Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Dear SPS Community: 

Last night, I attended my first Parent-Teacher Council (PT Council) meeting at the Government Center. PT Council is the umbrella organization for our school-based parent organizations, and it was wonderful to meet many of the individuals who give so much of their time and energy to our school communities as PTO officers and volunteers. 

I plan to attend upcoming PT Council Meetings in November, January, March, and May as I continue building relationships and collaborating with our parent leaders.  

We also have finalized the dates, times, and locations for a series of Coffee and Conversation events that I will host later this fall. These events will be an opportunity for families to share what’s working well, where we can improve, and how we can Build Together to better serve students. 

These events are scheduled for: 

• Thursday, October 1 at 7 pm (Davenport Ridge Elementary School)
• Monday, October 19 at 6:30 pm (SPS Welcome Center) - meeting presented in Spanish
• Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm (Westover Magnet School)
• Thursday, November 12 at 7 pm (Rogers International School)

Each Coffee & Conversation is open to parents and guardians from all schools and programs. We intentionally selected locations in different parts of Stamford to make the conversations as accessible as possible to families from across the district.

Next week will be a busy week for family engagement across the district. Middle School Open School Night is Tuesday, followed by High School Open School Night on Thursday. Your child’s principal will share information about the specific schedule for your school. 

I will participate in Café con el Super, our meeting for Spanish-speaking families, on Monday at 6:30 pm at the Welcome Center. On Wednesday, I will attend SCOPES, a collaboration among SPS, PT Council, and Stamford Cradle to Career that provides resources and support to families of students with disabilities. The SCOPES meeting is also at the Welcome Center at 6:30 pm. Families may register through ParentSquare to attend Café con el Super or SCOPES. 

I encourage families to take advantage of these opportunities to connect with your child’s teachers, school administrators, and district leaders. Strong partnerships between our schools and families are essential to student success. 

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and families are invited to join me at the Ferguson Library Main Branch tomorrow at 1 pm to sign up for library cards for their children. As a new Stamford resident, I will be signing up for my library card at that time and hope to see some of you there. 

Today also marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. As I told our school leaders earlier this week, I was a new principal in nearby Pelham, New York in September 2001. Like many communities throughout the New York Metro Area, our school community was directly affected, as we lost a parent who responded to the attacks as a member of the New York City Fire Department. Although 25 years have passed, the events of that day remain etched in my memory, as I am sure they do for many of you. My thoughts today are with everyone whose lives were forever changed by this tragedy.  

Finally, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown this evening, marking the beginning of the year 5787 in the Jewish calendar. To our colleagues, students, and families who celebrate, Shanah Tovah—best wishes for a happy, healthy, and sweet new year. 

Please scroll down for more information about upcoming events and highlights from the past week. 

Thank you for reading, and thank you for being an important part of the Stamford Public Schools community. 

Sincerely, 

Adrian B. Talley, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

This week, students at Roxbury Elementary and Hart Magnet Elementary welcomed Suzanne Stone, CEO of the Livestrong Foundation,  as a special guest reader. Ms. Stone shared her children's book "My Brave Friend" with the students as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 

Thank you to Livestrong, KPMG Stamford, and KPMG New York for their generous donation of 425 copies of "My Brave Friend." The books will be distributed to all of our elementary and K-8 schools later this month. 

Join Superintendent Talley for Cafe con el Super, the monthly Spanish-language parent meeting. This month’s meeting is Monday, September 14 at 6:30 pm at the SPS Welcome Center.  Topics will include what families need to know for 2026-27 school year, supporting your child’s academic success, how to make the most of your ParentSquare account, and more. 

Superintendent Talley and members of the SPS Special Education Team will be at the SPS Welcome Center on Wednesday, September 16  at 6:30 pm for the first SCOPES meeting of the school year.  

SCOPES is a support group for parents of students with disabilities. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Talley and hear from the Special Education Team about what’s new for the 2026-27 school year.