Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Dear SPS Families and Staff: 

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming open school nights, when parents and guardians can meet their child(ren)’s teachers, learn about classroom and academic expectations, and hear more about the curriculum. Please take advantage of this opportunity to be an active participant in your child’s educational journey! 

Open school nights are as follows: 

• Tuesday, September 16—Cloonan, Dolan, Rippowam, Scofield, Strawberry Hill (grades 5-8), Turn of River, and Westover (grades 6-7). 
• Wednesday, September 17—Newfield (grades 3-5) and Roxbury (grade 5).
• Thursday, September 18—AITE, SPS Anchor, Stamford High, and Westhill. 
• Thursday, September 25—Davenport, Hart, K.T. Murphy, Newfield (K-2), Northeast, Rogers (K-8), Roxbury (K-4), Springdale, Stark, Strawberry Hill (K-4), Stillmeadow, Toquam, and Westover (K-5). 
• Tuesday, September 30—APPLES PreK.

The school principal or your child’s teacher(s) will provide details about open school night. 

Register for the SPEF 5K Walk & Run  

Be sure to register for the Stamford Public Education Foundation’s (SPEF) annual 5K Walk & Run on Sunday, September 28 at 9 am in Mill River Park. 

This is a timed 5K race and community walk to benefit SPEF, which supports SPS through programs including the Summer Start Early Education Program and Books Across Stamford. 

This event is FREE for all SPS students under the age of 18. Kids under the age of 12 have the option to take part in SPEFy’s Fun Run, a shorter course with a few surprises along the way. The adult registration fee is $43.40. Anyone who raises $150 or more for SPEF will have their race fee waived.

The school community with the most participants as a percentage of total enrollment will win the MarcUS for Change Spirit Award, including a $500 donation to the school’s parent teacher organization. 

For more information and to register, click here. 

Questions & Concerns

Our administrators, teachers, and staff strive to create a positive school climate for all students and families. Despite these best efforts, we recognize that questions, concerns, or issues may arise from time to time. Per Board of Education (BOE) policy, any complaints or concerns directed to the BOE will be referred to back to the appropriate SPS personnel for resolution. The district has established a clear protocol for addressing issues:

• Level One (Teacher / Counselor): Matters related to instruction and curriculum, academic performance, classroom behavior, or interpersonal conflicts should be brought first to the teacher. Questions about post-secondary planning, attendance, and credit recovery should be directed to your child’s school counselor (high schools only).
• Level Two (Principal / Assistant Principal): If the matter cannot be resolved by the teacher or counselor, or if the concern relates to school-wide policies and procedures, it should be brought to the principal or assistant principal.
• Level Three (Associate Superintendent): Matters that remain unresolved after speaking with a school administrator should be referred to an associate superintendent: 
  • High Schools & SPS Anchor – Dr. Lori Rhodes
  • Middle Schools, Rogers, and Strawberry Hill – Matthew Laskowski 
  • Elementary Schools and Westover – Lisa Saba-Price 
• Level Four (Superintendent’s Office): Issues that remain unresolved after review by the associate superintendent will be referred to the Superintendent’s Office.

Hispanic Heritage Month

This Monday marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of Hispanic and Latino history and culture and its impact on the United States. More than 75 world languages are spoken in our students’ homes, with Spanish the second-most common after English. Nearly one third of our families receive school communications—including the Superintendent’s Weekly—in Spanish.  

There will be many wonderful Hispanic Heritage Month events taking place throughout Stamford during the next four weeks. Our partners at the Ferguson Library are hosting a Celebration of Latin Jazz at the main branch on Saturday, September 20 from 2 to 3:30 pm. Click here for more details and to register for this free event. 

Stay Safe & Healthy!

Dr. Tamu Lucero
Superintendent

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