Dear Cold Spring Families,
I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the final days of summer. As we prepare to launch another joyful and purpose-driven year at Cold Spring School, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate all we’ve accomplished this summer and share what’s ahead for August.
🌞 Summer School Success
This June and part of July, we proudly offered three full weeks of free summer enrichment thanks to our incredible Cold Spring teachers who volunteered their time and talent. Our students explored:
Poetry, Cooking, Spanish, Surfing
Knitting, Sewing, Engineering
TK/Kinder and 1st grade readiness
We are deeply grateful to our educators for creating such a vibrant, hands-on learning experience that nurtured curiosity and creativity across all grade levels.
In addition to these exciting offerings, I am thrilled to share a major advocacy win for small school districts across California. Thanks to the persistent efforts of the Small School Districts Association (SSDA) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the Expanded Learning Opportunity (ELOP) base grant was increased from $50,000 to $100,000 for the 2025–26 school year.
This important policy change means that Cold Spring School District will continue to offer both after-school enrichment and summer programs at no cost to families.
I am extremely honored to serve on the Board of Directors for both ACSA and SSDA, and I remain committed to ensuring equity in education for all students through strategic policy advocacy and leadership.
🇺🇸 4th of July Parade Fun
Our Cold Spring students, staff, and families showed up in true coastal spirit for the Montecito Village 4th Parade decked out as lifeguards and surf team members! A special thank you to Niña Quiros-Hardie, soon-to-be 2nd grade parent, for her outstanding leadership organizing our school’s participation. You made us proud, and the community felt our school spirit in full force!
📸 Check out the Montecito Journal coverage and parade video highlights from the FABULOUS REPORTER Joanna Calitri:
🤖 AI Summit at Cold Spring School
On July 10–11, Cold Spring hosted the Association of California School Administrators Statewide AI Summit which brought together over 100 leaders committed to ensuring all students (not just our own!) have access to personalized, future-ready learning.
We’re incredibly proud of our teachers who served as panelists and showcased Cold Spring’s innovation practices:
Ryan Francisco, Innovation Teacher
Sarah Shaupeter, 2nd Grade
Elizabeth Gomez, 4th Grade
Sara DiSalvo, Music & Drama
These educators inspired attendees with strategies to help students go from Consumers to Creators using tools like Khanmigo, Adobe Express, and Suno AI. Their work is now being featured by Sal Khan’s team at Khan Academy for a national spotlight! I also continue to lead the ACSA AI Task Force and look forward to continuing to offer parent learning opportunities on AI throughout the year.
🧳 Leadership & Statewide Advocacy
Beyond our campus, I’ve had the honor of:
Representing administrators from SLO, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties on the ACSA State Board of Directors
Representing administrators from SLO, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Kern counties SSDA State Board of Directors
Participating in the Small School Districts Association Superintendents Retreat in Newport Beach, where 160 Superintendents gathered to elevate equity and innovation for California’s 600 districts (which make up 69% of all districts statewide!)
We even began drafting a best-practices guide for small district leadership set to be published this year.
📅 August Dates to Remember
Let’s make a strong start together! Here’s what’s coming up:
August 9: Beautification Day, 9–11 AM
August 14: New Families & TK/Kinder Orientation, 10–11 AM
August 19: Family Picnic, 4 PM
August 20: Popsicles on the Playground + Class Lists, 2:30 PM
August 21: First Day of School! Gates open at 8 AM | Welcome Bell rings at 8:22 AM
August 21: Principal’s Coffee in the Gazebo after drop-off
August 25: Monday Morning Assemblies begin
September 3: Back to School Night, 6 PM
September 18: Picture Day!
📌 Full event calendar available on our school website.
📝 Action Items
Annual Registration Form: Isabel Martinez, our new Office Coordinator, will be sending out the Annual Registration Form tomorrow for EVERY family to complete. Every family must complete the Annual Registration even if you’ve registered before.
💙 Closing Gratitude
As we prepare for the launch of the 2025–26 school year, I want to thank our amazing facilities team, business and office team for preparing the campus, including new student furniture for our 1st grade classrooms and picnic tables arriving soon.
I truly believe this will be our best year yet, and I am so grateful for your partnership, passion, and presence in our school community.
With appreciation,
Dr. Amy Alzina
