The rest of this school year is flying by and summer will be here before you know it. The first week of May will be a BUSY week! We are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week, which is always so much fun! Please remember to thank our specialists (art, music, PE, and media teachers) and Instructional Assistants (formerly called Teaching Assistants) during this week as well.
Also, we have a FUN spirit night planned at Flavors Ice Cream on May 4. The event starts at 3pm so you can swing by right after school. The flavors look soooooo good. I am very curious to know what is in the Exhausted Parent! ;-)
Two important deadlines for this week:
- If you want to order a yearbook for your child, you must do it by Wednesday in order for them to get it by the end of the school year. Yearbooks will be available from the TreeRing website after April 28, but the yearbook will be shipped directly to your house and you will have to pay for shipping.
- If you are interested in the Camp Invention program at the Creek this summer, the deadline for the $30 discount is this Friday! My girls LOVE this camp and Mrs. Coles has done an AMAZING job as the director over the past couple of years. This year, you can choose to send your child in person or attend virtually. If you have any questions about this camp, I am happy to share my personal experience! Contact me at [email protected].
If you have any questions, have suggestions, or have questions, please contact any board member. We are here to serve you!
Marie, Deb, Sarah, Dana, Lauren
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS WEEK
- Wednesday, April 28:
- Asynchronous school day. There is no in person instruction or Google meets ... unless previously arranged by your teacher. Please check with your teacher for more information.
- Deadline for ordering your yearbook
- Asynchronous school day. There is no in person instruction or Google meets ... unless previously arranged by your teacher. Please check with your teacher for more information.
THE POSITIVITY PROJECT
What It Means
You have beliefs about the meaning of life and your life’s purpose. You seek to be part of something greater than yourself.
Why It Matters
Having a clear sense of purpose in life, and a belief that you’re connected to a larger meaning, gives individuals strength. It allows them to persevere and find courage in trying circumstances, or lead with kindness and love even when it’s not reciprocated. Those with a sense of purpose have more meaning in their life – and are more fulfilled.
On a group level, purpose can be a powerful aligning element. It gives people a reason to continue on in hope and optimism, despite difficult circumstances. The sense of connection between people further strengthens their individual resolve and focus, which fortifies the group. When a group of individuals believe in something higher than themselves, their work can be exponentially greater.
For family resources, see the P2 website. The password is P2.
ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK BY WEdnesday!
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. To participate, purchase the donated yearbook through TreeRing. For the student name, specify Swifty (first name) Cougar (last name).
If you have yearbook questions, send them to Sarah Wohldmann at [email protected].
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK: MAY 3-7
Please remember to include our IA (teacher assistants) and specialists (art, music, PE, and media) in your celebrations as well!!!
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.
Don't know your teacher's favorite things? No worries! Our PTA has you covered. If you need this information, please contact any Swift Creek PTA board member and we will send you that information.
- 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
Spirit Night at Flavors Ice Cream: Tuesday, May 4 3-8pm
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
- 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
- Tuesday, May 4: Spirit Night at Flavors Ice cream
- Wednesday, May 5: Asynchronous School Day
- Wednesday, May 26: Asynchronous Learning Day
- Monday, May 31: Memorial Day. No school!
- Thursday, June 10: Last day of school!
$30 DISCOUNT FOR CAMP INVENTION ENDS Friday!
- Save $30 with code CREATE30 by April 30
- Save $25 with code CREATE25 by May 26
Sign up today!
ADVOCACY ALERTS
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/.
Parent, Caregiver, Family, & Community Engagement
Over 40 years of data show that family engagement in schools has a drastic impact on student
achievement and school improvement. However, many states and school districts need to make more family engagement investments and ensure parents should have a seat at the table when decisions are made and work with parents and families as partners
throughout the school year.
All schools need support and engagement from parents, caregivers, families, and communities as they are all an integral part of a school’s success. North Carolina PTA will continue to help facilitate and further this engagement.
Special Education
There are over 203,000 children in NC identified as
children with disabilities. COVID-19 and the move to virtual learning has resulted in and caused significant and negative impacts on these students. Some children with disabilities simply cannot learn in an online environment. Many have lost access to helping professionals, therapists, and assistive technology when their schools closed. As these vulnerable students return to school buildings, they will require additional support due to lost instructional time and require help resetting their emotional and social
functioning needs.
North Carolina PTA supports these initiative:
* Remove the cap on special education funding to allow coverage for all eligible students
* Increase spending levels to fund special education service costs fully
* Increase funding for Parent Training and Information (PTI) Centers to teach families of
children with different abilities how to support and advocate for their child.
Health and Wellness
North Carolina PTA will support, encourage and advocate for policies at all levels of government as well as for school programs that help to maintain the health and wellness of all
children and policies that will bring health care to families who are in need of it, especially low income families, rural families, Black, LatinX and immigrant families, along with those who have been the most disproportionately harmed by the pandemic.
Recommendation: Address student mental health, suicide prevention, and physical health needs by appropriating at least $10M to decrease the dire shortage of school nurses in North Carolina.
Food Security and Child Nutrition
In North Carolina, hunger is a critical threat, and it was urgent before the pandemic.
* One in five children in North Carolina live in families that are considered “food insecure.” Food insecurity
can mean being worried about running out of food before your next paycheck, cutting the size of
children’s meals, or skipping meals entirely because there isn’t enough money for groceries.
* In North Carolina, we have the 10th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, with nearly 480,000 children without enough to eat, and that was before COVID-19.
North Carolina PTA supports these initiatives:
* NC Farm to School program
* NC School Nutrition Indirect Costs Policy/Financial Solvency Initiative
* NC School Lunch Reduced Price Co-Pay initiative
* Categorial Eligibility School Mean Qualification Policy Initiative
* GAP Certification
School Technology
North Carolina PTA recognizes that much of learning today takes place online, and it is essential for every student to be able to continue their education at home. Unfortunately, there are still far too many children in North Carolina and the U.S. who lack access to adequate internet services when they leave school. According to a 2018 report from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), nearly 39% of households in the U.S. with school-age children lack access to the internet.
North Carolina PTA will support initiatives as well as encourage and advocate for legislation and
policies that:
* Update current laws to improve the protection of student educational records and the
collection of information gathered online.
* Increases funding for technology in classrooms and technology-related curriculum
* Decrease the digital divide and expand student access to broadband services at home and
outside the school building.
* Increases access to high-speed internet for students and staff (Broadband, WiFi, and Internet) and that every child has access to 21st-century technology