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March Principal's Message

March,  2019

Dear Switlik Families,

March…..In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb!  It seems February passed by in the blink of an eye, and I, for one, am looking forward to sunshine and brighter days!

The month of March is a time of transitioning from the many winter activities into the anticipation of spring.  As we hope for warmer weather, we want to keep our students focused on continuing to strive to do their best.  I appreciate all of the effort you put in at home to ensure this carries over into their school day, as it impacts their academic standing.   Thank you to all of our students, staff, families, and PTN for your participation and continuous support.  

 

Read Across America:  Switlik School was the place to be on Thursday evening (February 28th)….Parent’s grandparents, children and guests were awestruck as the “Switlik School” was transformed into a “Dino-Mite” Game Show with a platform of questions and answers.  Thank you to our Read Across America Coordinators, Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Douvris, our Game Show Host, Mr. Perrine, our phenomenal “Switlik Staff” and all of the helping hands behind the scenes.  It is important for our children to see home and school as a team; working together to encourage and achieve success.

 

A special thank you to Mrs. Krieck, our Book Fair Coordinator, all of our parents for their generosity and for volunteering their time, as well as their resources.  Together, we can achieve successful learners and good citizens (Reading is Dino-Mite).  Switlik’s Book Fair, sponsored by the PTN, kicked off Read Across America Week.  Switlik School was transformed into a fun-filled dinosaur play land as the students visited the Book Fair throughout the week.

 

Mindfulness:  In the upcoming weeks, students in grades Kindergarten through 5 will participate in an amazing mindfulness program that has already helped children all over the country with stress reduction, increasing academic focus and assist with behavior.  The program also decreases stress, shows improvement in student attention & on-task behavior and causes improvement in students’ behavior in both the classroom and outside of school.  Yoga Calm’s research suggests that yoga and mindfulness have a number of benefits for psychological and physical health.  Switlik School is dedicated to providing our students with tools to enhance their well-being.

Jackson School District Special Education Department:  Please join us on Monday, March 11, 2019 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Jackson Liberty High School (IMC) for an informative session on “Parent Involvement in Special Education:  Overview of Your Rights” and “Understanding the IEP Process.”  This will be presented by SPAN-NJ and is a free workshop. 

 

Kindergarten Registration:  will take place during the week of March 18th-March 22nd  between the hours of 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. each day.  Please be sure to bring in all necessary documents (original birth certificate and required proof of residency, listed in the packet), as well as your incoming kindergarten student the day of registration.  Entrance for registration is through the gym lobby doors.  There will not be any access through the main entrance.  Signs will be posted to guide you in the right direction.  Details, as well as the registration packet, can be found on our website. 

Young Author’s Gallery/Switlik Enrichment Living Wax Museum- On Thursday, April 11th    the Switlik Elementary School, with support from the Jackson Rotary Club and the Jackson Education Association, will present our Young Author’s Gallery.  All are welcome to enjoy this event from the hours of 6:30-7:30 p.m.  Publishes pieces from our very own Switlik Authors of every age will be on display in the hallways for you to read, enjoy and compliment!  Come prepared with pen in hand to jot a note of support to your favorite authors.  Additionally, that evening, many historical figures, performers, and athletes be brought to life as the Switlik School Enrichment Program hosts its first Living Wax Museum.  Switlik will come alive with students dressed as famous people, both past and present. A Living Wax Museum is very similar to a real wax museum in that visitors can come and learn about a variety of famous people.  The main difference is that the students will be standing in as the statues. Students choose and then researched the figure they wanted to emulate.  Students will then dress as their famous person and recite their speech to interested visitors.  Head on over to Switlik to see figures from important figures in Math, Science and Technology.

Spelling Bee:  Our school level spelling bee was held on Wednesday, January 9th.    Congratulations to Chase Kanarkowski in Ms. Liverani & Ms. Kudrick’s  class for winning the spelling bee with the correct spelling of the word eclair.  Chase and four additional students, GraceAnne VanDorpe, Emi Tomochek, James Santostephano and Benjamin Gershman will participate in the District Spelling Bee to be held on Thursday, March 21st at 6:30 p.m. at Jackson Memorial High School.

Attention 5th Grade Parents:  Your child will soon be making a very significant transition as they enter middle school.  To help you prepare your child for this experience, the staff of Carl W. Goetz Middle School would like to invite you to a special orientation program specifically designed for parents of their incoming sixth grade students.  The program will be held on March 20th at 6:00 p.m. at Goetz Middle School IMC.

 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 April 3rd .  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.

 NJSLA (PARCC)-ELA/MATH/SCIENCE Testing Dates:

May 8-9:  NJSLA-ELA - Grades 3-5

May 14-16:  NJSLA-MATH - Grades 3-5

May 20-23:  Make-Ups

May 30-31:  NJSLA-SCIENCE - Grade 5

PTN EVENTS:

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 April 11th at 10:00 a.m. for our next PTN Meeting. 

Yearbooks – Last day to purchase a yearbook is April 15th.  The cost is $20.00 per yearbook, and pre-order is required.  No extra copies will be available.  Order information and form is on PTN website.

Boy’s Night – Switlik’s First Boy’s Night will take place on Friday, March 8th from 6:30-9:00 p.m.

Yankee Candle – Purchase your favorite scented candles.  They make great holiday gifts!  Sale runs March 13-27.  Packets will be sent home with students

McDonald’s Night -  Join us at McDonald’s on County Line Road by Shoprite on Tuesday, March 19th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. 

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny – Join us on Saturday, April 6th from 8:00-10:00 a.m. at Applebee’s in Howell.  Cost is $10 per person for breakfast.  Reservations are required as space is limited.

           

Looking Ahead:

March 12:  Grade 2 Class Trip to the Planetarium

March 14th:  Grade 2 Class Trip to the Planetarium

March 18-22nd:  Kindergarten Registration

March 20th:  Grade 5 Goetz Parent Orientation

March 21st:  District Elementary Spelling Bee/6:30 p.m. - JMHS

March 26th:  Kindergarten Class Trip to Jenkinson’s Aquarium

Sincerely,

Kathleen McKiernan