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December 2017

December 1, 2017

The final month of 2017 is here!  With the holidays rapidly approaching, let us be the first to extend our best wishes for a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season with family and friends.

As colder weather approaches, our lost and found grows by leaps and bounds.  One of the most “found” items are sweatshirts and coats.  Please label any items (coats, gloves, hats, etc.) that your child brings to school, so that we can easily return them if they are found.  Please remind your child to visit our lost and found box.

American Education and Conference Week:  We thank you for visiting us during American Education Week and Conference Week, and for being a part of our school initiatives, programs and fundraisers.  On behalf of the Switlik School staff, we thank you for taking the time to meet with your child’s teacher and visiting our school.  It was our highest attendance ever!  Congratulations to Mrs. Nancy Collins, winner of the Switlik Spirit Wear gift basket donated by the PTN.   As you continue to work with your children and reflect on their progress, please keep in mind that daily instruction is critical to their academic achievement.  While attendance is important on a daily basis, their timely arrival each day is also a significant factor for their success.  We will continue to work in partnership with your children each and every day, so they can work and learn to the best of their abilities.  Maintaining the home-school connection is the key to success. 

The month of December is always an exciting and activity-filled month at the Switlik School:

December 4-8                   Holiday Shop

December 7th                     Fall Make-Up Pictures

December 21st:                 Winter Festival Parties

December 22nd:                 Shortened Day

December 25th-Jan 1st:    School Closed – Winter Break

 

Please see below for further dates to remember from the PTN.

PTN News:  There are many ways you can get involved at school – check out our awesome PTN.  They do so much to support our school programs with your continuous generosity.  Please join us on January 18th at 10:00 a.m. for our next PTN Meeting.  There will not be a December PTN Meeting.

Looking Ahead:

2017-2018 Yearbook Sale – 5th Grade Only - $10.00 if purchased through December 2017 (this special is for one book per 5th grader).  Please purchase ads and submit baby photos by December 31. 

Grades K-4 - $15.00 if purchased through December 2017.  Prices will increase in January.   

Holiday Shop – Switlik students can shop for the special people on their holiday list from December 4-8. 

Surf Taco Night – Dine at Surf Taco on Wednesday, December 6th from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and 25% of your order goes to Switlik.  Please bring PTN flyer with you.

Hot Breakfast with Santa & Family Holiday Shop – Join us on Saturday, December 9th from 9:00-11:00 a.m.  Holiday shop and Switlik items will be available for sale at this event. 

Give Back Greeting Cards – Visit SwitlikPTN.givebackgreetings.com to create personalized cards and support the PTN.  Great for holiday greeting cards, thank you cards, invitations, announcements, etc.  The PTN earns 10% of any order – all year long.

Switlik Ornaments, Socks and Blankets – Purchase a red or gold Switlik ornament, paw print socks or a Switlik blanket.  Order forms are on the website.

Give the Gift of Warmth This Holiday Season – The PTN is collecting new coats, hats and gloves for select Switlik Students.  If you are interested in participating, please select a paper mitten off of the Switlik Reception Bulletin Board.  Please attach your selected paper mitten to your unwrapped gift and return it to Mrs. DeBenedetto by December 15th.  If you are unable to come into Switlik to select a paper mitten or have any questions, please contact Jessica Williams at coybean@aol.com

Save the Dates:

               Switlik Movie Night – Friday, January 19th.  Details to follow

               Casino Night – Friday, March 9th.  More details to come soon

 

Holiday Festivities: will take place on Thursday, December 21st for all grade levels.  Please be cognizant of our entry procedures for our Winter Holiday Celebration:

  • Visitors will be limited to 1-2 visitors per student.
  • Visit the Visitor Sign Up Genius Link on your teacher’s class page.
  • Please understand that if your name is not on the list, you may not be allowed t to enter the class party.
  • Each guest will receive a ticket that must be presented when you sign in with the receptionists.
  • Tickets are non-transferrable.
  • Please refrain from cell phone/camera use while visiting your child’s classroom. Not all parents have consented to have their children photographed.
  • Any student who plans on being signed out early by someone other than their parent/guardian, must be accompanied with a note stating permission.

 All guests planning to attend classroom celebrations are asked to park in the designated area outside of the gym entrance.  All guests are asked to enter and sign in with our receptionists located in the gym lobby.  It is district policy that a photo identification is presented to our reception area each and every time you enter our school.  Absolutely no one will be permitted to participate unless they are signed in and are presented with their visitor’s badge.  Your badge must be on you at all times while you are on school premises.  We discourage you from signing your child out after the Winter Holiday Celebration, as there will be instruction time for the remainder of the day.

Thank you to all our students, teachers and parent community for helping to continue to make Switlik Elementary School a safe place for the entire Switlik Family.

Report Cards:    Please be sure you are ready to access your child’s report card on the district portal website.  Report cards will be available on the portal to parents on January 2nd.  Also, please remember that if your Portal log-in does not work, please try the “Forgot My Password” link above BEFORE contacting support, as most issues will be resolved through that feature.  Please note that the “Forgot Password” link will work only with parents who have an e-mail as their login ID.  For questions or problems with your login ID’s or password (or if you do not have them), please send an email to portalsupport@jacksonsd.org and include your name and phone number, as well as your child’s name, school, grade, student ID number and the problem you are experiencing and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.

In-View Testing:  On January 3rd and 4th, students in second and fourth grades will be taking a cognitive abilities assessment.  The test will take approximately two and a half hours (split between two days), and requires no prior test preparation activities.  It is a broad based evaluative instrument that includes questions on verbal, non-verbal and quantitative reasoning.

Cold Weather: With the inclement weather approaching us, and the continuous possibility of early dismissals and delayed openings, it is important that your emergency contact information is up to date. Any changes to your contact information can be updated through the Genesis portal.

As a reminder, Switlik will have an early dismissal on Friday, December 22nd.    All students in grades K-5 will be dismissed at 1:35 p.m.  School will resume on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. 

November Golden Book Award Winners : The Golden Book Award is awarded to a class in each grade level that has achieved the highest number of required steps read that month.  Congratulations to the following classes:

Kindergarten:        Ms. Temple’s Class

Grade One:           Mrs. Shroyer’s Class

Grade Two:           Mrs. Slomin’s Class

Grade Three:         Mrs. Hughes’s Class

Grade Four:           Mrs. Knigge’s Class

Grade Five:            Mr. Mathews’s Class

 Thank you, parents, for encouraging reading at home.  Amazing job, readers!

 

Sincerely,

Kathleen McKiernan