Swanson Elementary
Home of the Squirrels!
Message from the Principal
First of all, I would like to thank all of our families for doing such an amazing job with arrival and departure using School Dismissal Manager. In fact we have improved our time so well that starting October 19th (after the road construction) we will be able to have drop off from 9:00-9:20. If you arrive after 9:20 please pull around to the front of the building and enter by pushing the "Ring Doorbell" and your student will be entered in. The end of the day pick up time is now 3:30-3:50. Thank you to everyone for your teamwork.
Noted below is a ZOOM invite to our annual Title 1 Meeting Oct 7th. I am so excited to meet you and share our vision for Swanson Elementary promoting student success and achievement. During this presentation I will go over our annual budget, family events for the year and academic programs differentiating instruction support indiviudal needs and growth.
Thank you so much for keeping your child home when they are sick. Swanson is working hard to follow our mitigation plan. As I walk throught the halls I compliment students on their handwashing and following Swanson Expectations. Daily we recite our SKIP the Squirrel Motto: Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Involved and Be Positive. Together we can keep Swanson healthy.
Teachers have approached me with their data in regards to student growth and achievement over the past 2 months. So proud to see such academic growth! Parent teacher conferences was always my favorite time of year to connect with families, set goals and support our students. My favorite part of the day is when a student holds up thier work for me to see and tell me about what they are learning.
I would like to give a "Shout Out" to all our Virtual Swanson Students and families for the great work they are doing on BUZZ. Working with Mr. Schaff and Mrs. Maupin weekly is so rewarding to hear the progess and personalized learning for all our virtual students. Whether you have selected remote learning or attending brick and mortar we are one Swanson Family and I am here to support you and your students with an exceptional learning experience.
Happy Fall and Take Care,
Mrs. Halfacre
Fire Safety Week October 4th-10th
Swanson Believe Fundraiser
Road Closure
Enstar will be doing a gas project that will close down East Artic Avenue and Gulkana Street intersection from Monday, October 12th to Friday, October 16th.
This will cause a detour and possibly delay to the access to the Mat-Su School District Building, Swanson Elementary and Sherrod Elementary School.
The detour around this closure will be to turn onto North Valley Way and then use East Auklet Avenue to cross over to Gulkana Street. You could also use North Valley Way to drive up to East Caribou Avenue, then drive over to Gulkana Street in front of Swanson Elementary. See the attached maps for further explanation
Swanson Elementary Halloween Carnival
Classroom teachers will share how they will celebrate at school. We need to be COVID SMART following our mitigation plan on sharing and handeling food. If you are sharing treats they must be store purchased and individually in their wrapper. Thank you so much for understanding and promoting school safety.
South Entrance Procedures
Swanson Families thank you so much for dropping off and picking up your student on time. Drop off time has been from 9:00-9:30 and pick up 3:30 -4:00. Since with the help from you, are doing so well, we will be changing the drop-off times to 9:00-9:20. And the pick-up times to 3:30-3:50.
It’s important that you use the pick-up line for student safety and remain in your cars. If you need your child to be picked up early, the procedure would be to park in the front lot and use the doorbell app. The office staff will call your child from their class and escort them outside.
From Nurse Hazel:
Returning from interstate( out of state) travel
Recent travel out of state? Please know that if your child has recently returned from out of state travel, they must either self-quarantine for 14 days or have two negative COVID-19 tests before returning to school. Children 10 and under are not required to be tested would follow the same requirements of the parent or guardian they traveled with. Learn about the new rules at Health Mandate 10: Interstate and International Travel:
For returning travelers, the first COVID-19 test should be taken 72 hours prior to departure or at the airport for Alaska residents.
The second test should be taken 7-14 days after arrival.
Children 10 and under do not need to be tested but are subject to the same requirements of the parent or guardian they traveled with. So until that guardian has quarantined for 14 days or had two negative COVID-19 tests, children who are not tested must also strictly isolate.
All travelers into Alaska should be strictly isolating until the quarantine period is over or until the traveler has two negative COVID-19 tests.
Do not send a child to school until these requirements are met. Thank you for helping to keep others safe, and keep schools open.
More from Nurse Hazel
News from the P.E Department
Cold Weather Gear- We will continue going outside for P.E. regardless of the weather. All students need to bring a coat outside with them. It is getting noticeably colder out, and the weather often changes throughout the day. Bringing out a warm hat and any other cold weather gear for the current weather is encouraged. Thank you!!
Mr. Bradley
From the Library:
Due to CV 19, the in-school book fair is cancelled this month, but our Fireside Bookstore Book Fair starts this weekend!
From October through the Holiday Break, you can support the Palmer bookstore and help Swanson earn credit to buy books for our school. Children can buy books in person or online at the Palmer Bookstore and just say “Swanson Elementary” to get credit for the school library, starting this weekend. If you’re ordering online, be sure to write a comment on your order that you want Swanson Elementary to get credit. Go to https://www.goodbooksbadcoffee.com/ to find great books and some fun gifts. They never charge for shipping and can order what they don’t have in-stock.
Look for more information from the library soon about our book fair and thank you for supporting your school library!
Conferences at Swanson will be on November 2nd-3rd
Parent Meeting
https://matsuk12-us.zoom.us/j/89353085743?pwd=K0hGSmxWSnU5Zmd3Z0Z1N0o3bWdkZz09
Meeting ID: 893 5308 5743
Passcode: Swanson
SchoolCafe
We use SchoolCafé to:
- Make Payments
- Set up Auto Pay
- Set Purchase Restrictions
- Get Low Balance Alerts
- Submit Meal Applications
- View Letters
- View Purchases
- View Menus
Swanson Elementary
Tammy Halfacre - Principal
Phone: 907-861-5302
Email: TAMMY.HALFACRE@MATSUK12.US
Tina Leingang, Administrative Secretary
Phone: 907-861-5301
Email: TINA.LEINGANG@MATSUK12.US
Risse Persinger , Secretary/Registrar
Phone: 907-861-5300
Email: CHARISSE.PERSINGER@MATSUK12.US
Email: swe@matsuk12.us
Website: matsuk12.us/swe
Location: 507 North Gulkana Street, Palmer, AK, USA
Phone: 907-861-5300