Dear Sprague Community,
What a send-off! I am so incredibly grateful that you have shared your children with me and that I have had the opportunity to be the Sprague principal these past five years. Charlene Oliver had shared the AA Milne quote from “Winnie the Pooh,” “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” This is exactly how I feel about your kids, their teachers, and our amazing staff! This is a welcoming community that will continue its legacy of shaping the lives of our young students in a positive way. It is a community full of love.
We had an AMAZING assembly this morning where we shared slide shows from Field Day and 5thGrade Memories. We also read 2 books: one about summer reading and one called the “Thank You Book” by Mo Willems. I hope I conveyed my thanks to your kids and their teachers for all they do to make Sprague so special. Then, I was honored by our amazing PTO with a lending library bench/case that will stay at Sprague. It is full of MCBA books that I hope get taken out and read! There was a beautiful poem, a funny video with advice for me from students, but the most special gifts were the book with letters from all of the Sprague students, the yearbook that every student signed, and the ceramic platter that students made in Art class. The platter has every student’s fingerprint and is a beautifully designed sailing scene.
I mentioned the “Thank You Book” because it is about how Piggie tries to thank everyone but Gerald is sure he will forget someone. I feel that way too! That said, I’ll give it a try. Thanks to each and every student and parent for making me feel part of this community. Thanks to each and every teacher and TA at Sprague that gives their all for kids every day. Thanks to Lisa Licata for being the cornerstone of this school! Thanks to PTO leaders Chris Moran, Jenn Fallon, Betsey Weintraub, Lisa Neighbors, Linda Abajaz, Charlene Oliver, and more others than I can name without going on and on.
Special thanks to Chris Moran for writing the poem and putting the book together. Special thanks to Kristan Fiore, Jayne Byrne, and Kenn Craig for making the wonderful video and organizing the presentation. Special thanks to Libby Belli for creating the platter with student fingerprints.
I often remember the Maya Angelou quote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will always remember how you made them feel.” You have all made me feel welcome and part of something special here. I thank you for that and I will always remember this school as a second home. “I wish you more” of everything!
Love, Susan