Important Dates:
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Monday, May 10 - Last Day to Complete Climate Survey (see more below)
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Wednesday, May 12 - MAP Testing: Reading (see more below)
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Wednesday, May 12 - Science Fair Videos Due (see more below)
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Thursday, May 13 - Schools Closed for Students
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Monday, May 17 - PE Field Week Begins (see more below)
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Wednesday, May 19 - MAP Testing: Math (see more below)
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Wednesday, May 19, & Thursday, May 20 - Virtual Science Fair (see more below)
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Thank You!
Our teachers and all staff extend their deepest gratitude for all the love shown them this past week in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. It is truly our honor to work at Swansfield with your children, and we value our partnership with families as probably one of the most important components to student success. Thank you always for your outstanding support that carries us through good times and challenging ones as well. Here’s to ending the school year Swansfield Strong!
Last Day To Complete Swansfield Climate Survey Is Next Monday
Would you like to be entered into a drawing for a FREE gift card to Target? As Swansfield continues our work toward developing a Restorative Justice culture, we are asking families to provide valued input on our progress by completing a 20-minute survey (see more information HERE). All families who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for a FREE Target gift card. We appreciate everyone taking the time to do this! If you were not able to complete by attending a Google Meet this past week, you can complete the survey independently using the following link:
Survey Link: https://www.research.net/r/ceea-parent
Survey ID: Swan45
MAP Testing
On Wednesday, May 12, and Wednesday, May 19, students in grades 1-5 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) 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 as we get closer to the May 12th date.
MAP Test Times (Reading, 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.
Kids Heart Challenge
Our annual Kids Heart Challenge fundraiser for the American Heart Association ends today and has been a great success. We are grateful to everyone for your support! Student Joshua Codrington, in a loving tribute, participated this year in honor of his mother’s cousin, Debbie Castro, who passed away from heart disease several years ago. We know many families have been affected by someone suffering from heart disease and honor everyone’s memories.
Field Week Coming Soon
PE teachers Mr. Berry and Mr. Winder are very excited to announce that starting 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!
Science Fair Videos Due Next Wednesday
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. Please visit HERE for further information if you need guidance making or uploading your video.
Please remember that all science fair videos are due online by Wednesday, May 12th and should be no more than 2.5 minutes. Each grade has its own Flipgrid page for uploading project videos, outlined below. The videos will be kept private until the science fair.
You can access your grade by using the passcode Swans2021, or your inst.hcpss.org account, or a gmail account. Videos will be moderated and revealed during our Google Meet sessions the night of the fair so that we can all watch together.
This Science Fair Workshop Video provides students with guidance about working through the scientific method including coming up with a research question, writing a hypothesis, designing an experimental procedure and collecting and presenting data.
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). We hope to see you at the fair!
FREE Virtual Parent Cafe
Please see the attached flier for information regarding upcoming Parent Cafés 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.
Henry Louis Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. He spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL). Aaron is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His 755 career home runs broke the long-standing MLB record set by Babe Ruth, and stood for 33 years. Hank Aaron still holds many other MLB batting records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least 15 times.
Read Aloud: “Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way” by Peter Gollenbock and Paul Lee
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: Aiden C
- Kindergarten: Vince S, Reagile B, Daayquon D
- 1st Grade: William L, Christian E, Seth G, Teagan S
- 2nd Grade: Deshay S, Jasmine D, Ellie M, Cataleya I, Briella T
- 3rd Grade: Madison C, Logan J, Bella F, Gabriel R, Axelle A
- 4th Grade: Sam P, Johann J, Aurora M, Josiah P
- 5th Grade: Jahaziel S, Diamond G, Josthin A, Alexa J
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:
- Friday to Sunday, May 7-9: Dessert Night at Rita's (see more below)
- Friday, May 21: Monthly PTA Meeting. Registration details to follow.
It's Dessert Night at Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard of Harper's Choice! Enjoy summer time treats and support the PTA, every day from noon until 9:00 PM, now through this Sunday, May 9th. Show them THIS FLYER) and Swansfield will receive 20% of the proceeds!
Mark your calendar for the May monthly PTA meeting, Friday, May 21st. Social hour starts at 6:30 PM, and the meeting kicks off at 7:00 PM. Registration details coming soon!
Please help support our staff and students by checking out this Amazon Wish List. Any items donated will be greatly appreciated.
Community News and Programs
In response to community requests for resources, the HCPSS Community News and Programs website makes it easy for families to find educational and recreational resources, events and after-school programs beyond the school day by non-profit organizations.
Community organizations requesting their announcements be shared in school newsletters should visit community-programs.hcpss.org for more information. Questions should be directed to the Public Information Office at publicinfo@hcpss.org.