Dear Sprague/Hunnewell Families,

Hello….Happy Summer!

Although it has been a summer of wet weather, it is still summer!  Please continue to enjoy yourselves and the experiences being had and memories being made.

Please send the students my love, and I look forward to their return soon enough.  Until then, enjoy!

 

Welcome Kindergarten Families and New Families

  • Welcome to all new kindergarten students and families!

  • Welcome to all new Sprague students and families!

Welcome Back, Hunnewell Students/Families

  • We consider ourselves lucky to have our Hunnewell students/families return as they are and will always be a part of us!  

Best Wishes to….!

  • Keith Malament, grade 5 teacher, on his new position in Belmont Public Schools

  • Kate Connolly, grade 2 teacher, on her pursuit of new professional opportunities

  • Katy Andrus, social worker/school adjustment counselor, on her new district-wide position as a WPS social worker

  • Mikayla LaFleur, art teacher, on her new position as a ceramics instructor in a studio

  • Jaymee Mannix, EL teacher, will be part time at Sprague and part time at Schofield

  • Michelle MacLeod, reading paraprofessional, on her new assignment across town to Fiske

  • Jessica Bangs, teaching assistant, on her move to western MA

  • Kate McCaw, teaching assistant, on her move to Gloucester

  • Isabel Exstein, teaching assistant, on her new pursuits

  • Miranda Alpert, teaching assistant, on her new pursuits

  • Katie Wilson, teaching assistant, on her special education teacher role in Arlington

  • Roxanne Scott, librarian, on her move back to the Hunnewell librarian (will stay at Sprague to teach Hunnewell classes)

  • Cristina Alvaro-Sanchez, Spanish teacher, on her move back to Hunnewell (will stay at Sprague to teach Hunnewell classes)

  • Lisa Mortarelli, literacy coach, on her return to Hunnewell at Bates

  • Suzanne Colangeli, Hunnewell grade 4 teacher, on her move to Hardy School

  • Kristine Perodeau, Hunnewell grade 4 teacher, on her move to Hardy School

  • Lisa Cannon, Hunnewell grade 2 teacher, on her move to Upham

  • Megan Conroy, Hunnewell grade 2 teacher, on her leave of absence to be with her young family

  • Heidi Anderson, Hunnewell special education teacher, on her move to Hardy

Welcome New Sprague/Hunnewell Staff!

  • Welcome to the Hunnewell staff:  

Grade 3: Anna McGrath and Cecily D’Esopo

Grade 5: Heather Haskell and Marcia Sullivan

Special Educators: Julie Kennedy, Ryan St. Aubin

Behavior Interventionist: Vanessa Bussberg

Teaching Assistants: Maggie Valarioti and Rose Garron 

Specialists:  Peter Knapp, Roxanne Scott, Cristina Alvaro-Sanchez

  • Welcome to the NEW Sprague staff:

  • Rebecca Venuto, kindergarten teacher

  • Liz Pereillo, Sprague librarian

  • Brian Corey, art teacher from Wellesley High School, teaching Sprague students

  • Peter Knapp, Hunnewell art teacher, teaching Hunnewell classes

  • Karalyn Kickham, social worker/school adjustment counselor

  • Justine Ferguson, English Language teacher from Hardy School

  • Sara Bartelloni, Literary Coach from Upham

  • Marcie Mann, reading paraprofessional

  • Heather Haskell, grade 5 teacher Hunnewell

  • Marcia Sullivan, grade 5 teacher Hunnewell

  • Cecily D’Esopo, grade 3 Hunnewell

  • Anna McGrath, grade 3 Hunnewell

  • Julie Kennedy, Hunnewell special education teacher

  • Jocelyn Habib, Upham Spanish teacher teaching two Sprague kindergarten classrooms

  • Maggie Tensen, Sprague teaching assistant formerly at WMS

Sprague Grade Level Assignments

  • Sprague will be a 15 section school once again – a 19 section school with the Hunnewell community

Kindergarten (3 sections)

  • Genie Madden

  • Emma Kondrotas (formerly McLean)

  • Rebecca Venuto – Welcome!

First Grade (2 sections)

  • To Be Determined

  • Dara Gaul

Second Grade (2 sections)

  • Louisa Blumenthal – Welcome!

  • Alee Rogers

Third Grade (2 sections)

  • Jen Lundbohn

  • Kristan Fiore

  • Cecily D’Esopo (Hunnewell)

  • Anna McGrath (Hunnewell)

Fourth Grade (3 sections)

  • Jill Rogers (formerly Heckman)

  • Taryn Drake

  • Jill Ameral – Welcome!

Fifth Grade (3 sections)

  • Moe Henzel – Welcome!

  • Nancy Bentley

  • Ellen Banthin

  • Heather Haskell (Hunnewell)

  • Marcia Sullivan (Hunnewell)

Parent Portal Access – Important Dates

Wed.

8/9/23

Communication 1: Parent Letter sent home from Tech with info on how to log in to PS and announcing the portal open date with help session times and locations

Wed. 8/16/23

Communication 2: Open Parent Portal at 12:00 noon for Annual Student Data Review

  • Teacher/Class Placement Shared

Wed. 8/23/23

Communication 3: 

  • Teachers’ Class Letters – teachers will begin communications with new classrooms/students/families 

Wed.

8/30/23

First Day of School

  • School Begins for all students

Parent Portal Opening Directions

  • Please follow the link below (and above) as it outlines how to access the PowerSchool parent Portal once it is open on August 16th at noon

  • Parent Portal Opening Information

First Day of School/September Dates

  • August 30th                                    FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL – ½ day – 12:00 pm

  • August 30th – September 8th        Kindergarten ½ Days – Dismissal at 12:00 pm

  • September 4th Labor Day              No School

  • September 11th                               Full Day Kindergarten Begins

  • September 14th                               Back-to-School Night @ 6:00 pm

  • September 25th                               Yom Kippur – No School

  • September 26th                               TreeTop Adventures – 5th Grade Only

  • October 2nd – 6th                             Book Fair

  • October 9th                                      Indigenous Peoples Day – No School

  • October 19th                                    Picture Day

  • November 2nd                                 Parent/Teacher Conferences – ½ Day

  • November 10th                                Veterans’ Day – No School

  • November 22nd                                ½ Day – Thanksgiving Break

  • November 23rd-24th                        Thanksgiving – No School 

  • November 27th                                 Professional Development Day – No School 

  • December 25th-January 1st            December Break – No School 

First Day of School Opening Ceremony

  • Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 30, 2023 for our First Day of School Opening Ceremony

  • 8:30 am to approximately 8:45 am

  • Sprague Field – weather permitting

  • OPENING DAY CEREMONY 2023

  • All are encouraged to join!

Back-to-School Night

  • Thursday, September 14, 2023 – Back-to-School Night at 6:00 pm

  • Additional details will be forthcoming

  • 6:00 – 6:30 pm for grades K, 1, and 2

  • 6:35 pm – 6:55 pm – Principal Presentation in the gym for all

  • 7:00 pm – 7:30 pm for grades 3, 4, and 5

2023-2024 Academic Calendar

Afternoon Pick Up/Dismissal App – PUP Patrol

  • Pick Up Patrol – PUP – is an app that all elementary schools ask families to use to record daily dismissal plans along with daily attendance records/data

  • I please ask that all Sprague and Hunnewell families use this helpful and efficient procedure regardless of dismissal choices – the goal is to identify students’ dismissal plans on a daily basis 

  • Please review the flyer LINK below

  • PickUp Patrol Parent Flyer

  • Please keep an eye out for an additional email set to come directly from PUP Patrol – this email will come in mid-August timeframe – the email will come from this sender along with this subject line (directly below) – once received, please follow the instructions for access and use

                                      From: pickuppatrol@pickuppatrol.net

                                     Subject: It’s Time to Set Up Your PickUp Patrol Account

Daily Attendance Reporting Form

Kindergarten and New Sprague Families 

  • Kindergarten students, please come visit your classroom and classroom teacher!

  • Tuesday, August 29th

  • 2:30 – 3:00 pm – please meet in the kindergarten classrooms – please use the main entrance and you will be directed to your assigned kindergarten classroom

  • New Sprague Families (including kindergarten families who did not receive a tour in May), please come for a tour of Sprague!

  • Tuesday, August 29th

  • 2:00 – 2:30 pm – please meet in the main lobby

  • Kindergarten students and New Sprague Families, please join for a PTO-sponsored Popsicle Party!

  • Tuesday, August 29th

  • 3:00 pm – Sprague Playground

Sprague Insiders’ Guide 2023-2024

Transportation Questions

Before School Program

WCCC Programming

Massachusetts School Lunch Programs – Great News!

  • After much deliberation, the state legislature has approved funding for universal free school meals next school year and made universal free school meals permanent! 

  • Pending Governor Healey’s signature, Massachusetts is set to become the eighth state to make universal free meals permanent

  • This is a historical day for child nutrition and a reflection of the significance of school nutrition programs

  • Importantly, the cycle of uncertainty regarding universal free school meals is over as it is now codified into state law

  • This is a significant investment in student wellness and supported by all three branches of state government.

New Sprague Playground!

  • I am so excited to share that Sprague will be receiving a new playground structure replacing the 20+year original structure

  • The replacement work has begun and it is creeping along

  • We can all look forward to a new, innovative structure upon our return!

Refurbished Gym Floors

  • Also a work-in-progress is our new gym floors!

  • Please keep a careful eye out for a new addition/something exciting as part of the new floors

Additional details and information will be forthcoming over the next few weeks.

Until then, ENJOY yourselves!

Leigh

 

Back-to-School 2023-2024