Pirate's Cove Updates

Dear Pirate Families,

Happy Mother's Day to all of our Pirate Moms! We hope you are surrounded by love today!

We hope you can join us at our last PTO Meeting of the year on Wednesday beginning at 4:00pm in the library. We will be voting on the new board and discussing the budget for the 26-27 school year.

Students in grades 4th, and 5th will be SOL testing on Wednesday. Fourth grade will be taking the VA Studies assessment and fifth grade will be taking the Science assessment. There are some student that require small group testing or individual testing, so those students may test on a different day. Thank you for ensuring your student is at school this week!

Afternoon pick up has become a safety concern. As a reminder, you may not block in other cars when getting out to pick up your student nor may you park in the bus loop area. If there are no spots for parking, we encourage you to join the car rider line to get your student. If these issues continue, we will have to eliminate the option of waiting on the sidewalk for your student and all parents will need to join the car rider line. Safety is our #1 priority. Thank you for your understanding and for participation in ensuring we can continue both pick up options for our parents!

Please remember that we will have school the week following Memorial Day. That week we have lots of fun, engaging activities planned for students. Most notably is Field Day on Wednesday, May 27th. Don't forget that you will need a Volunteer Form on file if you plan to attend the event. If you have already completed a form for the 25-26 school year, you do not need to complete another one!

As a reminder, when visiting the building you will need to have your government issued, picture identification out before being able to enter the building. This is to prevent you having to go back to the car to get it. We are required to scan the identification through our Raptor System if you will be entering the school campus, so you must have a "physical" identification (not a picture of your id). Thank you for your understanding in our efforts to ensure our students' safety!

Proud Pirate,

Mrs. Sotzing

Congratulations to Mrs. Taylor's 5th grade class for having 99.14% of students in attendance this week! They have earned extra recess!

If your child is going to miss a day, please be sure to reach out to the Attendance Secretary to let her know why he/she will be out. You can also email the Attendance Secretary @ Spotswoodesattendance@spotsylvania.k12.va.us. Thank you in advance!

Our 5th grade students will be participating in Dare Day on Thursday, May 14th. Permission slips will be coming home tomorrow.

We’re Hiring for 2026–2027! Our school division is looking for passionate educators and support staff who are committed to making a difference for students each day. As part of our continued efforts to attract and retain strong candidates, recent updates to compensation for the upcoming school year reflect a focus and commitment on remaining competitive and supporting our staff.

If you or someone you know may be interested in joining our team, we encourage you to explore current openings on our careers page: https://spotsylvania.schoolspring.com. All positions include updated FY27 salary information. You can also view additional details, including full salary scales, on our HR webpage: https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/page/join-scps.

Want to volunteer and make memories? Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944AEAD2DA0F9CE9-63444685-copy#/! Grades K-2 will be enjoying Field Day in the morning. Grades 3-5 will be enjoying Field Day in the afternoon. This is an authorized volunteer event only, no spectators. Only those who have (a) signed up for a volunteer shift using the signup below and (b) successfully submitted their annual SCPS volunteer form between July 1, 2025 and May 20, 2026 will be permitted on campus to support this event. Please note that this volunteer opportunity does not permit for little ones to be present. If this impacts your ability to support, we understand. Thank you for your understanding! If you have any questions, please email our PE teacher, Mr. Baker at stevenbaker2@spotsylvania.k12.va.us.

Staff are beginning to consider class placements for the 26-27 school year. If you would like to provide feedback on the type of classroom environment you feel your child would thrive in, please use this link to do so no later than May 22nd. As a reminder, we are not able to honor requests for specific teachers.

As a reminder, parents may access the Parent Portal on the VADOE website for more information about their child's SOL scores. Please use the linked documents below for guidance on how to access the Parent Portal and for a Frequently Asked Questions Guide.

We would love your feedback on our Continuous School Improvement Plan that has been our focus for the last 3 years. We are currently working to develop our next three year plan. If you require English, please use this form. If you require Spanish, please use this form.

This year our 5th grade Moving Up Ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 28th at 6:30pm at Massaponax High School. Students should arrive by 6:15pm as the ceremony will begin promptly at 6:30. We moved the event to Massaponax High School to allow us to hold just one ceremony this year and to accommodate all of our guests. We can't wait to celebrate our 5th graders as they get ready to transition to middle school.

MAY

12th Spirit Night @ Dairy Queen

13th VA Studies SOL for 4th grade/Science SOL for 5th grade

13th PTO Meeting @ 4pm

14th DARE Day for 5th grade

25th Student/Staff Holiday

27th Field Day

28th Early Release

28th 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony at Massaponax High School @ 6:30pm

29th Early Release/Last day of school

29th 5th Grade Picnic

Want to help out in your child's classroom or at school events? You will need to first complete a Volunteer Form (located below). Please know that the form is due at least 5 days prior to you volunteering; however, you only need to fill out the form once for the school year (a new form is required every year). We can't wait to have you join us!

As a reminder, only service animals are allowed on school property. This means even if you are walking to pick your child up from school, you may not bring your dog. This is to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and parents. Thank you for your understanding.

As a reminder, all transportation changes require a handwritten note. Please do not email/message the teacher to make a change, as there is no guarantee that the teacher will see your email/message prior to the end of the day. Also, if you plan to pick your child(ren) up from school, and they typically ride the bus and you did not send in a note to the teacher, please plan to arrive by 3:15 as once dismissal starts there is no guarantee that your student will be called prior to the bus departing.Thank you for your understanding!

In July 2024, the SPCS School Board approved changes to the protocols regarding how birthdays can be recognized in the school setting. I realize that trying to read the entire Handbook online is hard so I am providing a copy of the protocol below. Please be aware that classrooms are allowed two classwide celebrations per year and teachers may invite families to send in special, store-bought treats at that time. This ensures that families with students with health conditions have time to prepare for alternate treats and/or have discussions with their individual child about allergies. All food sent in for those events will be checked by the school nurse and must still be nut-free. Thank you for your support in helping to keep our kids safe!

In SCPS elementary schools, we work hard to ensure that students’ minds and bodies are ready for learning each day. In addition to the hard work our teachers and staff do every day to prepare students for success in the classroom, we also work to encourage healthy eating and physical activity, leading them to lifelong success. We understand that celebrating students is very important and we are committed to recognizing students in healthy and safe ways.

Like many other schools, we have many students who suffer from life-threatening allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control (2011), allergies have increased more than 20% among American children since the mid-1990s. Childhood obesity has tripled over the past 20 years. As a school community, we must do all we can to lessen the chances of an allergic incident happening and must work diligently to keep our students safe.

Each year, across our elementary sites, feedback from staff and parents is mixed with regard to outside food and treats. We are aware that this is a sensitive subject. We will continue to celebrate student birthdays as a school-wide community, however, should you choose to provide birthday treats to classmates, these goodies must be non-edible. Cupcakes, candy, and/or any other edible food items will not be allowed. Your school will reach out with specific, non-food alternative ways you can use to recognize your child’s birthday at school. Specific, school-wide celebrations will continue with other guidance and forward planning for a safe, healthy event.

As was shared previously, all car riders are required to sign-up for a number each year. This is to help us avoid any confusion if there has been a change for your family. Also, only students that are car riders every day will be issued a car rider number and will be allowed to utilize the car rider lanes. Any student that has a car rider number assigned will not have a bus assigned for the afternoon. Each family is issued 2 car rider tags. Additional tags will be $5.00. Anyone who wishes to pick up that does not have a car rider number issued will be required to park and walk-up to sign their child(ren) out. Please be sure to have your government issued identification available.

School policy states that no cell phones, smartwatches may be used from the start of the day until the end of the day (bell to bell). Students must stow away, in their backpacks, any cell phone, smartwatch, or ear buds that have bluetooth capabilities between 8:25 am-3:30pm. The electronic device should be set to “silent” while in the student’s backpack. Please reference C.12 in the Student Code of Conduct for more information.

If you plan to come eat lunch with your child, please be aware that you will need to sign in at the office first and get a Visitor's Badge. You will need a government issued ID in order to receive a pass. Unfortunately, adults do not qualify for free lunch.

Vision Statement: At Spotswood, every child is seen, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential—building the confidence, compassion, and curiosity to thrive in school and beyond.

Email: jsotzing@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
Website: https://wwww.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/o/spotswood
Location: 400 Lorraine Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Phone: 540-898-1514
Twitter: @SpotswoodElem