Do I dare say that the upcoming week is a "normal" week? Well at least what passes for normal in this school year. Students will have instruction every day this week. There is no asynchronous day, which I guess is unusual. The next asynchronous day is Wednesday, April 28.
DUE TODAY: If you want to submit your child's picture for the yearbook, the deadline for that is today. See the article below for guidelines. If we do not have your child's picture to include with their class, your student will still be listed and represented with a cougar paw.
We hope you have a wonderful week! This is Earth Week as well. Be sure to check out the activities happening in our community.
Thanks for all you do to keep our school community strong! We appreciate all you do!
Marie, Deborah, Sarah, Dana, Lauren
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS WEEK
There is no async day on Wednesday. Students will have their regular meets every day.
This week is also Earth Week!
Every day on FaceBook, we will be sharing an Earth Day fact. Plus, Megan Holler, our Recycling chair, is sharing these resources with our families.
“Restore Our Earth”
Official Earth Day Website: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021/
City Earth Day Activities:
Raleigh: https://raleighnc.gov/news/2021-04-06-celebrate-earth-day
Cary: https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/events/environmental-events/earth-day
THE POSITIVITY PROJECT
What It Means
You notice and value the world’s beauty and people’s skills. You don’t take things for granted.
Why It Matters
Appreciating excellence and beauty helps an individual experience positive emotions and connect to the world around him/her. It’s an outward facing strength, meaning the individual is focused on the world outside his/her head. And, not only is the individual outwardly focused, but often deeply absorbed in a sense of awe or admiration, freeing him/her to forget anxieties and troubles. And it is associated with other strengths, such as gratitude, curiosity, love of learning, and connection/purpose.
On a group level, those who appreciate excellence and beauty make our lives more enjoyable. First, it means that they’re not looking to criticize the world or its people, but instead take pleasure from their excellence. Second, it is the writers, painters, musicians, and filmmakers who help us better appreciate the world around us.
For family resources, see the P2 website. The password is P2.
Minutes from Tuesday's PTA Meeting
You can check out the minutes at http://swiftcreekeswcpssnetptahtml.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/2/2/24227387/apr2021_general.pdfswiftcreekeswcpssnetptahtml.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/2/2/24227387/apr2021_general.pdf
Our May meeting will be Tuesday, May 11. We will be electing officers for next school year. At the April meeting, the Nominating Committee presented this slate of nominees.
Nominations for the 2021-22 school year:
- President -- Marie Dexter
- Vice President 1 -- Deborah Killion
- Vice President 2 -- Sarah Wohldmann
- Treasurer -- Dana Boyer
- Secretary -- Lauren Nicholls
If you are interested in being an officer and want to know what’s involved, you are welcome to come shadow an officer any time.
Due TODAY!!! 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 By April 28!
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!
The Buzz from the Garden
A school is more than a building. It is a community. And it takes all of us together to help our students succeed.
When Onyx Boutique (in Waverly Place) was looking for a school to help celebrate Earth Month, they chose us!
They are donating 15% of all their product sales to funding our new pollinator garden! This money will help us purchase the plants for our new space.
Thank you so much to Onyx Boutique for their generosity! We look forward to working more on this project with you!
https://onyxhairboutique.com/
Start Planning for 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
- Wednesday, April 28: Asynchronous School Day
- 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
The NCPTA has announced their legislative priorities for the 2021-22 session. Over the next couple of weeks, we will highlight these priorities in the Advocacy session of our newsletter.
In keeping with the North Carolina PTA’s mission and support of our existing and long-standing policies, the North Carolina 2021 – 2022 State Legislative Advocacy Priorities are as follows:
School Funding
Teachers and Administrators
Parent, Caregiver Family & Community Engagement
Special Education
Health and Wellness
Food Security & Child Nutrition
School Technology
Early Childhood Education
Equitable Education Opportunities
Accountability
State Assessments
A-F Accountability System
Reopening of Schools
For more information, see NCPTA Advocacy Priorities at https://ncpta.org/index.../advocacy/pta-advocacy-priorities/.
School Funding
The state government in North Carolina is required by law to ensure that every school system has
sufficient funds to provide every child with the opportunity for a well-rounded education. Local governments also provide funds, but the state is required to make sure the total amount of funding is adequate and appropriate.
* The national average for per-pupil spending in 2019 was $12,612 compared to NC’s per-pupil spending of $10,165.
* Over the past decade, per-pupil spending has declined by 6% in NC.
* North Carolina ranks 45th in school spending and 47th in funding.
NCPTA will continue to promote, support, and
advocate for robust and appropriate funding, highly qualified licensed and certified teachers, and
administrators in all schools.
You can view the full document at https://ncpta.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/School-Funding.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1pj1GlwCkTY9aqV-FpryId04Jk7QAub-K2m3jBIQartcKcsLPQhje24js
Teachers and Administrators
NCPTA recognizes that every school’s success depends on the teachers and administrators in
collaboration with parents, families, businesses, and the overall community.
North Carolina PTA will support initiatives as well as encourage and advocate for legislation and
policies that:
* Compensate teachers adequately to reward their essential work to our society, which encourages them to stay in the profession and attract additional teachers.
* Increase the supply of licensed and certified educators, expand the pathways to becoming a teacher to more universities, and local teacher development programs to replenish the diminishing teacher workforce.
* Develop opportunities to increase a more racially diverse teaching pool. NC must restore its teacher pipeline and increase diversity in the profession.
* Support an efficient hiring system for all school employees that will provide a competitive salary, health coverage, and other necessary benefits for all school employees.
* Will support all educators’ fair and equitable evaluation tools that will guide their ongoing development, moving away from student test scores as the primary determination.
For the full document, see https://ncpta.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Teachers-Administrators.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1Svv_d18ZoDmbUE_sZiarWAB-7mVa1rYmqTnBtc-fgpJfXcaJSJaNfD0k