Week of September 25th, 2023
Important Dates:
October 6th - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:05 pm
October 9th - Indigenous People’s Day - No School
October 17th - School Picture Day
October 20th - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm
October 23-27th - Scholastic Book Fair
October 27th - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm & PTO Monster Mash
Highlights
Last Friday night, our PTO held the Annual Color Run event and the turnout was amazing. Amongst the events, the return of the Dunk Tank was a fan favorite, and shout-outs to all the teachers who volunteered to be dunked! Our students had some strong pitches!
Bus Evacuation Drill
Every year, students practice getting off the bus safely out the back door. On Tuesday, our 4th-grade students were asked to assist all the other students in jumping out of the back door of the bus to practice exiting safely. Everyone did a wonderful job helping one another and learning ways to exit in the event of an emergency.
Open House
Shout Out to all of our families and teachers - Open House last night was outstanding. This year I had more time to pause and take the night in. We truly have a lot to be proud of here at Swallow Union. I feel this way because:
Every classroom was filled with parents/guardians ready to meet teachers and staff and to learn about all the ways we are nurturing their child(ren) academically, socially, and emotionally.
I was able to visit and listen in all the classrooms and what I heard was teachers and service providers sharing their love of the profession and of their students. This was evident in how they thoughtfully communicated in words, videos, QR codes (where parents could scan and see their child reading), student work, scavenger hunts, families leaving messages, and so many other ways.
Our Core Values were a consistent theme as teachers shared their classroom collective agreements developed by classroom communities. This included their hopes and dreams, what it looks/feels/sounds like to be a good student, friend, and community member.
Our Specialists, the newest members of our team, were able to meet our parents and share about themselves and their passion for the arts, music, and technology and what their hopes and dreams are in teaching this year.
We had student leaders from our 4th grade selected to help families find their child's classroom - they were truly shining and it is a great reminder of the importance of raising our students up each and every day and finding positive ways they will succeed, contribute to the community they are in and the intrinsic goodness of volunteerism!
We took pride in all of the physical spaces of our school - this was a Village contributing - teachers, paras, Mr. Matt (day custodian), and John & the Maintenance department, and our Technology Team to help get our school ready.
We partnered with our PTO, SEPAC, and ELL to ensure they were present, and information was readily shared and available.
Ti-GRRR Awards
G = Growth, R = Respect, R = Responsible, R = Resilient
This week we are highlighting several students who have earned the Ti-GRRR Award.
Noah Silva-Whelan was recognized by his teacher, Mrs. Keegan, for demonstrating great leadership skills in his classroom by helping his peers when they were not sure of what to do. In doing so, he demonstrated what it means to be the G = Growth as a Swallow Union Ti-GRRR! Noah - thank you for contributing so positively to our school community and being so helpful all the time to others!
Mrs. Jankowski has recognized Ethan Kim for demonstrating what it means to show the R in Respect! Ethan is usually the first student to arrive in the classroom each morning and he does so with a positive attitude and a “Good Morning” greeting. His acts of kindness and respect put a smile on Mrs. Jankowski’s face and to start each day off right!
From left to right: Lily Doherty, August Gray, Jace Senegele, Blake Healey, and Abby Lima (not pictured here - we missed you today for a picture).
Five students from our fourth grade earned the R = Responsible when they assisted at Open House last night as Ambassadors. They ensured all families knew where to go to find their classroom as well as art and music!
PTO Updates
We're extending our Feed the Tigers deadline to Monday, October 2nd since we are only $260 away from earning a free recess. If we hit $8,000 by 10/13, the students will get to choose Mrs. Jarvis' costume for the Monster Mash!
You can Venmo @SwallowUnion_Elementary_PTO or write a check to Swallow Union Elementary PTO and send it to school.
Save the Dates
Scholastic Book Fair - October 23-27
Monster Mash - October 27
School Picture Day ~ October 17th, 2023
This year we are excited to announce that we are working with Geskus Studios for our student pictures this year! All students will be photographed individually and class photos will also be taken. One of the benefits is a family discount if you have more than two children at Swallow Union or GD Middle School. Flyers were sent home this week with your child and online ordering ahead of time is recommended!
School Start Time
The school day begins right at 8:55 am and both bus and parent drop off areas are completed at this time as well. If you bring your child to school after this time, please park in the parking lot and walk your child into the office to be signed in. Please do not drop your child off at the front door alone and please refrain from parking in the fire lane for safety reasons.
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.
SEPAC Events
GROTON DUNSTABLE SEPAC
DESSERT & DISCUSSION
Peter Twomey Youth Center
Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 7PM
Please join SEPAC members for a chat
and desserts. We hope to see you there!
Questions: gdsepac2@gmail.com
G-D Special Education Parent Advisory Council
Community Education Fall Offerings
Groton Dunstable Community Education is proud to offer a variety of Fall Programs for all ages and interests:
-Click here to view our catalog.
-Visit our website for details, account creation and registration.
-Have any program ideas? We would love to hear from you. Please contact the GDCE office