​Student Government has gotten into a rhythm these last few weeks! The new members have quickly learned the ropes from the veteran members about the standard operating procedures for all of our sales. The members are energized, motivated, and working collaboratively to run our sales each week. Speaking of sales, we would like to thank SPA for providing such delicious treats for our first Bake Sale of the school year! We thank you and appreciate you!

This week in Student Government, discussions began about things we could purchase for the school with the funds that we get through our weekly Friday sales. This will be a process, but already, students are thinking deeply about ideas that can improve the experience of students at Stanbridge. One such idea under consideration is installing another microwave in the courtyard, as this year students have seen slightly longer lines to use the microwaves at lunchtime.

Student Government is currently researching a variety of pizza places as we consider changing the location of where we get our pizza for our monthly Pizza Sale. Members are taking initiative and looking at the prices of different pizza places, as well as their quality, as we consider switching to a different restaurant. We will keep you updated as we continue to research and weigh our options.

Our Student Government wants to hear from our students! This week we put our Suggestion Box back in the front office, where students from any division are welcome to write down ideas and suggestions that they would like Student Government to consider. Your input is taken seriously and is greatly appreciated!

–Kenny Katz, Student Government Faculty Advisor

ELEMENTARY
   Our Bulldogs in the Elementary division have been working in Lexia, reading aloud short stories as well as chapter books. While making literacy accessible to all learners, students have been discovering and attaining new vocabulary.
  Lower and Middle Elementary have been practicing pronouncing and writing sight words. They have been enjoying reading rhyming books such as Down by the Bay and Pete the Cat books. They even practiced making up their own rhyming words.
   Upper Elementary has already delved into descriptive paragraph writing this year. Using the hamburger model, students begin with the introduction and end with the conclusion –  represented by the top and bottom buns respectively. They are also using graphic organizers as a tool to help plan their thoughts and set up ordered sentences for descriptions of their STEM project in which they designed, built,  and presented a school of their creation. As part of their language learning, we are also working on how to be a good listening audience.
– Harriet Mukisa, Middle Elementary Lead

MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Our Middle School Humanities team works closely to plan cross-curricular lessons in Language Arts and Social Studies, enforcing learning as not merely subject-based, but teaching students that subjects often tie together. Students began a different type of study about Indigenous Americans this week .
  In Language Arts, students began reading Rabbit Chase, a graphic novel about an Indigenous middle schooler who gets lost on a school field trip and must work with mythological creatures from their tribe to get back to their family. Students have enjoyed the graphic novel, and are asking amazing questions about history, historical sources, and Indigenous cultures. 
   In Social Studies, they have been working with interactive maps, looking at how the United States was divided geographically before European settlers arrived. Students are learning why is it important for Indigenous people to tell their stories, myths, and traditions from their own perspectives.
– Emma Woods, Humanities: Language Arts

HIGH SCHOOL
High Schoolers are launching into English by studying neurotypes (types of brains) this week. Students identified their strengths and areas of growth, what tools work best to support them in the classroom, and how a neurodiverse community benefits everyone. Students worked on taking notes with the content, engaging in class discussions, and even built their own "brains." This work lays the foundation for students to better access English, express themselves, and empower them to advocate for their needs.
– Emma Woods, Kantodeia Schnabel, & Drew Vinson, English

HIGH SCHOOL
   This year Stanbridge High School has started off wonderfully! The students have quickly accepted and welcomed our new High School teachers: Avery, Coach Daniel, Drew, Greg, and Kantodeia. Daniel Geller is now in high school full-time, too. This new crew of educators have brought wonderful insights, skills, and energy from their previous jobs (and Divisions) and helped our program reach the next level.
   One of the largest changes this Fall is that we have revamped our CARES program! While the program still highlights the importance of lifelong-learning in Community, Academics, Respect, Empathy, and Safety, students are no longer carrying around CARES sheets. Emphasizing 1:1 reflective conversations with their teachers at the end of every class, students now review their behaviors. This adjustment helps them become more introspective and strengthens their student-teacher relationships.
   I feel so lucky to work at a school with such thoughtful students and dedicated staff. If this is any indication of the year to come, students and staff are both  going to thrive this year!
– Jay Huston, Head of School

MIDDLE SCHOOL
   Middle School is off to a fantastic start for the new school year. There are many new faces, both students and teachers who have joined our program. We are so excited to have Drew take on Social Studies, Avery join us for math, Gregory for Tech, and Daniel and Gage for athletics!
   We have spent the last week in our advisory groupings getting to know each other and getting settled into our new routines. Our new advisory groups Blanc, Vinson, Everest and Denali are named after the highest peaks of different continents and students have been gathering both in their individual advisories and in Twin Peaks Advisory, where we combine two groups to play games and expand our social circle.
   Academic groupings are named for different sharks: Hammerhead, Lemon, Tiger and Nurse. Sharks are often misunderstood animals but have amazing qualities and abilities – just like our students.  Our shark groups give Middle Schoolers yet another opportunity to stretch their social and emotional growth while learning together.
– Tasha Hudick, Middle School Division Lead

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
   Our 2024-2025 Stanbridge Academy Elementary school year has begun! New additions and changes to classrooms have shaped up our clean and calm learning environments. 
   The first few weeks focus on learning new routines, schedules, students and staff. Class expectations have been set. Team building activities have been enjoyed. SEL classes and speech services have begun. Student workload and responsibilities increase slowly each day. Differentiated reading groups will be decided after observational and formal assessments occur to determine appropriate placements. Finally, the sign up calendar for parent volunteering opportunities has been sent. Be sure to check it out along with the SPA Volunteer Survey, too.
   Students have come in excited about starting school and we're off to a great start for school success!
– Michele Sumpton, Elementary Division Lead