Swallow Union News
Greetings SU Families,
As the month of August moves along quickly, it is hard to believe we are 10 days away from the start of a new and exciting school year. Our maintenance crew has been hard at work with preparing classrooms for students as well as tackling some additional projects to improve our school facilities. Along with the continuation of the installation of air conditioners in our classrooms, additional water filtering stations were also installed. The front office spaces were renovated and painted along with the health office, all student bathroom walls and floors. Our front sidewalks were replaced, the landscaping around the building looks beautiful, the fire lane will be repainted, and some additional fire exit signs have been installed. Our school is looking fantastic and welcoming and we appreciate all of the hard work from our maintenance department.
Excitement is building as we begin to welcome new families and students to SU through our new student tours as well as prepare to greet staff who return on August 28th. The 1st day of school for students in grades 1-12 is Wednesday, August 30th and the 1st day of school for our PreK and K students in Thursday, August 31st. We look forward to seeing you all next week!
Student Placement
Please note that we have spent a considerable amount of time and thoughtfulness into student placement. Many factors are considered during the placement process and we always strive to create well-balanced and positive learning environments for all students.
By now, families should have received a welcome letter from their child(rens) teacher that included a supply list. Last Friday, families received an email from central office noting access to your School Brains account where you can see your child’s teacher (and for our students in middle and high school you can see their schedule). Please reach out to us if you have any questions about School Brains or if you have not heard from your child(rens) teacher.
School Hours
Full Day 8:45 am to 3:20 pm*
Half Day 8:45 am to 12:15 pm*
*Fridays, when a holiday weekend follows, will result in an earlier dismissal time (by 5 minutes). When this occurs, full day dismissal begins at 3:15 pm and half day dismissal at 12:10 pm. Parents are reminded of these changes the evening prior via email notification. Please be sure to update your School Brains account information.
Parent Drop Off/Pick Up Procedures
For families wishing to drive their child(ren) to and from school, we ask that you follow the traffic pattern as you enter into the school driveway. The parent pick up/drop off line needs to stay to the right (buses pull in to the left closest to the church) where you will then turn right in front of the Union Building and follow the road that goes behind the school. Car riders will be greeted by staff behind the school and students will enter through the gym doors. Please pull forward and work to support your child(ren) to be ready to hop out of your car (using the passenger door behind the driver seat for safety) without the adult needing to get out of the vehicle. Staff are there to help assist with opening the door and guiding your child out safely. For our younger students, we will use the first few weeks of the school year to help them learn the process and work to build their independence. Our goal is to keep students safe while working to keep the line moving as efficiently as possible in order to avoid back up in the front of the school for buses to pull through as well as keep vehicles off of Main Street to avoid blocking traffic.
Free Lunch
The state of Massachusetts has approved providing free school meals for all students, regardless of income. This means that all students are able to get a school lunch without cost. If a student wishes to get a second lunch they are available for purchase ($2.75) and subject to availability.
Students must have money on their account to purchase a second lunch or water/milk or have cash in hand. Parents can fund their child's accounts through the MY School Bucks app or by bringing in a check or cash to the lunch room or office and the cashier will put the funds on the account immediately. Milk is free with lunch. Students may purchase an 8 oz. bottle of water ($0.50) or milk separately ($0.60).
Click here to access the district’s Food Service website.
Lunch menus (FD Meal Planner) are posted through the website and a quick link is here.
Important Dates:
August 28th - Welcome to Kindergarten Night (K students & families) 6- 7 pm
August 30th - First Day Grades 1-12
August 31st - First day PreK & Kindergarten
September 1st - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:10 pm
September 4th - No School - Labor Day Observance
September 15th - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm
September 22nd - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm
September 22nd - PTO Color Run 4:30 - 7:30 pm
September 28th - Open House Grades 1-4
SEPAC Events