Bulldog Bulletin

• Message from the Principal
• Important Dates
• Springer Goes to Disney!
• Traveling Art Exhibit
• Spring Sports Updates
• Scholastic Book Fair
• Cell Phone Free Environment at Springer
• Coffee with the Superintendent
• Springer Reading Challenge
• Springer Math Incentive Competition
• BSD Fest 2025
• AVID Showcase
• Special Education Parent Engagement Survey
• BARK Summer Program for Incoming 6th Graders
• BSD Summer Learning Opportunities
• Johnny's Ambassador Presentation at MPHS
• SFA: April Dine Out Night
• Homework Club
• Schoology Access for Parents
• SAFE-DE
• Transportation: WheresTheBus App
• Volunteering at Springer Middle School

Springer Families,

We have now entered the 4th marking period and it will be a full sprint to the end of the school year. A major part of this is due to testing which takes place at the end of each school year.This includes Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments and the NWEA MAP assessment which both take place in May this school year. As part of our growth at Springer, as both a village and a community, is how we approach testing. Testing should not be seen as just a box to check or something to endure. Testing is not an obstacle to get through or around, but rather as a measuring stick to show how much our students know and reflect how hard our teachers have worked to deliver high quality instruction. These assessments are important and the data collected from them helps determine a student's trajectory and course scheduling in middle school and high school. Scores on these tests also help determine scheduling as students progress to the next grade whether that is in their upcoming 7th or 8th grade year at Springer or even as our current 8th graders enter high school. We need to take these assessments seriously, as we have prepared our students for this all year long through high quality and intentional instruction.

Our communication with families will be transparent and intentional. Parents and families will know what their child scored on Fall and Winter assessments, when tests will occur, and goals that students will set for themselves through meetings with their Math and ELA teachers. Our Math and ELA teachers will sit down with every student and work with them to cover their performance trends, grade level equivalencies to their scores, and other data points so students know where they are at and how well they can do on these assessments. When reviewing our school’s data, our students do well on summative assessments which are linked to standards. Knowing this, our students can do well on the upcoming assessments. We just need our students to truly try and apply the knowledge they have learned all year to answer the questions on Smarter Balanced and the NWEA MAP assessments. We will be incentivizing effort to reward students for putting forth a good effort.

I am asking that parents and guardians help us in this effort by talking about testing and the importance of trying with their children. Ask your child how are they preparing for these assessments? Do they feel confident about how they will do? What strategies (we have and will continue to give them a lot of strategies) can they use to help them manage their time and do well on these assessments? If our students and children know we are looking and talking about the importance of this, the harder they will try. More information and communication will be coming over the next several weeks via email, U.S. mail, and social media. However, let’s start the discussion now with our students and children so they begin to hear, feel, and understand the importance of these assessments which are critical and relevant for all.

If you have any questions, concerns, or need additional information please do not hesitate to contact me or one of my administrators. We are eager to help.

All The Best,

Dr. Sterling H. Seemans

Principal

2024-2025 Middle School Daily Rotation Schedule

BSD School Calendar

Athletics Calendar

• 4/7/25: SFA Dine Out Night at Two Stones on Foulk Rd
• 4/9/25: Report Cards Distributed
• 4/18-4/25/25: SCHOOLS CLOSED for Spring Break
• 5/5/25: Marking Period 4 Interim Period Ends

Students and staff of our band, choral, and orchestra went to Disney World last week to compete in the Festival Disney music competition! Our students came home with awards and an experience that will last them a lifetime. We wanted to thank Mr. Baronio, Ms. Lee, Mrs. Ferrara, and all of the parent chaperones that made this amazing trip happen. We could not be prouder of our arts department and the exposure and experiences they provide our Springer students.

Over 550 people attended the Peace Art exhibit opening event in January that showcased your child’s artwork!

While the artwork was on display, a jury of community leaders reviewed the 546 visions of peace and selected the strongest messages of peace for the upcoming 2025-26 Pacem in Terris Traveling Peace Youth Art Exhibition. Your child’s artwork was selected to be part of the Pacem in Terris Traveling Peace Youth Art Exhibition!

This year, high quality reproductions of the artwork were made for display at over 25 locations statewide between May 2025 to April 2026. The reproductions allow us to get the original artwork back to you and provide longer and concurrent display time options! This means that your child’s artwork and messages of peace will have a lot of visibility. Over 200,000 people typically walk through the display locations which include state service centers, libraries, and family courthouses.

To celebrate this achievement, we hope your family can join us for a Traveling Peace Youth Art Exhibition Artist and Teacher Celebration on Wednesday, April 30th from 6-7 p.m. at Blue Ball Barn. Please see the attached invitation for how to RSVP and register early.

Springer Middle School - Alex A.

Springer Middle School - Kathryn D.

Springer Middle School - Lina N.

Springer Middle School - Sylvia S.

Springer Middle School - Talia D

Soccer

The girls soccer team started the season off with a 5-0 win over Odyssey Charter. The entire team played very well. Brynn Costenbader and Marley Richardson played lock down defense. Corine Hall played strong in goal. Everyone played well offensively. Emma Wallace and Ava Harrison each scored a goal and Emery Hailey scored 3 goals. The highlight of the game came when Emery Hailey pulled off a Maradona roulette spin while moving fast down the sideline to completely lose the defender leading fans and players from both sides to cheer loudly.

Track

We took home first place finishes for every event that we competed in.

Go Bulldogs!

A couple of notable highlights:

Dylan Williams set a PR in his 100m Dash performance by running 11.40s and was also a part of the lightning fast 4x100 group with Lezir Brown, Myles Hlywak, and Trent Gordon. These young men ran a 50.07s, seemingly securing first place with ease.

Calvin Davis, Ryan Caswell and Niko Vasko swept the 1600M with1st, 2nd and 3rd places.

The female sprinters showed out as well, sweeping the competition in 5 out of 9 events. With Milan Redmond placing 1st in girl hurdles and Kayla Kelly placing first in the 200M.

Softball

The Lady Bulldogs recorded a big win over George Reed in their opening

game 14 - 0.

The game was shortened to 3 innings due to time restraints. Lady Bulldogs recorded 11 hits and 9 walks. Quinn Miracle was the winning pitcher.

Baseball

Baseball took a tough loss yesterday against George Read, the Bulldogs will look to get back in the win column on Friday when they take on Aspira.

Our Scholastic Book Fair will be held next week in the Springer Library! Students will be visiting the fair with their ELA classes. For information on the fair and online payment methods, head to https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/springermiddleschool

• Does my child/student have to take a pouch each day they walk into school?

Students will be required to place their cell phones in a pouch upon arrival each school day. Students will receive a pouch, place their phone and smartwatch in the pouch, and then head to the next staff member to show them the pouch has been locked. Students are responsible for each pouch and are strongly encouraged to place their pouches with their cell phones in their locker with a lock. We sell locks at our school door for 50 PBIS points.

• What happens when my child/student leaves at dismissal?

At dismissal, students will unlock their pouches on wall mounted and handheld magnets and return the pouch for inspection. Students will take their belongings out and proceed with dismissal.

• What happens if my child/student does not have a cell phone?

Students without cell phones will not be required to take a pouch.

• What happens if I need to get a hold of my child/student or they need to get a hold of me?

Parents are welcome to call the school. Phone calls can be transferred to classrooms. Students may also request to come down to the main office to call parents.

• What happens if my child/student loses or damages a pouch?

Students who lose or damage cell phone pouches will be responsible for the replacement cost, which is around $60.

• What happens if a child/student is caught by a staff member with a phone?

Students will have their device confiscated by an administrator immediately. Parents/guardian or adult designee will be required to come to Springer to pick up the offending student’s device. The student will receive a consequence which could include after school detention, placement in our In-School Suspension room, or more. Consequences for violation of our cell phone policy will be progressive in nature. Students who refuse to place their cell phones in pouches will also receive consequences as this is a violation of the cell phone policy.

• When can my child/student use their phone?

Students can use their phones before school, on the bus, and after school when students are dismissed. Students cannot use their phones at lunch.

• Can my child/student have a pouch that they take home each day?

Our team will be exploring an option for students to take a pouch home. If and when this becomes an option, students and their parents will have to sign an agreement that the pouch will be returned in good working order. Failure to return the pouch or if there is any damage to the pouch will result in a charge of the full cost of a replacement pouch which is around $60.

• Will pouches be cleaned?

Our YONDR cell phone pouches are machine washable and will be cleaned periodically.

• What if my child/student needs their phone for medical reasons (e.g., diabetes, etc.)?

Students with a written verified medical diagnosis from a doctor will be granted a pouch with a velcro top which allows them easier access to their phones.

• What happens if my child/student has an early dismissal, dismissal for sports, or is on a field trip?

Students who leave the building for any reason will have their pouches unlocked at the main office.

• What happens in the case of an emergency or lockdown situation?

Experts are unanimous that in the case of an emergency inside the building, students should not be on their phones. Students should be focusing on what adults are saying, as well as what they are seeing or hearing themselves. Students should be thinking about what to do and whether to evacuate, barricade, or counter (last resort). If the building evacuates, many staff are trained to bring safety bags with them which will have devices on them to unlock phones when students are in a safe and secure location.

We are excited to announce the start of our Springer reading challenge! Students will get rewarded with prizes for each book they read. The more books they read the better the prizes will be! Students will win snack line coupons, outside lunches, chances to win gift cards and more! Parents will need to fill out the google form below for every book they read. The google form will collect email addresses, which will be verified in the system. Students are encouraged to head to our library to check out a book. We will be tracking both individual progress and progress by grade level. The reading challenge will go on from Monday, March 10 through Thursday, April 17. Larger prize awards and a celebration of our overall winners will take place the week after Spring Break.

Reading challenge update as of 4/3:

6th grade – 35 books total; Top readers: Will Dech and Ava Harrison are tied for the lead with 8 books each! Ellie Straub and Vamsi Gumma are tied for second place.

7th grade – 47 books total; Top readers: Zoey Quigley (11 books!), Amira Zogheib (8 books), Vamsi Gumma (7 books)

8th grade – 33 books total; Top readers: Kendall Barth (4 books), Ja’Siere Garrett (3 books)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSci7l50f-ZTSmvuOS-hlmkySpQQDYG7Y7Fo4zqnpz9AqYBcXg/viewform?usp=dialog

Talley Middle School is hosting an AVID showcase. This is an opportunity to learn more about what AVID is all about. AVID is a program we offer at Springer and if you are interested in having your child enrolled in AVID at Springer, please contact the school and ask to speak to a school counselor.

We are excited to announce our BARK Summer Program, which will take place the last week of July and first week of August. This is program to help incoming 6th graders with their transition to middle school. Students will learn about what it takes to thrive in middle school while meeting new friends and engaging in fun and enriching activities. If you have an incoming 6th grader or know someone who will be coming to Springer, please share this information. Please head to http://springer.brandywineschools.org/SBP for more information!

Please come out to Two Stones on FOULK RD on Monday, April 7 to support Springer Middle School! A portion of all proceeds from dine in only will go to the Springer Family Association which helps fund mini grants for teachers and provide wonderful experiences for our student body. Please come to Two Stone Pub Monday, April 7 and dine in only. PLEASE BRING THE ATTACHED FLIER so the SFA can get a portion of the proceeds.

When Springer students return in January we are excited to announce our return of our Homework club! The Springer Homework Club is a voluntary after-school program providing academic assistance to students. Homework Club is a program which is held from 3:15 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. on Wednesdays. They meet in room 184 which provides a quiet place to study for each student to assist them in completing their assignments. There will be supervision and access to teachers and school tutors who have been trained to assist students in their studies. A Google form will be added to students' counselor corner page in Schoology for students to sign up, but it can also be found below:

https://forms.gle/KMqsPqenddDJFy8Q7

If you need help access Schoology as a parent to help support your child, please click the following link to access a document that will provide you step-by-step directions:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZjlNYAoqfGxHO3dciOvXU5JOb11Zj7-E69a7-lPn4w4/edit?usp=sharing

Families, you are encouraged to visit the following link on the BSD website to find out more information about Transportation. For your convenience, we have Where is the Bus app and a brand new bus scanner to help you see when your child(ren) are boarding the bus. Students will either enter their school IDs or lunch numbers. You will receive information in the upcoming weeks on when students will receive their school IDs. Happy Riding!! https://www.brandywineschools.org/families/transportation/bus-scanners

Springer Middle School relies on the generosity of time from our great families within the community. We welcome those who want to help be apart of our village and have a plethora of opportunities for volunteers to engage with our students and staff to better the middle school experience of our youth.

Parents who are interested in volunteering at Springer Middle School will need to follow the Brandywine School District's policy for background checks. Please follow this link: Volunteering at BSD to be properly cleared to work with our students. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact the main office.

Background checks are good for 1 calendar year