Welcome to Alex G. Spanos Elementary!

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,

As we eagerly anticipate the start of the 2025-26 school year, I am delighted to welcome you back to Alex G. Spanos Elementary! This marks my third year serving as your principal, and I continue to be deeply honored to lead our incredible school community.

As we embarked on the 2024-25 school year, I shared my commitment, rooted in over 30 years in education and over two decades with Stockton Unified, that all students will leave our care better than they came in: better writers, better readers, better critical thinkers, and better people prepared for the next stage in their lives. This vision resonated throughout the past year, and I am immensely proud of the growth and achievements we witnessed together.

Building upon the foundation of strong relationships, trust, and support we fostered last year, our mission at Alex G. Spanos Elementary remains steadfast: all students learn at the highest levels and are inspired to become lifelong learners. This commitment continues to drive everything we do, and we are eager to embark on another year of growth, discovery, and achievement together.

To achieve our mission, we will continue to focus on our key vision practices:

1. Collaborate with common data to implement best practices: Our talented teachers will continue to work together, analyzing student data to identify strengths and areas for growth. This collaborative approach allows us to implement the most effective teaching strategies to ensure every student reaches their full potential.

2. Facilitate purposeful learning, which leads to high achievement: We are committed to creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences that challenge our students and foster a deep understanding of concepts. Our goal is to empower students to become active participants in their learning journey, leading to significant academic growth and a love for learning.

3. Foster strong community connections that create a welcoming, respectful, and safe learning environment: We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for student success. We are dedicated to building and nurturing these connections, ensuring that Alex G. Spanos Elementary is a place where every student feels valued, respected, and safe to learn and grow. We encourage your active participation in school events and continued open communication with our staff.

To ensure a safe, positive learning environment for our students, the following procedures are in place:

• Campus gates will continue to open for students at 7:30 A.M. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 A.M. to 7:50 A.M., and school will begin promptly at 8:00 A.M. Dismissal time will remain at 1:55 P.M.

• We are a uniform school. Students may wear solid-color pants/skirts/shorts in blue, black, or khaki, and jeans (must fit, no sagging, and no rips, tears, or designs). Shirts must be collared with sleeves and be white, blue, black, grey, burgundy, or hunter green (as per the District’s uniform policy). Sweatpants and pajama bottoms are not permitted, and students are not allowed to wear the color red. 

• Students are encouraged to show their Charger pride by wearing their Spanos Spirit Shirt any day, and every Friday remains CHARGER DAY!

• Cell phones are not allowed to be used on campus.  All cell phones must be turned off and in student backpacks.  

• All visitors must check in at the front office with a government-issued ID to receive a visitor’s badge. Information regarding volunteer registration through beamentor.org will be available in the office. 

• Parents dropping off or picking up students by car, please refrain from using the back parking lot to ensure student safety.

Please look out for information regarding the start of the school year, including important dates, updated supply lists (if any), and opportunities to connect with your child’s teacher. We will communicate this information through Class Dojo, EdConnect, ParentVue, and monthly calendars.

We eagerly anticipate seeing all of your smiling faces on the first day of school, Thursday, July 31, 2025. Together, building upon the successes of last year, we will make the 2025-26 school year a successful and enriching experience for every student at Alex G. Spanos Elementary!

Warmly,

Dr. Sondra L. Knudsen

Principal, Alex G. Spanos Elementary School

BACK-TO-SCHOOL PARENT MEETINGS:

A reminder note with more details will be provided on the first day of school.

It is important that your child/children are in attendance, on time, on the first day of school, August 3^rd, 2023.  If not, they will lose their claim to "first-in" status at our site. 

As part of our daily routine, students will line up with their classes on the playground and we will say the flag salute as a school community at 8:00 a.m. The wonderful Spanos staff and I feel privileged to be a part of this school family. We thank you for your support and look forward to meeting you. Welcome Back!

Best Regards,

Dr. Sondra L. Knudsen, Principal