Ms. Kenney's Friday Letter Dec 3, 2021

Dear Swift Families,

It certainly seems like 2021 is trying to “go out with a bang”! We continue to be challenged in so many ways. We hope that this continues to find all of our families safe, dry and healthy. The upcoming Winter Break will certainly be a welcomed time to rest, relax, and hopefully enjoy (safe!) celebrations! But before that, we will tackle December. It is always a busy – and festive month at school! Thank you for your continued support as we close out 2021.

Report Cards – December 10th

Report cards were scheduled to go home today. With the flooding, and with many staff throughout the district unable to make it into work, they have been delayed by one week and will now be sent home on December 10th. 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.

Food Bank Collection – On NOW!

While the holiday season can be an exciting one for many of us, for some it comes with its challenges. We are happy to be helping our local Food Bank – and we want to fill the bin! Each year, the Food Bank let’s us know some of the most needed items. This year they include:

Canned Vegetables/Legumes 

Canned Meat 

Rice 

Dry Red Lentils, Chickpeas or Kidney Beans 

Indian Tea

Dry Pasta 

Tomatoes/Pasta Sauce 

Cereal

Kraft Dinner

Christmas Fun Day – December 6th

We are looking forward to a fun and festive day on Monday! Many thanks to all the parents who have volunteered to help make it a great day! An extra special thank you to our organizers who have worked hard for weeks behind the scenes!

Dominos Hot Lunch – Orders due today!!

Today is the last day to place an order for the Dominos Hot Lunch on December 17th. Information for Hot Lunches can be found on the website at: https://swift.abbyschools.ca/parents-students/pac/hot-lunch

Virtual Christmas Concert – December 16th Release!

Due to continued restrictions, we are unable to move forward with an in-person concert this year. We are excited to record and release the “Swift 2021 Virtual Christmas Concert” – a link will be sent to families when it’s available – we are aiming for December 16th! We are excited to have all students involved either in front of the camera, or behind the scenes.

Festive Spirit Week – December 13-17

We are excited to once again celebrate the season together with a fun Festive Spirit Week! Each day will have its own theme – come dressed for some fun!

Monday December 13 – “Candy Cane Day” – wear red, green & white
Tuesday December 14 – “Santa’s Silly Socks” – Wear your silly or cozy Christmas socks Wednesday December 15 – “Festive Fun” – wear your fun festive shirt or sweater
Thursday December 16 – “Holiday Hat Day” – wear a holiday hat or headband
Friday December 17 – “Long Winter’s Nap” – come to school in your coziest PJs

Young Lungs At Work

While we understand that parking can be a challenge, so some of you choose to arrive early, we would like to remind you that areas around the school are “idle free zones”. There is currently one sign posted, with a couple more hopefully arriving soon as a reminder! 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.

Strong Start Changes!

With the wintery, rainy weather arriving the “Outdoor Thursdays” for Strong Start will be moving inside until after Spring Break. Strong Start is still open on Thursday – just inside! Once the sunshine returns, the Thursday walks in Bateman Park will return!

Masks, Masks, Masks

Thank you for sending those re-usable masks to school! Please keep it up and continue sending a mask – preferably 2, with your child each day. As a rule, we are finding that reusable cloth masks are lasting much longer – the disposable masks just aren’t sturdy enough to survive a school day!

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 back pack 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 to option of putting it on!

Parking and Being Good Neighbours

As many of you will have seen on our Facebook page, there are some improvements to be made in regards to parking at drop off and pick up time. 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
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.

Lost and Found

There are many beautiful things in our lost and found that would like to be returned to their homes!

The items currently in the Lost and Found will be donated to a local charity over the Winter Break

Please go to https://swift.abbyschools.ca/announcement/lost-and-found-17 and see if anything belongs in your home. If so, please email swift [at] abbyschools.ca with the number, your child’s name and their class and we will return it to them!

Volunteering at School

We are so appreciative of all of our parent volunteers. Just a reminder that all parents who are volunteering at the school – field trips, classroom help, hot lunch, etc. must have completed the Annual Volunteer Application and Confidentiality Form, and have a current Criminal Record Check (the Abby PD Check is no longer accepted). All information can be found on our website at: https://swift.abbyschools.ca/Volunteers

Upcoming Important Dates in December & January:
December 6 – Christmas Fun Day
December 10 – Report Cards Go Home
December 13-17 – Festive Spirit Week - details above!
December 16 - Virtual Christmas Concert released
December 17 – Dominos Hot Lunch
December 18 – January 3 – Winter Break
January 4 – School Re-opens