Swallow Union Update - Week of August 28, 2023 | Swallow Union Elementary School

Week of August 28th, 2023

Greetings SU Families,

This week we welcomed back our students ~ one of my favorite times of the school year! There is always the air of excitement about reuniting with our students, friends meeting up with friends, and finding ourselves back in a much-needed routine.

So much preparation goes into a smooth opening at an elementary school. From the maintenance department, bus company, teachers and staff preparing their classrooms, the front office, health office, kitchen staff, Dunstable police department, and families. Thank you for all the hard work that led to a successful start to the school year. Wishing everyone a wonderful Labor Day Weekend ~ the weather looks fantastic!

School Brains/Parent Portal Login & Dismissal

Families have received an email from the district asking them to go into your parent portal in School Brains to review and update your student information, contact and emergency contact information. There is also a section that reviews the student handbook and opt out forms/process. Please be sure to complete this no later than September 8th as this is the only way to ensure your information is correct and up to date.

In this process, you will be asked about whether or not your child was assigned to a bus and whether or not your child will take a bus. While this provides the district information about busing, it does not replace the requirement that parents must send in a note/email to your child’s teacher(s) with dismissal plans if it is different then the bus they’ve been assigned to (extended day, parent pick up, and playdate). Please reach out to Mrs. Dzwonek or Mrs. Jarvis with any questions about this.

Absences

If your child(ren) will be absent for any reason, parents/guardians are responsible for notifying the school by calling in the absence. All student absences must be reported by 8:55 am by calling (978) 649-7281, choose option #1 and provide your child(rens) name, teacher, and reason for absence. Anyone who calls after this timeframe may receive an automated call regarding your child’s absence from school without notification. This is in place to ensure all students are accounted for either at home or in the school.

Wellness Policy

Below please find the District’s Wellness Policy that we follow in order to ensure we are reinforcing healthy habits as well as student allergies. Teachers will be working with their Room Parents, School Administration, School Nurses, and our PTO to ensure food that comes into school for school-sponsored events (not including PTO-sponsored events) such as special classroom events and school-wide gatherings, adhere to this policy. Thank you in advance for helping us with this throughout the school year.

Chalk the Walk

Thank you to the PTO for organizing Chalk the Walk this year and to all of those families and students who came to write positive messages to greet us and the new school year.

Welcome Incoming Kindergartners

On Monday night we held our “Welcome to Kindergarten Night” for families and our incoming K students. It was wonderful to see our new and veteran families join us for the evening. Students had the opportunity to spend time and become familiar with their new classroom and meet their teacher and new friends who will be learning all year with them. Afterward, they all had time to play on the playground, enjoy a cold treat, get on the big yellow school bus, and pause for a photo op. What a great evening for all!

Welcome New Faculty

This year, we have several new faculty members joining us. We are very excited that they have brought their innate talents along with their joy of teaching to Swallow Union. Read on to meet them and hear about their interests.

Mrs. Sarah Mohan, Music

I am thrilled to join the Swallow Union team as the K-4 Music teacher and can't wait to meet the students this week! After living in Germany and Switzerland for a decade, I returned to the US last year and taught music at the German Saturday School of Boston. Before living abroad, I taught Elementary General Music and Chorus at Bacich Elementary School in Kentfield, CA. An avid string player, I am always learning something new on violin and ukulele. I live with my husband, two kids, and our rambunctious puppy in Arlington, MA.

Miss Gwendolyn Johnston, Art

I graduated with my Master of Arts in Teaching Art Education from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in May of this year. I am beyond excited and honored to begin my teaching career with Swallow Union Elementary.

Art has always been an integral part of my life and I hope to share and instill that lifelong joy in my students. I personally work in the mediums of textile, stop-motion animation, and illustration. And I bring all of these mediums into the classroom as well. I know in my heart that all of our students are already artists in their own right no matter their age or experience. I perceive that my role is to further guide and facilitate the artistic gifts they inherently possess, helping them to find a sustainable way in which they can connect to visual art and the arts as a whole.

As you can see from my picture, I am also a fiddle player and I love to combine my love of music and art inside and outside the classroom. Part of my Master’s degree involved researching the connections between music and visual art in the art room, work I hope to continue developing in my teaching practice this year. Thank you and I look forward to meeting you!

Miss Kathryn Manley, Speech & Language Pathologist

Hi! My name is Katie Manley and I am the new Speech Language Pathologist :) My experience includes private practice, elementary school, and middle school. I live in Townsend and have a dog named Scout. He's 9 - but he still thinks that he's a puppy! I love to hike, woodwork, and do anything and everything outside. I am so excited to be joining the Swallow Union team!

Erin Kelley, Library/Tech Innovation

I am so excited to be here at Swallow Union! I have been a classroom teacher for the past eighteen years, and I am looking forward to starting a new adventure here in Dunstable as the Library/Innovation Tech teacher! I live in Tewksbury with my husband, thirteen-year-old son, ten-year-old daughter, and moody rescue pup Finn. Some of my favorite things to do include spending time and laughing with my family, reading, kayaking, horseback riding, hiking, taking pictures, crafting, and traveling.

Mrs. Kristin Roberts, Special Education Teacher

I am thrilled to be joining the Swallow Union Team as an educator. I have been teaching special education for the last 16 years and can wholeheartedly say that it is a true passion of mine as I believe that all children are capable of reaching their dreams. My husband and I are residents of Dunstable and we are fortunate to have 3 children that attend the Groton Dunstable Schools. I am excited to begin this new chapter in my career and hopefully make a positive impact on our community. You can find me on the weekends at the soccer fields coaching our two children or walking the town streets with my 3-year-old Goldendoodle named Buddy. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and I find pleasure in singing. I look forward to a successful and exciting new school year