SUPERSTAR NEWS

As we wrap up the 2024–2025 school year, I want to thank you for your support and reflect on all the joy and growth we’ve seen. From classroom achievements to school-wide events, our students have made us proud every step of the way.

It’s been a year full of learning, laughter, and community, and we’re so grateful to have shared it with you. As summer begins, I hope you all enjoy a safe, restful break filled with fun and family.

We can’t wait to welcome our students back in the fall for another great year!

Warmly,
Mrs. Jennifer Harr

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the incredible coordinators and volunteers of the Swanson Community Club for their hard work and dedication in organizing our Fun Run and Field Day this May. Thank you to Bethany Levy, Angela Aliano and Jess Corcoran for coordinating the events!

These two events brought so much joy and excitement to our students, and they wouldn’t have been possible without your energy, creativity, and commitment. Your support helps make Swanson such a vibrant and caring community. Thank you!

We would like to share several staffing changes happening at our school:

• Mrs. Janet Ficenec is retiring after 20 years of dedicated service as a Special Education Assistant at Swanson. We are deeply grateful for her commitment to our students and staff and wish her all the best in her retirement.

• Miss Elyse Bartek will be leaving Swanson to begin her student teaching journey. We thank her for the care and support she has provided to our students and wish her continued success.

• Miss Becky Laire, our Health Assistant, will also be leaving Swanson as she begins her studies in physical therapy. We appreciate her dedication to the health and well-being of our students and wish her the very best.

• Mrs. Tulsie, one of our fourth grade teachers, will be going on maternity leave at the end of June. We are excited for her and wish her all the best during this special time. She plans to return in September.

• Mrs. Hannah Miskimmons will serve as the long-term guest teacher in fourth grade during Mrs. Tulsie’s leave. A former fourth grade teacher in the district, Mrs. Miskimmons brings strong experience and is well-prepared to help launch a successful start to the school year.

Mrs. Tulsie has already begun her transition planning with her teaching partner, Mrs. Zalman, and Mrs. Miskimmons to ensure a smooth start to the fourth grade year.

Please join us in expressing our sincere gratitude to our departing team members and in welcoming newest members to our school community for the 2025-26 school year.

We are proud to announce that this year’s recipient of the Swanson Scholarship is WHS Senior, Harrison Yeager.

The Swanson Scholarship, endowed by the Swanson Community Club, awards $1,000 to a WHS senior who previously attended Swanson Elementary. This recognition honors academic achievement, character, and connection to the Swanson community.

Please take a moment to read Harrison’s thoughtful thank you note to the scholarship committee and the Swanson School community:

I am deeply honored to be selected as a recipienct of the Swanson Elementary Scholarship. Your generosity is not only helping to support my education, but it also inspires me to work even harder to give back to my community, just as you have given me. Thank you for believing in my potential and investing in my future.

With Appreciation,

Harrison Yeager

Congratulations, Harrison!

Get ready for a fun reading adventure this summer! Your goal is to complete the Reading Bingo Board by exploring different types of books and reading activities. Each square has a unique challenge—like reading outside, reading an adventure book, or reading with a family member.

Here's how it works:

1. Complete a Bingo by reading books that match the prompts in the squares.

2. Mark off each square as you complete it—horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines all count.

3. Go for the ultimate challenge: Complete the entire board!

🎯 Deadline: August 11th
📍 Return your completed board to school by the deadline.

🎉 Reward: Students who complete the entire board will earn 100 Star Tickets when school starts!

So grab your favorite books, get creative, and have fun reading this summer. We can’t wait to see how many bingos you complete!

Get Ready for the Summer IXL Challenge!

Check your mailboxes! A flyer has been sent home with your student containing everything you need to know about our Summer IXL Challenge, running from May 26 to August 6. The flyer includes:

• Your child’s IXL username and password
• A link to a family-friendly IXL resource website
• Details on how to participate in the challenge

To keep students motivated, a Leaderboard will be available within IXL so they can track their progress and celebrate their hard work all summer long!

Let’s make this a summer of learning and fun!

If your child will not be coming back to Swanson next fall because you are moving or transferring to another school, please let our office know as soon as possible. This is information is important to us as we prepare for fall classes.

We are asking families to consider purchasing school supplies again for the 2025/26 school year. Attached is the list of school supplies needed for your child’s grade level. If you choose to purchase supplies, please consider purchasing a few additional items for those families who are unable to provide these supplies for their children.

Please see information further in the newsletter on how to order your supplies on-line.

Throughout the school year, as part of Westside’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process, students are assessed in reading and provided with strong instruction to support their needs. To engage families and extend the learning for students, we are sharing ways in which you can support your child with their reading. As we enter into summer, it is important to encourage practice in the area of reading so that students maintain the skills they learned this year.

Below are some available programs in the community or resources that can be used at home.

*Top priority is simply having your child read every day.

This can include times when someone reads to or with them.

Nebraska Reads: The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has provided an extensive list with many online literacy activities.

Free Summer Opportunities for Reading

• NDE Read-at-Home Program

• Omaha Public Library Summer Reading Program & Kids Resources

• Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

• NDE freely available resources

• Imagination Soup: Free summer reading programs

Free Online Resources:

• Reach has interactive lessons for reading skills for grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade, as well as videos/lessons for all grade levels across a wide variety of topics including reading, math, science, and social studies.

• Storyline Online is a website that has celebrities reading stories aloud and includes activity guides for parents. Reading aloud to children has been shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills, logical thinking and concentration, and general academic aptitude, as well as inspire a lifelong love of reading.

• Storynory is a website that has audio books. It has some original stories, as well as classics, fairy tales, and myths.

• EPIC is an app that has both audio and digital picture books and chapter books. There is a wide variety of both fiction and nonfiction.

• Wonderopolis is a website that encourages children to explore the wonders of the world. A student picks a topic that intrigues them and there is an informational text that can be played auditorily, as well as a video to go along with the topic. Topics range from “What is Dragon Fruit?” to “Why Do People Like Bubble Wrap So Much?”

Summer Opportunities at Family’s Cost

• Metro Community College--College For Kids

• ABCmouse.com or Starfall.com

INTEREST & TALENT DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL LEARNERS!

The Excellence in Youth (EY) Program at Westside Community Schools provides expanded learning opportunities for students with high ability, in addition to fostering and encouraging talent development in all students.

https://secure.smore.com/n/zudmb

Jenny Henningsen

EY Coordinator

Sunset & Swanson

The Excellence In Youth Team is excited to showcase Otis M., Davis L., Oliver C., Jack P., Maddie T., Maddox S., Alice E., and Cooper F. from Swanson as the most recent recipients of the Digital Dozen award for the 24-25 school year! The Digital Dozen award is presented to WCS students who earn 12 of the digital badges from the EY Website (ey.westside66.org), which is available to students district-wide. It takes self-motivation, grit, and determination to earn these badges, and these star students should be proud of this accomplishment!

The Excellence In Youth Team is proud to showcase star student Kavin P. from Swanson as the most recent recipient of the Digital Dozen award for this school year! This is the second award for Kavin this school year. He turned in his 25th badge over the weekend!

Congratulations, Kavin!

Congratulations, Arju, on earning your THIRD digital dozen! The EY team applauds you for demonstrating grit and determination to complete 36 badges, a rare accomplishment in our badge program history. Continue to keep learning, inspiring other kids and, of course, working on badges.

We asked Arju to share some of his thoughts about the EY badges.

My favorite badge of all time the origami building is because I like folding. It is fun. What badge does the EY page not have but it should? I think we should have a Drawing Badge II.

The Swanson staff would like to extend a special thank you to Sarah Troia, Community Club president, and the entire Swanson Community Club for the outstanding support throughout this school year. THANK YOU!

Parents & guardians, we need your help. Please go to the community club website and update your information if you haven't done so. We will be doing an end-of-year clean-up of the site and would love it if you could confirm your correct information and your child's grade. This information is used for our directory and benefits you when planning a party or playdate! Please use the link below.

Thanks for your help!

https://swansoncommunityclub.membershiptoolkit.com/

Email is a great way to communicate with your child’s teacher. The Westside format is as follows:

lastname.firstname@westside66.net

Sample: harr.jennifer@westside66.net

wendelin.jessie@westside66.net

Visit our web page for current information on school happenings and activities during the year. Go to www.westside66.org and click on schools and then the Swanson link.

August 5 Swanson Open House, 5:30p-6:30p

August 7 First Day of 25/26 School Year

Mission

The Mission of Swanson School, as a dynamic community alliance and model of innovative education, is to support and empower all learners to achieve academic excellence.

School Improvement

Swanson's school improvement goal is all students will increase reading comprehension.

Swanson's Expectations

• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible

Email: harr.jennifer@westside66.net
Website: swanson.westside66.org
Location: 410 South 86th Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-390-6485
Facebook: facebook.com/SwansonElementary
Twitter: @swansonstars66