February, 2022

 

 

 

 

Dear Switlik Families,

I hope this Principal’s Message finds your family healthy and our children are enjoying the winter fun of shoveling, making a snowman, snow angels and sipping hot chocolate with a good book this winter season.

School will be closed on Monday, January 31^st for Transition Day (Teacher’s In-Service) and Monday, February 21^st for President’s Day.

 

Teacher of the Year -   Switlik School announces their 2021-2022’s Educators of the Year, Mrs. Teresa Toddings and Mrs. Lori Palme who have been recognized for their dedication and commitment to our Switlik students.  The title “Educator of the Year” is well deserved.  Please join us on Wednesday, February 16^th, at the Board of Education Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in Jackson Memorial High School (FAC).  During this meeting we will be honoring the teachers and educational service professionals of the year from all of the schools in the Jackson Township School District.  

 

Elementary Spelling Bee:  The Switlik Elementary School held their Spelling Bee on Thursday, January 20^th.  Twenty-five spellers from 4th and 5th grade showed their hard work and dedication throughout the entire process. The winner of this year's spelling bee is Rahimah Talib. Congratulations to our runners-up: Emmalyn Tolska, Maxwell Molinari, Nathan Choen and Will Bernstein who will all represent Switlik in our District Spelling Bee on March 31^st.

It's Switlik Souper-Bowl Time! The Jackson Food Pantry is in great need of food items and graciously asks for your generous donations. Starting Tuesday February 1st, you may vote for your winning team as you place your non-perishable canned and boxed food items in the collection bins outside our gym. We thank you for your efforts as we help those in our own community and, at the same time, try and predict who will win the big game!

Birthday Party Policy:  Birthdays may be celebrated at lunchtime in the cafeteria.  To be sensitive to allergy concerns, non-edible items (e.g. toys, stickers, pencils) are strongly encouraged for these celebrations so that all children can participate in the celebration.

Outside treats for a class MAY NOT be delivered to the school, regardless of the reason; however, a child may bring in pre-packaged, individually wrapped items to distribute at lunch for his/her special day.  Visitors are not permitted in the cafeteria.  Birthday and/or Party invitations are not handed out in school, under any circumstances.  However, parents are invited to have their contact information listed on the “class party list” which will be distributed to parents that join the list  Please contact your child’s teacher directly for this information.

Cold Weather

As colder weather approaches and winter is upon us, please pay careful attention to your child’s attire, as students will continue to go out, weather permitting.   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. 

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.

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 

With the weather getting colder, please visit the district website for all information involving school closings and delays.  You may find this information by starting on the district’s main site (www.jacksonsd.org), highlighting the “Calendars and Hours” tab and clicking on “School Hours”.  

Please review and update your emergency information contacts in the event that we need to use this information should we have an emergency early closing due to inclement weather.  You may do this in Parent Portal.

Thank you all so much for your diligence in keeping your student(s) home when they have been sick and reporting COVID exposures to US.  Your efforts have made it possible to provide a safe environment for our faculty, staff and families. 

As always, thank you for your continued support.  Together we can help shape our children’s academic and social growth and development.  We must never underestimate the power a home-school connection elicits.

School Bus Protocol:  Students are not permitted to get off at bus stops that are not the bus stop for their home address.  This creates a potentially dangerous situation for students and it is clearly prohibited as outlined in our student handbook:  WE ARE NOT able to grant requests for students to ride any bus other than their assigned bus to and from school.  An alternate bus assignment may be reviewed in the case of an emergency on a case by case basis. 

If a student attempts to get off at a different stop, the Transportation Department will NOT permit this to occur without permission from a school administrator.  Should this need arise, please send a note in with your student for approval. 

Regular School Hours, Arrival, and Dismissal: 

Please note that school hours are Grades Pre-School-5 - 9:05 am – 3:15 pm

In an effort to continuously improve the safety of students and staff, parents may not pick up their child(ren) at the end of the day in the main lobby on a consistent basis.  Dismissal in the main lobby will only be reserved for parents who need to occasionally pick up their child due to a doctor’s appointment, an illness, or some other reason prior to the end of the day.  Students must be signed out by 2:45 pm.

Thank you in advance for your support in our efforts to improve the safety and well-being of our students and staff members

 

Arrival  Procedures

Arrival (8:55-9:05 am): On the Bus

• Buses will be cleaned between runs
• When possible, the windows will be opened on buses
• Staggered Schedule - Buses will unload at 8:55 (no earlier)
• Students will enter the building at designated grade level areas
• Face Coverings are REQUIRED on Buses, Bus Ramp, Entering the Building, & in the Classroom
• Students should try to practice social distancing when entering the building
• Designated Entrances - Clearly marked directional signals
• Teachers will assist students and direct them to designated grade level entrances

 

DROP-OFF/ARRIVAL:

• Designated Drop Off Area (Located at the back of the building-Must enter through W. Veterans Highway)
• Only students in Child Care will be admitted prior to 8:50 AM
• Please follow the “traffic flow” as designated by the signs and cones
• Students must exit the car/vehicle from the PASSENGER/CURBSIDE ONLY·
• Staff on duty will supervise students during this time
• Be aware of traffic patterns; please do not move ahead or cut across the line·
• Tardy students (arriving after 9:05 AM) must enter through the main entrance with a

parent/guardian and will need to be signed in by a parent/guardian with the receptionist. (NOTE: Carline entrance is locked at 9:05 AM daily….please DO NOT drop your child off at the back entrance after 9:05 AM)·       

• Children arriving after 9:05 must check in with the receptionists in the main lobby of the

             main entrance·        

• Children must be accompanied into the school and signed in – please have a Photo ID
• For the safety of all of our young learners, please do not drop off students curbside unattended

 

PICK-UP/DISMISSAL:

 

DISMISSAL:

• Dismissal (Begins @ 3:05 pm): In the afternoon, children are escorted/called to

            buses, after school childcare, and parent pick up

• Students may not be signed out after 2:45 pm.
• Parent pick up is located in the back of the building
• Photo ID is required when picking up/signing students out at all time

 

Pick Up Via CARLINE DISMISSAL: Located in the rear of the building

• Pick up begins at 3:10 pm
• Be mindful of traffic patterns and traffic flow; do not pull out of the line or

cut the line; this will ensure the safety of all of our learners·       

• Designated Pick Up Area- There will be two car lines for parent pick up at the end of the day (K-2& 3-5)·
• Teachers on duty will be outside greeting each car·
• Children will be dismissed to their parent/guardian via a rolling car line·
• Parents/Guardians do not need to leave their cars for carline pickup·
• ID will be checked and parent/guardian will sign the child out on sign out a sheet indicating the time of departure
• Staff on duty will monitor and escort students TO CARS as they pull up, one at a time
• Please be ready for your child(ren) to enter via the PASSENGER side only;

it is not safe for them to walk around the car to enter·       

• The child will be called to come out via walkie-talkie communication from the Gym (Holding Area)·
• Students should try to practice social distancing when exiting the building
• All children must enter their cars on the passenger side

 

DAILY/REGULAR DISMISSAL PROCEDURES CHANGE: If your child has different dismissal plans than usual

• Must send a note to the teacher – if a request is not supported with a note, regular dismissal procedures will remain in place
• If another person besides a parent will be picking up, notification of this arrangement in writing must be given and proper ID will be required by the adult picking up
• No child is allowed to ride home on any other school bus than the one to which he/she is assigned. Playdates should be arranged by either parent providing the transportation or after the children have arrived home from school

Call the school main office before 2:00 pm If your child needs to leave school early,  
he/she must be signed out with the receptionist first

 Food Services

You may apply for free/reduced price lunch benefits. Applications were sent home with students in September, and are always available on our web site or at your child’s school. Only one application is required per household, but must be completed annually.  Please complete and return the Free and Reduced Lunch forms.  Although all students are eligible to receive free breakfast/lunch, submitting this form provides opportunities for other reduced or free opportunities for our families.  Please click this link to the Jackson Food Service Department to  complete your Free and Reduced Lunch forms.

 

Technology

All parents must have an active Chromebook Device Loan Agreement on file with the district. This form can be found on the Parent Portal and must be completed prior to your child being issued a district Chromebook.  Cases for Chromebooks are also available for purchase.  Please click on this link to view the flyer for more information.

What if I have an issue with technology and need assistance with the Parent Portal or Login?

• TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE:
  • Please be sure to use the correct support contact for the type of issue you are experiencing. We kindly ask for your patience as we handle each request. We are moving as quickly as we can and we are eager to make sure every student can access the technology they need.
  • Please try the 'Forgot My Password' link on the Portal Login pageBEFORE contacting support. Please note that the "Forgot Password'' link will work only with parents who have an email as their login ID.
  • Parent Portal:
    • If you have an issue with your portal login, please email portalsupport@jacksonsd.org
    • Please include your name and phone number, as well as your child's name, school, grade, student ID number and the problem you are experiencing.
  • Chromebooks, Student Google Login ID and Passwords:
    • If you have an issue with your child’s Chromebook or with his or her Google login credentials, please contact the main office @ (732) 833-4620.
    • If your Chromebook is broken or damaged, please contact the main office @ (732) 833-4620.  

I'm having an issue with an application, logging into my child's Google Classroom, or logging into Pearson Math.  I need help.  Are there any video tutorials to assist me?

• You've come to the right place.  Here are some videos to assist with logging into Google Classroom.  In fact, these videos were created by Kindergarten teachers at Holman.
  • How to Log Into Google Classroom
  • Google Classroom Login
  • How to Open Assignments and Add Work in Google Classroom
  • Pearson Login(Math)
• Click on the link below for a ton of helpful tutorials for all types of applications in Google and beyond.  This amazing chart was created by a teacher at McAuliffe Middle School.
  • Chart of Various Tutorials

  Staying connected with Switlik

• Parentlink
  • Our primary method of communicating information to you.  Messages are broadcast through telephone messages.  If you receive a phone from the school/district, and decide to pick up, please make sure that you say, “HELLO”, to activate the message.
• Portal
  • This is the way to access your child’s grades and report cards.
• E-Backpack
  • This is one of the main ways that the school communicates our parent-teacher organization events and sign-ups for various activities, fundraisers, and purchases during the school year.
• District website, School website, teacher class pages
  • Make sure to view these weekly to stay updated with school functions.

  Switlik PTN

 Please mark your calendars for our next PTN meeting which will be held in person/virtually at 7:00PM on February 16^th in the Switlik APR and on Zoom (link forthcoming).  Come to see what we have planned for this year and how you can be a part of it all. 

PTN Events:

2021/2022 Yearbook – Yearbooks are on sale NOW!  You can purchase your student’s book in the online store.  Price is $20 per book/all students, so order your book TODAY!  Please check our YEARBOOK tab on the Switlik PTN website for online ordering information.

Valentine Cookie/Mochi Squishy Gram – Order your student a Puppy Cookie-Gram or a Valentine Mochi Squishy Toy-Gram for Valentine’s Day.  The PTN is selling an individually wrapped Jersey Cookie Girl Valentine Puppy Cookie for $5 each, a Valentine Mochi Squishy Toy for $2 each, or a bag of plain M&M’s.  Add a personalized note for your sweetheart.  Please use the attached order form.  Cash, check or Venmo (@Switlik-PTN).  Payment is due by 2/4/22 for delivery to your student in class on 2/14/22.  Please submit a form for each student you are buying for.

Twin Day – Pair up with a friend and dress up as “Twins” on 2/2/22 for photos for the yearbook.

Book Fair – Our next Scholastic Book Fair is scheduled for 2/14-2/25.  Your students will have an opportunity to “Fall in Love with Reading.”  Teacher shopping times will be posted as soon as finalized.  The PTN will need volunteers for all shopping days.  We will post a SignUp Genius as soon as available.

Stay safe, stay well!

Sincerely,

Kathleen McKiernan

Principal