Ms. Kenney's Welcome Back Letter
WELCOME BACK SWIFT FAMILIES!
I would like to take this opportunity, before we are all back to school, to welcome you to another exciting school year at Dr. Thomas A. Swift Elementary. To returning students and families, welcome back. To new students and families, welcome to Swift! We come back with high hopes for a wonderful school year – field trips, hot lunches, presentations, and more!
As we begin a new school year, we are sad to say a few late ‘farewells’ to Mrs. Doerfling, Mrs. Torok and Ms. Lanigan. Staffing continues with the hopes of being completed by the end of the first week, and we will be welcoming new staff members then!
First Days of School
There have been many changes over the summer to our student enrollment, and those changes have continued each day this week! To create the least disruption possible, we will NOT be starting the year in new classes. The first few days of school will look a little different but will be great!
Tuesday September 5th – Students go back to “last year’s class” – they will receive a warm welcome from their teacher last year and be able to catch up with friends on their summer. New students to the school are asked to come to the front office and we will bring you to a class for you to join for the morning. Please note: This is a half day of school with dismissal at 11:30.
Wednesday-Friday September 6th-8th – We will be meeting in grade groups for the remainder of the week. Grades 1-5 will participate in activities with members of their same grade and will have a chance to meet new friends and new teachers. Please meet for arrival and dismissal at the following locations:
Grade 5s – Meet Outside Room 119 with Mrs. Froese, Ms. Virtue & Ms. Miettinen
Grade 4s – Meet Outside Room 105 with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brennan
Grade 3s – Meet In the Front Garden with Mrs. Spenard, Mrs. Crocker, Ms. Stroet/Mrs. Schultz
Grade 2s – Meet By the Gaga Ball Court with, Mrs. Katan & Ms. O’Donnell
Grade 1s – Meet By the Playground (end door) with Mrs. Hickey, Ms. Mantta and Mrs. Morgante
We will be finalizing class lists as soon as we have concrete registration numbers. Our hope is that all students are in the “forever class” no later than Monday September 11th, if we can do it sooner, we will. As such, lists will not be posted prior to the first day of school. We are hopeful this will alleviate the need to switch classes and cause unnecessary heart break!
Please know that much time, effort and thought is put into creating class lists. Our classes will all be full and there will be no room for class changes once lists are finalized. Those requests that were submitted in May, will continue to be considered and accommodated where possible.
Please ensure school supplies are in a separate bag so they can be kept safe and together until we are settled into our classes for the year.
Families who were told in July that their child will be in Nature Grade 1 will continue to be in that class. They will still meet with the whole Grade 1 group during the first week of school.
Kindergarten parents please follow the schedule and all information that has been sent to you from the Kindergarten team. If you did not receive a letter in the mail this summer, please contact the office ASAP. Your meeting on September 5th will take place in the classroom of the teacher listed in your welcome letter at 10:30 am.
Summer Reading Challenge
If you started the Summer Reading Challenge, it isn’t too late to finish! All students who finished can hand in their Challenge sheet at the Office. They can be handed in until September 15th.
StrongStart
A reminder that Swift has an amazing StrongStart program. StrongStart is Monday-Friday from 8:30-11:30 am and is a free program – parents or caregivers must stay with their children at Strong Start. You can find Mrs. Price in Room 116. StrongStart will begin in late September.
We are looking forward to smiles and laughter filling the school again. We know the beginning of the year brings great anticipation and also some nervousness. If you have any more questions please email us at swift@abbyschools.ca or call the school at 604-853-7730.
Enjoy the long weekend and see you on Tuesday!
Ms. Shannon Kenney Principal, Dr. Thomas A. Swift Elementary