Good Afternoon Swansfield,
I hope everyone is enjoying the day off. Staff here at SES are engaged in professional learning. We want to thank all of our families that joined us for parent teacher conferences this week. The staff was excited to share the progress students are making. A special shout out to our wonderful PTA for hosting a Panera lunch for staff on Wednesday. It was such a nice treat!
We also want to thank our families that joined us for our awards assemblies this week. We wrap up our awards assemblies on Monday, February 12th with grades 2 & 3.
Have a great weekend! ~ Anthony J Esposito, Principal
Important Dates
- February 12th - Q2 Awards Grade 2: 9:00 & Grade 3: 2:15
- February 15th - Science Fair
- February 19th - Schools and Offices closed
- February 22nd - Black History Trivia Night
- March 1: 5th Grade Baby Pictures Due (upload for SES Yearbook - see details below)
New Information
Kindness Week
Coming Up: Black History Trivia Night
We encourage all families to come to our SES Black History Trivia Night on Thursday, February 22nd! Enjoy delicious soul food for dinner, 5:30-6:00. Then, test your knowledge and compete against other SES families in Black History Trivia, 6:00-7:30. No preparation is needed, but if you’re in it to win it, then feel free to check out our Topics Guide ahead of time. To secure your spot, RSVP here. Please RSVP by Monday, Feb. 12th so we can be sure to have enough food for all to enjoy.
Unheard Perspectives
The following students participated in the Unheard Perspectives Instructional Seminar. Students prepared presentations on the unheard impact of African Americans on our world.
- Leighton Hubard - Dr. Charles Drew, The Blood Man
- Shira Goldberg and Ssuubi Nsereko - Ruby Bridges, The Girl Who Changed Education
- Seth Goldberg and Emmanuel Kumchu - Arthur Ashe, The Boy Who Could Play Tennis
- Luke Holt and Tyler Ong - Dr. Daniel Hale, The Person Who Changed Health
- Laney Dalpe, Callie Johnson and Max Solomon - Valerie Tomas
- Saron Engdaw and Lillian Nichols - Madame CJ Walker, The Woman Who Changed Black Hair History
Congratulations to Leighton, Shira, Ssuubi, Seth, and Emmanuel who will represent Swansfield at the Unheard Perspectives Countywide Showcase at Hammond Middle School on February 24!
Swansfield Elementary School Spelling Bee
Seventeen 4th and 5th grade students participated in Swansfield Elementary’s School Spelling Bee. The 4th grade participants included Jiaan Arora, Yaseen Fahmy, Shira Goldberg, Leighton Hubard, Callie Johnson, Maxwell Medine, Hanna Mesfin, Ssuubi Nsereko, and Brandon Owaga. The 5th grade participants were Marilyn Aburam, Berkay Ates, Aghanwi Che, Bryan Gelinas, Mati Gemechis, Arnav Nigam, Meera Patel, and Christopher Stern. Congratulations to Aghanwi, Swansfield Elementary’s School Spelling Bee champion and to Arnav, SES’ 1st runner up! Aghanwi will represent Swansfield at the HCLS Spelling Bee on March 15th at Hammond High School. Congratulations to all of Swansfield’s fabulous spellers, and g-o-o-d l-u-c-k, Aghanwi!
PTA News
UPCOMING PTA EVENTS
- February 15: Science Fair
- March 1: 5th Grade Baby Pictures Due
- April 12: Family Culture Night
PTA NEWS & UPDATES
SWANSFIELD STUDENTS ADVANCE TO STATE COMPETITION
The Swansfield PTA is proud to announce that three of our Swans who entered the Reflections art competition will be advancing to the state competition by receiving awards at the county level!
Max Solomon (Grade 4) received the Award of Merit in Music Composition. Annika Sudarson (Grade 3) received the Award of Merit in Photography. Ssuubi Nsereko (Grade 4) received the Award of Merit in Literature. We congratulate these students on their success at the county level and wish them the best of luck in the state competition!
RESPONSE TO HCPSS BUDGET CUTS: PRACTICE SESSION OFFERED ANS SIGN UP FOR HEARINGS
The HCPSS Board of Education holds public hearings to gather feedback on and revise the operating budget. We hope you will join other Swansfield parents at these hearings to ensure that Swansfield’s needs are in the minds of the decision makers. Sign up to participate using this Sign Up Genius to ensure SES is represented (and allow us to know who to look for at the upcoming meetings - we will try to sit together)! If you have Swansfield colors or spirit wear, please come in your SES gear!
If you are interested in making your voice heard, you can sign up to testify at the Board of Education meeting on February 26: Public Participation in the Meetings of the Board of Education – HCPSS
For those testifying on the 26th, we will hold an optional virtual practice session on February 21 to provide an opportunity for practice and feedback from community members with experience testifying to the BOE.
Budget Testimony Practice Session
Wednesday, February 21 · 6:00 – 7:00pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/vpi-jgpe-dxp
Or dial: (US) +1 601-589-1191 PIN: 389 984 607#
FEB. 15 SCIENCE FAIR: VOLUNTEER JUDGES NEEDED
With close to 70 students participating in the SES Science Fair this year, we need help from parents and guardians to make sure the science fair can happen! We will need about 10 judges during each slot to make sure that all students will have a chance to present their projects and receive their award on the night of the fair, and need 2-3 more judges for each session of presentations.
Volunteer duties: Judges will receive a clipboard with the names of students they will judge and a list of suggested awards. The judge will find these students, ask them about their project and provide a participant ribbon with a special recognition written on it. Judges will have a chance to receive a brief orientation at 6:15pm along with a list of possible superlatives they can award to students. *Notes for those with students participating in the Science Fair: as there are time slots for student presentations, judges can choose to stay with their students during their student's time slot and circulate to judge during the other time slot. Your student is free to circulate with you as you judge.
Email Science Fair co-chairs Teryn Thomas and Jeanie Prescott to sign up to volunteer (or with any questions) at: jeanieprescott@gmail.com
Share Photos for our SES Yearbook
Is your student in 5th grade? We want a baby picture of your 5th grader to include in the Yearbook by March 1. Please use this link to access the community photos feature and upload your photos:
https://community.lifetouch.com/invite?code=SWANSFIELDPICS-24
YEARBOOK INVITE CODE (enter if prompted): SWANSFIELDPICS-24
You will be prompted to login to a Shutterfly account or use your Facebook credentials. You can either use your pre-existing account or use the generic PTA account below to add your photos to the Yearbook. To use the PTA account, enter the following login information:
Username: yearbookphotos@swansfieldpta.org
Password: Yearbookphotos2023
After logging in, select photos from your phone or computer. For each photo select one or more tags that can be attributed to your photo. Click on Begin Upload. We would love to get your photos of any school related events!
If you need assistance, email yearbook@swansfieldpta.org or membership@swansfieldpta.org.