Good Afternoon SES Families,
This week has been busy with multiple evening events. I want to thank all our families that attended the Standards Based Instruction & Reporting information session on Wednesday evening. For those families that were unable to attend, a parent guide will be in each primary student’s Friday folder this afternoon. Wednesday evening was also our first PTA meeting of the school year. We had a great turnout with parents from preschool - fifth grade.
Last night we hosted our BSAP community night and again had a wonderful turnout. Families enjoyed dinner and games together followed by an information session for families and we ended the night with bingo.
This is a reminder the schools will be closed on Monday for Yom Kippur.
Enjoy your weekend! ~ Anthony J Esposito, Principal
Important Dates
- September 25th - No School
- October 5th - Maryland Science Center Family Night @ 5:30pm
- October 9th - No school for students
- October 11th - Fall Picture Day
- October 18th - PTA Meeting
- October 19th - RECC / K Title I Family Night
- October 20th - No school for students
- October 27th - Kindness Day
- October 28th - PTA Fall Festival / Trunk or Treat
- October 31st - Schools close 3 hours early / End of First Marking Period
New Information
Biz Kidz Academy
- Library for Kindergarten Ready Awareness for parents of African American Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers at the Howard County Library East Columbia Branch on Saturday, September 23, 2023. See Flyer for full details.
- Library for Kindergarten Ready Awareness for parents of African American Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers at the Howard County Library Central Branch on Saturday, September 30, 2023. See Flyer for full details.
- Biz Kidz Academy's FREE Shark Tank Competition
Registration is now open for Biz Kidz Academy’s FREE Shark Tank Competition! Competing young entrepreneurs, fashion designers, models, artists, performers, creative writers, and other competitors are encouraged to enter a creative written or video entry. Attached are the competition guidelines.
Family File & FARM Applications
We are looking to have 100% of our families complete the Family File and FARM application by October 20! Each grade level that reaches 100% earns an outdoor dance party or pajama day (their choice). Here’s what you need to do:
- Complete the family file at HCPSS CONNECT. If you need password help, contact the front office at 410-313-6907. Be sure to click “submit” at the end.
- Complete a Free and Reduced Price Meal (FARM) application.* To complete the application online, click HERE and click on the blue “apply online” button. If you prefer to complete this on paper, paper FARM applications will be sent home this week. (Note that the FARM application is also accessible at the end of the Family File).
This week (week #2), 3rd grade remains in the lead with 71% completion! Current completion rates are:
|
Grade
|
% Complete
|
|
1
|
63%
|
|
2
|
59%
|
|
3
|
71%
|
|
4
|
62%
|
|
5
|
54%
|
|
K
|
61%
|
|
PK
|
33%
|
* We need FARM forms completed because Swansfield’s Title I status depends on this information. Title I funding supports additional staff, smaller class sizes, family programming, and more!
Swansfield Wish List
The staff have requested a few items for their classrooms for the 23-24 school year. Thank you for your generosity. https://a.co/2pGfaXr
PTA News
PTA Committee Volunteer Sign-up
Sign up to volunteer on a committee this year and help make our SES events and programs fun and successful! There are many opportunities to choose from, including events, fundraisers and grade reps. Please fill out this form by Thursday, September 21. If you aren't ready to commit right now, you can always decide to volunteer at a later date. We will always welcome volunteers!!
Spirit Wear is Coming Soon!
Your student will be bringing home information on Swansfield Spirit Wear ordering soon! You will have the opportunity to purchase t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, and hoodies to show your Swan spirit (with fun new designs!) Ordering will take place until October 6 and items will be delivered later in October. Stay tuned for more information!
Membership
It’s the first week of the school year - that means it is time for our new families to join and our returning families to renew your Swansfield PTA membership! The PTA has planned a year of exciting programming including the upcoming Back to School Picnic on September 8, Fall Festival, Winter Bingo, Family Culture Night, and many more! We need YOUR support to make that happen - please take a few minutes to join the PTA!
Each individual voting membership is only $5, and you can quickly and easily join online: https://swansfield.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true. Just select your association with the Swansfield community (parent, grandparent, staff, etc.), provide your information and payment and you will be good to go! For multiple family members, please add each individual to your cart before checking out.
The majority of your membership fees go to the state and national PTA organizations. Only $0.75 stays with us. We count on additional support from our community to bring you the full slate of PTA programming. If your personal situation allows, we would welcome additional contributions: https://swansfield.memberhub.com/store/items/745451.
Thank you for your support and helping us to do great things for our school community!
Connect with the PTA!
For the latest news and event updates, follow the PTA on Facebook: Swansfield Elementary School PTA | Facebook (please request to join the group and answer a few short questions to help us keep this group secure), or visit us online: www.swansfieldpta.org
Reminders
Flags for the Cafeteria
During the first few weeks of the school year the admin team has been in lunch shifts asking students to view the flags on the walls. We have asked students to share with us if we are missing the flag of their native country. We know that we are currently missing flags for the Republic of the Congo, Japan, & Ukraine. As you visit SES during the first quarter we ask families to check out the flags and to let the front office know if we are missing your native country. We plan to order more flags at the end of quarter 1 for any countries we are missing.
