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SWITZER Update
May 3, 2024
Update from Mr. Palmer
Hello Switzer,
We have 5 weeks left of school with lots of learning and activities planned!
M-Step servers decided not to play nice on April 30. We were able to test this week and we are proud of the students hard work. 5th grade still has science and social studies next week. All students will be taking the last round of NWEA in the next few weeks.
A special thank you to the teachers and staff at Switzer. Next week is teacher appreciation week and even though we appreciate our teachers every day, we celebrate them all next week. Thank you to Ms. Rinaldi and her team and for all your generous donations.
Enjoy the weekend.
May PBIS Winners
Speech-Language-Hearing Month
Happy May! My name is Mrs. Moore, and I’m the speech-language pathologist at Switzer.
I’m writing to let you know that May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month. This is a time to raise awareness about speech and language disorders, which are among the most common disabilities that school-aged children experience. This is also a time to help all students, no matter how they communicate, to feel included in their school community.
More than 1 million children nationwide receive treatment services for speech and language disorders each year through the school system. Left unaddressed, speech and language disorders can affect a child’s academic and social success. Speech-language pathologists in schools work with children who have difficulties in the following areas:
- Speech sounds—A child may substitute one sound for another, leave sounds out, add sounds, or change a sound. It may be hard for others to understand them.
- Spoken and written language—A student may have trouble understanding what others are communicating to them and may have problems explaining what they are thinking or feeling. They may also have difficulty with reading and writing.
- Stuttering (fluency)—A child may get stuck on certain sounds or words. They also may have tension or negative feelings about talking. This tension can get in the way of how they talk to others.
- Cognition—A child may have problems with long- or short-term memory, attention, problem solving, or organization.
- Social communication—A student may have difficulty understanding how others feel or following the rules of conversation, such as knowing how to take turns.
- Voice—A child may lose their voice frequently or use a hoarse or breathy voice. They may also speak with strain or effort.
- Augmentative and alternative communication—A child may need to find other ways to communicate besides talking, such as using a picture board or a speech-generating device.
Whether or not your child has a speech, language, and/or swallowing disorder, it’s important for everyone to reflect on how we can be respectful and supportive to those who do. Encourage your child to give people time to get their message out, to focus on what a person is saying rather than how they’re saying it, and to never bully someone for how they communicate.
I wish you all success as we approach the end of the school year!
Mrs. Moore
Student Council Information
Celebrity Day
May 10
Heritage Day
May 17 (See attachments nelow)
Crazy Hair Day
May 24
Summer School Offerings
Summer School offerings and programming will be based off of student achievement scores. For example, support and review programs will not be offered to students scoring above grade level. Invites for these programs will come home on Friday. Registration opens April 29.
Legacy of Excellence
Student Placement
Our goal at Switzer Elementary is to have all classes balanced in a way that allows for every student’s needs to be met. We believe classes should be balanced to ensure heterogeneous groupings.
The Switzer Elementary teaching staff will meet in May to determine placement of each student. Teachers from the students’ current grade level, learning center teachers and the principal will carefully discuss the needs and learning style of each student. The major factors we consider are as follows:
- Student ability levels and demonstrated daily achievement.
- Number of students in each class
- Special learning concerns or needs
- Student behavior
- Personality/Cohesiveness of entire classroom group
As educators, it is important we make informed decisions when preparing class lists, as our decisions impact all members of a classroom. Therefore, we cannot accept requests for teachers. I do however; take into consideration letters that explain certain needs, learning styles and environments that you believe your child is successful in. If you choose to send in a letter/email, please do so by May 13, 2024. We do our very best to place Switzer students where they can receive the best possible instruction from our highly qualified staff.
All of our teaching staff members are state certified quality teachers who are able to provide appropriate learning experiences for your child. We are anxious to begin planning for an outstanding school year and thank you for your trust and support as we do so.
Looking forward to another great month at Switzer!
Switzer Bond Update
Arrival and Parking lot Reminders
Arrival Reminders
As a reminder, school starts at 8:25. We have many students showing up 10-15 minutes late. This creates a challenge to the classroom and adds pressure to students as they start their day catching up. Life happens to all of us, please do not make being late a part of life.
If you do arrive after 8:25:
* Enter the building through the front doors.
* Sign in at the main office.
SWITZER ELEMENTARY Drop Off Lane Procedure
For the safety of all Switzer students please follow our drop off procedure.
The drop off lane, designated in blue on the map (below), is intended for unassisted, curbside drop off. Vehicles should enter the parking lot and proceed to the ‘Welcome’ area. Students should quickly exit the vehicle. Students must exit out the passenger side/curbside only. Vehicles should pull forward and exit the parking lot. Arriving vehicles should continue to pull forward, allowing students to exit the vehicle in the ‘Welcome’ area.
Students that need assistance, parents should park in a parking spot as opposed to using the drop off lane. The student should be walked to the crosswalk by a parent.
TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE:
* Only drop off students in the designated area.
* Do not park or wait in the drop off ‘Welcome’ area at any time.
* Stay in the drop off lane and move forward in an organized manner.
* Do not drop off or park in any areas indicated with the red circle/car symbol. Occupying these areas will potentially stop the flow of the drop off lane traffic.
* Accompany students to the crosswalk if parking;
do not let students walk through the parking lot alone.
Link your Kroger card to support the PTO (click below)
Super Swell Switzer Elementary
Email: officeswitzer@uticak12.org
Website: https://switzer.uticak12.org/
Location: 53200 Shelby Road, Shelby Township, MI, USA
Phone: 586-797-6400