Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Dear Staff and Families,

May is the time to celebrate our amazing staff!  Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is May 8-12. SPS Director of Talent Recruitment and Retention, Charmaine Tourse, has a series of special events planned to say thank you to our dedicated, talented and inspirational staff. Please join us in celebrating our amazing SPS teachers and staff.

SPS Teacher of the Year

Speaking of amazing teachers, earlier this week I had the pleasure of visiting Turn of River Middle School where we surprised Elba Sims with the SPS Teacher of the Year Award.  This award is nominated and voted on by our staff and recognizes one of their own for their ongoing contribution to our school community.  Elba is an amazing New Arrivals Teacher!  I want to sincerely thank the Teacher of the Year Committee for all of their hard work and time.

SPEF Excellence in Education Awards

Thank you to the Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) for recognizing our Educators nominated by Parent-Teacher Organizations from each school.  For the first time, there were nominations from every school.  Congratulations to Wendy Tang of Hart Magnet Elementary School for being named SPEF Educator of the Year!  We are proud of all of the SPEF Educator Award nominees. 

• Kimberly Smith, Academy of Information Technology & Engineering
• Simone Zwany, APPLES Pre-K Program
• Peter Hadley, Cloonan Middle School
• Pamela Woodside, Davenport Ridge Elementary School
• Joy Bodnar, Dolan Middle School
• Wendy Tang, Hart Magnet Elementary School
• Mary Huminski, Julia A. Stark Elementary School
• Chelsea Romaniello, K.T. Murphy Elementary School
• Alix Meza, Newfield Elementary School
• Donald Barbour, Northeast Elementary School
• Kristin Bivona, Rippowam Middle School
• Michele Malave, Rogers International School
• Patricia Kellogg, Roxbury Elementary School
• Lindsey Lamb, Scofield Magnet Middle School
• Jeff Gruetzner, Springdale Elementary School
• Andrena Forlenzo, Stamford High School
• Kimberly Balch, Stillmeadow Elementary School
• Jonathan Kolman, Strawberry Hill Elementary School
• James Agostino, Toquam Magnet Elementary School
• Tim Vale, Turn of River Middle School
• Danielle Marenholz, Westhill High School
• James Hart, Westover Magnet Elementary School

Also, please join me in Congratulating Amy Beldotti. She is being recognized for her longtime dedication to making positive contributions to our Stamford community with the 2023 SPEF Leadership in Literacy Award.  

Budget Update

Last week the Board of Finance cut the BOE budget by $1.25M. We appreciate their thoughtful review and willingness to understand the need to support current programming and our students. The next stop is the Board of Representatives. Our hope is that the Board of Representatives will listen to their constituents and make no additional cuts to the Board of Education budget.

Climate Survey

The climate survey is now closed, and I am pleased to report participation was strong across all of our constituencies – students, staff and families.  In total, 73% of students and 79% of staff completed the survey.  More than 5,200 parents and caregivers participated, which represents a 30% increase over last year.

Thank you to the Office of Family and Community Engagement, Stamford Public Education Foundation, our district and building staff and community partners for their work on the climate survey.

Vision 2025

Finally, next week I will have the opportunity to share Vision 2025, the roadmap to ensure we reach and exceed the goals outlined in our 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan. We will be defining the framework, supports and assessments being implemented to ensure we attain the goals associated with each of the district's five strategic pillars. Next week’s presentation will focus on Strong Curriculum and the plan for instructional leadership, support, and evaluation for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Please join us for our BOE workshop meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Government Center in the Board Room on the 5^th floor.

Stay Safe and Healthy!

Dr. Tamu Lucero

Superintendent

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