Swansfield Newsletter 4-27-18

Sun, 04/29/2018 - 11:07pm
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Registration Continue (see more below)
 
Monday April 30 - Advanced Band/Orchestra Concert, 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm
 
Wednesday May 2 - Pre-K In-house Field Trip, Fire Truck Visit
 
Thursday May 3 - Pre-K In-house Field Trip, Abrushcadabrush
 
Thursday May 3 - 5th Grade Panoramic Photograph
 
Friday May 4 - 4th Grade Field Trip, Marys Land Farm
 
Saturday May 5 - SES Yard Sale, 9 am to noon (see more below)
 
Monday May 7 - Beginning Band/Orchestra Concert, 2:15 pm and 6:30 pm
 
Wednesday May 9 - Bike to School Day (see more below)
 
Wednesday May 9 - Third Quarter Awards Assemblies at 9:10 am for Grades K-2 and 2:00 pm for Grades 3-5 (see more below)
 
Thursday May 10 - Pre-K Field Trip, Baltimore Zoo
 
Friday May 11 - 4th Grade In-house Field Trip, Days of Taste
 
Friday May 11 - 2nd Grade Field Trip, Howard County Conservancy
 
Monday May 14 - 5th Grade Field Trip, Washington, DC
 
Tuesday May 15 - 4th Grade Field Trip, National Zoo
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Important Changes to the Current School Year Calendar
The Howard County Public School System will extend its school year by two days to make up for inclement weather closings.  The last day of school for students will now be Tuesday, June 19.  Students will dismiss early  Friday June 15, Monday June 18 and Tuesday June 19.
 
Swansfield Kicks Off Kindness Month on Monday
Following are highlights of our Kindness Month activities planned for May:
  • Each week your students will be given a calendar for the week.  Each day will have a kind act. There will be a sixth kind act for them to perform at home or out in the community.  If your student performs each act and gets each day signed by an adult or by a fellow student, they can enter their calendar into a drawing for a kindness month prize.  We will have a drawing every Friday throughout the month of May.
  • Kindness Elves will be placed throughout the building.  These elves will help us to follow school rules and be kind to all students and staff.
  • There will be a Kindness Spirit Week beginning May 21.  More details will follow.
  • On May 25th, we will end the month with a schoolwide kindness activity.
  • Mr. Winner, our media specialist, will be helping students prepare for the kindness activity.
  • Mrs. Richter, our guidance counselor, will be teaching lessons in all classrooms throughout the month of May.
Please talk to your students about the importance of being kind at school, at home, and in the community.  Kindness Matters!
 
PARCC Testing Continues for Intermediate Grade Students
PARCC testing at Swansfield Elementary continues next week for third, fourth and fifth graders with the Math portion to be completed May 1-3 and May 8.  Please support your student by making sure that he/she gets a good night's sleep and is on time for school each day.  If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the Assistant Principal, Lauren Beaman.
 
Consideration Cards Going Home Monday
Consideration Cards are going home in Monday's Communication Folder. Parents/guardians this is your opportunity to share specific information regarding your child that would be beneficial for us to know.  Please note these must be returned by Friday, May 25.
 
Swansfield Green Beanz Will Host Yard Sale May 5
Come to Swansfield on Saturday, May 5, for our super green, super great yard sale!  The Geen Beanz, our dedicated student Green Team, is hosting this community yard sale from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in the school parking lot.
Come and shop, and find great bargains.  Bring your old, air dried or solidified paint, and we will take it to the landfill for you.  Any student who brings a t-shirt can learn how to turn it into a cool tote bag.  Healthy snacks will be available to purchase.
If you've done some spring cleaning and have some items you want to sell, contact Mrs. DiVenti at tara_diventi@hcpss.org to reserve your spot for $5.  All proceeds from these reserved spots will be used to buy teachers recycling bins.  In the event of rain, the sale will take place May 19th.  Thank you in advance for your support and remember, it's GREAT to be GREEN at SES!
 
Awards Assemblies May 9 Will Recognize the Following Achievements:
  • Exemplary Attendance for students who have been present and on time 96% of school days.
  • Honor Roll for students in K-2 who have all I's and W's, a 1 or 2 for all effort grades, a 1 or 2 for all learning behaviors, and no office referrals;  Students in grades 3-5 who have all A's and B's, and the same other criteria listed for K-2 students.
  • Principal's Award for students who have earned all I's and 1's or all A's and 1's.
  • Character Trait Award for one boy and one girl from each homeroom who have put into action the focus of their recent guidance lessons.
  • Soaring Swan Award for one student from each homeroom who has exhibited exceptional effort throughout the quarter.
Parents of students receiving the Principal's Award, Character Trait Award and Soaring Swan Award will be notified in advance. We will celebrate students in grades K-2 at a 9:10 am assembly, and grades 3-5 at 2:00 pm. 
 
Bike to School Day May 9
Swansfield will be participating in the national Bike to School day on May 9, so strap on your helmets, raise your kickstands, and join the thousands of students, families, community partners, and elected officials all around the country who will be participating in this year’s event.  When you arrive at school, bikes will be secured in two locations.  The first is the bike rack at the bottom of the bridge near the front entrance.  The second location will be at the other end of school past the 4th and 5th grade doors.  Mr. Berry and Mr. Winder will help lock bicycles up from 8:20 to 8:40 am  Students' bicycles will be secured all day and will be unlocked and monitored at dismisal from 3:00 to 3:15 pm. 
 
We Need You....To Volunteer For Field Day Thursday, May 17
Please consider donating your time for our annual Field Day, which is always full of fun, friendship and fabulous sportsmanship!  We need 80 volunteers to staff the morning grades PK - 2 (8:30 - 11:00 am) and afternoon grades PK PM and 3-5 (12:00 - 3:00 pm) sessions.  Many students consider Field Day the best day of the year, in large part due to your presence. 
 
 
Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration for School Year 2018-19 Continues
If you have a child who will be four years old by September 1, 2018, it's time to register for Pre-Kindergarten.  Also, Kindergarten registration continues for students who will be five years old by September 1, 2018. Families should plan to visit Swansfield between 9:00 am and 2:30 pm to enroll their students for next school year.  For further information please visit http://www.hcpss.org/enroll/
 
New this year, parents registering children for Kindergarten have the option of beginning the process online.  This allows parents to complete the registration form and to upload documents, but please remember families will still need to come to school to finalize the registration.  To register online, please visit www.hcpss.org 
and look for the promo regarding registration information. 
 
Congratulations Spotlight Winners
We congratulate our Spotlight Winners for the past two weeks.  These students have demonstrated they follow our school rules and are Safe, Respectful and Responsible.
  • Pre-K: Cataleya A, Penelope A, Kaylee D, Malaun J
  • Kindergarten: Chloe G, PJ W, Logan C, Dhamon S, Landon H, Aiden W
  • 1st Grade: Daeja P, Gabriel R, Peculiar G, Gabriel S, Kevin V, Kayla W
  • 2nd Grade: Fitsum A, David P, John R, Castiel B, Chase L, Brionna R, Michaela T, Kayla B, Josie H
  • 3rd Grade: Teoman M, Mc'Kenzie S, Kevin M, Zoe D, Alessa C, Bryant S, Janell A, Davney S
  • 4th Grade: Evan D, Andrew H, Katie C, Jordan M, Xavier H, Jaybriel B, Leslie R, Joseph O
  • 5th Grade: Axel C, Noah B, Deontroy J, Caroline S, Bereket T, Sophie C, Ryan O, Tristan G, Nehemiah L, Kyle M
Math in Minutes
Students and families can better understand today's math concepts being taught in classrooms by watching this video series.  HCPSS educators conduct mini-lessons covering different lessons.
 
Accessing DreamBox
We have heard from several families who have experienced difficulty logging in to DreamBox.  Please remember than when accessing DreamBox from home, you must log in through https://hcpss.me/.  Detailed directions are available in the document attached below.
 
Update Your Family File Information
HCPSS uses Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child, and can do so by logging in to HCPSS Connect and selecting the Family File tab and then clicking on Family File.  Resources on how to access Family File may be found online.  Parents who have forgotten their login credentials may click the "Forgot Password" link on the sign in page. 
 
Volunteers/Chaperones Must Complete Training
All volunteers and field trip chaperones in HCPSS schools must complete the online training course prior to volunteering (see link below), print a completion certificate and return it to the front office. If you are unable to access online a printed version is available at school.
 
Connect With Our PTA
Learn more about upcoming PTA activities, how you can get involved, and even join the PTA if you haven't done so already.  Visit http://swansfieldpta.org/
Click here http://swansfieldpta.org/newsletters/ to read the latest PTA newsletter.
 
Community News and Programs
Please visit the Community News and Programs page at http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/ for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.