School News

Springdale Scoop: November News

Upcoming School Events

Mark your calendars! We have some great events coming up this month, including our always-popular Bingo Night.

Day	Date	Time	Event & Location
Tuesday	November 11th	All Day	No School: Veterans Day (Thank you to all who served!)
Friday	November 14th	8:15 AM	PTO Meeting (Media Center)
Thursday	November 20th	6:00 PM	Family Bingo Night! (Cafeteria)  Doors Open at 5:30 $15/per person
Wednesday	November 26th	Varies	Turkey Trot (Morning Event) & Early Release (1:15 PM Dismissal)

 

Principal's Corner: The Power of Compliments!

Dear Springdale Families,

Our Gratitude Campaign is off to a wonderful start! The students have been working hard to notice and appreciate the great things happening around them.

The staff is now excited to take our campaign a step further by focusing on the power of compliments. Learning to give and receive compliments is a vital social-emotional skill that enhances our school community.

Why Compliments Matter:

• Boosts Others' Confidence: A sincere compliment helps others feel seen, valued, and encouraged to keep trying their best. It's an instant mood-lifter!

• Teaches Kindness: Giving a specific, thoughtful compliment is a direct way for students to practice kindness and empathy in their interactions.

• Includes Self-Love: We are also teaching students the importance of complimenting themselves. Recognizing their own efforts, talents, and progress builds strong self-esteem and a growth mindset. When they say, "I worked hard on that!" or "I was a good friend today," they are building their inner strength.

We encourage you to practice this at home! Try asking your child, "What is one nice thing you did for yourself today?" or "What is one thing you noticed someone else doing well?"

Thank you for partnering with us to raise thoughtful, confident, and grateful citizens!

Joyfully,

 

Gloria Manna

Dear Springdale Families,

I hope this message finds you well and recovered from dress-up and candy!  As we settle into the rhythm of the school year, we are gearing up for our annual School-Wide Gratitude Campaign!

 

Why Gratitude?

In today's fast-paced world, it's easy for us and our children to focus on what we don't have or the challenges we face. However, research consistently shows that practicing gratitude—the quality of being thankful and showing appreciation for what we receive—has profound benefits for overall well-being.

For our students, practicing gratitude can help to:

• Improve their happiness and overall mood.

• Increase their empathy and social connections.

• Reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

• Boost resilience and a positive outlook, even when facing difficulties.

We believe that by intentionally teaching and practicing gratitude, we can help our students build a foundational skill that will serve them well throughout their lives, making our school a more joyful and supportive place for everyone.

 

What Our Campaign Looks Like

Over the next few weeks, our school will be immersed in activities designed to help students, staff, and the community recognize and express thanks. Here are just a few ways your child will be participating:

• Gratitude Journals: Students will be encouraged to keep simple journals where they note things they are thankful for, big and small.

• Thank You Notes: Classrooms will focus on writing personalized notes of thanks to teachers, staff, classmates, and even community helpers.

• "Gratitude Wall": We will be creating a collective display in the hallway where students can share brief statements or drawings of what they are grateful for.

• Class Discussions: Teachers will lead discussions about the difference between being polite and genuinely feeling and expressing thanks.

 

Partnering with Parents: Bringing Gratitude Home

The most powerful way to reinforce this learning is by modeling and practicing gratitude at home. Your partnership is crucial for making this campaign a success and truly embedding this value in your child's life.

Here are a few simple, actionable ways you can participate:

1. Start a "Best Part of the Day" Dinner Tradition: Go around the table and have everyone share one specific thing they are genuinely thankful for that happened that day.

2. Model Thankfulness: Be sure your child hears you express sincere gratitude to service workers, family members, or even just for a sunny day.

3. Encourage Specificity: When your child says "thank you," encourage them to explain why they are thankful. ("Thank you for helping me with my homework" instead of just "thanks.")

4. Create a Family Gratitude Jar: Keep a jar and slips of paper handy. Throughout the week, write down things the family is thankful for and read them aloud on the weekend.

 

 

This gratitude campaign is more than just a momentary project; it is an effort to instill a lifelong habit of thankfulness. Together, we can nurture kind, appreciative, and resilient young people.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school and our students. I am truly grateful for our wonderful community.

 

Joyfully,

Gloria Manna

Dear Springdale Families,

A Look Back: Friendship Friday Success!

What an amazing day we had yesterday celebrating Friendship Friday!

It was a huge success, starting with the children running The Springdale Sprint to raise money for the school. Students from other grades lined the route to cheer them on, and immediately afterward, they got to enjoy their first Reading Buddy Day with those same students. The energy and joy were wonderful, and the children had so much fun!

Upcoming: Veteran's Day Celebration

We are getting ready to kick off our Gratitude Campaign, and one of our favorite celebrations is Veteran's Day.

We will be honoring our veterans on Monday, November 10th.

Are you a veteran? We would be honored to have you join our celebration! Please reply to this email by if you would like to participate in our event.

Important Reminder: Attendance Matters

We want all of our students to succeed, and that starts with being in class.

• Connecticut state law permits students to miss up to 10 days each school year.

• Research shows that when student absences rise above 10 days, we begin to see a decline in academic achievement.

Please make every effort to send your child to school every day. Consistency is key to their learning and growth.

Have a joyful weekend,

Gloria Manna

Dear Springdale Families,

It was so nice to see so many of you at conferences this week. As your child’s first teacher, your partnership is vital to our success, and we appreciate your dedication.

The Springdale Sprint is Next Week!

The students have been eagerly preparing for The Springdale Sprint! Our Physical Education teacher, Mr. Gruetnzer, and Miss Esposito have been training the children and teaching them about important concepts like heart rate, endurance, breathing, and diet. There may even be some mini-race competitions happening between students and teachers!

We look forward to a fun day and hope you can join us to cheer your child on.

Grade	Cheer Time
5th Grade	9:05 - 9:50 a.m.
4th Grade	9:50 - 10:35 a.m.
3rd Grade	10:35 - 11:20 a.m.
2nd Grade	12:45 - 1:30 p.m.
K & 1st Grade	1:45 - 2:30 p.m.

 

Halloween Costume Guidelines

Halloween is just two weeks away! While we will not be having a school-wide event, students are permitted to wear costumes on the day of. We strongly encourage storybook and character costumes.

Please note the following restrictions to ensure a safe and successful school day:

• No Masks, face coverings, or face paint.

• No Props (e.g., swords, wands, broomsticks).

• No blood, gore, dead, or deathly images.

Finally, as a recipient of the Michelle Obama Healthy Schools Grant, we are not permitted to have food-based parties at school. Your child’s teacher will share additional information about specific classroom activities soon.

 

Reminder: There is an early release day again this Wednesday, October 22 for staff Professional Development

 

Have a good weekend!. 

 

Joyfully,

Gloria Manna

Dear Springdale Families,

We have so much enjoyed getting to know your children this year.  We know that a positive relationship between students and teachers is a critical component of student success.   A progress report on your child’s social-emotional functioning in school will be released to you through PowerSchool on Friday, October 10th, along with The iReady for Families Report.  Log into your child’s Clever Account and click on the iReady icon to go to the iReady Dashboard.  From the iReady Dashboard, click on the For Families dropdown and select the For Families Report.  Enter District Report Code S5Y1BK to access your child’s report. Please make sure that your teachers provide a copy of the Google Login in badges or Google Login information for their students' families.

Directions in English for parents: Link

Directions in Spanish for parents: Link

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We are excited to let you know about our continued work to support students’ Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Over two decades of research has helped us understand the important role social and emotional skills play in each child’s success in school, in the community, and, eventually, in higher education and the workplace. Skills such as demonstrating self-control, persisting at challenging tasks, making good decisions, and working well in groups are all necessary to being successful students and adults. 

To support our students in developing these skills, teachers will use a social-emotional screening and assessment tool called the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). The purpose of the DESSA is to highlight the positive skills your child has already learned and what skills they still need to develop. This screening tool asks teachers to assess how often a student has demonstrated specific skills in the past month. Teachers will screen students three times a year, similar to what we do in reading and math, during the months of October, February, and May.  Information from the assessment will be used to support SEL programming.  

Sample DESSA questions include:

• How often did the child keep trying when unsuccessful?

• How often did the child offer to help somebody?

• How often did the child get things done in a timely fashion?

• How often did the child work well in groups?

While the DESSA is just one component of our program this year, we want to make sure that you are informed of our use of this instructional tool. We believe that the information gathered from the DESSA will be beneficial to your child’s overall success both inside and outside of the classroom.  

The DESSA is published by Riverside Insights. Our district chose the DESSA in part because of Riverside Insights strong commitment to respecting and protecting your child’s privacy. Hundreds of school districts and afterschool programs nationwide utilize the DESSA and trust Riverside Insights with protecting their students’ data. Riverside Insights will never share your child’s data with a third party. To view additional information about the DESSA, the privacy policy, or the parent portal, visit https://info.apertureed.com/parent-portal.

If you have any questions, please call the school or email GManna@stamfordpublicschools.org. 

If you would like to opt your child out, please complete the DESSA Parent Opt Out Form

 

Joyfully,

Gloria Manna