Winter Spire Snapshots: Campus Happenings and Highlights

Welcome to Spire Snapshots, your peek into the exciting activities and events happening around The Spire School campus! From hands-on projects to festive celebrations, our students and staff continue to inspire us with their creativity, collaboration, and curiosity. 

A Note from Nurse Novak

Dear Spire Community,

As cold and flu season approaches, I would like to share a few important health and safety reminders to help keep our students, staff, and families healthy. By working together, we can reduce the spread of illness and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for everyone.

JoAnn Novak, RN

Important tips for staying healthy this winter:

1. Stay home when sick. If your child has a fever of 100°F or higher, vomiting (more than once), diarrhea, or a persistent and continuous cough, please keep them home until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours without the use of medication. 

   
   
   
   

2. Cover coughs and sneezes. Encourage students to use an elbow or tissue to help limit the spread of respiratory droplets.

   
   
   
   

3. Practice good hand hygiene. Frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating and after coughing, sneezing, and using the restroom, is an effective way to prevent illness.

   
   
   
   

4. Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces. Regularly wipe down commonly used items to help reduce the spread of germs.

   
   
   
   

5. Maintain healthy habits. Adequate sleep, regular physical activity, staying hydrated, and eating balanced meals all support a strong immune system.

   
   
   
   

Additionally, students should be encouraged to come to school dressed appropriately for the weather, including coats, hats, mittens, and appropriate footwear.

We appreciate your partnership in helping to reduce the spread of illness within our school community. Please remind your child to visit the school nurse if they are not feeling well during the school day. Early care and communication help prevent illness from spreading and ensure students receive the proper support. Finally, please make sure your contact information is current and up to date in PowerSchool, so we are able to reach you if your child needs to be picked up due to illness.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

Sincerely,

Nurse Novak

Campus Happenings

Environmental Science Classes Design Hydroponic Garden

Both classes of Environmental Science have been busy planning for a potential hydroponic garden to be built in the makerspace area under the central staircase. This project incorporates students' knowledge of sustainable food production, environmental impact, analysis, measurement, and planning for energy and resource usage, as well as building their skills in design, budgeting, building, and general problem-solving to execute such a large-scale project. We hope to have a workable concept ready to build by the end of the third quarter! Ideally, the hydroponic garden will help students engage in the Spire garden by starting indoor plantings that they can later transfer to our outdoor vegetable garden. If there are parents with any gardening expertise who would like to come in and speak to these groups in a small workshop or professional talk, please reach out to Mrs. Strom at lstrom@spireschool.org.

Senior Internships, Building Leadership & other Senior Activities

Senior students are working hard to secure their internships for the spring. We have a few students who are looking for opportunities in technology, web design, music, and art if you have any resources to share. Please reach out to Mrs. Victoria at Jacquelyn.Victoria@SpireSchool.org to offer internship support.

Additionally, a group of students has been asked to serve as student ambassadors and are making themselves available to mentor younger students, give tours to prospective families, and help lead activities. These young leaders are developing important skills in both executive functioning and communication as they help represent Spire School and offer assistance to others. We are certainly proud of them!

Senior Fundraising: Coffee Cart

Our Spire Coffee Cart is brewing up fun every Friday! Students and staff are behind the counter, serving coffee, tea, and snacks to staff and fellow students, with all proceeds supporting our programs. Stop by, grab a treat, and cheer on our volunteers as they lead this weekly fundraising event!

Spreading Holiday Cheer

On Christmas Day, two of our Spire students, accompanied by music teacher Jonathan Cahr, visited the New Covenant Center in Stamford, where they served meals and shared music, helping to spread holiday cheer. We are incredibly proud of the compassion, warmth, and generosity demonstrated by our students and staff.

Visit from a Veteran

On Veterans Day, our history teacher, Joseph Stadel, welcomed his father to speak with our Spire students about his service in the United States military. He shared meaningful insights into his experiences during his time in service, as well as his perspective as a wounded veteran navigating life then and now. We are grateful for his time, his willingness to share his story, and his dedicated service to our nation.

Spelling Bee

Our Spire community recently enjoyed an impromptu Spelling Bee that was both engaging and exciting!

Thanksgiving Potluck

Our staff and students came together in the spirit of gratitude for a successful Thanksgiving Potluck, sharing a wide variety of homemade dishes and desserts.

Science Walk with Dr. C

At Spire, our students and staff value innovative approaches to learning, including engaging in scientific walks led by Dr. C. 

Get to Know School Resource Office Shamar Taylor

A few months ago, Spire proudly welcomed our new School Resource Officer, Shamar Taylor. To help our school community get to know him better, we recently sat down with Officer Taylor for a brief Q&A, where he shared insights about his role, his commitment to supporting our community, and some interesting facts about himself.

Why did you become a School Resource Officer? 

To protect students and staff. My aim is to provide a calm, trusted environment in time of need or emergencies.

How do you keep students and staff safe each day? 

By identifying and eliminating safety hazards before they escalate. I walk both inside and around the campus many times throughout the day making sure everything is OK.

What is one safety tip you want students to know? 

If something feels or appears to be wrong, say something to an adult immediately. It is always better to be cautious.

When you are not in school, what do you like to do? 

I enjoy listening to audio books and riding my motorcycle.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? 

Rum and Raisin is my favorite ice cream flavor.

What is your favorite sport and team? 

Soccer is my favorite sport, and I am a fan of Chelsea Football Club

Staff Activities

Thank You, Parents!

A few weeks ago, the Spire Parent community generously organized and sponsored a special staff outing at RPM Raceway in Stamford. Our staff enjoyed an afternoon of bowling and refreshments, providing a wonderful opportunity to relax and connect outside of the school day. We are grateful to our parents for their thoughtfulness and generosity in making this event possible.

NEASC Progress

As you may already know, Spire is still writing its NEASC program self study report in preparation for our evaluation team's visit in March. Staff members continue to use this time for program and curriculum review and to set future program goals. This month, Mrs. Strom visited ELA and Senior Seminar classes to get feedback on the program standards from students. This information will be compiled and shared with teachers in advance of the NEASC visit as well and will be used in future planning. Our students' perspectives are crucial to our growth. We appreciate their willingness to participate and their candor in providing this valuable feedback.

Parent Activities

Parent Conferences

Thank you to all the families who joined us for Parent-Teacher Conferences on December 4th and 5th. We appreciated the opportunity to connect, share your child’s progress, and discuss ways to support their growth. If you weren't able to attend, please reach out so we can schedule a follow-up conversation.

Thank you to everyone who continues to make Spire a vibrant, supportive, and inspiring place to learn and grow. Stay tuned for more updates in the next Spire Snapshot!