Swansfield Newsletter 12/14/18

Mon, 12/17/2018 - 3:39pm

Look For Your Child's Interim Report

Kindergarten Students Visit the Howard County Library

4th, 5th Grade Students Can Sign Up For Spelling Bee

Enjoy Winter Break...See you January 2

Upcoming Events:

  • Wednesday December 19: Interim Reports Go Home

  • Wednesday December 19: Kindergarten Library Field Trip for Ms. Barrett, Ms. Gordon and Mrs. Rooths' classes

  • Thursday December 20: Kindergarten Library Field Trip for Ms. Bezilla and Ms. Lichliter's classes

  • Monday December 24 through Tuesday January 1: Schools Closed for Winter Break

  • Wednesday January 2: Schools Reopen

  • Monday January 7: 4th Grade Spelling Bee, 3:30 pm (see more below)

  • Monday January 7: Hoops for Heart Fundraiser Begins

  • Tuesday January 8: 5th Grade Spelling Bee, 3:30 pm (see more below)

  • Tuesday January 8: Pre-K Coral Reef Scavenger Hunt, 3:30 pm

  • Wednesday January 9: PTA Kindergarten Family Evening, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

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Spelling Bee For 4th and 5th Grade Students

Interested 4th and 5th grade students are invited to participate in their team spelling bees. Grade four will host their first-round team spelling bee at 3:30 pm on Monday, January 7, and grade five will host their team spelling bee at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, January 8.  In order to participate in these spelling bees, students must return a signed permission slip by Thursday, January 3.  Interested students can get a copy of the permission slip and word study list from Mrs. DiVenti. The top five spellers from each grade level, a total of ten students altogether, will then compete in the school spelling bee on January 18th.   Hope to s-e-e you there!

Student Seminars for 2nd, 4th and 5th Grade Students

Parents of 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade students, seminar applications went home in the Monday folders.  Please encourage your child to join!  Applications are attached below.  Seminars are one day per week during recess.

  • 2nd grade Computer Coding seminar meets Wednesdays (Benz/Wang) and Fridays (Dapko/Sherfey)
  • 4th grade Trout in the Classroom seminar meets Wednesdays
  • 5th grade You Can Do The (Rubik's) Cube seminar meets on Mondays

A new 3rd grade seminar, Engineering Bridges, will be starting in February.

2nd Grade Coding Application.docx 

4th Grade Trout in the Classroom Application.docx 

5th Grade Rubiks Cube Application.docx 

Hoops For Heart

We will be kicking off our annual Hoops for Heart fundraiser for the American Heart Association on January 7th. This year we will be working on basketball skills during the fundraiser, focusing also on the new Kids Heart Challenge. If you would like to get a head start please visit our school's webpage at http://www2.heart.org/goto/seshfh2019

This year's event will continue through February 2. Any donations collected locally and NOT online should be turned in by that date.

Thank you for supporting our school and the American Heart Association!

Free Winter Break Meals December 27-28

The Howard County Public School System is collaborating with the Howard County Department of Community Resources and Services, the Howard County Library System and the Community Action Council of Howard County to provide nutrition for children in need during the winter school break. Free meals will be offered at two Howard County locations on Thursday, December 27 and Friday, December 28.

Lunches will be served from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm on both days at the following locations:

  • The Bain 50+ Center – 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia
  • Howard County Library System East Columbia Branch – 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia

All children under 18 years of age will receive a free meal. There are no application requirements or cost to families.

Do You Have A Baby Or Young Child Age 4 Or Under In Your Home?

Would you like your child to receive one FREE BOOK, EACH MONTH, until age 5?

Swansfield has been selected to participate in Read with Me, a partnership between HCPSS, Bright Minds, the Howard County Early Childhood Advisory Council, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Any baby or young child age 4 or under who lives in the Swansfield Elementary area can participate. One book each month will be mailed directly to your child.

If you would like to sign up or learn more, stop by the school or contact Deborah Slater at Swansfield at 410-313-6907 or deborah_slater@hcpss.org.

Finding Information About School Closings/Delays

If it is necessary for the superintendent to close or delay the start of HCPSS schools due to inclement weather or other emergencies, information will be shared with the community through the following:

  • HCPSS homepage https://www.hcpss.org/
  • HCPSS News email and text message alerts. Parents do not have to sign up for this service. All subscription information comes directly from the HCPSS Connect system. If you don't receive school emails/text alerts, please call us.
  • HCPSS Information Hotline – 410-313-66Twitter – @hcpss
  • Facebook – Howard County Public School System
  • HCPSS cable TV – Comcast 95/Verizon 42

If Howard County public schools open two hours late, there is no morning Pre-Kindergarten/RECC. If schools are closed, or closed early due to weather conditions, all after-school and evening activities, both school and non-school, scheduled in school facilities are canceled.

Congratulations Spotlight Winners

We congratulate our Spotlight Winners for the past few weeks.  These students have demonstrated they follow our school rules and are Safe, Respectful and Responsible.
  • Pre-K: Emerson V, Oscar O, Mackenzie A, Harper W
  • Kindergarten: Claire R, Malaun J, Raegan B, Jordan P, Ritta B, Dimitri B, Aston H, Gideon M, Jason S, Amira H
  • 1st Grade: Celia P, Cason L, Lea Z, Yu'e N, Zoen W, Sadia R, Gabriel V, Lea Z, Matthew O, Kelsey E
  • 2nd Grade:  Juan C, Tyrelle D, RonanT, Daeja P, Kevin V, Rakeb A, Jamen B, Mason S
  • 3rd Grade:  Jabria J, Kinley A, Johan W, Grayson S, Priscilla H, Anthony G, Rafael B
  • 4th Grade:  Arrie S, Brandon S, Trinity T, Priya B, Eve-Wallen S, Kayden R, Jayden W, Jae J
  • 5th Grade:  Syon B, Leslie R, Joseph O, Isabelle L, Amiya S, Mariela C, Mursal N, Myles S

Visitor Procedures

Howard County Public School System welcomes visitors to our schools. To limit interruptions and distractions to teaching and learning and to maximize safety for all, persons who wish to visit a school are asked to comply with the following procedures:

  • Anyone wishing to visit the school building during the school day should call the front office and pre-register for an appointment prior to the date of the visit. Absent an emergency, requests to meet with a classroom teacher or other staff member should be made at least 24-hours in advance to allow staff sufficient time to make arrangements for substitute coverage, as necessary.
  • Visitors dropping off items for a student in the front office, and who will not otherwise be proceeding into the school building, may do so without being required to sign in.
  • All other visitors must provide their identification and sign in on a visitor register in the front office upon arriving at school before proceeding to any other part of the school building.
  • Once signed in, the visitor will be issued a school-produced visitor badge, which must be displayed at all times while the visitor remains in the school building.
  • Visitors must remain in approved areas only and at all times act in a manner appropriate to the orderly operation of the school and the learning environment. Any visitor who engages in uncooperative or disruptive behavior will be required to leave the premises immediately.

We appreciate your cooperation as we work together to build a safe and productive learning environment for all our students.

FARMs Program Provides Many Benefits For Eligible Families

The Free and Reduced-Priced Meals (FARMs) program provides access to an array of services for qualified families including free and reduced-priced breakfasts and lunches, free SAT and ACT registration, free tuition to take college courses at Howard Community College while still enrolled in high school, free college applications, reduced AP exam fees, reduced costs for a number of services provided by Howard County Rec and Parks, Columbia Association and Comcast, and much more. Visit the HCPSS website for more information and to apply.

Volunteers/Chaperones Must Complete Training

All volunteers and field trip chaperones in HCPSS schools must complete the online training course prior to volunteering (see link below), print a completion certificate and return it to the front office. If you are unable to access online a printed version is available at school.

Please Update Your Emergency Card In Family File

HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. By now parents/guardians should have verified and/or updated information for each child.  If you haven't done so already, please log in to HCPSS Connect, select the Family File tab and then click on Family File.  Instructions are available online.

Connect With Our PTA

Learn more about upcoming PTA activities, how you can get involved, and even join the PTA if you haven't done so already.  Visit http://swansfieldpta.org/

Visit http://swansfieldpta.org/newsletters/ to catch up on all things PTA.

Community News and Programs

Please visit the Community News and Programs page at http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/ for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.