Springer Buzz

At Springer Elementary School, we will provide a safe and supportive environment that engages, inspires, and nurtures all students’ emotional and academic needs in order to become empathetic, productive global citizens and lifelong learners.

• Principal’s Message

• News and Announcements

• Parent Education Opportunities

• LASD 2018-2019 Calendar
• LASD 2019-2020 Calendar
• Springer’s Daily Schedule
• Sunday, June 9: Spring Fling for current & new families
  
• Wednesday, June 12: Last Day of School; Dismissal 11:15am
• Friday, August 16; 3:00pm: Pop N' Stop
  
• Wednesday, August 21: First Day of School
• Wednesday, August 28: Photo Day
• Thursday, September 5: Back-to-School Night
• Friday, September 6: Minimum Day; Dismissal 12:15pm
• Monday, September 16: First Day of Full Day Kindergarten

Dear Springer Families,

Thank you for your time, care, and encouragement you have shared with us this year. We are truly blessed to have you as part of our school community. As we look to next year, we will be wishing several of our staff the best as they make some educational shifts. Kelly McLean (4th grade teacher) will be relocating to the Sacramento area; Christina Lassignae-Vargas (Special Education) is moving to the San Luis Obispo area; Beth Rubinstein (6th grade teacher) will be joining Loyola and teaching 5th grade next year; Carol Rossi (Speech Therapist) will be taking a part-time position at Gardner-Bullis for family reasons; and Anne Penilla will be pursuing other educational opportunities in the area. There has been some restructuring of the Instructional Support Teachers (IST) services in the district. As a result, Joanie Craddock (STEM IST) will be supporting the computer science program at other district school sites next year. Tiara Wirkkala (Literacy IST) has decided to relocate to be closer to her family in Oregon. We will miss each one of these teachers for their expertise and dedication to our school and children.

We also have some new staff to welcome to Springer. Please click this link to read a short biography and a picture of each one.

Each year we look at various factors to determine how to best utilize the strengths of our teachers. Listed below are the teachers who will meeting the needs of our children next year. Please note that this is a tentative and can change as we progress through the summer. I wish each of you a very special summer filled with love, laughter, and time in the sun with those that you cherish.

Warmly,

Robin

Transitional Kindergarten: Laura Bence

Kindergarten: Michelle Hayden/Malia Lammay, Linda Mooers

First Grade: Kiwi Capriles, Stephanie Guindy

Second Grade: Kim Farwell/Chris Goldner, Shauna Fulcher, Melanie deMonet

Third Grade: Andrea Jones, Brian Conte, Allison White

Fourth Grade: Judi Hulberg, Karey Gutierrez, Katie McGinnis

Fifth Grade: Katie Branch, Jill Williams

Sixth Grade: Lauren Robb, Brittany Myers, Amanda Pellicani

Physical Education: Jay Heeb

Special Day Class: Debarati Sen

Resource Specialists: Ali Stephens, Katie Hurst

Speech/ Lang. Specialist: Kei Worry

School Psychologist: Usha Iyer

STEM ISTs: Grace Choi, Ricky Hu

Literacy IST: Laura Wiley

Trimester 3 Report Cards will be emailed home by the end of the day on Thursday, June 13.

Congratulations to Simon Grangier and Nathan Freedman for being selected as outstanding artists by Art4Schools!

An Art4Schools art show featuring Simon’s, Nathan's and other students’ work will be displayed at the Community School of Music and Arts, at 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View. This exhibit can be seen from July 1, 2019 through March 30, 2020. Please take an afternoon this summer to enjoy this wonderful artwork.

Dear Springer,
Six years ago I was given an amazing opportunity to implement our STEM program here. The Springer community welcomed me with open arms. I have watched your children succeed (and fail) in many challenges while developing their growth mindset. I have given and received countless hugs and good morning greetings. Whether it was a bouquet of flowers, a book from the Book Faire, or enthusiastic volunteers for the STEM Expo, I
have always felt supported in this community.
As the district STEM program is evolving, I am needed elsewhere. I
will be focusing on Computer Science at Oak, Loyola, Covington, and Santa Rita. If you have any friends at those schools, please put in a good word for me. I will cherish my memories as a Springer Stinger.
Thank you for all your love and support,
Joanie Craddock

Fall, 2019

Calling all 3rd - 6th Graders

Starting Arts Presents

The Little Mermaid Jr.

Rehearsals start on August 26, 2019

Rehearsal days: Mondays & Wednesdays; 3:00 - 4:30pm

Performances: November 1 - 2, 2019

Please click on flier for more information.

What better way to relax at the end of a long school year than by chilling with your Springer friends on a Sunday afternoon? The entire Springer community is invited this Sunday, 6/9, from 11am-2pm. We’ll provide the music, the Sno Cone truck, and a fun surprise activity. You bring yourselves, a picnic lunch, shade tent, and your favorite outdoor party games to share. Follow the signs to the Springer garden for additional fun activities. Let’s make the most of our last weekend of the 2018-2019 school year! This event is sponsored by the PTA and organized by your Springer Ambassadors (springer_ambassadors@lasdschools.org).

Playdate for ages 4 and under on June 29, 10am-12pm, McKenzie Park

Here’s something for the little ones among us. We’ve started a Springer Play-to-K group for ages 4 and under. It will meet every other month starting on Saturday, June 29. Why wait until Kindergarten to make life-long friends? Please mark your calendars for this event and email your Springer Ambassadors (springer_ambassadors@lasdschools.org) if you would like to help advertise this event at your child’s preschool.

Springer School was first to create yard signs to show off how much we love our neighborhood schools. LASD liked the idea so much, they copied it! Now, their signs are available to anyone who wants one, including community members and alumni. Please fill out this google form if you would like a yard sign. (https://tinyurl.com/springer-yard-sign). We will try to distribute them such that they have the most impact, but there are enough for everyone. Contact your Springer Ambassadors if you have any questions (springer_ambassadors@lasdschools.org).

Find Living Classroom, the Art Docents, and the LASD STEM program at the Apricot STEM Fair taking place from 10-3pm on Sunday, June 30th at the Los Altos History Museum. The History Museum is located next to the Los Altos Library at 51 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos (click here for directions). Bring your whole family to this free and fun event that inspires curiosity, asking questions and seeking answers about the world around us. Celebrate the heritage of our community with tasty apricot treats at the Silicon Valley Eats exhibit.

Do you want to donate lightly used school supplies? Do you want to make sure that your school supplies are reused and recycled instead of thrown away? We will take crayons,
markers, pencils, erasers, sharpeners and backpacks. Thank you from the team of the "Education Everywhere" organization. A collection bin will be in the Springer School Office until Thursday, June 13. For more information about our organization, click here for our flier.

Medications will be available for pick up from June 12th (last day of school) to June 18th 2019. We cannot store medications over the summer. If you are leaving before school ends, please pick up medications early.

We are seeking volunteers to join the Hot Lunch crew for 2019-2020. The Hot Lunch program would not be possible without the 20+ volunteers that come in every week to serve lunch! The lunch volunteer shift is from 11:25-12:15, one day per week, or alternating weeks. Volunteers receive a credit for a free Choicelunch meal for every volunteer slot they fill. Contact Emily Fuller (at HotLunch@springerpta.net) to join the lunch crew or if you’d like more information.

We are very close to reaching our $3.5M goal. We are grateful for each family who donated to LAEF this school year. You have invested in excellent neighborhood schools and a strong community! If you’ve made a pledge that is yet to be fulfilled, we are still counting on your donation to cross the finish line.

Here’s a big THANK YOU to our wonderful teachers, staff, parents, and volunteers for contributing to our student’s success this year!

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @LAEFonline

The MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series is excited to announce our speaker line-up for the 2018-2019 school year. Six nationally and internationally recognized experts will join us to discuss a wide range of topics including – navigating today’s college search process and financial aid options; exploring the crucial impact of sleep on the wellness and success of children and teens; raising resilient kids in a stressful world; fostering increased well-being; engaging the power of self-compassion; and optimizing the college experience to prepare young adults for the jobs of tomorrow.

Please visit the MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series website for more detailed information and registration for each event. MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series events are free, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors – the PTA, LAEF, and MVLA High School Foundation.

If you have an article to submit to the Springer Buzz, please send it to the editor at springer.buzz@gmail.com by noon on Monday for inclusion in the next edition. Late arrivals will be included if possible but can’t be guaranteed! All flyers must be in either WORD or PDF format, accompanied by a brief summary of the activity in the email.