The popular Springs School Mystery Art Sale will return to Ashawagh Hall in the spring, according to Meghan Payne, the secretary of the school’s PTA, who made the announcement at a Springs School Board meeting on Tuesday evening. Ms. Payne said that the PTA will be contacting local artists and faculty members in the coming months to prepare for the popular fund-raiser, usually held in May, which has raised $40,000 since it was first introduced.
Several “spooktacular” events are on the school calendar next week: A PTA-led book fair Monday through Thursday, a Halloween safety presentation by local law enforcement officers for kindergarten through third grade, a Halloween dance party for sixth through eighth grade on Oct. 28, and a Halloween parade for kindergarten through fifth grade on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m.
The school’s principal, Christine Cleary, reminded the community that October is National Bullying Prevention Month, which coincides with Red Ribbon Week, one of the longest-running and largest drug abuse prevention campaigns in the United States. As such, the school will host a presentation prepared by police officers on Tuesday.
Ms. Cleary also said that New York State test results, which have until recently remained embargoed, will be made public within the next few weeks. As soon as the results are released, the principal said she will make a presentation to parents and the community about the state’s transition to entirely computer-based testing by 2024. Most important, she pointed out that in the wake of Covid-19, schools are all looking to move away from “high stakes testing.”
On the school’s enrollment, the superintendent, Debra Winter, shared numbers for the start of the current academic year, highlighting that kindergarten enrollment had decreased (62 this year versus 65 last year). This, she said, was probably due to a number of families opting to hold their children back a year because of Covid-related developmental issues experienced by the youngest members of the student body. As a result, she said, “I’m anticipating kindergarten numbers to go up next year. We should budget for next year accordingly.”
Ms. Winter also said that she will host a meet-and-greet for parents next Thursday between 5 and 7 p.m. during the book fair.