Spring Glen Spotlight

Dear Spring Glen Families,

A short, yet jam-packed, week here at SPG! Here are some highlights:

1. PTA Family Picnic: it was a fantastic turnout last night! It was great to see more firsthand evidence of what makes this community so special. Thank you to the PTA for continuing the tradition.
2. PAWSitive Panthers of the Week: Beginning this week, I will begin sharing a photo of the PAWSitive Panthers of the Week - students whose ticket was randomly selected from their grade level's box. These students exemplify Positivity and Respect, Accountability, and make Wise and Safe choices. As a school community, we earned a total of 217 tickets this week! Check out our first set of Panthers of the Week below.
3. Safety Week: Next week is Hamden Safety Week. Each day, we will briefly practice specific safety drills to reinforce the importance of being prepared and knowing the expectations during an emergency situation. Please note that all of these drills will be announced in advance and shared with students. Additionally, students riding the bus on the morning of Friday, September 25th will participate in a bus evacuation drill upon arrival at the school, under the direction of their First Student driver. SPG staff will be available to support this process.
4. Speaking of buses... we appreciate your patience as we work with First Student to iron out beginning-of-year transportation issues. Yesterday (Thursday), every bus was loaded and departed by 3:37 (🥳) so we are getting there. I will continue to send communication out through Parent Square if individual buses are delayed.
5. Final Kindergarten Placements: As discussed in my back-to-school communication, kindergarten class assignments are temporary for the first two weeks of school. This allows our team time to observe students, to then create optimal learning environments for ALL learners. Finalized assignment letters will be sent out later this afternoon through ParentSquare. We appreciate your support and understanding as we work to make the year as smooth and successful as we can.

Have a great weekend!

Mike

Classroom communities have been working on collaboratively creating "class charters" (that's a lot of C's). These are shared, agreed upon expectations for how we interact with each other and behave in a PAWSitive way. Here are some samples! You will see that students sign the charters, signifying their belief in and agreement to these "rules".

Grade K: Ellis from Mrs. Rosenberg's class

Grade 1: Sadie from Ms. O'Neill's class

Grade 2: Panos from Ms. Bradley's class

Grade 3: Zoe from Mrs. DiFonzo's class (missed the photo!)

Grade 4: Z'Mir from Mrs. Prince's class (absent today!)

Grade 5: Ciaran from Mrs. Amodio's class

Grade 6: Rowan from Ms. Quinn's class

This year, our school community is focusing on the following priorities:

• Student Well-Being: Reinforcing positive behavior through schoolwide systems and adequate time placed on social-emotional learning.

• Attendance: Encouraging daily attendance and on-time arrival for all.

• Teaching & Learning: Supporting strong instruction and consistent expectations across classrooms where ALL students are encouraged to take risks and make their thinking visible.

• Overarching Goal: Creating a safe, welcoming environment where every student feels comfortable and willing to challenge themselves and grow each day.

Monday, 9/14 - Thursday, 9/17 - Hamden Safety Week

Monday, 9/21 - No School (Yom Kippur)

Wednesday, 9/23 - Open House/Back-to-School Night (5:30-7:00) - more info to come!

Saturday, 9/27 - Deadline to order mums (see flyer below)

Monday, 9/28 - Early Dismissal (Teacher Professional Development - 12:55pm)

Tuesday, 10/6 - Picture Day 📸

Monday, 10/12 - No School (Indigenous People's Day)

Most of the resources below are linkable - click on the photo and you will be brought to the correct website for further information.