September 2025 ASD Family Newsletter Keep scrolling to read about the people-places-things making news in our district.

We celebrated the first days of the 2025-26 school year in many ways! From cheerleaders welcoming freshmen to the high school campus to teachers dressing up as traffic cones to music playing in the driver line — there was plenty of fun to be had over the course of the first week of school. In addition to taking our own pictures, we once again asked our Appoquinimink families to share photos of their students heading off to school. You can find all of our back-to-school coverage on our website, here and here, or you can keep scrolling to see a few selects below!

MOT Rotary Club donates gifts for new teachers

We're extending a huge thank you to the MOT Rotary Club for taking the time to create welcome bags for our district's new teachers! The goodie bags will be distributed to all new teachers in our district. We were able to grab a few pictures of the gift bag distribution efforts at Brick Mill Early Childhood Center, Middletown High School, and Louis L. Redding Middle School.

Throughout the 2021 referendum campaign to rebuild Louis L. Redding Middle School, our message was “Proud History, Exciting Future.” We celebrated that exciting future on August 27, 2025, with a ribbon-cutting at the brand-new school! Lawmakers, community members, construction partners, Redding Alumni, and our Board of Education came together to celebrate the new building while honoring the legacy of both Louis L. Redding and the former building that carried his name.

You can read more on our website.

We hope you'll join us for the fourth annual Community of Wellness Fair taking place on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 11 a.m. Our Restorative Community School site leaders host this fun-filled day, featuring music, crafts, bounce houses, vendors, and more! All giveaways are provided by and thanks to the generosity of the organization HighFive. This year's event will be held at Louis L Redding Middle School, 201 New Street, Middletown.

Each year on the morning of September 11, JROTC cadets from our three high schools gather with local first responders, elected officials, and other community members to commemorate the terrorist attacks that happened in 2001. This event ensures new generations of students understand the lessons of September 11, 2001, and honor our nation's promise to never forget.

You can find the full recap on our website.

Connections and legacy were common themes when we joined Christiana Care on Friday, September 26, in celebrating the 40th anniversary of Middletown High School’s School-Based Health Center. The center was the first of its kind in Delaware when it originally opened in 1985 by the Delaware Division of Public Health. In the 40 years since its creation, school-based health centers have opened in elementary and secondary schools across the First State. They aim to decrease obstacles to care, like lack of transportation, inconvenient appointment times, or worries about cost. We would like to thank Christiana Care for hosting this event, which was attended by Gov. Matt Meyer, state Sen. Nicole Poore, former U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, and Superintendent Matt Burrows.

You can find out more about school-based health centers here.

You can see pictures from the event here.

Mark your calendars for our district’s HBCU Night and College Fair! This event will prove to be your students’ one-stop shop for learning about or even choosing the post-secondary option that's right for them. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the event being held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at Appoquinimink High School. The event contains two parts — first up is the HBCU Night from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. There will be HBCU Reps and Alumni, Black Greek Letter Organizations, and on-the-spot admission decisions from some colleges. Then, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., there will be more than 70 colleges and universities in attendance, along with the Department of Labor, trade schools, military recruiters, and more. Open to all students in grades 8-12, this event will have plenty of post-secondary opportunities for all students. We’ll see you there!

PLEASE NOTE: To be considered for on-the-spot admissions, seniors must apply online to the college at least 48 hours before the event and bring their transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) to the event.

The full list of colleges offering on-the-spot admissions will be posted soon!

All are welcome to join us at our ASD Parent Council Meeting on Thursday, October 2, 2025. This is our first meeting of the school year — it is a Special Education Parent and Community Team session. At this meeting, you will have the opportunity to meet district Special Education Department members and community partners, and provide ideas and input for future workshops.

Meeting details:

• Thursday, October 2, 2025
• 6 - 7: 30 p.m.
• Marion Profitt Training Center, 118 S. Sixth St. Odessa, 19730
• For more information, email Patrique.OGilvie@appo.k12.de.us

The State of Delaware’s “school choice” law provides students with an opportunity to move within and between districts to attend the public school of their choice – when capacity is available. If you’re considering this option for your child, please join us on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, when ASD will hold a live and live-streamed meeting to review the procedure for applying.

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will be accepted from November 3, 2025, until January 14, 2026.

Meeting Details:

• October 21, 2025, at 6 p.m.
• In-person location: Marion E. Proffitt Training Center Boardroom (118 S. Sixth Street, Odessa)
• Livestream option: http://bit.ly/appoyoutube
• If you have any questions, contact ASD’s School Choice Office at choice@appo.k12.de.us or 302-376-4135.

High School Preview Night

More details will be posted on our website and social media accounts soon! In the meantime, be sure to save the date for any or all of our High School Preview Nights:

• Appoquinimink High School: November 4, 6-8 p.m.
• Middletown High School: November 5, 6-8 p.m.
• Odessa High School: November 6, 6-8 p.m.

We have created an online resource hub for families to learn more about the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

Click here for detailed portal information.

Click here to log in or for questions about logging in.

As a reminder, Infinite Campus will be your resource for:

• Viewing grades, class schedules, and report cards
• Checking attendance and assignments
• Accessing transportation information

Please join us in congratulating Corey White on being named assistant principal at Alfred G. Waters Middle School! Mrs. White joins the admin team of Principal John Tanner and Assistant Principal Shannon Mann at AGW. Mrs. White has spent all 16 years of her teaching experience in our district. She was a health and physical education teacher at Appoquinimink High School before transitioning to Odessa High School when it opened in 2020. Mrs. White taught health/PE at OHS for three years, in addition to serving as an instructional coach. Most recently, Mrs. White was the health/PE teacher at Middletown High School.

The Sounds of Champions puts on an award-winning show

It's marching band season in our district! On September 27, Odessa High School's marching band hosted The Sounds of Champions — a competition among the region's best high school marching bands who compete in the Tournament of Bands Region IX circuit. These are a few pictures from the event — be sure to visit our website to see pictures of Appoquinimink High School, Middletown High School, and Cantwell's Bridge Middle School performing as well as Odessa High School and the awards ceremony.

Live on 6ABC!

It's been a busy few weeks for the marching band at Odessa High School! The band was invited to perform live on 6ABC on September 19. If you were not able to tune in to the performance as it happened, we have you covered! Visit our website to see clips of the band's performance, or you can visit OHS's marching band Facebook page!

Olive B. Loss Elementary begins another season of growing!

Trowels up if you're excited for another year of gardening pictures from Olive B. Loss Elementary School! These pictures were captured during a recent soil preparation lesson. The school is about a year and a half into having raised garden beds in the courtyard space — in that time, the garden has helped teach students about the science of growing and food nutrition while also providing tasty meals! Stay tuned as we provide more coverage of the wise owls' gardening pursuits.

Over the summer, our school district partnered with Delaware State University to create a four-episode podcast series about our Dual-Language Immersion programs. This program was designed with parents of immersion students in mind to offer information about how the programs work while also highlighting DSU’s resources, expertise, and dedication to building stronger family-school connections.

The four episodes are:

1. Colors, Flowers, and Hidden Meanings: Understanding Cultures
2. Beyond the Hurdles: Building a Bright Future for Immersion Students
3. Smart Tools, Smarter Learners: How Digital Technologies Support Language Learning
4. From Kitchen to Craft Table: Bringing Chinese and Hispanic Traditions Home

The episodes were recorded in DSU’s studios, and all are available to be viewed or listened to on our website. You can watch the videos here.

You can read more about the podcast on DSU’s website by clicking here.

We welcomed our teachers to the 2025-26 school year in style with Opening Day! This annual pep rally sets the tone for the new school year — from the cheers led by our high school cheerleaders to the inspiring speeches to the newly added musical chairs-esque game, this Open Day was one to remember. Thank you to all who delivered speeches — our 2026 District Teacher of the Year, Alison Suiter, Board President Richard Forsten, student speaker Gurliv Marok, AEA President Steven Byers, Superintendent Matt Burrows, and recognition of our staff of the year from Dominic Banks, director of talent acquisition and strategic staffing. We’d like to extend a special thank you to the Appoquinimink High School Drumline for opening the ceremony, our JROTC students for the presentation of colors, and our district music students and teachers for their amazing performance of the National Anthem. Special thank you to our district Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, Laura Sebastiano, for organizing and directing this event.

You can find the full gallery here.

These pictures are from our annual New Parent Orientation event. This annual event typically takes place on the Monday before school begins, providing an overview of our preK, elementary, middle, and high school education. We also have representatives from various areas, including athletics, school choice, transportation, special education, and more. Thank you to all of the new families for attending, and welcome to Appoquinimink!

These pictures are from our School Nutrition Team's first Nutrition Showcase, held August 26, 2025, at Louis L. Redding Middle School. The event featured presentations, a meet and greet, a mini tasting session, and informational displays.

September Board of Education Recognitions

Melody Unruh, second from right, was recognized at the September Board of Education meeting as our district's 2026 Educational Support Professional of the Year (ESPOY)! Mrs. Unruh is a paraprofessional in the RISE Program at Bunker Hill Elementary School. In support of Mrs. Unruh's nomination for ESPOY, BHE Principal Amy Jones wrote, "Melody's most defining quality is her advocacy for inclusive practices — she actively works to create an environment where all students, regardless of ability, feel welcome, supported, and capable of achieving their fullest potential."

Annika Ly, a Japanese teacher at Appoquinimink High School and Middletown High School, was recognized at the September Board of Education meeting for earning microcredentials — short, competency-based credentials that articulate a specific skill to support professional practice — in Understanding the Diversity of World Language from the Delaware Department of Education. Ms. Ly is the first educator in our district to earn microcredentials from DDOE.

As a reminder...

The RMS Eagles school-based dental clinic is open and scheduling dental appointments during school hours.

What services are offered?

• Dental examinations by a Delaware licensed dentist.
• Dental cleanings by a Delaware licensed dental hygienist.
• Fluoride varnish applications to strengthen teeth.
• Dental Sealants: A protective white coating molars to prevent cavities.
• Silver Diamine Fluoride stop dental decay and reduce sensitivity.
• Case management to discuss child's dental needs and identify dental resources.

Can my child receive dental care?

• Child must be a student at Louis L. Redding Middle School
• Child must be insured by Delaware Medicaid, CHIP or have no dental insurance
• Have not had a dental cleaning in the past 7 months
• Please note: you will not receive a bill for any dental service or oral health product

You can find more information here.

'Winnie the Pooh, Kids' wows

Work-based learning in our district is true to its name — students graduate with real-world skills they earn through on-the-job experiences. For Odessa High School students Vincent Suroweic and Julianna Schecter, that real-world experience was earned by directing a production of "Winnie the Pooh, Kids." Vincent served as director and Julianna as assistant director in the one-day-only, 40-minute-long production. The resulting show was a whimsical and fun one, which earned reviews like this posted on our district Facebook page: "I took my first grader and my fourth grader to see this on Saturday, and they loved it! They’re still singing Winnie the Pooh (Pooh!) The student involved in this show did a wonderful job." You can learn more about our district pathways here.

We wanted to extend a thank you to all of the organizations that attended the August Friends of Appoquinimink Golf Outing. Friend of Appoquinimink is a nonprofit fundraising group whose events directly support our students in a number of ways — the funds from last year's event were used to purchase a light board for Middletown High School's theatre department.