Yesterday afternoon, I was able to spend some significant time in many of our classrooms. We are now in full swing and the instruction and learning were on full display.
In a 2nd grade classroom, I watched the teacher skillfully lead the students in a math discussion involving the concept of Algebra. The math thinking being asked of the students, as well as the academic vocabulary used by teacher and students, would make an observer think they were watching a much higher grade level.
In a 4th grade classroom, I witnessed the teacher pull small groups of students to the back table so that she could re-teach a difficult math concept. The positive coaching used by this teacher left me with the impression that students could not help but feel fully supported by the teacher.
In a 5th grade classroom, I observed a teacher reading the students a story about 9/11. The students were fully engaged, asking relevant questions. The teacher used the story to teach the students about word choice and descriptors. Captivating!
In a 6th grade classroom, I was mesmerized by the dynamic instruction of the teacher, as she introduced the students to the writing of a personal narrative. Her engaging style had all of her students hanging on her every word.
I have often said to people that I have one of the best jobs in the world because I get to visit every one of our classrooms. I certainly felt that way yesterday.
Safety Reminders
Every year, at the start, I send a message to parents regarding parking lot safety. This year is no different and I'm doing so because reports of unsafe driving are coming into the office. But remember that the rules of the road also apply to pedestrians and bicyclists. While children are learning the rules of the road, the best model of safety comes from you, the parents. Please be sure you are modelling the safe behavior you wish your child to exhibit when they are older.
After School Supervision
Please review with your child your expectations of where to be and how to act after school is out. As a reminder, there is no after-school supervision. We ask that parents, baby-sitters, grandparents, or whoever is picking up students, to be in close supervision of students after school. No student should be playing without direct supervision of someone who is responsible for them. And, if you are supervising your child, please enforce Springer's rules- which are based on safety and good sense. For example, we do not allow students to climb up poles during schools; you should also not allow it if you are on campus after school. We want to give students the impression that rules, based on safety, are in effect 24 hours a day. There is a 3:00pm "clear campus" bell that rings, alerting all students to leave campus if they are not being directly supervised.
Thank You
Lastly, on behalf of our Springer family who lost their home last Saturday in a fire, I want to thank the entire community for your concern and support. I know it means a great deal to them and they feel very lucky to live in such a caring community. We are all very lucky to be part of the Springer community.
Have a great weekend.
Mr Spenader
Follow us on Twitter @SpringerSpenade
Just a reminder that the district-wide friendly competition of adding people to LASD social media from the Springer community is TOMORROW, beginning at 8am. Let's show the entire district that Springer is "plugged" in to the great news in our school district!
Here's what to do:
Starting tomorrow at 8am, go to the Los Altos School District's Facebook page and "like" it. Then, go to the LASD Twitter account @lasdk8 and become a "follower". This signs you up to receive Tweets about the happenings throughout the District, including Springer's own @SpringerSpenade account.
It's easy and only takes a few minutes.
Let's go STINGERS! Let's show the rest of the District that we LOVE Springer.
Thanks so much,
Wade Spenader
Welcome Back!
What a great start we had on Wednesday! The kids were excited, the teachers were more than ready, and we began, what promises to be, an outstanding 2013-14 school year.
Please read the information below regarding tomorrow evening's Back-to-School Event for parents:
Back to School Night
To learn more about what's in store for your children as part of their educational experience, and to meet the fabulous teachers who work with them, we encourage you to attend our annual Back-to-School Night on Tuesday, August 27th. This event gives teachers an opportunity to introduce themselves, share their classroom protocols, and inform you about their program. There is also opportunities to sign-up for volunteer activities within each classroom. Please keep in mind that this event is not a good time to have a discussion with your child's teacher about your individual student. If you have concerns, I encourage you to email or contact your teacher directly and set up a meeting.
The schedule for Back to School Night is:
6:00 Families new to Springer Information Meeting in the Multi with the Principal
6:30 Kindergarten and Primary SDC (Rm 2) presentations
7:05 1st-3rd Grade and Upper grade SDC (Rm 7) presentations
7:40 4th-6th Grade presentations
Classroom presentations last 30 minutes. Back-to-School Night is for parents only. We ask that students not attend on that evening.
Some Safety Reminders:
If you are volunteering at school we ask that you sign-in at the office and wear a badge indicating that you are a volunteer or visitor. This helps keep track of who is on campus. We ask that parents do not go to any of the classrooms directly without stopping by the office to sign-in. If you are seen during the school day without a badge, you may be asked to go and sign-in. Again, this is for safety reasons and this policy needs to be consistently applied.
Dogs are not allowed on campus during drop-off or pick-up times. And, of course, dogs are not allowed during the school day. We do make exceptions for service dogs. We love our furry friends but they really can't come to school!
Bicycles need to be parked at one of the three bicycle rack locations (in front of the Art Room, by the play structure, or next to the Kinder yard). It is highly recommended that bicycles be locked up at the racks. We have had, in the past, bicycles disappear. In all cases, they were not locked up.
Follow us on Twitter: You can get updates on the great things we are doing at Springer by following us @SpringerSpenade
Twitter accounts are free and you don't need to be a real techy to get our updates. Just subscribe or "follow" us by typing in @SpringerSpenade and add it to those who you follow.
Hello Springer Families,
We are just 24 hours away from the start of what, I believe, will be a fantastic school year. I wanted to send you one last communication regarding some reminders and tips for the first day of school tomorrow.
First, I must admit a mistake that I sent in an earlier correspondence. Previously, I had written that the first bell rings at 8:31 and a second bell rings at 8:35 to begin the school day for 1st through 6th graders. That is incorrect. The first bell (signaling students to line up) rings at 8:28. The second bell (signaling the beginning of our daily Flag Assembly) will ring at 8:30. If this were my first year as principal at Springer, or close to my retirement, I would have a good excuse for this mistake. Alas, neither of those apply to me. My apologies for any confusion.
Remember that the first day of school equates to the most busiest day on our neighborhood roads. Use extra caution if you are driving your child to school. It is a good idea to leave the house a bit earlier as families are figuring out their routes and timing to school. We, of course, encourage as many families as possible to commute via bike, scooter, or by foot. Our community is made safer with fewer cars on neighboring streets and in the parking lot. Regardless of your mode of transportation, please adhere to all road postings and speed limits. Also, pay attention to crosswalk guards and their directions. Remember, it is illegal to drive through a crosswalk with anyone walking at any point in the crosswalk.
Some students can be anxious on the first day of school. Experience tells us that, once the teachers have the students in the classroom and instruction begins, the anxiety fades rapidly. One point of anxiety can be the "hand off" from parent to teacher. It may be a good idea to front load your child on the procedure you will use as a parent to signal to your child that you are stepping back and your child's school day is beginning. An ideal time to transition your child is when the first bell rings, signaling for students to assemble in their class lines. The "hand off" you use could be a "high five" or quick hug or any signal you work out with your child. Once the teachers begin to take their classes down the wings to their rooms, we ask that parents not follow their children down the corridor (known as the Learning Zone).
We invite all parents to join us right after Flag Assembly in the Multi for our annual Back-to-School Coffee. This casual meet-and-greet will give you a chance to sign-up for variety of volunteer activities and meet other parents in our wonderful community.
I am really looking forward to seeing all the kids tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Wade Spenader- Principal
Dear 5th and 6th grade families,
I just spoke with our PE teacher, Mr. Jay Heeb, and he will be teaching PE on the first day of school on Wednesday. Students should wear or bring proper shoes for PE on the first day of school.
Looking forward to seeing all the kids on Wednesday!
Sincerely,
Wade Spenader- Principal
Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year!
Dear Springer Community,
I want to welcome everyone back to what promises to be another outstanding year at Springer. I can honestly say, as I enter my 19th year in public education, I have never been as excited as I am now to start a new school year. We are poised to have one of Springer’s best years ever due to our teachers' push for innovations that create engaging and powerful learning experiences, support from the community that never ceases to amaze me, and the Los Altos School District’s commitment to revolutionize learning for all students.
We are very busy getting ready for the first day of school on August 21st, but I want to remind you about a few staffing changes that have been made and a couple of additions that were not in place at the end of the school year in June.
We are delighted to welcome new members to the Springer staff. Ms. Alison Mort joins Mrs. Rubinstein and Ms. Presantas a member of our 6th grade team. Ms. Mort is a Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo graduate who received her teaching credential from Santa Clara University. Ms. Mort will be teaching the science rotation to all 6th graders. She played volleyball at Cal Poly and brings a wealth of enthusiasm to Springer. The 6th grade team has already met several times over the summer to plan and they have an exciting year in store for the Springer class of 2014!
Mrs. Crystal Gippe will be heading our Resource Program. A graduate of Santa Clara University, Mrs. Gippe brings a working knowledge of Springer. Last fall, Mrs. Gippecompleted her student teaching under the direction of Ms.Sasaki in our Resource room. Because of this, Mrs. Gippebegins the year already knowing many of our students and our program. Ironically, Mrs. Gippe is also a volleyball player, having played professional volleyball internationally. (I’m currently trying to organize a district-wide staff volleyball tournament- which Springer certainly would be seeded 1st. My principal colleagues have not yet acceptable the challenge.)
Many of you may have heard through the grapevine that Ms. Wendy Johnson accepted a 3rd grade teaching position in the Rocklin School District in late June. Ms. Johnson is an outstanding teacher and the decision to leave Springer was a very difficult one for her. Ultimately she felt the time was right and is now living closer to her family and in a more affordable area of the state. I felt very fortunate to hire Mrs. Jessica Millman who will be joining the 4th grade team. Mrs. Millman is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and taught in Palo Alto Unified School District the last two years. During the interview process, it was clear that Mrs. Millman has the LASD “mindset” and would be a solid addition to the 4th grade team.
We feel extremely lucky to have Ms. Joanie Craddock join the Springer staff as our STEM teacher. Ms. Craddock has taught both high school and junior high science in her career. She comes to us after teaching 3rd grade at Loyola for over 10 years. Her role will be to work with our teachers in delivering hands-on science lessons, as well as other Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics experiences to our students. Thanks to LAEF funding, this exciting STEM program will take place at all our elementary schools with Ms. Craddock being Springer’s full time STEM teacher. In order to ensure the success of the STEM program, we have converted the Art Room into the STEM lab which will serve as Ms. Craddock’s classroom (the old “Exploratory Lab” is now the Art Room).
The Community School of Music and Arts “Art in Action” program will continue. However, we will have a new CSMA Art Teacher. Mrs. Edie Bella has retired and we are pleased to announce that Mrs. Laura Hale will serve as Springer’s CSMA Art teacher.
Other new faculty members include Mrs. Diana Rudolph, a Springer parent, who will be our new clerk. And, while she is not new to Springer, Mrs. Linda Ripley Smith has made a smooth transition into the Secretary role. Someone else you’ll be seeing in the office on a more frequent basis is our school psychologist, Ms. Kathy Hartley. Ms. Hartley will now be at Springer 5 days a week (we no longer have to share her with another school!). This will allow Ms. Hartley to provide more student support and take on some administrative duties as well.
We welcome Mrs. Melissa Kelly and Ms. Brandy Castro as this year’s CHAC (Community Heath Awareness Council) intern counselors. CHAC counselors are used in all LASD schools and provide mental health and social services to our students.
These new additions to our staff, both in personnel and program, fuel my excitement and confidence for a fantastic year at Springer. As captain of the Springer ship, I know that we are only as good as the crew we assemble. The crew, along with your dedicated support to Springer as parents, give me great pride in knowing that we will deliver the best educational experience to your students.
By Friday of next week, your child will receive a letter from me, welcoming him/her to the school year and indicating their classroom placement. I invite all families to our annual “Pop and Stop” on Friday, August 16th from 3pm to 5pm. All class rosters will be posted on the multi windows and popsicles will be distributed. It’s a great chance to come out and reconnect with friends you haven’t seen in a while and to make new ones.
You will learn more about the exciting year ahead at our annual Back to School Night on Tuesday, August 27th. More information on times will follow. Please also note that Friday, August 30th is a minimum day (Kinder dismissal at 11:35 for both morning and afternoon classes, 12:15 dismissal for grades 1st through 6th).
Enjoy the last few days of summer,
Sincerely,
Wade Spenader- Principal
Please see these important reminders below:
Hot Lunch Order Deadline Reminder – By Monday 8/12!
Kid Chow’s Fall 2013 menus and Pizza Thursdays for grades 1 – 6 and A.M. Kindergartners are now online athttps://kidchow.com/ and available for ordering lunches for the beginning of school. THE FIRST ORDER DEADLINE IS MONDAY 8/12 FOR
THE WEEK OF 8/19-8/23. Kid Chow lunch service will begin on Wednesday 8/21. Click below to download the lunch flyers:
AND:
Volunteer for Hot Lunch!
The Hot Lunch crew is looking for volunteers on all days. Sign up every week or every other week for shifts from 11:35-12:15. Hot Lunch is a PTA fundraiser that gives you a way to see your kids during the day and earn a free lunch credit for your child, for use in future orders. Have questions? Contact Hilary Burcell (hilary@burcell.com) or Anita Leo (amleo73@yahoo.com).
SCHOOL SUPPLIES:
If you ordered school supplies through School Pak, your child's supplies will be in the
classroom on the first day of school. If you were not able to make a supply donation in the Spring, you can view your child's grade level supply list by following this link. Scroll down to each grade level to view a list of needed supplies.
The first day of school is coming!
Good afternoon Springer families,
Please join us tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 16th, for our annual Pop and Stop. Class lists will be posted on the Multi windows at 3pm. Families are encouraged to come out, stop by the windows to view classes, and then grab a popsicle to celebrate the beginning of the school year. The event lasts until 5pm.
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 21st. First through Sixth graders begin school at 8:35am. At 8:31am, a bell will ring indicating that students are to line up on their classroom number located in the quad. We will begin the day with our daily Flag Assembly and students will begin the new school year. We ask that no students arrive on campus prior to 8:10am. School dismissal for 1st through 3rd graders is at 2:25pm. 4th through 6th grade is dismissed at 2:45pm. A 3:00pm "clear campus" bell rings daily letting students know that it is time to go home (unless that have direct adult supervision or are involved in an organized after-school activity).
Kindergarteners and their families are invited to attend the Lemonade Social on Tuesday, August 20th from 2pm to3pm. This event is a great chance to meet other kinders. The AM Kinder classes begin at 8:15am and end at 11:35am. The PM Kinder class begins at 11:45am and ends at 3:05pm.
Lastly, all parents are invited to our Back to School Coffee in the Springer multi beginning right after Flag Assembly on Wednesday, Aug. 21st. Parents can sign up for volunteer activities happening throughout the year, hear from the principal and PTA presidents, and reconnect with other parents.
I can't wait to see everyone! It's going to be a super year.
Wade Spenader- Principal