Important Dates:

•  

  Monday, May 17 to Friday, May 21 - Spirit Week (see more below)

• Monday, May 17 to Monday, May 24 - PE Field Week (see more below)

• Wednesday, May 19 - MAP Testing: Math (see more below)

• Wednesday, May 19, & Thursday, May 20 - Virtual Science Fair. Use Google Meet Code: SES-ScienceFair (see more below)

• Thursday, May 27 - PTA Meeting

• Monday, May 31 - Schools Closed, Memorial Day

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Spirit Week Kicks Off With Pajama Day Monday

Join us next week as we show our School Spirit!  Everyone can participate whether you are learning from home or are in school.  Share your picture with us on Twitter @hcpss_ses with the hashtag #SwanSpirit.  See the attached flier for more information.

• Monday, May 17 - Pajama Day
• Tuesday, May 18 - Sports Team Day
• Wednesday, May 19 - Workout Wednesday
• Thursday, May 20 - Crazy Hair and Socks Day
• Friday, May 21 - School Spirit(wear) Day

SES Spirit Week.pdf 

Field Week Begins Monday

PE teachers Mr. Berry and Mr. Winder are very excited to announce that starting this coming Monday,May 17th, Swansfield will be hosting our 2nd annual PE Field Week. Similar to Field Day, there will be a variety of events for students to participate in during the week.  Between May 17th and May 24th, both in-person and virtual students will participate in Field Week during their PE classes. More information about specific events will be shared through Canvas by your child’s PE teacher! Please reach out to the PE team if you have any questions!

MAP Testing Continues Next Wednesday

On Wednesday, May 19, students in grades 1-5 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) Math assessment. The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure your child’s learning progress. The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. It is normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly.  To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit HERE.

The tests will be offered per the schedule below. If your child is unable to attend, makeup testing is planned for Wednesday, May 26. Teachers will share Google Meet information and your student’s testing group.

MAP Test Times (Math, and Make-up):

• Grades 1-2:   9:15-10:45am
• Grades 3-5:   9:15-10:15am and 10:45-11:15am

Parents/Guardians Please Provide Input for Next School Year

Hard to believe we are beginning planning for next school year!  Parents/Guardians, please feel free to complete this Consideration Card before June 1 to share information about your child that will help us plan for their schooling in the 2021-22 school year.

Join Us Next Wednesday And Thursday For The Virtual Science Fair!

The Virtual Swansfield Science Fair will take place on Wednesday, May 19th, from 6:30-7:30pm for students in grades K-2 and Thursday, May 20th, from 6:30 - 7:30pm for students in grades 3-5.  Use google meet code SES-ScienceFair for both nights.  Come support your classmates as they share their exciting science fair projects!  Students who submitted videos will have a chance to answer questions about their science experiments.  We are looking forward to two great evenings of science!

If you have any questions, please email your Science Fair PTA Co-Chairs, Amy Becker (amybreebecker@gmail.com) or Debbie Goldberg (debbie.s.goldberg@gmail.com).

TItle I Surveys

We would appreciate it if all families would complete two surveys regarding our Title I funding and programming to help us plan for next year. Both surveys are linked below and must be completed by Friday, May 21st. Thank you in advance for taking the time to do this.
 
Swansfield End of Year Title I Survey
HCPSS Title I Parent, Family, and Community Involvement Input Survey

Media Books Due Back To School No Later Than June 1

Swansfield families, our Media staff must complete a full inventory prior to the end of the school year.  To accomplish this, all books checked out by students must be returned by June 1.  Thank you in advance for your help with this.

Swansfield Students Win Earth Day Prize For Our School

To celebrate Earth Day last month, Meadows Farms Nurseries in Burtonsville decided to give away a tree to one local school, selected from among pictures or paintings submitted by students inspired by trees or Earth Day.  Four Swansfield students submitted entries.  Two were third grade students who had recently completed a social studies unit on Environmental Literacy.  Swansfield is proud to recognize these students whose submissions won the tree for our school.  The nursery has scheduled to plant the tree here next Thursday, May 20th.  Thank you to Seth Goldberg (1st), Nora Goldberg (3), Emma McGeogh (K) and Karen McGeogh (3) for your efforts for our school and  planet!

FREE Virtual Parent Cafe

Please see the attached flier for information regarding Parent Cafés being held next week that are sponsored by the HCPSS Office of Early Childhood and Title I Office in collaboration with the Maryland Family Network.  Advance registration is required.  Participants will share ideas that can help parents take care of themselves and their families and raise strong, happy children.

Parent Cafe Invitation_May2021.pdf 

Welcome To The BSAP Corner

Black Student Achievement Program (BSAP) Liaison Tamekah Wilkins shares inspiring stories. You can follow Swansfield BSAP on Instagram @ses_bsap.

Ella Fitzgerald, dubbed "The First Lady of Song," was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime (1917-1996) she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. She is widely recognized for her vocal talents, which included an impressively wide vocal range partnered with a uniquely sweet voice and a whimsical flair to her singing. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra.  Her journey from her humble beginnings to her rise to stardom is truly a tale of success, heart, passion, love, and perseverance. 
 
Fitzgerald was awarded the National Medal of Arts by United States President Ronald Reagan, and during her life received many other prestigious awards recognizing her artistry. In 1991, she gave her final concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. Several of Fitzgerald's awards, significant personal possessions, and documents are now housed in several libraries across the country including the Smithsonian Institution.

Read Aloud: “Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa” by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Kindergarten & Pre-Kindergarten Registration Underway for School Year 2021-22

Kindergarten Registration for next school year is now being conducted ONLINE (scroll down to the green Begin Online Registration link). Students must be five years old by September 1, 2021 to register. If your child will be attending Kindergarten in the fall, please visit the HCPSS Getting Ready for Kindergarten page, which includes resources to support kindergarten readiness. 

Applications for the Pre-K Program are also being accepted ONLINE (scroll down to the green Begin Online Registration link).  Children must be four years old by September 1, 2021 to attend.

Please call the school front office at 410-313-6907 with any questions.  

Learning Together Program Prekindergarten Applications Being Accepted

Applications are now being accepted for the Swansfield Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) prekindergarten program for the upcoming 2021-22 school year.  This class includes children with and without disabilities.  The program’s focus is helping all children develop communication, literacy, math, problem solving, motor, and social skills.  Parents of children who will be 3 years old by September 1, 2021 may learn more about the program by reviewing the attached Learning Together Program (LTP) Flier. If you need assistance with the application, please contact Early Intervention Services at earlyinterventionservcies@hcpss.org or call 410-313-7017. If you have any additional questions about our program, please contact RECC teacher Nancy Barsoum at nancy_barsoum@hcpss.org.

LearningTogetherFlier.pdf 

Visitor Protocol Across School System

Visitors are not permitted under HCPSS Infectious Disease Plan. Exceptions are made for emergency services, contractors, and special situations. Facility special visitors will be limited and should occur by scheduled appointment only. No walk-in visitors are permitted. As much as possible, appointments to meet with parents and customers should be accommodated via telephone, video conference, or other suitable technology. When a face-to-face visit is necessary, the school or office must schedule an appointment time with the visitor and follow set steps outlined on page 23 of the Bridge to Normalized Instruction.

When guidelines once again allow for in-person volunteers and/or visitors, the attached form must be completed to document visitors interacting with our learning environment.

School Visitation Form.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 Hope:

• Pre-K: Christine C
• Kindergarten: Norelie B, Varun S, Keonah B
• 1st Grade: Oscar O, Praise O, Zaiyd S, Jeylan K
• 2nd Grade: Elyse K, Laith A, Gideon M, Amelia M
• 3rd Grade: Madeleine B, Kamerin A, Lexee M, Makhai B, Victoria G
• 4th Grade: Omar W, Isabella K, Jesus C, Caylee S
• 5th Grade: Zhiyah C, Arianna A, Toni A, Grayson S

Staying Connected

Swansfield and HCPSS frequently send updated information to parents/guardians via email and text. Please be sure that your Family File is up-to-date and that you have opted into text messages to ensure you receive all messages. To opt into texts, text “yes” to 67587 from the cell phone listed in your Family File. If you need assistance updating your Family File, please contact our front office at 410-313-6907. If your Family File is updated and you have opted into texts, but are still not receiving messages, please fill out this form or contact the Swansfield front office.

PTA News

Upcoming Dates:

• Thursday, May 27: Monthly PTA Meeting

NEW DATE!  Please mark your calendar for the May monthly PTA meeting, which has moved to Thursday, May 27th.  Social hour starts at 6:30pm and the meeting kicks off at 7:00pm. Registration details coming soon!

Community News and Programs