Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Superintendent's Weekly Message - December 13, 2024

Dear Families and Staff,

Thank you to all of the families and teachers who met this week to discuss student progress during report card conferences. Remember, this is a great time of year to reset priorities, so that all students have a successful second half of the school year.

One area of focus for all families should be school attendance, which is critical to academic success. Research studies and SPS data show that students who attend school regularly earn better grades and are more likely to reach important academic goals at every grade level.

Parents and families play a critical role in school attendance. Ensuring that your child arrives at school on time and ready to learn every day is one of the most important things you can do to support your child’s academic achievement.

This year SPS kicked-off a campaign to Strive for 5—setting a goal for students to miss no more than 5 days of school. Click here to see what you can do to help us give your child their best chance at academic success.

Last Chance to see the Stamford All-School Musical

This is the final weekend to see the Stamford All-School Musical’s production of Anything Goes! Performances are tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm. Anything Goes features 58 SPS students representing AITE, Cloonan, Dolan, Rippowam, Rogers, Scofield, Stamford High School, Strawberry Hill, and Westhill High School. Tickets are still available for all three shows.

AgriScience Holiday Shop Continues Tomorrow

The Stamford AgriScience Program at Westhill High School will host the final day of its annual Open House and Holiday Shop tomorrow—Saturday, December 14—from 10 am to 3 pm in the AgriScience Building on the Westhill campus. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the AgSci program and to show your support through the purchase of wreaths, poinsettias and other seasonal plants and gifts.

Thank you to AgSci teacher and AgSci program director, Virginia Cippola, and the entire AgSci staff for their commitment to the AgSci program and for helping our students plan and operate the Holiday Open House.

Filling in the Blanks Mobile Food Pantry at Domus on Saturday

Please note the change in location! The Filling in the Blanks Mobile Food Pantry returns to Stamford tomorrow—Saturday, December 14th. The event will be indoors at Domus (83 Lockwood Avenue) for December, January and February. If you or someone you know could benefit from the food pantry, please plan to attend between 8:30 and 10:30 am.

PT Council to Host Flexible Schedule Information Session

Stamford Public Schools is implementing a Flexible High School Schedule in 2024-25. The Parent Teacher Council of Stamford will host a Flexible Schedule information session on Monday, December 16 at 7 pm via Zoom. Associate Superintendent for High Schools, Dr. Lori Rhodes, will present about the schedule and answer questions. Please view this presentation and read the FAQ prior to the meeting. Submit your questions here.

Student Performances at Stamford Town Center

The Stamford Town Center’s Holidays in Harmony music series continues next week with the following performances:

Monday: Westover Chorus at 5:30
Wednesday: Roxbury 4th Grade Choir at 6:00

Please stop by to enjoy festive holiday music courtesy of our talented students!

Thank you to our music teachers at Roxbury, Springdale, Stamford High, Stark, Stillmeadow, Westhill, and Westover who worked with our students to prepare for these performances. Thanks, also, to Springdale Music Teacher and SPS K-12 Content Leader, Becky Chuta, for organizing this performance opportunity for our students.

Big Picture Learning Academy Charter Public Hearing

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) is hosting a public hearing to gauge public support for a Big Picture Learning Academy Charter High School. The hearing is Tuesday December 17 from 7:30 to 8:30 pm at Strawberry Hill School. If you are interested in providing public comment, please plan to attend.

Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)

Stamford PLTI, sponsored by the Stamford Public Education Foundation, is seeking parents, grandparents, guardians or other adults to join the FREE 2025 PLTI program beginning in January. PLTI helps parents and other adults acquire the skills to be effective advocates for children. See this flier for more information and click here to apply. Slots fill up quickly so please submit your application as soon as possible.