9/18/2026

STAMFORD HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL'S NEWSLETTER

55 Strawberry Hill Ave. Stamford, Connecticut 06902

Week Ending Friday, September 18, 2026

Mr. Matthew Forker, Principal

LEARNING NEVER STOPS!

SHS Staff Participates in “Teacher Led” Professional Development 

In what will be a monthly experience, SHS teachers led and delivered professional learning to their colleagues this past Wednesday. Topics included: Learning about Kami, Working with Clay to Relieve Stress, Strategies for ML Classrooms, Math Games, Checking for Academic Integrity, Art-Science Class Safety, and Fostering a “Winning” Mindset for Classroom Instruction. Having fun and working with our staff helps to create a culture where we can always learn and get better while always continuing to strive for excellence as educators!

THIS WEEK’S UPDATE

Here are some quick updates and reminders for the academic week ending September 18, 2026. Links have been provided, where applicable, to help with further details. Have a great weekend with your families! 

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

September 21: Yom Kippur (No School)

September 23: Early Release (Students)

CALLING ALL STUDENTS! U-KNIGHTED NATION NEEDS YOU!

 We are looking for kids from ALL grades and ALL backgrounds!!!!

Here is what becoming a member of this group will entail:

• Creating a positive school culture and supportive school community where you are ACTIVE participants in U-Knighted Nation event planning and follow through. This includes but is not limited to:

• Pink Out Month

• Knight of Excellence

• U-Knighted Nation Golf Tournament

• Promoting and being seen at school functions, games, and performances.

• Coming to meetings prepared to contribute ideas for school and community growth

• Be prepared to meet, when necessary, unless there is a prior unavoidable school or team commitment 

ATTENDANCE REMINDERS FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

Absences can be excused through ParentSquare notifications. Parents can click the link in the text, email or app "attendance notification" from ParentSquare to excuse the absence. 

Appropriate documentation (parent note, doctor's note, official paperwork) must be provided for the absence to be approved.

Attendance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

SHS STUDENT SET FOR ART DISPLAY

Congratulations to SHS’ Leo Ross (Grade 11) who submitted three pieces of artwork to be displayed around Stamford, including one piece he created in his art class last year!

His artwork will be displayed at three locations: First Presbyterian Church, UConn Stamford, and the UU of Stamford.

We are very proud of Leo and excited to see his artwork showcased in our community! 

COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER

School counselors met with seniors this week to continue their post-secondary planning. Presentations discussed options after high school, financial aid, and resources in our building. If you have not connected with your school counselor, please make sure to schedule a meeting.

Check out more details and resources in our weekly newsletter found HERE If you don’t follow us already, please do so @shscounselingdept

Upcoming rep visits, please register on Naviance for all visits.

October

• UCONN Stamford Field Trip: October 6, 2026, Trip is at max capacity

• FSA ID Creation: October 8, 2026

• Common App Bootcamp: October 15, 2026

• Common App Bootcamp: October 20, 2026

• UCONN Application Day: October 27, 2026

• Virtual Parent Financial Aid Seminar: October 29, 2026

MANGIA!

This week in Ms. Russo’s Global Foods class, students worked on their Italy unit. With the creation of marinara sauce, homemade fettuccine, alfredo sauce and tiramisu. 

Needless to say, the students ate well and were left happy (and FULL!) 

“ACTION PICS OF THE WEEK”

Mr. Barron (SHS Science) is back with this week’s action photos which captured our boys’ varsity soccer squad setting the standard with a brilliant victory against Brien McMahon driven by seamless teamwork and high-level athleticism, which paved the way for our boys freshman soccer team who followed with a hard-fought win of their own against Wilton. 

Seniors: 

Senior Portraits must be scheduled through:

https://seniors.legacystudios.com/stamford-hs-ct/

*Please note that the next dates open up only when the current dates are filled. So if you are looking for a later date, please keep checking back.

Questions? Contact:

Ms. Vivirito avivirito@stamfordpublicschools.org or Mr. Lutz rlutz@stamfordpublicschools.org

All students, faculty and staff are welcome, no matter what your grade, background, or skill set. 

If you are interested in learning more, please fill out the form sent to your email.

CELL PHONE POLICY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)

For cell phone Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.

“OPEN CAMPUS”

Parents and families, as a reminder, the SPS “Open Campus Policy” is only permissible for students in GRADES 11 and 12. 

Documentation is AVAILABLE for families on allowing your student the ability to leave campus with parental permission.