What's happening at SPS: March

Kindergarten registration for the 2020-21 school year is just around the corner! Dates and times for kindergarten registration vary by school. To find out more about registration and what parents and families will need to provide in the process, contact your student’s school directly. For additional information about kindergarten registration, visit the Kinder Resource section of this website at springfield.k12.or.us/Page/kinders

Schools will hold registration and welcome events on the following dates.

Centennial: 5:30 – 7 p.m., March 10

Douglas Garden: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., March 12

Guy Lee: 5:30-6:30 p.m., March 11

Maple: 5 – 7 p.m., March 12

Mt. Vernon: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., March 3

Page: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., March 12

Ridgeview: 6 to 7 p.m., March 5

Riverbend: 6 to 7 p.m., March 12

Thurston Elementary: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., March 11

Two Rivers – Dos Ríos: 5:30-6:30 p.m., March 5

Walterville: 5:30-6:30 p.m., March 5

Yolanda: 6 to 7 p.m., March 10

Click here to find your neighborhood school.

The Miller Integrated Nature Experience, a Springfield High School journalism group also known as MINE, was recently named one of two finalists for the National Scholastic Press Association’s 2020 Pacemaker award for its 2019 issue of Backcountry Review. The magazine is in the running for best specialty magazine produced by student media.

Students will have to wait until April to find out whether they earned first-place recognition. Pacemaker finalists will be recognized April 16 at the Opening Ceremony of the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville. Pacemaker winners will be announced and will receive plaques Saturday, April 18.

To find out more about the SHS MINE program, follow this link.

The Springfield Education Foundation’s grant cycle will run from Feb. 24 to April 22 so that educators may have time to work on their 2020-2021 proposals during spring break.

Grant applications are now available online at the SEF website. Check out the page to learn more about the various grant types, as well as upcoming grant writing workshops and deadlines.

Save the date! The 18th annual César Chávez + Dolores Huerta celebration is set to take place at Hamlin Middle School from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 9th.

More information will be released as the event gets closer!

Contact Maritza Fosse at maritza.fosse@springfield.k12.or.us for more information.

We know that many in our community are following the news of the novel coronavirus called COVID-19. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that usually cause mild respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. COVID-19 is a new coronavirus illness that had not been seen in humans before.

At this time, there are three identified cases of COVID-19 in Oregon. You can review statewide tracking here. Based on current information, the Centers for Disease Control and our state and local public health departments consider that the risk to most Oregonians is low.

The Springfield Public Schools is closely monitoring the situation, actively planning for the potential that COVID-19 could affect our schools, and taking extra steps to reduce the spread of germs in our schools, including extra cleaning and handwashing. We are in contact with public health authorities and are following their informed guidance. We are also working with our staff to keep our schools clean and students healthy. We have encouraged any staff with respiratory illnesses to stay home.

There are no current plans to close any Springfield Public Schools. If public health officials recommend a temporary school closure, we will communicate directly to the families involved.

Find out more about what families can do to stay healthy

We want to celebrate the great things going on in our district, as well as the wonderful humans that make it all happen. Please send any information about fun, notable or great things happening across the district to be featured in SPS Applause.

In addition to SPS Applause, we recently launched a new social media project called Humans of SPS! The weekly Instagram posts aim to capture Springfield Public Schools staff and showcase some of the hard work, passion and heart that they bring to SPS buildings and our community every single day. We want to hear from you about who you think the unsung heroes of the district are. To nominate someone for Humans of SPS, send an email to the SPS Communications Department at pr@springfield.k12.or.us