS educators who were nominated by the Parent Teacher Organizations at their schools.  

On behalf of everyone at Stamford Public Schools, I’d like to thank SPEF and the parent leaders at our schools for recognizing and celebrating these talented and dedicated educators.

42nd Street and Pippin Open This Weekend!

The annual high school musicals at Stamford High and Westhill are a highlight of the spring for my husband, John, and me. We cannot wait to attend this year’s productions of 42nd Street at Stamford High and Pippin at Westhill! These performances are a great way to enjoy high-quality musical theatre close to home while supporting our incredibly talented SPS students!  

42nd Street: Stamford High School’s Strawberry Hill Players invite you to come along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway! 42nd Street celebrates Broadway, Times Square, and the magic of show biz with wit, humor and pizzazz. Tickets are $22.50 for adults and $17.30 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets online. 

• Friday, April 25 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 pm 
• Friday, May 2 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, May 3 at 2 pm 
• Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 pm 

Pippin: Westhill’s Northstar Playmakers remind us there’s magic to do when a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love, and war in Stephen Schwartz's iconic musical masterpiece! Tickets are $22.50 for adults and $17.30 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets online (credit card) or at the door (cash or Venmo only). 

• Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 pm 
• Sunday, April 27 at 2 pm 
• Friday, May 2 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 pm 

Principal Appreciation Day 

Thursday, May 1 is Principal Appreciation Day! Please join me in thanking our school principals and assistant principals for their dedication and leadership throughout the year.  

Elementary & Middle School Moving Up Ceremonies

If you have a child moving up from elementary school or middle school this spring, please make note of the moving up ceremony dates at your child’s school:  

Tuesday, June 10: Hart, K.T. Murphy, Northeast and Toquam

Wednesday, June 11: Davenport Ridge, Julia A. Stark, Newfield, Rogers (Grades 4 & 8), Roxbury, Springdale, Strawberry Hill (Grade 4), Stillmeadow, and Westover

Friday, June 13: Cloonan, Dolan, Rippowam, Scofield, Strawberry Hill (Grade 8), and Turn of River

School Lunch Hero Day

Next Friday, May 2, is School Lunch Hero Day, which is a time to recognize the hard working men and women who prepare and serve breakfast and lunch to thousands of SPS students 181 days a year.   

Early Release Day on April 30 

Just a reminder that Wednesday, April 30 is an early release day for students. 

 

Stay Safe and Healthy!

Dr. Tamu Lucero
Superintendent of Schools

Espanol

Creole

Earth Day

Students planted 10 Norway spruce trees and 10 flowering trees in honor of Earth Day! Students got to enjoy the beautiful 70-degree weather while also giving back to our planet. Thank you Mrs. Clinkenbeard for all of the wonderful experiences you provide to Scofield students!

Submitted by Jen Laughlin

 

Westover Thanks School Bus Drivers

Westover celebrated School Bus Driver Appreciation Day on Tuesday, April 22. Students were excited to present their wonderful bus drivers with cookies, which were provided by the Westover PTO. Thank you to all of the bus drivers who help ensure our children get to and from school safely each day. We appreciate your dedication to our students and school community!

Submitted by Larissa Weir

Roxbury Math Night Fun for ALL AGES!

On April 8, Roxbury’s Math Support Specialist Mia Quagliani hosted a wildly successful Math Night for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. Students and parents rotated through twenty math stations and even stopped for a quick healthy snack. Parents played alongside their child(ren) using games with manipulatives such as cubes, dominoes, and pattern blocks as well as a gigantic number line, number grid, and dice. Some crowd favorites were Number Line Race, Multiplication Pong, and a measurement game called “How Tall Am I?” 

 

A special thanks to the Roxbury staff who helped out: Mrs. Lapolla, Ms. Warner, Mrs. Walsh, Mrs. Corsello, Ms. Vakos, Mrs. Berkoff, Mrs. Walker, and our administrators Mrs. Ehlers, Mrs. Sikorski and Dr. Lahiri Hoherchak.

Submitted by Sandra Elhers

 

Toquam ML Students Get a Peek into the Future with ML Career Day

Our special guest speakers who spoke to our ML students and parents were Deputy Fire Marshal Jones, Stamford High School Graduate Police Officer Bolteax, Certified Nurse Aide Riccy Galdamez, Fashion Designer Whitney Fabre, and Assistant Service Manager and Navy Military Electrician Pedro Ganchala. We are very grateful for the inspiration they gave our ML students in deciding their future careers. Mr. Ganchala, Ms.Fabre, and Ms.Galdamez were graduates of Westhill High school and former students of Ms. Asaka Niwa-Rrustemi, the ML teacher who organized this informative event along with Ms. Angie Brown, ML teacher at Toquam Magnet Elementary School.

Submitted by Jenna Cinelli

 

Stark Artwork & Ceramic Exhibition

A heartfelt acknowledgement goes to art teachers Nicole Coviello and Alison Willson for empowering our students to create, design, and organize an exhibition that showcased their artistic talents and interdisciplinary learning!

 

Happy Administrative Professionals Day 

Our Stark community expresses its sincere appreciation to Mary Brassman and Jefferson Romero, the amazing Stark Administrative Professionals. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!

 

Stark Sprint Fundraising 

The Stark community has done an amazing job by surpassing its fundraising goal and raising over $37,600! This impressive amount of money will help with next year’s school activities and trips. To celebrate this accomplishment, students have participated in a week of fun events called Stark Sprint Spirit. These events brought the whole school community together and showed how everyone can work towards a good cause. Parents, teachers, and students all joined in to support the initiative, creating a strong sense of teamwork and pride. The excitement and enthusiasm during the week made everyone feel a part of something important. 

 

Thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication, Stark Community can look forward to another wonderful year filled with fun activities and adventures that will enrich the students’ experiences. It’s truly a great achievement for everyone involved!

Submitted by Iuliana Roata

 

AITE Student is a Winner in the 40th Annual Stamford Literary Competition

Junior, Minh Ho, is a winner in the 40th Annual Stamford Literary Competition. She placed first in the Poetry Competition for high school students. Minh will receive a Certificate of Achievement from the Friends of the Ferguson Library on Sunday, May 4, and her work will be published in the 2025 Literary Competition Anthology.

 

AITE Senior Receives $40,000 Scholarship & Internship Offer to Pursue Undergraduate Degree in Computer Science

Senior Dorian Mitchell is an Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipient for 2025. Mitchell will receive up to $40,000 over four years to pursue a degree in Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is one of only six Connecticut students to receive this prestigious honor out of 400 selected nationwide. The award includes a paid internship offer at Amazon after the first year of college to gain hands-on, practical work experience with mentorship from Amazon leaders.

 

Recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals, and financial need. Amazon partnered with Scholarship America to review the applications and select the 400 scholars.

 

“It has been an absolute pleasure to teach Dorian over the past four years across four different classes, where he consistently demonstrated excellence and perseverance. He is incredibly deserving of the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, and I have no doubt he will go on to accomplish great things. I’m immensely proud of him,” said Sean Peterson, his AITE mentor teacher.

 

Submitted by Tina Rivera

 

 

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.   

SPS Administrators can submit Shout Outs for consideration through the link available in the Administrator Weekly. Please note the deadline, word limit, and photo limit. We look forward to seeing your submissions!

 

Tomorrow night the curtain rises on not one, but two high-caliber musical productions from Stamford Public School students.  The annual high school musicals at Stamford High and Westhill are a testament to the extraordinary talent and dedication of our students and educators. 

“Both the Strawberry Hill and Northstar Players boast long-standing traditions of award-winning music and theater, and these productions are sure to continue that legacy,” explained Chief Academic Officer Amy Beldotti. “Participation in high-quality after-school programs like these offers invaluable opportunities for our students to develop creativity, teamwork, discipline, and self-confidence – skills that extend far beyond the stage.”

The high school performances offer an opportunity for our community to enjoy high-quality musical theatre close to home. We encourage all to come out and support these incredible young artists and experience the magic they bring to life.

42nd Street: Stamford High School’s Strawberry Hill Players invite you to come along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway! 42nd Street celebrates Broadway, Times Square, and the magic of show biz with wit, humor and pizzazz. Tickets are $22.50 for adults and $17.30 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets online. 

• Friday, April 25 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 pm 
• Friday, May 2 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, May 3 at 2 pm 
• Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 pm 

Pippin: Westhill’s Northstar Playmakers remind us there’s magic to do when a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love, and war in Stephen Schwartz's iconic musical masterpiece! Tickets are $22.50 for adults and $17.30 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets online (credit card) or at the door (cash or Venmo only). 

• Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 pm 
• Sunday, April 27 at 2 pm 
• Friday, May 2 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 pm 

 

 

 

Stamford Public Schools is celebrating Financial Literacy Month in partnership with Members Credit Union, CT Financial Scholars, and the Office of the State Treasurer!  Over 200 high school students from the Stamford area will participate in a Financial Reality Fair hosted at Stamford High School this Wednesday, April 23rd. The event gives students a chance to practice real-world financial decision-making, including budgeting, credit, housing, and more.

At this fast-paced, hands-on event, students are assigned a career, income, debt load, and credit score—then challenged to build a budget through real-life spending choices on housing, transportation, food, and more. With guidance from local volunteers and  surprise expenses thrown in, the experience mirrors adult financial life in a way that’s both fun and eye-opening.

Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell will open the Fair and join community leaders, teachers, and professionals supporting students on this journey. “These Fairs give all students first-hand insight into financial decision-making and empower them to build better futures,” said Treasurer Russell.

The Fair is a collaboration between Members Credit Union, Stamford High School, and CT Financial Scholars, which advocates for financial education across Connecticut schools.

“This is financial literacy in action,” said Nancy Kail, Executive Director of CT Financial Scholars. “The learning is real, and the impact is lasting—for students, teachers, volunteers, and the whole community.”

“We’re proud to bring this Fair to Stamford,” said Alejandra Gomez, Head of Community Outreach at Members Credit Union. “It’s inspiring to see students step into adulthood with confidence, and it’s just as meaningful for the volunteers and educators who help guide them.”

SPS invites all families of incoming Kindergarten students to join us for another Play & Learn Night this Wednesday, April 23rd at 5:30pm. Join us to meet the teachers and staff at your child’s school and learn more about kindergarten!

WHO:  Students eligible* to begin kindergarten in Fall 2025 accompanied by their parent(s) or guardian(s). Siblings welcome!

WHERE: Attend Play & Learn Night at the school where your child(ren) will attend Kindergarten in Fall 2025.