Welcome Back - Information for the First Week

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 “near normal” school year – field trips, hot lunches, presentations, and more!

As we begin a new school year, we are excited to welcome new staff members to our school. Staffing continues with the hopes of being completed by the end of the first week.

We welcome the following new staff members to Swift: Mrs. Thurmer (LSS), Ms. Lanigan (LSS), Mrs. Salter (Library Tech), Ms. Peters (EA), Mrs. Hutton (EA), Mrs. Marr (ISW). We are in the process of hiring a new Grade 2/3 teacher and we are happy to welcome back Mrs. Brennan.

First Days of School

There have been many changes over the summer to our student enrollment. To create the least disruption possible, we will be starting the school year in “Grade Groups” not in set classes. We are hoping this will alleviate the need to switch classes and cause unnecessary heart break! 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 12th, if we can do it sooner, we will.

Please know that much time, effort and thought is put into creating class lists. Our classes will all be full – or very close to 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. As such, lists will not be posted prior to the first day of school.

Gr. 1-5 students will attend from 8:30-11:30 am on the First Day of School, Tuesday September 6th . Please send a recess snack and their school supplies. Wednesday September 7th will be a full day. 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.

Arrival and Dismissal for the first few days will be at the following locations:

Grade 5s – Meet Outside Room 119 with Mrs. Froese and Ms. Mann
Grade 4s – Meet Outside Room 105 with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brennan
Grade 3s – Meet Outside Room 123 with Mrs. Spenard and Mrs. Crocker
Grade 2s – Meet By the Gaga Ball Court with Ms. Stroet/Mrs. Schultz, Mrs. Katan/ Mrs. Torok
Grade 1s – Meet By the Playground (end door) with Mrs. Hickey, Ms. Mantta and Mrs. Morgante

Families who were told in June 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 on the first day 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 6th will take place in the classroom of the teacher listed in your welcome letter.

Health and Safety

We will be returning to school in the same manner that we ended in June.  Our continued focus is on keeping our school community both healthy and safe. We are thankful for your continued support of a healthy, safe and happy school community.

Health Checks: Parents will be encouraged to continue doing a “health check” each morning before sending their children to school. We continue to ask that families keep their children home if they are sick.  Please ensure we have accurate and up to date phone numbers on file. If your child becomes sick throughout the day, we will call you to come and pick them up. If you are volunteering at school, we ask you to do the same. Please don’t feel bad if you need to let us know that you’re unable to come in due to illness.

Universal Precautions: We will continue with a big focus on hand washing and sanitizing. We will also continue to encourage good cough etiquette – and ask that you help us by doing the same at home! These are universal precautions that are likely here to stay – this is probably a good thing!

Masks: Masks will continue to be optional for staff and students. The choice to wear a mask will be respected and supported by the school community. Masks will be available as requested by students.

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.

Strong Start

A reminder that Swift has an amazing Strong Start program. Strong Start 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. Strong Start 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 or concerns, 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