A message from Ms. Kenney

Dear Swift Families,

As term 1 comes to a close, please take time to celebrate your child’s successes – there are many! This is also a great time to set goals for Term 2 – these don’t need to be big elaborate goals, sometimes the smallest ones produce the best change and outcomes.

Report Cards – December 2nd

Report cards will be coming home on December 2nd. As always, these are a snap shot of the amazing successes your child has had so far this year. They will also share with you some areas of growth that we will continue to work on in the coming months.
This year we have transitioned to a new computer platform for report cards. As with any change it hasn’t been without challenges. We have tried to catch all the “glitches” – but some might remain. If you have any questions or wonders please reach out to your child’s teacher directly. We appreciate your patience as we navigate these changes.

Reporting Absences

Please remember to log your child’s absence into the Safe Arrival App. You can find out how here: https://www.abbyschools.ca/safe-arrival Attendance is completed by 9:00 am every morning. An annoying call out will come to you via phone and email if you do not let us know where your child is by 9:00 am.
Unfortunately, Safe Arrival only lets you log 3 absences in a row. If your child will be or has been away more than 3 days, please call the office (604-853-7730) or email swift@abbyschools.ca to let us know where your child is. It is for your child’s safety and required by law for the school to know where every child is each day. During this time of multiple days of sickness, we really appreciate your attention to this detail.

Cold and Flu Season

If it isn’t one thing – it’s another! It is clear that the mild cold and flu seasons we have enjoyed for the past 2 years is no longer. We appreciate you keeping your children home when they are sick. We continue to have students handwash/sanitize frequently and remind them off cough/sneeze etiquette as we all get through this season together.
We will continue to call home throughout the day if your child becomes ill. Please be sure we have up to date contact information to reach you during the school day.

Christmas Fun Day – December 2

We are excited to once again be hosting our Christmas Fun Day for all the Swift students on Friday, December 2nd. To make this day a success we need your help!
A huge thank you to those who have offered to help prepare before the big event – all the “pre-work” makes the day so much more successful. If you want to help, and haven’t yet been given a job, please reach out to Ryann W. and Melissa T. via the PAC email (taswiftpac@gmail.com).
If you are interested in volunteering on Christmas Fun Day – please complete the form at this link. There are a variety of jobs to be done – and lots of fun to be had! We need upwards of 25 volunteers for both the morning and afternoon to make the day a success. (All volunteers must have a completed Criminal Record Check in order to participate in the day. Please note: there have been some delays in the processing and approval of CRCs. This is out of our control at a school level, we continue to update our records as often as possible).
We are looking forward to a great day of festive fun! If you have any questions, please send them to the PAC email listed above.

Strong Start Updates

As the rainy winter weather arrives, we will be moving away from Nature Thursdays until after Spring Break. Strong Start will continue Monday – Friday at the school for the winter.
Strong Start will be closed on Thursday December 1st.
We invite Strong Start families to join us for Festive Fridays on December 2 & 9 – come dressed in your favourite festive gear, and on December 16 for PJ Day!

Lost and Found – Check it out! – Updated today!!

Our Lost and Found is bursting out of the box! Please check out the pictures on the website and let us know if something belongs to you. Instructions on how to claim your items are at the top of the webpage.

Bring your rain gear!!

Rainy days are here, and we will continue being outside for recess and lunch unless the weather is truly inclement – too windy to be safe, rain coming downside ways, or too cold (and we don’t mean just a little chilly!).
Given the weather that we have experienced the past couple of weeks our fields are extra muddy and swampy. Please make sure students come to school with clothing that will keep them warm and dry. Adding an extra set of clothes in a backpack is also a good plan – puddles are very inviting, and we try to keep the extra clothes we have on hand for bathroom accidents, not mud puddle ones!
We all know this can be a battle with our older students – but even if you can get that coat into their backpack, at least then they have the option of putting it on!

Parking and Being Good Neighbours

While we understand that parking can be tricky – we must be good neighbours! Please ensure you are:
* Not blocking driveways in the cul-del-sacs or on nearby roads. City bylaw states that there must be at least 1.5 meters of clearance to a driveway (For City Bylaws please go to: https://www.abbotsford.ca/city-services/bylaw-services
* Not double parking in the cul-de-sacs
* Not parking in the Drop-Off Lane – this is for dropping off and picking up students – please do not leave your car if you are in this lane.
* Young Lungs At Work - we would like to remind you that areas around the school are “idle free zones”. If you’re waiting in the Drop-Off lane, or are parked close by, please turn off your car – help our kids little lungs…and the environment! We thank you for your support.

Dates to Remember for the next 2 weeks:

Dates are added throughout the year to the website – please keep this link handy https://swift.abbyschools.ca/events/list
25 – Div. 2 & 7 – Field Trip
25 – Spirit Day – Whacky Hair Day
30 – Orders and Payment for December Hot Lunch due Today
December
2 – Festive Friday – come dressed in your favourite festive gear!
2 – Christmas Fun Day
2 – Term 1 Reports Go Home
5 – Food Drive begins
9 – Festive Friday – come dressed in your favourite festive gear!
9 – Hot Lunch – White Spot

Upcoming dates – more details to follow
15 – Christmas Concert - 2 shows: 1:00pm and 6:00pm
16 – Spirit Day – PJ Day