Principal outlines early‑education partnerships, PBIS recognition and K–2 STEM at Sarah Linden Primary School

Amanda Presley, principal of Sarah Linden Primary School, presented a school update that emphasized early‑learning partnerships, state recognition for the schoolwide behavior program and expanded STEM instruction for kindergarten through second grade.

“On our first slide, I just wanted to let you know we call our our newsletter the with the buzz. So we said what's buzzing at the hive on 20 24 25. So at Sarah Linden, we have a total of 760 students,” Presley said. She reported the school’s enrollment and a breakdown that includes special education and English‑learner services: the presentation listed 10 special‑education learners and 93 students receiving English‑learner services.

Presley described the school’s P3 (prenatal through grade 3) initiative and a partnership with United Way to run weekly kindergarten‑readiness workshops. United Way liaison Andrea Weichard provides weekly workshops for 3‑ to 5‑year‑olds; Presley said about 40 children had participated this year and roughly 20 of those are expected to enroll in kindergarten next fall.

School counselor Shai Lowing outlined Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at the school. Lowing said the school has received tiered statewide recognition and will pursue sustainability renewal with a scheduled walk‑through in March. Presley clarified the recognition is selective: the school was “one out of 80 schools recognized in the state,” she said; the presentation also stated 3,287 schools applied for recognition this cycle.

STEM teacher Beth Miller described the K–2 STEM and coding curriculum. Miller said kindergarteners do offline and online coding exercises using color‑coded tiles and robots, then advance to tablet‑based Blockly coding in first and second grade. “They learn to program [robots] to go straight, to turn left, to turn right,” Miller said, describing robots such as BlueBot, Ozobot, cubelets and Dash used in the classroom.

Natasha Frantrich, PTO president, summarized parent‑led activities and fundraising: welcome luncheons for staff, family nights at restaurants, skate nights, book fairs, holiday shop and an end‑of‑year field day. Frantrich said about six to eight volunteers typically attend board meetings and help at school events.

Presley also spotlighted staff and teacher assistants, naming Mr. Cooper, a district graduate who runs the YMCA before‑and‑after‑school program and is studying for teacher certification through a district CAP program. The principal highlighted Jessica Acevedo, a teacher assistant who also serves as a bus driver and translator, and Lisa Jimenez, another teacher assistant.

Administrators and teachers underscored space and scheduling pressures: Presley said the school now uses two lunch rooms to serve students and that the building has two modular classrooms for special‑education programs. She noted lunches begin as early as 10:15 a.m. and continue through 1:15 p.m. to accommodate all students.

Why it matters: the presentation detailed how early‑learning outreach, PBIS and K–2 STEM are being used to support readiness and whole‑child development while the school manages enrollment and space constraints. Board members and staff acknowledged the work is collaborative among teachers, families, PTO volunteers and community partners such as United Way and Community in Schools.

No board action was taken on the school presentation; the report served as an informational update to the board.