Message from Administration
Dear SES Families,
We want to thank each of you for an amazing first week of school. While we had some challenges with bus transportation to begin the week, we were able to iron things out by the end of the week. In moments such as this a community can either be divided or come together. In true SES style, our staff and community came together, and we were able to create the very best for our students. Most of our week focused on community building and setting the expectations for the school year. Next week will be focused on learning more about the academic strengths of our learners.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to the admin team with questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Anthony J Esposito, Principal
Important Dates
- September 4th - Off
- September 8th – PTA Back to School Picnic @ 5:30pm
- September 15th - Off
- September 20th - Standards Based Instruction & Reporting Info Session @ 5:30pm
- September 20th - PTA Meeting @ 6:30pm
- September 25th - Off
New Information
Standards Based Instruction & Reporting Information Session
The SES administration team will host an information session for ALL K – 2nd grade families focused on the new report card for our primary grades. This is an opportunity for families to get an overview of the new report card and to ask questions. We will meet in the Media Center from 5:30 – 6:30pm on Wednesday, September 20th. We encourage all families to stay for the PTA meeting which immediately follows the information session.
In need of clothing
Parents, we are in need of new or gently used clothing for students who have accidents or spills during the school day. Please send in the extra clothing and label the bag "clothes for the front office". We are especially in need of underwear. Thank you so much!
Parent Communication
HCPSS uses both text messages and email to communicate important and time-sensitive information, including bus delays and emergency closings. Parents/guardians are automatically enrolled for email notification; however all users must opt in one time to receive texts by texting “yes” to 67587 from the mobile number listed in their Family File. If you are not receiving HCPSS or school emails/texts, please contact your school’s front office.
Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, and Intimidation
The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all students. Preventing bullying is an important part of this goal. HCPSS Policy 9460 states that bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and intimidation are prohibited in HCPSS. The BCHI Reporting Form should be used to report all alleged incidents of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and intimidation that occur at school or have a connection back to the school setting that create a risk of harm to other students while they are at school, or interfere with the educational environment. An online version is available and can easily and confidently be used by students, staff, and family members. Hard copies of this form are available in the main office, staff workroom, school counseling office, media center, and health services office. If you believe that a student has been bullied, please complete and submit this form as soon as possible.
Once the form is submitted, school administrators will ensure the parent/guardian of both the alleged target and alleged offender are aware of the report and will begin an investigation within two school days of receiving the report. Parents/guardians can expect a school administrator to reach out to them during the investigation. Once the investigation is completed, parents/guardians will be provided written notice of the outcome of the investigation within fifteen days of receiving the complaint, excluding extenuating circumstances.
We want to take a moment to specifically lift up cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying using electronic media like computers, cell phones, and game systems. Our digital interconnectedness makes bullying different and more damaging than it’s ever been before. It allows hatred and publicly humiliating gossip or photos to be instantly far-reaching and inescapable as electronic media is everywhere. It can NOT simply be ignored. In October 2013, the State of Maryland enacted Grace’s Law, making misuse of interactive computer services a criminal offense. Its purpose is to prohibit anyone from using electronic media (computers, tablets, phones, etc.) to maliciously engage in conduct that inflicts serious emotional distress on a minor and/or places that minor in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury. A person who is found guilty of violating this law is subject to imprisonment and/or fines. While this will be reviewed with students at school, we are asking you to do the same at home. Thank you for your partnership.
More information can be found on the HCPSS Stop Bullying website. If you have any questions regarding this policy or its implementation, please contact a school administrator.
Title I
Family Needs Survey
We want to hear from you! How can Swansfield support your family? What do you need? Please complete this quick google form: https://forms.gle/VDzJZKwmqmjz3dCy9
PTA News
New Back to School Picnic: Friday, September 8th
Come out to the Swansfield playground on Friday, September 8 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. for our Back to School Picnic! Families old and new to the Swan community will have a chance to get to know each other while relaxing outside. The PTA will provide water, snacks, and popsicles. Bring a chair or blanket and dinner for the family or save yourself some trouble and preorder pizza to be delivered right to the event! Order a large cheese pizza for $9 or a large pepperoni pizza for $10. Preorders are open until noon on September 6 and can be placed here: https://swansfield.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true. If you have questions, reach out to membership@swansfieldpta.org.
¡Venga a disfrutar de conocer a otros en la Familia Swan (Cisne) en el picnic de regreso a la escuela de Swansfield el viernes 8 de septiembre de 5:30 a 7:30 pm! Traiga una silla o una manta y la cena para la familia o ahórrese algunos problemas y ordene por adelantado pizza ($9 por pizza queso o $10 por pizza pepperoni). Los pedidos anticipados están abiertos hasta el 6 de septiembre y se pueden realizar aquí: https://swansfield.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true
First PTA Meeting: Wednesday, September 20th
Join us for the first PTA meeting of the school year on Wednesday, September 20 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. We will approve the budget and plan for the upcoming school year. The first 30 minutes will be an opportunity for members of the community to get to know each other, and the business meeting will start at 7 p.m. Child care will be provided.
Membership
It’s the first week of the school year - that means it is time for our new families to join and our returning families to renew your Swansfield PTA membership! The PTA has planned a year of exciting programming including the upcoming Back to School Picnic on September 8, Fall Festival, Winter Bingo, Family Culture Night, and many more! We need YOUR support to make that happen - please take a few minutes to join the PTA!
Each individual voting membership is only $5, and you can quickly and easily join online: https://swansfield.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true. Just select your association with the Swansfield community (parent, grandparent, staff, etc.), provide your information and payment and you will be good to go! For multiple family members, please add each individual to your cart before checking out.
The majority of your membership fees go to the state and national PTA organizations. Only $0.75 stays with us. We count on additional support from our community to bring you the full slate of PTA programming. If your personal situation allows, we would welcome additional contributions: https://swansfield.memberhub.com/store/items/745451
What are your donations used for? The infographic above illustrates the impact of PTA funding during the 2022-2023 school year. Thank you for your support and helping us to do great things for our school community!
Connect with the PTA!
For the latest news and event updates, follow the PTA on Facebook: Swansfield Elementary School PTA | Facebook (please request to join the group and answer a few short questions to help us keep this group secure), or visit us online: www.swansfieldpta.org
Reminders
New School Meals & Payment Info for Families
HCPSS no longer will use Nutrislice for school menus or MySchoolBucks for meal payments. LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows families to view breakfast and lunch menus, make online meal payments, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more. Details and information are available online.
FARMS Forms
Many HCPSS families are eligible to participate in the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program, which provides children with a wide range of benefits including free or discounted college tuition, testing and application fees, academic and athletic program fees and many others in addition to free or discounted meals. SES (Swansfield Elementary School) has a grant that allows ALL students to receive free breakfast and lunch for the 22-23 school year.
In addition, SES is a Title I school; this means we receive extra funds to support learning. Although all our students will receive free breakfast and lunch during the 22-23 school year, we still need families to complete the FARMS application. We use these funds for additional staff, family programming, student activities and much more. Our Title I status is based on the percentage of families who qualify for FARMS.
Families are urged to check their eligibility and complete a FARMs application as soon as possible. Families must submit a new application every school year.
Details on the Free and Reduced Meals program, including a link to apply, are available online.
Please contact the front office if you have any questions or need assistance with applying for the Free and Reduced Meal Program.
