I must confess it was hard to get back into the routine after such a long Spring Break! I am looking forward to this week when we get back in the groove and make the big push towards the end of the year! I can't believe school will be out in 2 months (June 10 is our last day!).
We hope everyone can attend our PTA meeting this Tuesday. Our amazing student teachers will be giving an informative presentation on EOGs. We will have testing this year. All the details are still being worked out but the testing period is always the last 10 days of the school year. So please don't schedule any appointments for your child on those days, if you can avoid it.
We know that many students went through another transition last week! We hope you are doing well and that this week you can get into a routine. Remember if you have any problems please contact your child's teacher or Mr. Propst ([email protected]).
Enjoy a full week!
Marie, Deb, Sarah, Dana, Lauren
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS WEEK
- TODAY, Sunday, April 11 3:00pm (weather permitting)
- Tuesday, April 13 6:30pm: April PTA meeting
1. Understanding EOGs
2. Officer nominations for 2021-22 school year
3. Upcoming Events
4. Principal's Report
Join the meeting using https://tinyurl.com/scesPTAMeet
or if that doesn't work try:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84647420301?pwd=TEJzbnlDOVRGQnIzMHVKc3BOaVJ0dz09
- Wednesday, April 14: Asynchronous School Day. All students will work from home. There is NO in-person instruction today.
- Thursday, April 15: Deadline to Submit Your Plastic Bags/Film for Trex Recycling Program. See article below
Autism Acceptance Spirit WEek
Here is a Virtual Library (from Mrs. Hill, our school psychologist) with books about Autism for kids to read.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Q89oflc3zZVvkCR7OJahqX0eRGlCGf_PWOzEFRmXZk0/present
THE POSITIVITY PROJECT
What It Means
You believe that all people have value. You approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect.
Why It Matters
For individuals, cultivating the character strength of fairness is correlated with highly desirable developmental outcomes. It helps people to become trustworthy friends, responsible citizens, and generally moral people.
Fairness is also essential for the good of the group. As individuals develop the capacity for moral reason they often find a strengthening of: the aptitude for self-reflection; self-awareness and self-confidence; and perspective taking (i.e. the ability to “put themselves in another’s shoes”).
For family resources, see the P2 website. The password is P2.
Did You Miss it? Assistant Principal Appreciation Week
We are so grateful for all that our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Smith, does for us. She has a GIANT heart and loves all our students. She is very supportive of our staff and their needs. She considers everyone in our school community party of her family and her kids attend Swift Creek as well.
Thank you, Mrs. Smith, for all you do!!!! We are grateful for YOU!
You can send Mrs. Smith a note at [email protected].
SEnd Your Child's Picture for the Yearbook
You can take the picture at home and send it to us, but you need to do it by April 18!
Here are the guidelines:
- White/Light Colored background
- Plain Background
- Take the picture 4 feet away and from the waist up.
Email the photo to [email protected] and/or [email protected] by April 18th with the Students name, Grade and Teacher.
Please help us get every child represented. If we don't have a picture for a student, we will still list them in the yearbook and use a cougar paw to indicate the missing picture.
ORDER YOUR yearbook!
Yearbooks can be purchased from TreeRing at tr5.treering.com/createAccount/1015281241841003
NOTE: We will NOT be ordering extra yearbooks so none will be available for sale at the school during the last week of school. If you want your child to have a yearbook during the last week of school, you must order NOW. After our sale ends on April 28, you can order a yearbook at any time through TreeRing and have it shipped directly to your house.
Do you want to donate to our Care & Share Program? This program helps the PTA purchase yearbooks for students in need. There are two ways that you an participate.
- Purchase the yearbook through TreeRing. For the student name, specify Swifty (first name) Cougar (last name).
- Donate to our Care and Share Program through MemberHub!
order your Swift Creek Spirit Wear!
We have these items for sale:
- T shirts -- long and short sleeve
- water bottles
- car magnets
- drawstring bags
- Swift Creek bracelets
Trex Competition (REcycling Plastic Bags/Film) ends Thursday
If you have any plastic bags or plastic film that needs to be recycled, you can do one of the following:
- contact Megan Holler, our Recycling chair, to arrange a drop off. Her email is [email protected].
- weigh your plastic bags before you take them to the grocery store for recycling. Email that weight to Megan at [email protected].
For more information about our recycling programs, see Recycling Programs.
Coming soon: Teacher Appreciation WEek May 3-7
Teacher appreciation week is scheduled for May 3.
To help you plan for this special week, here are the suggested "to do"s for each day:
- Monday, May 3 -- "We DONUT know what we'd do without you" Send your card a homemade card or drawing
- Tuesday, May 4 -- "You are the HIGHLIGHT of our day" Send your teacher a supply for the classroom (paper towels are ALWAYS welcome! Those school paper towels are flimsy!)
- Wednesday, May 5 -- "M&M Magnificent & Marvelous" Send your teacher their favorite sweet treat!
- Thursday, May 6 -- Give your teacher a flower. This could be from your garden or a virtual flower.
- Friday, May 7 -- Dress in your teacher's favorite color.
- Marie Dexter [email protected]
- Deborah Killion [email protected]
- Sarah Wohldmann [email protected]
- Dana Boyer [email protected]
- Lauren Nicholls [email protected]
We will also be decorating the school grounds on Sunday, May 2. Sign up to join us in the fun! www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4DA8AF2CA6FE3-decorate
Mark Your Calendars
- Sunday April 18: Deadline for submitting your child's picture for the yearbook.
- Wednesday, April 28: Deadline for ordering yearbooks in order to have it delivered to your child during the last week of school.
- Sunday, May 2: Decorate school grounds for Teacher Appreciation Week. Sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4DA8AF2CA6FE3-decorate
- Monday, May 3: Start of Teacher Appreciation Week
- Wednesday, May 5: Asynchronous School Day
- Friday, May 7: Spirit Night at Flavors (Ice Cream). More details coming soon!
- Wednesday, May 26: Asynchronous Learning Day
- Monday, May 31: Memorial Day. No school!
- Thursday, June 10: Last day of school!
Advocacy Alerts
Check out this month's celebrations from the multicultural calendar of the National PTA.
The PTA's primary role is to advocate for all children. As a result, we want to keep you informed about important state and national legislation concerning our education system.
Here are some bills recently discussed in the NC legislature.
Note: We are currently looking for someone to be our PTA's advocacy chair. If you are interested, contact Marie Dexter at [email protected].
Senate Bill 287: The Excellent Schools Act of 2021
The "Excellent" Public Schools Act 2021 passed in both the House and Senate by overwhelming margins. The bill was then sent to Gov. Roy Cooper for signing. It includes legislation to replace the Read To Achieve program, launched in 2012. Read to Achieve was intended to help more children become proficient in reading.
However, it was widely criticized after scores did not improve. Reading scores in the 2018-19 school year were lower than they were in the 2013-14 school year.
Some legislators questioned why Voyager Sopris Learning was already selected by lawmakers to receive $12 million in federal COVID-19 relief to provide literacy training to teachers citing lack of competitive bids as a concern. The bill ultimately passed with wide support.
SB 387 would make various changes to the North Carolina Read to Achieve Program, including the following:
- Create a definition of the "Science of Reading."
- Establish the Early Literacy Program within the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
- Require certain early literacy educators to participate in a training program grounded in the Science of Reading.
- Require for Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) seeking approval or renewal on or after July 1, 2022, to include coursework grounded in the Science of Reading.
- Require the literacy curriculum and instruction provided by local school administrative units (LEAs) to be aligned with standards developed by the State Board of Education (SBE) and a model implementation plan developed by DPI as soon as possible, but at least beginning with the 2024-25 school year.
- Create a definition of "literacy interventions."
- Modify the definition of "reading camp," which must be offered to certain 2nd and 3rd grade students.
- Require the SBE and DPI to develop literacy intervention standards by December 15, 2021.
- For the 2022-23 school year, require that LEAs develop literacy intervention plans that outline the interventions that will be offered. Beginning with plans developed for the 2023-24 school year, require that plans be approved by DPI.
- Establish Individual Reading Plans (IRPs), beginning with the 2022-23 school year.
- Create two bonus programs for teachers providing instruction during a reading camp, beginning with reading camps associated with the 2021-22 school year.
- Provide for continuing education credits related to literacy for certain reading camp instructors.
- Establish a Digital Children's Reading Initiative.
- Require SBE to analyze alternative assessments and recommend one for use.
- Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, create a uniform reporting structure for Read to Achieve data.
House Bill 82: Summer Learning Choices for NC Families
House Bill 82 passed in both the House and Senate and sent to Gov. Roy Cooper for signing.
OVERVIEW: This bill requires every local school district (PSA) to offer a school
extension learning recovery and enrichment program this July 2021.
The bill mandates that each district must submit a plan for its Summer program to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) no later than 30 days prior to the final instructional day of the 2020-2021 school year and DPI must notify districts of any necessary plan changes and approve the plan within 21 days of receiving it from an LEA. Charter schools are encouraged to submit plans to offer Programs consistent with this act depending on the
grade levels served by the school.
The submitted plans must include several components. Here are some highlights:
- Instruction must be delivered for at least 150 hours or 30 days over the course of the summer program which does not include time for lunch service, transition periods, and physical activity
- No instruction can be provided on Saturdays
- Meal service must be provided each instructional day
- A physical activity period must be provided each instructional day
- Transportation services to the school facility housing the summer program is provided in accordance with Plan A of the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit issued on February 2, 2021
- Time must be built into the instructional day for individual or small group instruction for at-risk students
- In-person social-emotional learning supports for all students
- Voluntary participation by at-risk students with districts notifying parents of at-risk students about the students' eligibility for summer school
- Opportunities for additional students (those not identified as at-risk) to participate if space is available based on the district's criteria for prioritizing non at-risk students
- Outreach to families and students to increase participation in the program by offering a positive environment with enrichment activities