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January, 2020

WELCOME BACK!

 

Happy New Year!  It’s hard to believe we are in 2020!  We hope your holiday was relaxing and filled with memories to cherish!  Thank you to all for your well wishes at the holidays and for your continuous support of Switlik.  I certainly continue to feel lucky to be a part of this wonderful school.

 

Please continue to be mindful of the icy conditions around the school when winter weather “blesses” us with challenges.  Our district building maintenance do a fantastic job of preparing our school grounds for school; however, there is no way to totally guarantee against blind slippery spots on the sidewalks, as well as in the parking lot.

 

Switlik School announces their 2020-2021’s Educators of the Year, Mrs. Monique Placek and Mrs. Joanne Murray who have been recognized for their dedication and commitment to our Switlik students.  The title “Educator of the Year” is well deserved.  Congratulations to Mrs. Placek and Mrs. Murray!

 Spelling Bee:  Our school level spelling bee was held on Wednesday, January 8th.    Congratulations to Natalie Itwaru in Ms. Donaldson’s  class for winning the spelling bee with the correct spelling of the word frangible.  Natalie and four additional students, Ria Mugloo, Ben Gershman, Cole Podolsky and Alexandria Capizzano will participate in the District Spelling Bee.

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 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.

Cold Weather:  With the inclement weather upon 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.

Before sending your child out to the bus stop or dropping them off at school, please take a moment to make sure they are dressed appropriately for the weather.  Depending on the weather, students may go out for recess.  Dressing your child in multiple light layers is recommended so that they can remove a top layer if they get too warm while indoors.  When it gets cold outside, it gets cold inside the building as well.  Don’t be afraid to ask your children whether or not they are comfortable while they are at school; they will often tell you if they are too hot or too cold in their classrooms.

A Note from our School Nurse:  In order to minimize risk to others, we encourage parents to keep your children home if they exhibit any flu symptoms which include fever, body aches, chills, headache, coughing or vomiting.  We advise that you keep your children home from school until they are fever-free for a full 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medications (such as Tylenol or Advil).  While in school, we will be reminding everyone about the importance of preventative actions, such as frequent handwashing and covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze.  The CDC also recommends the Flu Shot for anyone above the age of 6 months and high risk groups.

Book Character Spirit Day - Firday, January 17th! - As part of our reading initiative to promote lifelong readers, Switlik Elementary School is excited to announce that we will be having a Book Character Day on Friday, January 17th.  On that day, students can come to school dressed up as a character from a favorite book.  Have fun working with your child to plan a simple homemade costume.  Please do not buy a book character costume!  Just do your best to gather an assortment of hats, clothing, or other props to create a costume.  Your child is also encouraged to bring a copy of the book to class that day.  Prizes will be awarded to classes with the most participation.  We look forward to all the fun that will be happening throughout the day.  Thank you for your support with this activity!

Lost & Found:  It is easy for your child’s winter clothing to get lost – mittens, gloves, hats and scarves are especially at risk for wandering off on their own when no one is looking.  To help make sure that your child’s belongings return safely at the end of the day, remember to label each piece of clothing clearly.  Please encourage your children to visit the Lost and Found box.  There are a number of valuable items waiting to be returned to their owners.

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 17th at 10:00 a.m. for our next PTN Meeting. 

January Up-Coming Dates:

January 8th – School Store During Lunch Periods

January 8th – Grades 4&5 Spelling Bee

January 15th – Grade 5 Chorus Concert

January 17th – School Spirit Day – Dress up as your favorite storybook character

January 17th – Candy Bingo Night

January 20th   – School Closed – Martin Luther King Day

Please be aware that there will be no school for students on Monday, January 20th in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McKiernan