And what a week it was. I am so excited to share all the great things that have been happening with the PTA and in the school. From a great PTA meeting to a rocking Spirit Night at Ruckus to updates on the Fun Run, this newsletter has it all.
Also, remember next Saturday is the BIG 90th anniversary event. That article has important updates on parking. So be sure to check it out.
Have a great week! If you have any questions, please contact any board member.
President, Marie Dexter, [email protected]
Vice President 1, Sarah Wohldmann, [email protected]
Vice President 2, Jessi Andricks, [email protected]
Treasurer, Rebecca Simpson, [email protected]
Secretary, Tina Chadwick, [email protected]
Highlights This Week
- Saturday, Sept 24 11-1: Swift Creek 90th Anniversary celebration
- Monday, Sept 26: Teacher Work Day. No school for students.
The Positivity Project: Curiosity
Minutes from September PTA Meeting
Here are some highlights from that meeting:
- We approved the PTA budget for the 2022-23 school year.
- Committee updates
- Mr. Propst updated us on the new staff and student numbers as of the 10th day of school.
Full minutes -- thanks to Mrs. Chadwick! docs.google.com/document/d/1ST8vzk9F9uGE_XJ5kXOi05W6xRqyAMAfplNrvs8s_-A/edit?usp=sharing
We hope you can join us for our next meeting on October 11 at 6:30pm. During that meeting, the Creative Arts team (media, music, art, and PE) will be sharing what they have been working on in their classrooms. You won't want to miss their presentation.
A wellness Note
Welcome back to school everyone! As we get back into the school routine, it’s a good time to also get into a routine of meal prep for snack and lunchtime.
Here are a few tips!:
- Make lunch colorful and pack a rainbow – including a variety of colorful fruits and veggies is not only healthy but also fun
- Always include a protein, whole grain and fruit or veggie
- Make it fun by using a fun lunch box or bento box
- Be sure to read the labels and encourage your children to do the same
- Get your kids involved – have them help prepare and pack their lunches
- Stay hydrated with large water bottle
Fun Run UPdate -- We're At $4740
We are collecting donations until Friday, Oct 14. Remember this is the ONLY fundraiser that we have at Swift Creek, so the money we raise is our entire operating budget for the year. We must reach our $18,000 to fully fund all our PTA programs this year -- staff assistance (such as grants to help purchase classroom supplies), cultural arts programs, student clubs, and so much more.
Also, every week that your child turns in a donation, they have an opportunity to visit the Fun Run wagon on Tuesday. At the Fun Run wagon, students can pick a small fun prize.
Let's keep our momentum going! If you have any questions, please contact Fun Run chair, Annie Pilz, at funrun. [email protected].
Join the PTA
Join today! Visit https://swiftcreek.memberhub.com/store
If you have questions, please contact Membership chair, Danielle Davis at [email protected].
Thank you to our Instructional Assistants
Thank you again to our amazing IAs and all they do for the Creek:
- Mrs. Hindi, Kindergarten
- Ms. Swartz, CCK
- Mr. Nicholls, CCK
- Ms. McClease, Kindergarten
- Mrs. Lazarus, Kindergarten
- Mrs. Allard, 1st grade
- Mrs. Byrne, 2 and 3rd grade
- Ms. McKinnis, 2nd grade
- Mrs. Hunt, CCR
Spirit Wear Update -- Orders will be delivered at end of Sept
If you ordered a shirt, they should be in around the end of September. Rachel and Heather will distribute any orders that were shipped to the school, so you can expect these items to come home in your child's book bag.
The online store will open again in October, when we will be selling long sleeve items.
There will be another sale of t-shirts in the spring.
If you have any questions about spirit wear, please contact Spirit Wear chair, Rachel Blackmon, at [email protected].
Donate to SEptember Teacher Cart
We still need these items:
- Case of bottled water
- Bananas
- Apples
- Chocolates
- Non-chocolate candies
- Cookies
Sign up now to contribute to the cart!
Wow! What a Great Turnout for Spirit Night
Here are the details from Painless Fundraising chair, Jenae Delayen, and the manager at Ruckus!
You all by far had the best turnout this store has ever witnessed. We did get backed up and I am so sorry about the wait that some folks experienced. We had three staff members call out at the last minute due to illness.
We truly enjoyed having the families here with us. We even had a whole group of princesses visit. All told your group spent $2064.49. that's really amazing. That means Ruckus will write you a check for $413.
Great job, Swifties on the turnout and an extra special Thank You to Jenae for organizing this terrific event.
If you have questions for Jenae, please contact her at [email protected].
Purchase your Yearbook NOW!
Yearbooks can be purchased from TreeRing at tr5.treering.com/createAccount/1015281241841003.
The deadline for this discount is Sept 30.
Donate to the Macedonia food Pantry
Sign Up to Donate.
Here are some of the items that they need:
- Bagels
- Ground Beef
- Butter
- Cheese
- Juice Boxes
- Sugar
- Flour
- Cooking oil
- Pancake mix
- Tortillas
- Pasta Sauce
- Rice / Pasta packets
- Mac and Cheese
Swift Creek 90th Anniversary Party, Saturday 11-1
Important: Parking Information
Parking is available in these areas:
- Front of the school
- Food Lion parking lot
- Macedonia United Methodist Church
The shuttles will run during these times:
- 10:30-11:15
- 12:30-1:30
DO NOT park:
- in the bus loop. Our food trucks and the Swift Creek Fire Department will be in this area. Also, this is our shuttle drop off area.
- in the parking lot for the Swift Creek Exchange Club. This is the little white building with the gravel parking lot on Yates Mill road. You will see the No Trespassing signs.
Reserved parking will be in the park's lot. This area is reserved for our special guests and is an unloading zone.
As we learn more about the shuttles, more parking details will be posted on FaceBook this week.
What To Do!
- The gym will be the central gathering point for alumni. We will have a memory wall here and hopefully some speakers who will share their memories.
- The bus loop will have food trucks (burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream) and the fire truck from the Swift Creek Fire Dept.
- The field will be the central location for the event and primary area for the kids. Performances and speeches will be on the basketball court (more below). The field will have these areas:
- A photo booth
- Memory Lane where families can stroll through the decades. At each decades table, we will also have student projects that you will want to check out. Be sure to stop by the first table where you can grab a Memory Lane Scavenger Hunt for your kids!
- Stroll through Swifty's Story where students can follow Swifty's footsteps and read his life story.
- In the "Kids/Games" area, we will have these activities:
- tables with Legos so students can build their creations
- Giant Jenga
- Connect Four
- Big Tic Tac Toe board
- Original Works tables, where Laura Monaghan (the Original Works chair) will let parents know about this opportunity and students can create their artwork right there!
- Master Chang's Martial Arts, where students can break boards
Around 11:30, the SCES ambassadors will officially open the event with a parade on the track. This parade will end on the basketball court, where Superintendent Moore will say a few words.
Then immediately following, Dr. Barr will lead each grade level in a performance/activity. She said the kids have been doing a great job with their parts, so this should be one of the biggest highlights of the day!
At 1:00, we will return to the basketball court for the Cha Cha Slide to close out the event. Now folks don't have to flee after the Cha Cha Slide, but by having this at 1, hopefully, most folks will be there to participate.
Interested in Helping?
If you are interested in helping on the day of the event (Saturday, Sept 24), we could use folks to help set up, man tables, and for clean up. If you are interested in either of these activities, please contact Marie Dexter at [email protected].
Do you have a camcorder that we could borrow? In the gym, Swift Creek alumni will be gathering and sharing their memories of the Creek. We'd like to capture this oral history, if at all possible. If you have a camcorder that we could borrow, please let us know. Thanks!
Swift Creek 90th Anniversary: Did You Know?
Community Opportunities
Every year, the PTA invites writer Michael Beadle to be a writer in residence with our 4th grade classes. The teachers and students LOVE it when Mr. Beadle visits for the week.
Mr. Beadle has published a poetry book. He has upcoming book reading / book signing at Quail Ridge Books for my book, What Makes a Giraffe Laugh.
The date is Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 @ 3 p.m.
Did you know there is a National Museum of Mathematics? Does your child love math?
Check out this cool resource shared by parent Radmila Sazdanovic, who is also a professor of Mathematics at NC State.
Here is a link to the MoMath events
https://momath.org/upcoming-events/
and student sessions
https://momath.org/momath-online-student-sessions/
that show which are free. One can also sign up for Math on the House
to get emails about free events.
For every Adult FastTrack Gate Admission Ticket purchased using a school code, the State Fair will donate $2 to the school. For every Child FastTrack Gate Admission Ticket purchased using a school code, the State Fair will donate $1 to the school.
To support your school, simply enter your school code under "Membership" at check-out on the Tools for Schools link. This promotion is only available online in advance of the Fair. Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Swift Creek's code is 568.
Buy Tickets
FastTrack Gate Admission skips the ticketing line at all N.C. State Fair gates. FastTrack Gate Admission does not apply to carnival rides, the State Fair Flyer or the State Fair SkyGazer.