🐯 Ti-GRRR NEWS
Swallow Union Ti-GRRR’s– Growth, Respect, Responsibility, Resilience
📅 Important Dates – 2025–26 School Year
Sept. 5 – Full Day Friday, dismissal at 3:12 pm
Sept. 12 – Half-Day, dismissal at 12:17 pm
Sept. 19 – Half-Day, dismissal at 12:17 pm
Sept. 25 – Swallow Union Open House (Grades 1–4) - See Schedule Below
Sept. 26 – Half-Day, dismissal at 12:17 pm & PTO Color Run (4:30–7:30 pm, races @ 5:15 pm)
🌟 Welcome Ti-GRRR Families to a New School Year!
We’re off to a wonderful start! Students are settling into new routines, exploring classroom expectations, and—most importantly—building connections with teachers and one another.
Be sure to visit our Live Feed section of the website for weekly highlights of teaching and learning, both inside and outside the classroom.
🎶 Meet Our New Faculty Members
We’re excited to welcome two new staff members who bring fresh energy and talents to Swallow Union:
Rachael Hettinger – Music Teacher
Jessica Paulik – PE Teacher
Please join us in giving them a warm Ti-GRRR welcome!
🚗 Arrival & Dismissal Reminders
If arriving late (after parent drop-off ends), please walk your child to the front office and sign them in. For safety reasons, children may not enter alone.
Any changes to dismissal plans (bus to pickup, alternate bus, etc.) require written notice in the home–school notebook or an email to the teacher that morning.
Thank you for helping us ensure smooth and safe transitions each day!
🥪 Breakfast & Lunch Procedures
Free meals for all students: Each student is entitled to one free breakfast and one free lunch daily.
Second meals, milk-only, or bottled water must be purchased.
Meal planning matters! Please review the daily lunch menu with your child at home. This helps them make confident choices and reduces wasted food. Many students are still adjusting to choosing hot or cold lunch in the morning and discover later they don’t like what they’ve selected.
👉 [Click here for the GDRSD Meal Planner] to see this month’s breakfast and lunch options.
🐯 Ti-GRRR Community Highlights
Welcome to K Night
We loved welcoming our newest Tigers at Kindergarten Night! Thank you to our K teachers, PTO, our volunteer Ti-GRRR mascot, Dee Bus, and all families who joined us. This evening was a beautiful example of the way our school, families, and community come together to support our children.
Chalk the Walk
A huge thank-you to families and students who came out before the first day of school to “Chalk the Walk” with bright colors and positive messages. Your words of encouragement lit the way for a joyful start!
🤝 Ti-GRRR Connections: Building Belonging
At Swallow Union, we believe every experience—whether in the classroom, at recess, in the lunchroom, or during community events—offers an opportunity to connect. This year, our focus is on strengthening relationships in every direction:
Families and school working together
Students and teachers building trust
Students and peers learning to support one another
Our school and the wider Dunstable community sharing pride in our Tigers
School to School - PreK to 12th grade
Together, these connections make Swallow Union and Groton-Dunstable Regional School District a place where every child feels seen, supported, and celebrated.
Community connections in Dunstable supporting our school!
Thank you Rose of Sharon for brightening our front entrance to help create a welcoming entrance for our students and families!
🌎 PTO Corner
Back To School Color Run! Friday, September 26, 4:30-7:30 at the SU Playground. This is our biggest event and fundraiser of the year and we can't wait to welcome you all back to school! Check out our SU PTO LinkTree to register for the event and also for volunteer opportunities. You can bookmark the LinkTree page and use that to find all of our sign-ups/registrations throughout the year!
Spirit Wear - get a head start on spirit wear for upcoming spirit weeks! The store is open until September 14th, and items will be delivered to school in early October. Link can be found in the SU PTO LinkTree
PTO General Meeting - join us on Wednesday, September 17 at 7pm in the SU library and learn about all the events we put on throughout the year and how you can help. Getting involved with the PTO is a great way to meet new families while helping the school. Each grade is responsible for certain events throughout the year, and our meetings are very helpful to get background and tips:
K - shadow 4th grade events to take over next year
1st - Trivia Night, Spring Fling/Tiger Twist, Fun Friday Coordinator
2nd - SquareOne Art, Science Fair, Pottery Night
3rd - Book Fair (fall and spring), Winter Raffle
4th - Monster Mash, TAW lunch, Restaurant Night
Monster Mash - Save the Date! Friday, October 24, 5:30-7:30 at SU.
THANK YOU to everyone that participated and contributed to our Stock the Teacher's Lounge and Chalk the Walk last week - what a wonderful to welcome our students and staff back to school.