Important Dates:

• Wednesday Evenings - Virtual Storytime, 7pm (see more below)

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  Monday, October 19 - SES Book Drive Ends (see more below)

• Wednesday, October 21st & 28th - MAP Make-up Testing (see more below)

• Wednesday, October 21 - PTA Meeting, 7pm (see more below)

• Friday, October 23 - Last Day to Complete Second Semester Planning Survey (see more below)

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Weekly Virtual Storytime

Swansfield kicked off our weekly, live storytime this past Wednesday.  Please join us every week as we gather via Google Meet on Wednesday evenings, at 7pm, to share a story.  Please use your child’s Howard County account to access our storytime using the meeting code: Swansfield Storytime. Stories shared will give us the opportunity to highlight and reinforce the success factors we celebrate at Swansfield – Kindness, Self-Control, Perseverance, Empathy, Accountability and Hope. We look forward to sharing our love of reading with our students during this time!

Family Survey for Second Semester Planning

The Howard County Public School System and Board of Education are evaluating possibilities for a hybrid instructional model for the second semester, beginning February 1, 2021, which could include opportunities for in-person instruction. A hybrid model could provide an option for parents/guardians to send their child to school part of the week and learn virtually for the remainder of the week.

This fall, there will be significant public discussion and consideration around the second semester. At this time, HCPSS is seeking to understand families’ intentions regarding sending their students back to school, if that option becomes available, or continuing fully virtual learning. Please see directions below for accessing this questionnaire. Please note, this is separate from the small group instruction survey that some families have received. Additionally, it is crucial for planning to know if students who qualify to receive bus service would use it. Parent/guardian response is not a commitment for the second semester; you will be able to change your decision when plans for the second semester are finalized. Your intention at this time will help facilitate planning. Please complete the form by 4 p.m., Friday, October 23. Contact your school if you require assistance completing the form.

To complete the form:

• Log in to HCPSS Connect
• Select More Options from the left panel
• Select Intent to Participate in Hybrid In-Person Instruction from the middle of the page
• Complete the questions in the form for each child and select “Save”

MAP Make-up Testing

Thank you to families for your participation and support during the recent MAP assessments in reading and math. Make-up testing will be offered on October 21st at 9:00am and October 28th at 1:00pm.  If your child was unable to attend or needed to finish the assessment(s), you should have received a message from Ms. Beaman through Synergy. The message included the dates and times for testing along with the sign-up link and code for the google meet session.  If you have any questions, or believe you should have received an email, please contact Ms. Beaman (lauren_beaman@hcpss.org).

Additional Materials Pick-up

Additional instructional materials were distributed last week.  If you were unable to attend during the scheduled times, please call the school (410-313-6907) to arrange to pick up your child’s additional materials during the school day.

SES Welcomes Hispanic Liaison

Swansfield welcomes Elba Williamson as a part-time Spanish interpreter to assist us in communicating effectively with our Spanish-speaking families.  Attached is a letter in Spanish introducing herself to our Hispanic community.

Hola de la Interprete Hispana.pdf 

Shining The Spotlight

Each week at Swansfield Elementary we recognize students who shine by demonstrating one of our six Success Factors (Kindness, Self-Control, Perseverance, Empathy, Accountability and Hope).  Congratulations to the following students who were recognized for displaying the success factor Kindness this week:

• Preschool/Pre-K: Leo G.
• Kindergarten: Ryleigh H., Liam B., Varun S., Lucy H.
• 1st Grade: Almira B., Jackson L., Harper A., Jiaan A.
• 2nd Grade: Marializ R., Frankie W., Cataleya I., Amelia M., Ella Noreen F.
• 3rd Grade: Afiakobi K., Andrew R., Lexee M., Glen D., Nora G.
• 4th Grade: Aurora M., Ryan C., Penelope D., Suraiyah A., Arjun P.
• 5th Grade: Olamiji O., Hope M., Gloria V.

Swansfield Book Drive

Our book drive ends this coming Monday, October 19.  We are collecting donations of gently used children’s books to help foster the love of reading for Swansfield students. Books should be suitable for children ages 4-12 and can include picture books, levelled readers, story books and chapter books. Please drop off your donations in the school vestibule or in the Pointer’s Run community at 6440 Mellow Wine Way. We have had a wonderful response and can’t thank our community enough for your support!

Poster Contest

The Howard County Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission is holding an elementary school poster contest. The contest is open to all Howard County elementary school students and the deadline to submit is October 30, 2020.  Please see the attached flier for more information.

MLK Jr Poster Contest 

Social Emotional Learning