Swansfield News: 12/16/20

Fri, 12/18/2020 - 2:19pm
  Swansfield Elementary School  
 

Important Dates:

  • Wednesday Evenings - Please Note Virtual Storytime Is Not Scheduled December 23 And Will Resume January 6

  • Monday, December 21 - Comfy & Cozy Day (see more below)

  • Tuesday, December 22 - Tacky Tuesday (see more below)

  • December 24 through January 3 - Schools/Offices Closed for Winter Break

  • Friday, January 8 - Talent Show Submissions Due (see more below)

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As we look ahead to next week and the upcoming Winter Break, our Swansfield Administration and Staff wish everyone good health, peace and joy in the coming year.  Please continue to practice safety measures to protect everyone.  We love our Swansfield community and look forward to coming together in person one day soon.  Take care!

Virtual Talent Show

Calling all talented SES students!  Do you have a special talent you would like to share?  We invite all students to participate in our first ever VIRTUAL TALENT SHOW!  Pre-recorded videos or photographs of our talented Swans will be available to view on a Google Meet on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at 7:00pm.

All submissions must meet the following criteria:

  1. Videos or photographs will be accepted.
  2. Videos should be an .mp4 or .mov format.
  3. Videos must be less than 2 minutes in length.
  4. Videos or photographs should be saved/named with your child’s full name and grade (example: Tony Smith Gr2).
  5. All videos or photographs must be appropriate for family members of all ages and follow all school rules.

How to submit your video or photograph:

  1. Submit HERE by Friday, January 8th.
  2. Students will receive a receipt of submission in their inbox by Monday, January 11th.
  3. If your child does not receive a receipt of submission, please email Alexa Narron at alexandra_narron@hcpss.org by the end of the day on January 12th.  This will help ensure there are no technical errors with submissions.

How will I know if my child’s video or photograph will be included in the talent show?

  1. All videos and photographs will be reviewed by staff.
  2. Students will receive confirmation that their videos or photographs will be included by Friday, January 15th.
  3. If for any reason a video or photograph cannot be included, a staff member will contact the parent directly to discuss the reason and work together to see if we can find another way to include your child.

We can’t wait to see the many talents of our #SwanFamily!

Young Authors' Contest

The Swansfield Reading Team would like to congratulate the following students for participating in the Young Authors' Contest.  We enjoyed reading all the creative poetry and short stories by these authors!    
 
First Grade - Short Stories:

  • Shira Goldberg
  • Seth Goldberg  
  • Max Solomon  
  • Leighton Hubard  

Third Grade - Short Stories:

  • Maya Llorens
  • Nora Goldberg
  • Logan Avrunin
  • Maxwell Sekerak  
  • Lexee Miller
  • Madeleine Brannigan  
  • Anika Bakshi  
  • Brandon Cheskis  
  • Hosea Fisseha  
  • Melina Bonsu  

Third Grade - Poetry:  

  • Juianna Tarhan  
  • Z’Khuriah Johnson  

4th Grade - Short Stories:  

  • Ronan Taylor  
  • Aurora Morrison  
  • Sam Potosky  
  • Jordan Solomon  
  • Alexandra Brown
  • Wabi Gemechis  
  • Adriana Ormond  
  • Julia Keegan  
  • Chloe Stewart  

4th Grade - Poetry:  

  • Olivia Lee   

Special congratulations to the following students recognized as our school’s Young Authors’ Contest winners this year:

  • 1st Grade Short Story: The Adventures of Chemey and Loop by Leighton Hubard  
  • 3rd Grade Short Story: The Biggest Day of My Life by Logan Avrunin   
  • 3rd Grade Poetry: I Am Thankful For by Julianna Tarhan  
  • 4th Grade Short Story: Sand, School, and The Salty Air by Jordan Solomon  
  • 4th Grade Poetry: Mac n Cheese  by Olivia Lee  

Upcoming School Spirit Days 

Please join us and help us celebrate our Swan Spirit!

  • December 21 - Comfy & Cozy Day!  Wear your pajamas all day!
  • December 22 Tacky Tuesday!  Wear your tackiest accessories or clothing!

Winter Break Meals Adjustments

Schools will be closed for winter break from Thursday, December 24, through Friday, January 1. To ensure children have access to essential nutrition during the holiday period, families may pick up additional meals in advance of the break. Pre-ordering will not be available for meals picked up December 21-23 or January 4-6. Learn more HERE.

HCC Kids on Campus

Howard Community College (HCC) Kids on Campus program provides enrichment education for youth ages 8 to 17. Topics include Art from Around the World, Roblox, Nature Explorers, Math enrichment, World Languages, and SAT Prep. HCC Kids on Campus has something for every interest! Upcoming available courses can be found HERE.  A limited number of scholarships are available for families who need financial aid. If you believe you may be eligible for financial aid, please complete the attached application and submit it via email to NoncreditFinAid@howardcc.edu as soon as possible.

KOC Financial Aid Application 2020-21 fillable.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: Aiden C
  • Kindergarten: Rhys C, Dylan S, Grayson K, Bethal F
  • 1st Grade: Barak K, Wongel A, Zaiyd S, Saron E
  • 2nd Grade: Rashid F, Simone D, Penelope A, Laith A, Christopher S
  • 3rd Grade: Andrew V, Kendell M, Makai R, Drew J, Maxwell S
  • 4th Grade: Vanessa U, Jackson D, Deshawn G, Adam G
  • 5th Grade: Braxton W, Tatiana M

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

Thank you to all of our students, parents and/or family members who have completed a shout out to an SES staff member already this school year.  Our teachers appreciate your kind words!  It’s not too late to submit a shout out if you have not already done so, or to send another one!  #SwanFamily Shout Out can be completed at any time!

Family File

If you have not already done so, please log in to www.hcpss.org/connect to complete or update your Family File as soon as possible. HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to provide emergency information.  If you are new to HCPSS you will establish your account and complete the Family File for the first time. If you are a returning student’s family, you must update the information every year. User guides are available HERE.

PTA News

Upcoming Dates:

  • Monday, December 21 - Social and General PTA Meeting from 6:30 - 8pm (more below)

SES Read-A-Thon - The 20/20 Read-A-Thon has officially closed. Thank you to our 26 student readers who participated. We're so proud of you! These students read for 14,739 minutes over the 20 days of the read-a-thon, and they raised $4,287 with $3,429 going to the PTA to help promote literacy at Swansfield.

The top 5 readers were:  

Jordan S - Ms. Heavens, 3,930 mins
Madeline- Ms. Benz, 1505 mins
Marcus-Ms. Heavens, 1,338 mins
Shira - Ms. Nelson, 1,051 mins
Jordan D - Ms. Heavens, 915 mins

The 5 classes with the greatest total of minutes read were:

Ms. Heavens: 6,993 minutes
Ms. Nelson: 2,445 minutes
Ms. Benz: 2,400 minutes
Mr. Byers: 757 minutes
Ms. Van Wyk: 704 minutes

PTA ZOOM Call - Please join us for our December PTA general membership meeting, Monday, December 21st, from 7:00 – 8:00pm. We will discuss events planned for upcoming months, provide a budget update, and review other regular business.

Plus, we are excited to add an extra half hour of informal social time before the meeting, from 6:30 – 7:00pm! Going forward we are adding this social time to our monthly meetings and/or at different times during the month to offer more opportunities for connections among the PTA community.

Schedule:
6:30 – 7:00pm: Informal social half hour for adults
7:00 – 8:00pm: December PTA meeting

Please register in advance (by 5 pm Monday, December 21st) for this meeting HERE.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Staff Appreciation - If you want to treat a staff member to something they’ll really like but don’t know where to start, take a look through the winter edition of Swansfield Staff Favorite Things! 

Staff Favorite Things Winter 2020 Edition.pdf 

5th Grade Families - The PTA School Support Committee is looking for 5th grade Parent Representatives. If you’re interested please email SES PTA VP for School Relations, Lizz Hammon (schoolrelations@swansfieldpta.org).

Be on the lookout for future correspondence from us with opportunities to get involved in upcoming events. If you are unable make it this month, we hope you can join us in 2021!

Happy Holidays! 
The Swanfield PTA

Community News and Programs

Please visit the Community News and Programs page for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.

 

Connect with Us:

 

Address
5610 Cedar Lane
Columbia, MD 21044

 

Phone
410-313-6907

 

Website
http://ses.hcpss.org/

 

Twitter
@hcpss_ses