Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Dear SPS Community: 

Earlier this week, I joined Mayor Caroline Simmons and Board of Education President Michael Hyman at AITE to welcome 113 new teacher hires to Stamford Public Schools (SPS). I’m proud to share that 25 of our new hires graduated from SPS—18 from Stamford High, 5 from Westhill, and 2 from AITE!  In addition, 43 of the new hires are first-year teachers who are starting their careers with SPS, including 8 who are former paraeducators in our district.  

I’d also like to acknowledge the veteran SPS teachers who will be supporting our 43 first-time educators through the State of Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentorship (TEAM) Program. All beginning educators must complete the TEAM program, which pairs new teachers with a veteran teacher-mentor who guides them through modules related to the five domains of the Connecticut Common Core of Teaching. Our TEAM teachers invest significant time and energy helping our newest teachers, and we are grateful for their commitment to mentoring their peers. 

Orientation for Grades K, 6 and 9: Tuesday, August 26 

Students entering Kindergarten, Grade 6, or Grade 9 should attend orientation on Tuesday, August 26. Orientation begins at the regular start time for each school. Bus transportation is provided to/from orientation, and kindergarten parents may accompany their child on the bus. Look for more information from your child’s school principal. 

First Week Transportation Reminders  

Bus assignments for qualifying students will be available in the web-based version of PowerSchool beginning tonight at 5 pm. During the first few weeks of school, routes will be adjusted based on ridership and traffic conditions. Pickup and drop-off times may vary by as much as 10 minutes before or after the published times. To track your child’s bus, download FirstView 1.0 for iOS or Android (district code: H2Z4S) but be aware that the app may be unreliable while routes are being adjusted. More information can be found here.  

Stay in the Know via Email, Texts, Remind and Social Media

The district, schools, and individual teachers share a lot of information with families throughout the year. Make sure your contact information is up to date in PowerSchool so you receive all messages. Here’s a quick overview of how SPS communicates with families:  

School Messenger Email: The district and individual schools use school messenger to communicate with families via email. Emails are sent to the addresses provided by parents in PowerSchool. Please add StamfordPS@schoolmessengermail.com to your safe senders list. If you block this address or unsubscribe, you may miss important information from your child’s school and the district. 

School Messenger Texts: You can opt-in to receive text messages via school messenger. Text “Y” or “YES” to 67587. By opting in to receive text messages, important notifications about school closings/delays and other time-sensitive information will go right to your mobile phone.  

Remind: Schools use Remind (Web - iOS - Android) for two-way communication with parents. Remind delivers messages via text, email, and the web. If your child’s teachers use Remind, you will receive an invitation to join their classrooms at the beginning of the school year.

Social Media: You can follow SPS on Facebook and Instagram.  

Stamford All-School Musical Audition Workshop

Students in grades 5-12 who are interested in auditioning for the Stamford All-School Musical’s production of “Annie” are encouraged to attend the free audition workshop next Friday—August 29—from 4 to 6 pm at Rippowam Middle School. Auditions are Thursday, September 4 and Friday, September 5 from 2:30 to 6 pm at Rippowam. Visit https://stamfordallschoolmusical.org/ to learn more or sign up for the workshop and auditions. 

Enjoy the last weekend of summer break!  We look forward to welcoming all students back to school next week! 

Stay Safe and Healthy!

Dr. Tamu Lucero
Superintendent of Schools

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