Supporting our Families during the SNAP Pause 

As many of you know, the current government shutdown has caused a pause in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — a vital program that helps families put food on the table. While students who use SNAP will continue to receive school lunch at school, their families may need extra support at home.

The SPARK PTO has two ways you can help:

1. Donate: We’ve created a Fund the SNAP Gap Fund to help purchase grocery gift cards for families in need. If you’re able, please consider donating using the link below. Every bit helps! https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/wjdFuKKgXks0VFJ3IBKmEw

2. Volunteer: Did you know SPARK has its very own Food Pantry on campus? We’ll be opening it during special hours so families can pick up food, and we’d love your help to make it happen! Sign up through SPARK’s Volunteer Hub. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AADAA22A4F4C16-57743006-20252026#/

For questions, reach out to Emily.Price@Springdaleparkelementary.org

Free and Reduced Lunch Application 

As a reminder, families can apply for Free & Reduced Lunch at any point during the school year! If your financial situation changes, you can submit an application anytime — even after the school year has started.

CLICK HERE to apply.  In addition, if you need additional food support, please reach out to our school social worker, Saadia Thomas at 

Check out our STEAM Newsletter for First Quarter

Parent Feedback Survey

APS wants to hear from you! The APS Parent Feedback Survey is open November 1–30. Take just 7 minutes to share your thoughts and help strengthen our school community. CLICK HERE to take the survey. 

Your feedback helps us grow in areas like:

• Building strong parent partnerships

• Supporting student success

Thanksgiving Food Drive

Let’s share and care this Thanksgiving season by helping families in need. From November 3–14, we’re collecting food donations by grade level!

Donation Guide:

• Pre-K: Boxed items (stuffing, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese)

• Kindergarten: Boxed items (cornbread, rice, Jell-O)

• 1st Grade: Canned items (green beans, corn, veggies)

• 2nd Grade: Canned items (cranberry sauce, yams, soup/chili)

• 3rd Grade: Canned items (diced tomatoes, broth, fruit)

• 4th Grade: Canned meats (chicken, salmon, tuna)

• 5th Grade: Dessert mixes (cookies, cake, pie, vegetable oil)

Please place donations in the bin on your grade-level hallway. Every item helps make someone’s Thanksgiving brighter! 

Sink, Float, and Strawberries

Join a virtual event with Georgia Tech SWE to learn about the science behind why objects float, and explore DNA with strawberries! CLICK HERE to register no later than November 12th. 

SPARK Bookfair

The annual SPARK bookfair is right around the corner! 11/17-11/21. CLICK HERE to browse your favorite books, support a teacher’s wishlist, purchase giftcards, and more! 

Rising Rams Night - Rising 6th Grade Families

Please consider attending the Rising Rams event at D.T. Howard Middle School on November 18th at 5:30pm.  Rising 6th graders and their families will receive more information about the offerings at Howard and the transition process.  

SAVE the DATE! - Thanksgiving Luncheons

Please save the date for SPARK”s Annual Thanksgiving Luncheons!  Dates for each grade level are below.  Times can be found here. The deadline for adults to order a meal has passed. However, you are welcome to join your child at lunch for the celebration! 

• 11/18 - K & 3rd

• 11/19 - 1st & 4th

• 11/20 - PK, 2nd & 5th 

SPARK’s Literacy Night

Join us Thursday, November 20th @ 5:30 PM for a night full of stories, creativity, and fun for the whole family! We’ll kick things off with a special visit from New York Times Best-Selling Illustrator, Laura Freeman! She’ll read aloud one of her stories and guide students through a dictated drawing activity. Afterward, enjoy hands-on literacy activities hosted by our amazing SPARK teachers, then wrap up the evening with a family stroll through the Book Fair! 

One Fair Judges Needed — Come See Learning in Action!
Do you love seeing student projects come to life? Lend your expertise as a judge at SPARK’s One Fair. You will chat with students about their ideas in science, technology, engineering, and social studies and help us celebrate their hard work.

• When: Friday, December 5, 2025, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

• Fill out this form if interested.

Garden Lights & Makers Market

Please save the date for SPARK’s annual Garden Lights and Makers Market!  Sign ups for student vendors here: SPARK PTO · Garden Lights 2025 Makers Market Sign Up!  Space is limited!  Please consider securing your spot early.  

• Grades PK-2: December 10, 5:30pm

• Grades 3-5: December 11, 5:30pm

Volunteer Opportunities 

CLICK HERE to learn about volunteer opportunities at SPARK and how to obtain your volunteer clearance! From volunteering at SPARK Community Events to volunteering in the SPARK Media Center/Library - there’s an opportunity for everyone! 

Dismissal Changes

If your child has a permanent change, their permanent bag tag should be updated.  For example, now that clubs have started and they are in Art Club every Monday, their permanent bag tag needs to reflect this.  For dismissal changes, email your child’s teacher and Mrs. Taylor at Odette.Taylor@atlanta.k12.ga.us. All dismissal changes must be requested before 12:00 PM each day. 

Absent? If your child is absent, please send your written excuse to Mrs. Taylor and your child’s teacher so that it can be properly recorded.  

Dear SPARK Families,

We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming SPARK Book Fair and Literacy Night! This special event is a celebration of the joy of reading and writing that fills our classrooms each day.

Not only will students have the opportunity to participate in hands-on literacy activities and read-alouds led by SPARK teachers and staff, but we are also honored to welcome New York Times Best-Selling Illustrator Laura Freeman as our featured guest. Ms. Freeman will share one of her stories through an engaging read-aloud and guide students in a dictated drawing activity, an experience sure to inspire creativity and imagination in readers of all ages.

At SPARK, we believe literacy is more than a subject, it’s the foundation for lifelong learning and thoughtful citizenship. Our students engage daily in a rich array of literacy experiences, grounded in the science of reading and designed to build both skill and confidence. Through explicit phonics instruction, authentic reading experiences, and opportunities to write for real purposes, our students are learning not just to read words, but to interpret meaning, think critically, and communicate with clarity and nuance.

We’re also proud to celebrate some of our students’ recent literacy achievements. Our 2nd and 3rd Grade Reading Bowl team had an excellent showing in their recent competition, and our 4th and 5th Grade team is preparing for their upcoming event in January. Meanwhile, our Writing Club, led by our talented literacy coach Melanie Dean, continues to flourish, providing students with a relaxed space to share ideas, experiment with style, and grow as authors. And of course, our youngest dragons are well on their way to mastering the building blocks of literacy: letter identification and sound correspondence.

Families play a vital role in this journey. At home, exposing children to a balance of decodable texts as beginning readers and authentic literature reinforces both the mechanics of reading and the beauty of storytelling. Together, we are cultivating readers and writers who will one day shape the world through their ability to think deeply, interpret with empathy, and communicate with purpose.

We can’t wait to see you at Literacy Night as we celebrate the joy of reading, SPARK style!

With gratitude and excitement,
Dr. Jennifer Toney
Principal