Take Home Tuesday
September 20, 2022
Updates from the principal's office
Dear Sward Families:
Why does Jell-o jiggle? Are yawns contagious? Who invented the Super Soaker? Can plants grow in winter?
What do you wonder?
There is a website designed for those of us that wonder about many things... it is wonderopolis.org and filled with tons of interesting facts! There is a place toward the bottom that you can receive a daily wonder right in your inbox by submitting your email address.
Your partner in education,
Mrs. Candy Kramer
Sward School PrincipalBasketball Club Canceled Tomorrow
If your child is in the before school Basketball Club, it is canceled tomorrow morning and will be rescheduled for a later date.
PTA's Donuts with Dudes
Tomorrow morning is the PTA Event, "Donuts with Dudes" and it will be held in the main gym from 7:45-8:10 a.m. Due to the limited parking, if you are able to walk, that would be a great idea. At the conclusion of the event, the students will remain in the gym until the adults/dudes have been dismissed out the front doors. Then, the students will be released from the gym to wait in the hallway outside their classroom until the bell.
Math Outside of School
When you "catch your child" using real life math outside of school, please send a photo and statement of explanation to ckramer@d123.org . Check out this example of a few Sward Eagles trying to determine if they have enough money to purchase the treats they would like at the ice cream truck. The photos and explanations will be added to a "Math Outside of School" bulletin board for all to see.
Family Conferences
Our D123 Family Conferences will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 13 and from 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 14. Families can schedule in Skyward Family Access as soon as 10:00 a.m. on September 29 and until 10:00 p.m. on October 10. When you go into the system to schedule, you will have 3 options being in-person, virtual, or telephone. Conferences are 15 minutes in length and scheduled back to back. All conferences MUST end at the proper time in order for the teacher's next conference to begin at the correct time. The scheduling of these conferences is completed on a first come first served basis. Once you have scheduled a conference, you will receive an automated confirmation of the time slot you have registered for. Families will be able to schedule conferences with their child's homeroom teacher and PE teacher. If your child currently receives Literacy Intervention Services, Math Intervention Services, English Language Services, or Special Education Resource Services, you will be able to schedule a conference with their specific teacher. If you would like to schedule a conference with one of the Encore teachers (Art, Library, or Music) those will only be available via virtual means or telephone, since our Encore team is shared with other buildings.
Assignment Notebooks
If your child has Ms. Molloy, Ms. Glasgow, Ms. Hathaway, or Mrs. Collura for their homeroom teacher and you have not yet paid the $5 for their assignment notebook, please send the $5 to school with your child as soon as possible.
Lunchtime
Please ensure that your child knows what they are doing for lunch, whether it be that they brought a lunch from home OR they are ordering. Lately, we have been having more students than usual that make it to the lunchroom and realize they do not have a lunch. Even though teachers read the lunch orders back to the students, the students do not seem to notice anything is wrong. Once the orders are submitted in the morning, the company sends us that amount of lunches. While we typically have extra sides or breakfast items, we do not have extra entrees on hand.
Safety
Please refrain from utilizing the staff parking lot. The staff parking lot is for, well, staff parking. We have multiple staff members that travel from building to building throughout the course of the day and only a limited number of parking spaces available. That being said, with staff members coming and going throughout the course of the day, PLEASE do not cut through the parking lot. I have had multiple reports of children running through the parking lot and this is not safe on many levels. Please walk around the lot using the sidewalk in order to keep our Eagles and their little siblings (little Future Eagles) safe.
Spirit Wear
Please click here for the Spirit wear order form. Orders are due by Thursday, October 6.
PTA Update
Please click HERE to learn about the great ways to become involved with the PTA.
Music Recorders
If your child is in grade 4, please remember to send the money to purchase their recorder for music class to Mrs. Glikis by the end of September.
PBIS Shirt Sale
Click here if you are interested in purchasing a District 123 PBIS Shirt and have not yet done so. These orders are due this Friday, September 23.
Student Lunch Accounts
If you are looking to place funds into your child's Skyward lunch account, you have a few options. You are able to place funds electronically into their account through the Family Access portal. Here is also where you will able to see when your child has made a purchase of a meal or milk. If you prefer to send cash, we ask that you send a minimum of $20 with your child to cover multiple meals. The cash deposits frequently take longer to be reflected in the accounts which can sometimes cause confusion. If you have questions or would like guidance through the process, please call the Sward main office at (708)423-7820.
Please be aware that if you do qualify for the free or reduced lunch and your child orders ONLY a milk (rather than the whole lunch), they will be charged the cost of the milk on their Skyward account. The cost for the milk is 60 cents.
Attendance Procedures
Breakfast
School Nurse Update
Park District Intramural Fall League
The Oak Lawn Park District has planned for intramural fall leagues. Please click here for additional information and details.
Student Device Insurance
Families of students in all grade levels can sign up for the device insurance program for only $25/year by adding the optional “Student Device Insurance” fee through Skyward Family Access. You have until September 30 to purchase device insurance every year. Additional information about the student device insurance program and deductibles can be found at: https://d123.org/about/technology/student-device-insurance/
Please view either the written or video tutorial on how to add Chromebook / iPad insurance to your student's account.
Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday, September 21- PTA's Donuts with Dudes 7:45-8:10 a.m.
- Wednesday, October 5- Districtwide Late Start (school begins at 9:30 a.m.)
- Wednesday, October 5- PTA Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
- Monday, October 10- No School- Indigenous Peoples' Day
- Thursday, October 13- Student Early Dismissal- Students get dismissed at 11:30 a.m. (lunch is NOT served on this day)
- Thursday, October 13- Family Conferences 5:00-8:00 p.m.
- Friday, October 14- No School for students due to Family Conferences. Family Conferences will be held from 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Sward Elementary School
Website: d123.org/sward
Location: 9830 Brandt Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-423-7820
Twitter: @d123sward
Mrs. Candice Kramer - Principal
Email: ckramer@d123.org
Website: d123.org/sward
Phone: 708-423-7820
Twitter: @MrsKramerD123