A Message from the Principal
Dear Sward Families,
There are always opportunities to connect what children are learning in school to their day to day activities outside of school. One of the questions that I always ask students when I visit classrooms is what are you learning and why are you learning it. A common response I usually get in a math class is we’re learning this so we can use it when we are at the grocery store, restaurant, etc.
I would love to celebrate our eagles for the math connections they are making outside of the classroom. When you "catch" your child or family using math outside of the schoolwork they bring home, please snap a photo and send it with a brief description to samra@d123.org so I can post these photos onto an empty bulletin board that is waiting to be filled with lots of math learning! Is your child calculating an estimated time of arrival, weighing fruit/veggies at the grocery store, checking to be sure a receipt is correct, calculating a tip at a restaurant, counting the red cars on the road, or making sure they have enough money to pay for the pizza delivery? Snap a quick photo and send it to me.
It’s pretty cool when our kids realize how much we use math in our everyday lives!!!
Sincerely,
Suzanne Amra
Sward School Principal
Retake Information
Thursday, October 26th is Fall Picture Absentee & Retake Day. For those that are unhappy with your original photo and want a retake, please return the picture package that was previously ordered. Please be aware that the retake photo REPLACES the original image.
The office has a list of the students that were absent on the original Picture Day. They will be called down to the photographer.
Forgot to order the Original Photo? Visit ordervgil.com, click on After Picture Day and enter the Ticket Code: 20076002
Costume Parade- 10/31
Costume Guidelines for October 31
Costume time is coming quickly. Please be aware of the Halloween costume guidelines:
Tuesday, October 31 is a HALF DAY OF SCHOOL. Students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. There will be no lunch served at school on 10/31/23.
Students are allowed to wear their costumes to school in the morning. All hairstyles must be completed at home (no sprays allowed at school).
Costumes of a violent nature are not allowed. Students may not carry weapons- either play or real- as props to their costumes. No roller skates or rollerblades, no sharp metal items, no full face masks.
All students are encouraged to participate in the school’s “parade of costumes” at 9:30. If outside, we will make a complete lap around the entire block of the school. Visitors will be able to stand anywhere around the outside of the building as long as the sidewalk is free for children to walk. Friends and family are welcome to attend. For security reasons, visitors must follow the same costume rules as the students.
If the weather does not cooperate with us and we can not parade outside, we will have a "reverse parade" inside for students. Since parents will not attend the "reverse parade, I will be creating a video of the children that will be emailed to our families so everyone will be able to enjoy the costumes.
Inclement weather communication to parents will be shared ahead of time if the outdoor parade is canceled.
Students will be required to take off a full-face mask if they have brought one to school with their costume.
Swagle Store
Each month our Eagles use their hard earned Eagle Feathers and buy things from the Swagle Shop. Friday our Sward Eagles will shop for fun trinkets and experiences. Use the Swagle Shop as a conversation piece with your child and learn all about how they earn their feathers, what they want to spend them on, and how they can work together with their class to purchase whole class experiences.
Veteran Wall of Honor
The Veteran Wall of Honor Bricks came home in your child's Take Home Tuesday Folders today. This is a wonderful Sward tradition that allows us to honor our Veterans. These paper bricks will be crafted into our Veteran Wall of Honor for Veterans Day. With this wall, we pay respect to all of the veterans that are a part of our Sward Community.
If you have veterans in your family we would like to honor them, please complete these bricks and return them to school by 11/9/23. If you need additional bricks, please reach out to the Sward main office at (708)423-7820 and we will send additional bricks home with your child.
Leaf Raking Event - Save the Date
Sward Needs Mismatched Socks
Sward's Fall Drama Club is in need of mismatched socks to be used as costumes, props, and set pieces in their production of "The Case of the Missing Socks." We know most of our households out there have a bag, box or bin of mismatched socks at home. Give up trying to find the match and let your socks star in a play instead. We'll take any size, any design, any color. They don't have to be new, but they do have to be clean. Bring your socks in and drop them in the box outside of the library ASAP.
Mrs. Suzanne Amra - Principal
Email: samra@d123.org
Website: d123.org/sward
Phone: 708-423-7820
Twitter: @SuzanneAmra
Sward Elementary School
Website: d123.org/sward
Location: 9830 Brandt Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-423-7820
Twitter: @d123sward
