Important Dates:

• Wednesday Evenings - Please Note Virtual Storytime Is Canceled November 25 And Will Resume December 2

• Monday & Tuesday, November 23 & 24 - Parent/Teacher Conferences.  Early Dismissal (see more below)

• November 25, 26 & 27 - Schools Closed

• Monday, November 30 - Coffee & Conversation With Admin & PTA President, 7-8pm (see more below)

• Wednesday, December 2 - Deadline For Entries For Young Authors' Contest ( see more below)

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As we end this week and look ahead to conferences and some well-deserved time off, we can appreciate how far we have come this school year and all that we have accomplished working together as a school community.  Our children are our guiding light, and our future. It takes a village...and with that thought we are eternally grateful for everyone in our community who supports us and lifts us up in our work. Please continue to be safe, take care of each other, and enjoy your time off!

Parent/Teacher Conferences November 23 & 24.

Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Monday, November 23, and Tuesday, November 24, following early dismissal for students.  

Logging Into Your Parent/Teacher Conference Using Google Meet

Parents/Guardians, please review the information below to be prepared to join your parent/teacher conference next Monday or Tuesday.  Please remember that all conferences must start and end on time to allow teachers to stay on schedule.

• To prevent “overlap” of conferences, teachers will be using Google Meet room joining security features. You may have to wait to be admitted into the Google Meet room.

• Conference Google Meet Codes: You received the meeting code for your conference in Synergy when you signed up for a conference. You will receive a reminder email with the room code from the Synergy system a few days before your conference.  Be sure to save this email/code.

• You may log in to your conference with either your personal google email or your student’s login.

Need help on the day/evening of conferences?  Staff are available to help on a google meeting between the hours of 1:10pm and 7:10pm.  Log in using your child's student account and meeting code: SES-tech-support.

GT Primary Talent Development For Grades K and 1

The Gifted and Talented Office is pleased to offer the Primary Talent Development program for the second quarter.  Mrs. DiVenti or Ms. Malcotti have already presented the synchronous lesson to all of the students in kindergarten and first grade. There are optional asynchronous activities posted on the grade level homepage, along with the slides from the lesson.  The optional activities will be available throughout the semester and may be completed on your own time.   If you have any questions, please email marolene_malcotti@hcpss.org or tara_diventi@hcpss.org.

Young Authors’ Contest

The Young Authors' Contest has begun! This contest is for students in grades 1-5 who like to write short stories and/or poems in their free time.  The contest begins at Swansfield where students will compete with their classmates for the best short story and poem. One winner from each category will be selected at each grade level to compete at the Howard County level. Winners from Howard County will then go on to compete at the Maryland State level.  
 
Students in grades 1-5 have received the guidelines, cover sheet, and writing rubric for the contest. Please have your child save his or her story as a WORD document and email it to keynora_greenwood@hcpss.org by the deadline of December 2, 2020.  If you have any questions, please contact one of our reading specialists. The cover sheet and a flier with more information can be found on the Swansfield website.

Coffee & Conversation with Admin & PTA President

Please join the Swansfield Administration and PTA President for a Google Meet Coffee & Conversation on Monday, November 30, from 7-8pm.  This will be an opportunity for us to answer any questions you submitted in the survey that was sent out previously.  If you have a question you still would like to submit, it isn’t too late. Submit your question HERE. Please log in with your child’s credentials using the code: SES-Admin-PTA.  We look forward to seeing you!

Information For Parents Of Children With IFSP/IEP

Do you have a child with an IFSP or IEP? The HCPSS Family Support and Resource Center (FSRC) offers a weekly email just for you! FSRC communications include helpful workshops, resources and community information specifically geared to supporting your journey. Parents of children with an IFSP/IEP should already be receiving the weekly communication. If not, please email FSRC@hcpss.org so we can include your contact information in our database. You can also email specific questions.

School Counseling Monthly Newsletter

Please find attached a monthly newsletter that shares helpful information about various programs and efforts to improve student success through school counseling programs.
 
The School Counseling Connection.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 Self-Control:

• Preschool/Pre-K: Deon'A B, Ramon R
• Kindergarten: Norelie B, Juliana D, Javin A, Raquel S
• 1st Grade: Winton B, Emmanuel K, Laney D, Yaseen F
• 2nd Grade: Finn B, Jordan P, Samuel S, Londyn B, Skai T
• 3rd Grade: Ramiya W, Anna D, Logan C, Aya K, Troy S
• 4th Grade: Isabella K, Julia K, Jared C, Christian C
• 5th Grade: Lucas A, Aaron A, Anthony M

Title I Compact

Swansfield is a Title I Schoolwide Program school. Title I is a federally funded program designed to close achievement gaps and ensure all children have an opportunity to access a high quality education by providing funding for supplemental academic services and support.  A Family-School Compact & Plan is an agreement between families, students, and teachers that is jointly developed and distributed to all families. It explains how families, students, and teachers will work as a team to make sure all students meet with success and get the support they need to achieve grade level goals.  The Swansfield Family School Compact and Calendar of Events can be found on the Swansfield Title I website. If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher at your upcoming parent teacher conference.  If you have any input or feedback, please contact deborah_slater@hcpss.org or patricia_schuit@hcpss.org.  

New Digital Tools Available For Students

HCPSS students can now access a new set of supplemental digital tools for virtual instruction that are available only through Google’s menu of additional services. However, parental consent is required before the students can access. Please see this News Post on our school website for further information and directions for granting consent and accessing these tools for your students.

#SwanFamily Staff Shout Outs