It's very easy to get so busy that you don't take time to stop and smell the roses.  This is certainly the case in my position as I'm running from one thing to the next.  But, taking a step back and appreciating the good things around you is crucial, I believe, in our work as educators and as human beings.

I'd like to share with you some of the positive things I see in our staff that give further indication that we are continuing to do the very best for our students, your children.  In some cases, it's trying out a new instructional strategy that gets kids excited.  In others, it's reflecting on a practice to either tweak it or completely revamp it.

I'm proud to say that 5 Springer teachers applied for, and received acceptance to the Summer iLearn Academy- funded by LAEF.  This week-long, intensive training for LASD teachers focuses on facilitating teachers to re-examine what they do in the classroom.  It includes looking at the latest innovative strategies, including the use of technology in the classroom.  It also helps those attending teachers to become teacher leaders - so that they can help their colleagues back at their school site grow and develop as well.  This will be the 3rd year that LASD is offering this to district teachers and I can tell you that the impact from the first two years has been a huge asset to Springer.

A couple of weeks ago Mrs. Van Dyken and Ms. Shilling were invited to attend an open house at a school in San Jose that has designed their entire curriculum around project based learning.  Mrs. Van Dyken and Ms. Shilling spent the day observing a school where the students take full ownership of their learning.  The students were the tour guides, taking educators around their campus, explaining their work and the rationale behind it.   Our two Springer teachers came back excited about the possibilities!

This week, Ms. McLean's class Skyped with another 4th grade class in Indiana.  Each class gave each other geographical clues until they were able to discover where in the country the other class was located.  Prior to this, Ms. McLean's class practiced with Ms. Hultberg's class.  Room 13 Skyped with Room 18 to figure out where to stand in the classroom when asking a question and other logistical issues so that everything went smoothly.

There a lot of "roses" on our campus right now.  I continue to see our students more engaged and excited about their learning than I ever have since I arrived at Springer.

Be sure to stop and smell the roses in your world as well.

Best wishes,
Wade Spenader- Principal

Safety is ALL of our concern.

As I write this, the rain is coming down - finally. Our earth is thirsty and the rain is certainly welcomed. Unfortunately, rain also means an increase in car traffic during drop-off and pick-up times.  This brings an increase in dangerous and unlawful driving behaviors.   And, people are noticing.  In the course of 2 days, I’ve received a number of complaints about the driving behaviors of Springer parents.  I don’t like to admonish the whole for the acts of a few but it seems it’s time for some safety reminders.  Please adhere to the following guidelines (rain or shine):

• ONLY drop off at the yellow curb.  DO NOT drop off in the parking lanes. This creates a very dangerous situation as children should not be walking through the parking lot.

• DO NOT leave your vehicle if stopped on the yellow curb. For any reason. Doing so creates a back-up.

• If possible, have backpacks in the car, not in the trunk. This way, a student can exit the vehicle with his/her backpack and be on his/her way.

• DO NOT park in striped spaces.  The stripes indicate that it is not a parking spot.  Parking in these areas creates additional hazards.

• SLOW DOWN and follow all rules of the road.  Remember that you are providing a model for your own children who watch your driving habits.

• It is illegal to block any driveway.  Keep this in mind if you park on our neighboring streets.  

Please remember that we, as the adults, are all responsible for creating the safest environment possible in the parking lot.   And, if you have grandparents, baby-sitters, or others dropping-off and picking-up your children, please review these guidelines with them as well.

Sign-In Reminder:

All persons on campus must sign-in at the office before going to the classroom or other volunteer activity.
Make sure you are wearing the visitors sticker that indicates that you have done so.  This is an important safety precaution that helps us know who is on campus at all times.  When you leave campus, be sure to sign-out.

Regards,

Wade Spenader- Principal

The Science Fair is Coming!

This year, the Science Fair at Springer (known as Science-O-Rama) will be bigger than ever!  On Thursday, March 13^th, Springer’s budding scientists and engineers will be showing off their experiments and findings. The afternoon will include 4, 5, and 6^th graders presenting their experiments to a panel of judges. In the evening, the Fair is open to the public for all to see the great work of Springer scientist.

The first step is to visit the Springer website and click on the Science-O-Rama link. There you will find directions, guidelines, important dates, and registration. The link is designed to be paperless, so your child can register online. We ask that all students who are participating (this is an optional event for Kinder through 5^th graders) register no later than February 14^th.  

Is your child stumped on what to do?  Having trouble coming up with a good idea for an experiment?  Or, just need some help thinking it through? This year, Springer will offer “consultation” times for students to drop in and get help. Ms. Craddock and a team of parents will be available at lunch in the STEM lab on the following dates for students to come by and receive assistance:

Tuesday, Feb. 4^th for 4^th/5^th graders and Thursday, Feb. 6^th for 1^st-3^rd graders

Furthermore,  GirlSPARC will be sponsoring a morning session on Sat, Feb 1st from 9:30-12:00 in the STEM lab to help ALL students with their science fair projects.   

We NEED Judges:  Are you interested in assisting in the judging of student experiments on Thursday, March 13^th. A background in science, math, engineering, or other like field is encouraged, but not necessarily required. Judges receive a brief training, a free lunch, and then move to the multi to assess the experiments.  Judges need to be available on March 13^th from noon to about 3pm.  If interested, click here to sign up.

The Springer Science-O-Rama is always one of the highlights of the year.  It is a showcase of our students academic and creative talents.  

Springer Site Survey

Every other year, the Springer Site Council conducts a survey of our families in order to assess satisfaction with various aspects of Springer Elementary School.  The data collected from this survey is used to make recommendations to Springer's administration and PTA in order to improve the educational experience for our students and their families.

We are asking that each Springer family take the survey.  Depending on the number of children you have attending, the survey can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to complete.  We ask that you answer each question honestly and put in comments where appropriate.

The survey is open today and will close at 4pm on January 31st.  We will send additional reminders to take the survey between now and the time the survey closes.  The more families we have who complete the survey, the more valid the date becomes.  

I thank you in advance for taking the survey.   The survey can be found here.

Parking Lot Reminders

It's that time of the year where I need to remind parents about safety in the parking lot.  Please, for the safety of our children, slow down as you get near the campus.  While in the parking lot, pay utmost attention to pedestrians.   Do not leave your car parked on the yellow curb unattended.  And, please only drop children off at the yellow curb and not in the middle of the parking aisles.  Your attention to this is greatly appreciated.

Can I confess something?  I struggle with this time of year.   I'm not a grinch but I get a little stressed out.   The holiday rush, the crowds in the store, the endless commercials selling me something I don't really need, and the frantic pace has made me really question what the holidays are all about.  And yet, every year there are moments that reveal the true meaning of holidays to me.   This year I had the Springer community show me what is important about this time of year.

Like last Saturday: led by Paul Steffen, a team of dads came out and assembled 25 new tables for our students.  They moved them to the new locations and put the old wooden ones by the fire road (contact me if you are looking for a good picnic table for your backyard).  Because of the number of people that came out, the work was all done by noon!  Amazing commitment to Springer.

Or take Tuesday of this week: our students, working with their buddy classrooms, crafted quality goods that will be delivered to the more needier members of our community.  Lap blankets, scarves, wreaths, and decorated picture frames will be delivered to organizations like Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, Villa Siena Retirement Community, the Los Altos Sub Acute Rehabilitation Center, and a Women's Shelter.  Letters to troops, written by our students will be delivered to soldiers overseas, thanks to the help of an organization called A Million Thanks.  The kids took great pride in their work.  One student was overheard saying, "Guys, can you believe we did all of this?"  What great kids we have here! 

It is my sincere wish that you and your family will have a restful and rewarding break.  See you on January 6th. 

Springer Site Council Update

The Springer Site Council is a committee composed of parents, staff and the principal.   In the past, when California had plenty of money in its budget, Site Councils at schools were given money to use for school improvement; in particular in the area of student achievement. 

While Site Councils haven't seen money from the state in a long, long time, these important committees still function.  Springer's Site Council has been used to write the Single Plan of Student Achievement, conduct Parent Surveys, and to make general recommendations to the various stakeholders at Springer. 

This year the Site Council will be asking all Springer families to take a survey on various aspects of the school, including questions on climate, curriculum and technology.  The data we collect from the surveys is important, allowing us to uncover areas where parents would like to see more emphasis or more communication.  We can also gauge satisfaction with certain programs.  The Site Council will analyze the survey and then make recommendations out to groups such as the Technology Committee and the PTA, and to the principal.  Consider the survey a quality review check for our clientele.    We are expecting to launch the survey in January, soon after the resumption of school after the Winter recess.   It will be sent with a link via email.  Your feedback is very important. 

Another project Site Council will take on this year deals with campus safety.  The Council will walk the campus and look at potential additions, such as fencing, that will make Springer a more secure campus. Recommendations for those improvements will be given to PTA for their consideration. 
 

A Loss For Springer…
It is with some sadness that I report that Mrs. Crystal Gippe, our Resource Specialist, will be leaving Springer at the end of December.  Due to a job transfer for her husband, she will be moving out to chilly Colorado.  We are excited for Crystal's new life journey, but we are saddened by her departure.  Crystal has, in a very short time, made a tremendous impact on her students and on the Springer staff.   I will be conducting interviews for a new Resource Specialist during the first week of December and anticipate hiring an equally skilled Resource Specialist as Mrs. Gippe.   We wish her the best of luck and thank her for her great care and compassion for Springer students.
 

Happy Thanksgiving
Lastly, I want to wish everyone a restful break over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I hope it is time well spent with family and friends.   We look forward to seeing everyone back when school resumes on Monday, Dec. 2nd.

Springer is changing an annual tradition that takes place just before the holidays.  For years, classrooms participated in a Ginger Bread house making party.  While it was often fun for our students, there were some issues that arose annually.   Things like food-related allergies, an immense number of volunteer hours to ensure a safe environment, the sugar "intake" and other issues have given us an opportunity to re-examine this yearly tradition.

Ginger Bread House building, for many of our classrooms, has been part of the classroom parties that are traditionally thrown the days before Winter break.  Indeed, it is good to celebrate as a classroom community the successes of the first half of the year.  But, isn’t there a way to still celebrate and find a new tradition that brings the whole community together and gives back to our community as a whole?  Isn’t there a new tradition out there that captures the season and aligns more with academic relevance?  We think there is.

The Leadership Team (consisting of a teacher from each grade level) and I have come up with an idea.  We brainstormed what we liked about Ginger Bread houses (construction, time together, class celebration) and crafted those elements into something called, “Springer Gives Back”.

“Springer Gives Back” is a way for our students to come together, collaborate, and produce something to give back to the community.  The idea is that classroom buddies will partner up and produce a product that will then be given to those in need or those who could use a “lift” in December.   For example, two classrooms, working together (older students helping younger students) may produce lap blankets which would then be given to a nearby assisted living center.  Another class pairing could write letters to troops overseas, thanking them for their service.  

The themes of community, collaboration, giving back to those in need, and celebration would be imbedded in “Springer Gives Back”.   It’s important to note that class room parties would still be thrown; “Springer Gives Back” would not replace those celebrations of accomplishment- only add to it.

On Tuesday, December 17^th, starting at 10:30am, Springer would go into “workshop” mode.  Buddy classes would meet together and produce their products, with the help of teachers and parent volunteers in a workshop style activity.

Then, all the products would be brought to the multi to be put on display.  The staff would then “tour” our students on Wednesday, December 18^th through the multi so they can get a sense of their accomplishments and what they are giving back.  The products would then be disseminated, with the help of parent volunteers, starting on Wednesday afternoon, December 17th through Friday, December 20th.

Each classroom buddy group will be given a workshop production task.  Some rooms will decorate holiday wreaths.  Some will produce lap blankets.   Some will decorate picture frames.  Others will make scarves.   Other groups will write supportive letters to troops overseas.    

We are currently identifying organizations that can use these products.  Places like shelters, hospitals, and assisted living facilities are being contacted to let them know that we would like to donate these products.

Parent volunteers will be needed for the following: to acquire the needed materials (I'm envisioning trips to Michael's and Joanne's House of Fabrics), material preparation for the workshop days (cutting material, organizing decorations for the workshop), helping out during the workshops, and delivering the products to the organizations.   If you are interested in volunteering for any of these important duties, in what will surely be a rewarding experience for our students, please contact me wspenader@lasdschools.org

Thanks for being such a supportive community

Wade Spenader- Principal

Follow on Twitter  @SpringerSpenade 

As we are about to embark on our annual Walk-a-thon on Saturday, I am reminded of how lucky I am to work in such a supportive community.  Los Altos School District is a model example of parents and educators working together to give our kids the best educational experience possible.  What we do as a community, together, is amazing.  

Our Walk-a-thon is one of two major fundraisers for the Springer PTA.  We depend on your PTA dollars to buy the "stuff" we need to educate students.  From technology to tape, from paint to pencils, from Starting Arts to student folders, PTA dollars ensure your children have what they need to thrive at Springer.  

We also depend greatly on the generous contributions from Los Altos Education Foundation (LAEF).  LAEF fundraises across the district and then donates its' dollars to provide the people who run very important programs.   The district STEM teachers, small-group instructional aides in grades 1 and 2, class size reduction, music and PE are just some of the highlights that LAEF provides.  One key difference between PTAs and LAEF is that LAEF pledges a contribution before the school year begins and then works to fund that overall contribution throughout the school year.  In other words, students this year are already receiving the great programs that LAEF has pledged to provide.  Whatever you can donate to LAEF this year is helpful in making their pledge goals.  I know that our teachers really appreciate the impact LAEF has made this year, and in past years, to our children.  

I hope to see you all at the Walk-a-thon.  It's a great event unlike any other.  One of my favorite parts of the day is the ability to get around to all of you and have great conversations and building stronger relationships.  After every Walk-a-thon, I drive home feeling so lucky to be at Springer.

See you out there!

Wade Spenader- Principal

Follow us on Twitter @SpringerSpenade

On Wednesday of this week Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 484 (AB484) which brings the California Standardized Test, also known as the STAR, to an end.  We began the school year with the notion that our students would take the STAR in the Spring, while at the same time we have been shifting our teaching towards the Common Core Standards- which will be fully implemented in the 2014-15 school year.   Now, without the STAR test to give, we can fully focus our attention on to the Common Core Standards- Standards that emphasize critical  thinking, problem solving, and creativity over the rote memorization that the STAR test seemed to reward.  Say goodbye to the "bubble test"!

This doesn't mean our students will be "test free" in the Spring.  Part of AB484 includes provisions for California's public education students to pilot what is known as the Smarter Balanced Assessments.  While details of the testing are still being worked out, we do know that our students will take either the English/Language Arts or Mathematics section of the tests.  As of now, only our 3rd through 6th graders will be taking the Smarter Balanced assessments.  These tests are given online and, eventually, will include analytics that modify the type of question based on how a student answered the previous question. However, during this pilot year, we will receive no student results.  Instead, the state is giving itself, and schools, a year to "test the test".   You can learn more about the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium by visiting: www.smarterbalanced.org.   Or, if you up for a challenge, use this link to take a practice test that will give you an idea of the types of assessments our students will be taking.  

I'm excited about this major development as it puts even more relevancy in, not so much WHAT we teach our students, but HOW we teach.  But, it also means we have to expedite our work towards the Common Core Standards a bit more quickly than we thought.  There are challenges ahead but I have no doubt that this shift is good for kids.  

Enjoy your weekend!

Wade Spenader

Follow us on Twitter @SpringerSpenade