Dear Cold Spring Families,

It has been a wonderful few days on campus, and I’m excited to share some highlights with you.

Today, I had the absolute pleasure of observing our sixth-grade students as they brought Athens vs. Sparta to life. The students created an entire skit, complete with a script, background, and thoughtful historical details, and performed it as a full play. Their creativity, collaboration, and confidence were incredible to watch. I’ve shared a few photos below so you can enjoy some of the highlights from today. It truly was fantastic.

Yesterday, we celebrated the 100th Day of School, and our campus was filled with smiles as many students dressed up as “100-year-old” grandmas and grandpas. It was adorable and such a joyful reminder of what makes Cold Spring Elementary School so special.

As we head into the end of the week, I want to send a big thank you for supporting our Read-A-Thon. Tomorrow is our final day, and it’s also Dress as Your Favorite Book Character Day. We can’t wait to see the creativity! Our Student Council has been hard at work creating fun posters for the Read-A-Thon, and I hope you enjoy seeing their leadership and school spirit on display.

Congratulations as well to our 17 wonderful spellers as we prepare to narrow the group down to the students who will represent Cold Spring at the Santa Barbara County Spelling Bee. We are so proud of each of them!

You’ll also find information in this newsletter about:

Free UCSB basketball tickets for our students, UCSB will be playing UC Irvine this weekend before the Super Bowl, and it’s a great family outing.
Valentine Grams for $1, sold by Student Council on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week. Parents are welcome to send money so students can purchase grams for friends or even the whole class. This is a fun Student Council fundraiser, and their poster is adorable.
Our beloved Valentine’s Pancake Breakfast, happening Tuesday, February 10th at 7:30 a.m. This sweet tradition is made possible by our amazing dads who arrive early to cook breakfast and decorate the campus. I’m so grateful to Mark Gonzalez and Dr. Brett Gruebe for their continued leadership and dedication. This is my ninth year at Cold Spring, and they’ve made this special every single year.

A quick health reminder: it does appear that the flu is making its way through our community. I’ve included our illness protocols in this newsletter. Please review them if you’re unsure when your child is ready to return to school.

One last important note: please be on the lookout for information about our free Summer School offerings. I’m hoping to send this out tonight or tomorrow, and no later than Monday. Programs will run 9:00–12:00 during the first three weeks after school ends in June through early July, with Dolphin Center available from 12:00–3:00. Enrollment is first-come, first-served.

My best,

Dr. Alzina