I hope you and your family have a wonderful week!
Marie Dexter
Positivity Project: Teamwork
This week in the Positivity Project, students will be learning about the character strength of Teamwork.
What It Means
You work well as a member of a group or team. You are loyal and sacrifice your individual desires for the greater good.
Why It Matters
For individuals, teamwork often means deferring or delaying individual accomplishments in order to ensure that the group maintains a high level of success. Their commitment
to the larger group effort makes them both good teammates and citizens.
Our ability to work effectively within group structures is tied directly to the group’s ability to succeed. In schools and workplaces across the world, commitment to teamwork and
to the “greater good” helps further learning and achievement for all group members. Maintaining the idea that “Other People Matter” is essential to any successful team environment.
Activities and Resources for Home:
- Kindergarten games: Untangle a human knot, Keep the balloon up
- 1st: The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf, Stone Soup by Jon Muth, Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
- 2nd: Tallest Tower challenge; Swimmy by Leo Lamm
- 3rd: Untangle a human knot; Stone Soup by Jon Muth
- 4th: Untangle a human knot
- 5th: Untangle a human knot
Take Your Parent to PE Week!
You are in for a treat this week! It is national Take Your Parent to PE week.
Ms. Graves invites you to attend PE with your child this week. In last week's Tuesday folder, you should have received a notification with your child's PE day and time. If you are uncertain about when to attend, contact your child's teacher.
When you arrive at the school, go straight to the gym. You do not need to check in at the office. You will check in at the gym instead. Be sure to wear your sneakers and some workout clothes. Ms. Graves will definitely get your heart pumping and you will have a BLAST!
Goal: Healthy Snacks This School Year!
As we celebrate Take Your Parent to PE week, let’s also take this week to kick start healthy snacks and beverages throughout the school year! Each day this week, substitute one processed snack for whole foods such as sliced fruits and veggies. Make it fun by adding yogurt dip, hummus or ranch dip for the veggies. In the upcoming weeks, let’s be creative with new snacks like dried apricots and just generally snacks with less sugar or artificial ingredients.
For more information about our Healthy Living programs, contact Maggie Howard. For more information about advocacy, contact Lisa Kropliak.
Monday: Reflections Kickoff
Reflections is a National Art program for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Students create projects in these categories:
- Visual Arts 2D or 3D
- Photography
- Literature
- Dance
- Film Composition
- Music Composition
Entries for the Swift Creek competition are due Nov 8. Some entries will then move to the county competition and who knows from there!
This week our Reflections chair, Carrie Fernandez, will be kicking of Reflections season! Stay tuned to learn about this year's theme!
Tuesday: Watch DOGs Kickoff 6:30pm
Dads, uncles, grandfathers, and father figures, the BIG kickoff party is finally here! Join us on Tuesday at 6:30pm in the media center.
We will have a pizza party to celebrate the kickoff of this year's Watch DOGs program. You are welcome to bring your favorite Swifties along.
At this kickoff, you will learn how YOU can participate in this program. You can sign up for a day to be a Watch DOG at our school! Your Swifty will be SO, SO proud and excited to have you in the school building for the day. And you will have your picture taken and put in our Watch DOG Hall of Fame, so every time your Swifty passes by they can remember this AWESOME time together.
RSVP as soon as possible to Head Dad, Sam Allen.
Thursday: Reading is Fundamental 6:00pm
Remember! The Reading is Fundamental workshop that we were going to have the first week of Sept is now THIS THURSDAY at 6:00pm.
Reading is fundamental to function in today's society and in developing a good self-image. One of the most effective approaches to help their child develop literacy skills is having a home environment that encourages reading in daily life. The parents will learn how to support the development of their child's literacy at home.
Workshops will be presented in English and Spanish.
For questions, please contact ESL teacher, Carey Burkhalter at [email protected]
Friday: Teacher Snack Cart and Box Top Collection Day!
- This year, the Hospitality committee is trying a new way to show our teachers appreciation throughout the year.
This Friday, will be the first run of the Teacher Snack Cart. If you have items that you would like to donate, please sign up ASAP using the link above. If you have questions, contact Hospitality Chair, Sarah Wohldmann.
- On Friday, the Box Top Fairy will be making her first collection round of the year! Be sure to turn in your Box Tops and Coke bottle tops! The class with the biggest collection will be our Super Snippers for the month of September and win a small prize!
Remember that Box Tops are also moving to digital. All you need to do is scan your receipt with the Box Top app and Swift Creek will receive the credit! While paper Box Tops are still around, we even get double the credit. For more information, see Box Tops Go Digital!
Cuties for the Fun Run
For the Fun Run snack, we are asking parents to donate boxes of Cuties and give them to your child's teacher.
Here is the sign up: Cuties sign up fun run
If you have questions, contact Healthy Lifestyles chair, Maggie Howard.
Water will be provided to the students on the field.
Help Donate Items for STEM Night
STEM Night is coming up (Nov 14) and we need your help to make it a success! We have so many new experiments for students to try this year!
If you are interested and able, please help us by contributing some supplies for some fun activities. You can find our wish list here:
https://www.walmart.com/lists/shared/a8318832-a4ac-4c0e-9241-c19e722c2fe5
You can mail the items to the school (Swift Creek Elementary, 5601 Tryon Road, Raleigh, NC 27606). Or have your child bring the items to school and we will put them in a bin in the front office.
We also need volunteers for the evening. We need at least one adult in each classroom (2 for the slime room) and we welcome middle schoolers and high schoolers who are looking for volunteer hours.
Sign up at
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E094EAFAE2CA64-book4
Please let me know if you have any questions and thank-you for help make STEM Night a success!
Ashley Elliott - [email protected]
Upcoming Family Fun Nights!
Take the night off from cooking and help us earn a little money for the Creek!
- Tuesday, Oct 22 5-9pm -- Swift Creek night at Ruckus Pizza in Tryon Village. Mention Swift Creek or show your flyer (which will be coming home soon) and Swift Creek will receive 20% of your meal!
- Thursday, Dec 5 5-8pm. -- McTeacher's Night at the McDonalds on Walnut Street. 40% of sales between 5-8pm will go to the Creek!
Cougar Book Club
Do you have a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader who LOVES to read? He or she might be interested in the Cougar Book Club. This activity is after school on the first Wednesday of every month from 4-5. To participate, your child must either have a ride home at 5 or be a member of the after school program.
Our first meeting is Wed, Oct 2 4-5. We will be discussing Smells Like Dog. If you are interested, please contact Marie Dexter or AIG teacher, Suzy Krutsch ASAP.
Buy Your State Fair Tickets Online and Earn Money for Swift Creek
Is your family planning to go to the State Fair this year? Did you know if you buy your tickets online that $1 will go to Swift Creek.
See Buying Tickets Online for more information. Our school code is 568.
Mark Your Calendar!
- Monday, Sept 30 - Teacher Work Day
- Wed, Oct 2
- Walk to School. Meet at the back of the Food Lion parking lot at 8:30am and we will walk to school together! This is always a fun time.
- National Custodian Appreciation Day! Ms. Weathersbee, our school custodian, is nothing short of AMAZING! Let's show her how much we appreciate her this week!
- District 5 Board Advisory Council meeting: 9:30am at West Lake Middle School. This meeting is open to all members of our community. The agenda for this meeting is to discuss student reassignment for the next school year. If you have questions, contact our school's BAC representative, Marie Dexter.
- Thursday, Oct 3 -- September Fun calendar is due to Ms. Graves
- Friday, Oct 4 -- Fun Run. See tentative schedule off our PTA website. A volunteer sign up will go out VERY soon. Also, help provide snacks. Cuties sign up fun run
- Tuesday, Oct 8
- Rain date for Fun Run. (No rain please!)
- 6:30pm PTA meeting and math curriculum night
- Wednesday, Oct 9 -- Teacher Work Day
- Tuesday, Oct 22 5-9pm -- Swift Creek Night at Ruckus Pizza in Tryon Village. Mention Swift Creek when you order and 20% of your meal will go to the Creek.
- Thursday, Oct 31 -- REGULAR school day
- Friday, Nov 1 -- Teacher Work Day