February 28, 2023



SPN 5th graders on their field trip to Chabot Space and Science center find snow!

“For everything there is a season

and a time for every matter under heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3

Dear SPN Families,

Our Admissions season is continuing for the 2023-24 school year, and Registration is right around the corner. With that, our plans for next school year begin. We are very fortunate to have the majority of our faculty and staff returning, keeping with our traditional low turnover rates and maintaining stability and consistency among our teachers and programs. There will, however, be a few changes.

Our First Grade Co-teachers, Mrs. Apel and Mrs. Halkias, will move on to explore other opportunities at the end of this school year. We have been graced to have two seasoned teachers lead our First Graders this year, and we wish them both all the best! Thank you Mrs. Apel and Mrs. Halkias.

Ms. Kristen will continue as our Garden Science teacher for grades Preschool-5, and she will step up to become the facilitator of our Makers’ Space classroom for grades 1-8. Ms. Kristen will relinquish her role as Librarian and we will look for a replacement (9-12 hours/week).

Lastly, the friendly faces of our front office are going to change. Mrs. Schmitz is transitioning out of the office starting mid-March to new adventures. We are actively searching for her replacement as School Secretary. And after 14 years as our "Bookkeeper and Beyond" Mr. Carter will be retiring at the end of June. I am blessed to have had such a strong team in the office for my own transition to SPN and I know the community will miss them! Thank you both for loving and serving the SPN community. Mrs. Trujillo, our Instructional Aide in Kindergarten, is poised to take over as bookkeeper after school gets out in June. Mr. Mofrad (aka Mr. Rod) will move from Yard Supervisor and part time aide to work in Kindergarten as the Instructional Aide for 2023-24. 

As Scripture says, there is a time for every purpose under heaven. Change can be challenging, and it is difficult to say goodbye, but as we remind our graduates every year, once a Spartan, always a Spartan, and you are always welcome home at SPN!

Warmly,

Ms. Thomas

Focus on HOPE: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

Please read about the video project on hope produced by the SPN Belonging and Inclusion Committee:

The Belonging and Inclusion Committee Hope Project is focussing on the Hope portion of our school year theme, Faith, Hope, and Love. It opens with a school-wide video read of the book Hope is an Open Heart by Lauren Thompson, and short videos taken by Middle School Broadcasting students. Directions for the next two parts of the project are in the video and include a school-wide planting project and bulletin board to display the hope of all families. Join us in celebrating hope!

• Middle School Information Night Tomorrow: Tomorrow, March 1st, there will be a virtual Information Night for all incoming 6th graders at 6:30p.m. The link to join the Google meet-up was sent to 5th grade families last Friday.
• Sports Photo Date Change: Sports photos will now be taken during the school day on Wednesday, March 15th . Scholar athletes may wear their SPN sports uniforms to school that day. The school calendar has been updated with the date change. (Formerly scheduled for March 31st).
• Volunteering at SPN: Interested in volunteering? Need to log your hours? Here's what you'll need for the 2022-23 school year. View the SPN Volunteer Requirements here. After volunteering, log your hours using the Volunteer Hours Log Sheet. Thanks for your time!
• Choice Lunch Volunteers Needed: Work a lunch shift and earn a free lunch for your student! 11:30a.m. - 12:30p.m. M-F slots available. See sign up sheet here and contact parent Janelle Sheets (jtpaws@hotmail.com) for details.
• Looking for a past newsletter? Check out our Newsletter Archives on our website.
• COVID Update: We have had 0 new Covid cases since Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

Burning of the Palms last week at morning assembly.

1st grade watches a puppet show on water and our friends who live in creeks.

Rainy day recess in 3rd grade!

5th Grade at the Chabot Space and Science Center.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMP DATES

Session 1

June 12 - June 23

Session 2

June 26 - July 7

O’Dowd’s Summer Academy is designed to offer fun enrichment and inspiring advancement opportunities for middle school and high school students throughout the Bay Area. Summer Academy students can choose from courses to inspire their curiosity, like gardening in the Living Lab, 3-D printing & CAD, or creative writing, to courses that challenge them academically, from algebra and geometry prep to debate. O’Dowd’s Summer Academy also offers athletic opportunities, including basketball, football, running and conditioning, and more.

March 2023

Mar 1 - Middle School Info Night

Mar 7 - PTG meeting

Mar 8 - Noon dismissal, Share & Care open

Mar 10 - End of Trimester 2

Mar 11 - SPN Auction

Mar 14 - First Reconciliation

Mar 14 - Free dress for March Bdays

Mar 15 - Sports Photo day

Mar 17 - Report Card day, Green free dress (St. Patrick's Day)

March 31 - Noon dismissal

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