Spartan Spotlight Vol. 4, No. 1
A Message from Dr. Spindler
2026-27 School Year Begins
We were glad to welcome parents to Back to School Night in September and present important updates to the FUFSD community.
Seward introduced a new letter schedule system this year, and Maesano spoke at the event about how new allocations for Title I funds to better serve our students.
At Golden Hill, the staff held a Specials Fair in the cafeteria, allowing parents to learn about programs such as music, art, library and speech. The Fair also included a booth with representatives from the Parent Teacher Association.
On September 2, our first day back at Golden Hill and Seward, students and staff said they were enthusiastic and eager to get back to work.
Golden Hill Principal Ciarelli said she was excited to hear what her students did over the summer and explore new opportunities for learning with them. Seward Principal Maesano said he was “grateful to have the hallways filled with the excitement of students again.”
The new school year also came with updates and changes for our school community. Seward began a new block schedule system this fall, featuring a letter-day rotation with A, B, C and D days throughout the week. Classrooms at Seward and Golden Hill received new air conditioning units and renovated bathrooms, along with a new roof at Golden Hill. Seward will get new air conditioning in the gymnasium and a new generator later this school year, while Golden Hill will have playground equipment upgrades in the coming months.
Seen at S.S. Seward
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Homecoming was a fun-filled weekend celebrating Spartans past and present. Events on September 25 and 26 included a Pep Rally, Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, two varsity sports games and two school dances.
Students showed up with spirit to the annual Pep Rally in the Seward Gymnasium, decked out in class colors, masks, tutus and other colorful decorations. The rally began with each sports team running through banners they decorated earlier in the week, followed by games including soccer and volleyball.
Teachers handed out senior superlatives and crowned the king and queen of each class, ending with the crowning of the homecoming queen and king from the senior class. Superlatives included “most musical,” “most theatrical,” “best dressed” and “most school spirit.”
Principal Maesano and Coach William Steele led the 17th Annual Seward Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Induction, honoring seven alumni who graduated from Seward between 2011 and 2015: Dylan M. Bricker, Rob Gorski, Anthony M. Bailey, Anthony Gonzalez, Anthony Rico, Kim Kocot, and Sinead Brosnan.
Golden Hill Happenings
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Golden Hill Elementary School students explored a pumpkin patch on Oct. 13, courtesy of the school’s PTA, and had a hands-on learning experience with the pumpkins.
Students visited the pumpkin patch on the front lawn of the school and were allowed to have one pumpkin each.Some students said they would name their pumpkins and take care of them, while others said they were excited to carve them.
The PTA worked to have the pumpkins donated by S&SO Farms and Dagele Produce. Second grade teacher Nicole Young’s class used extra pumpkins provided by the farms for experiments and math exploration.
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Kristin Risedorph’s preschool music class at Golden Hill Elementary School is putting the fun in fall with a lesson on the changing seasons, a time-honored tradition in her class.
The teacher put up a paper tree outside her classroom, and adapted the tree to match the weather and season outside. Risedorph began by inviting her preschool classes to color leaves for the tree during creative time. She then attached the leaves to the tree, and encouraged her students to “sing to the tree” every time they had music class.
“As the fall progresses, I take leaves off the tree and we pile them at the trunk until all the leaves are gone,” she said. “There's a little lesson about subtraction in there too!”
The lesson teaches students about repetition, notes on a scale and how to sing a descending-to-ascending major scale.
“I want them to hear their singing voice and know that they can sing,” Risedorph said, adding that she wants her students to “feel as though they are in an enchanted forest.”
This fall-themed lesson has become a seasonal favorite at Golden Hill for years. Risedorph noted that this is her 15th year teaching the lesson about changing seasons, using the tree as a visual aide. Older students still talk about the lesson and pause when they see the tree set up in the hallway. Some even sing the song.
Risedorph is preparing her preschool students for their upcoming Pre-K Winter Celebration concert, to be held on Dec. 16 at Golden Hill.
Fall Sports Round Up
Our senior student athletes were honored in special ceremonies showcasing their excellence in sports this fall.
On October 9, Boys Soccer players Jacob Althiser, Aiden Caldwell, Blake Coontz, Nicholas DeRosa, Austin Harty and Mark Rhone were celebrated at a Senior Night ceremony at the Seward Soccer Complex.
The Cross-County team highlighted Jackson Neuman and Zachary Wilmes at Golden Hill Elementary on October 13, before the race began later in the afternoon.
Eliana White, a senior on the Girls Soccer team, was celebrated with a special Senior Night ceremony after the team’s match on October 19.
On October 21, Angelina Cifuni, Dalila Foust, Sophia Cantoli and Olivia Perez were honored in a ceremony between the junior and senior varsity games.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the events and helped spotlight our amazing student athletes!
2026 New Staff
This fall, we welcomed five full-time staff members between S.S. Seward and Golden Hill Elementary School. The faculty were introduced to the Administration team, took a tour of the town, and got acclimated to the technology and software used in the district. These teachers are off to a great start and we wish them an amazing 2026-27 school year.
Upcoming in the District
Parent-teacher conferences give parents the opportunity to sit down with teachers and discuss student progress and shared goals for the school year. Golden Hill will hold its parent-teacher conferences on November 12 and 18 from 5-7PM, while Seward will host parents on November 17 from 5-7PM. Parents will receive messages via ParentSquare from their child’s teacher to set up appointments. We look forward to seeing you!