Principal's Message

Springhill School Lafayette School District 3301 Springhill Road, Lafayette, CA  94549 Telephone: (925) 927-3580 Fax: (925) 283-3675

Dear Springhill Families,

Greetings and welcome to the 2022-2023 school year. I hope you are all enjoying your summer break. There is still some time yet but this letter will provide you with information as you start to plan and prepare for the new school year to begin.

Starting a new school year is always exciting and filled with anticipation for what the year will bring. The last two years of school put a whole new twist on those feelings but things seem to be moving in the right direction. All indicators are pointing toward a year that follows a typical schedule. While the health and safety of our students, teachers, staff and general community will still be a priority, the guidelines and procedures will likely be much easier to manage with a focus on keeping students in school.

In May, we said goodbye to some valued  and respected staff members who are moving on to other opportunities or have decided to retire. They will be missed but we wish them all the best.

• Lisa de la Torre, our beloved Office Manager has accepted a position as an administrative assistant to the new Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at the district office.

• Martin Wong, longtime teacher at Springhill, has decided to retire.

• John Speers, one of our talented and passionate music teachers, has accepted a position with Orinda School District.

• Leigh Medina, one of our speech and language therapists, has accepted a position closer to home in Marin.

• Amanda Suarez has been a part time psychologist, and has accepted a position that works better for her family.

• Pais Barton has been an instructional aide at Springhill for many years and has decided to retire and enjoy her time as a new grandmother.

• Jessica Zottman-Pult has been an exceptional special services aide and worked in many of our SDC’s. She is excited to be working at Marchus Center and teaching in her own classroom.

• Melissa Barclay is eager to start her new role as the principal of Lafayette Elementary School. 

During the Summer break, Springhill again hosted the districts Extended School Year program and the Summer School program; we proudly flew the Pride flag to show our support for the entire LGBTQ+ community; and Manny, David and Vanessa made our classrooms sparkle and shine. 

Our PFC will be co-lead by Caitlin Pareenja and Noel Fahden Briceño this year.  They are working tirelessly to plan and organize events to support  our Springhill Community. The PFC will host  Scorpion Day on campus in August for families to complete registration paperwork, sign up to volunteer, purchase spirit wear and receive class assignments for students. Please stay tuned for more information about this day and other upcoming events.

As always, I am eager to start this year in collaboration with the Lafayette School District, Springhill PFC and Lafayette Partners in Education (LPIE). Together as a community we are committed to strengthen our resolve to building a professional learning environment that encourages all (students, teachers, staff and parents) to achieve, succeed and grow. At Springhill we strive to offer our students a rigorous, comprehensive program with systems in place to support  the academic, social/emotional and behavioral needs of our students.

I look forward to seeing everyone in the August and meeting our new families.

Sincerely,

Mette Thallaug

Important Dates:

• Scorpion Day- Monday, August 8 10:00-12:00
• Kindergarten Lemonade Day- Monday, August 8 10:30-11:00
• First Day of School- Tuesday August 9
  • 1st- 5th grade 8:30-2:42
  • Kindergarten 8:15-11:45
• Back to School Night (Parents Only)
  • Wednesday, August 10 
  • Kindergarten 5:30-6:30
  • Thursday, August 11
  • 1st-3rd grade 5:15-6:15
  • 4th & 5th grade 6:30-7:30
  • Assembly for all parents (1st-5th)  in the center quad area 6:15-6:30
• Parent/Teacher Conferences September 12-16 
  • Early Dismissal
  • All kindergarten 8:15-11:45
  • 1st-5th grade 8:30-12:00

Hi, My name is Mette Thallaug. I have been the principal at Springhill since 2015. However, Springhill is near and dear to me. I taught K and 1st grade at Springhill for 14 years before I moved on to become the reading specialist at Burton Valley for 7 years. I was also a district literacy coach for a year and the vice principal for a year before coming back to Springhill. 

I was born and raised in Southern California and moved to the Bay Area in 1992 with my husband, Haakon. We currently live in Walnut Creek and have raised 2 boys, Andreas (27) and Steffen (23).

The favorite part of my job is visiting classrooms and reading books to the students. I am inspired by the conversations we have together. When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family and being outdoors.