Take Home Tuesday

Greetings Sward Families:

This Friday afternoon, we will be celebrating FRIENDSHIP all around us at our Friendship Day Parties!

A huge thank you to our PTA for planning fun party ideas and we are really looking forward to having a fantastic time!

If your child wishes to bring NON-EDIBLE tokens (such as cards, stickers, pencils, or erasers) for their classmates to distribute during the party, they are most welcome to do so. Please know that if a child brings anything edible, it cannot be distributed out to the classmates and will be sent home with the child that brought it.

As we get ready to celebrate friendship, hearts will be our theme of the day :)

Your partner in education,

Mrs. Candy Kramer

Sward School Principal

The conference scheduling for Family Conferences on Feb. 24th and 25th will open in Skyward at 10:00 am on Feb. 10th. Parents can schedule their own conference time. The format will again be virtual so you will be able to attend your family conferences from a place that is convenient for you. Click HERE for more information as well as helpful videos. If you run into any obstacles, please contact the Sward main office at (708)423-7820.

As the grass stays covered in snow, the drop off will continue to be slow moving. Please allow enough time for morning drop off and exhibit patience while in line. The supervision at the drop off doors begins at 8:10 a.m. The line for the tardies has been quite long each morning. This makes the classroom morning routines quite choppy. In order to smoothly start the day, please allow plenty of time for your arrival. Thank you.

Click HERE to learn all about the Community Pavilion Open House at 9401 Oak Park Ave. from 10:00 a.m. through noon on Sunday, February 27. This is a free event and it includes multiple demonstrations of a variety of programs and offerings.

Student Council is sponsoring “Soup for the Super Bowl” for our local food pantry in Oak Lawn. We are collecting non-expired canned or dry goods until February 11. With a donation, each student will earn an eagle feather and vote for whom they think will win the Super Bowl! If you select the right team to win, you will receive a pencil. Thank you for your support.

Fun Pacs were sent home a few weeks ago. If you plan on keeping the Fun Pac, please turn in $10 cash or check (made out to Sward School) to your child's teacher ASAP. If you are not interested in keeping the Fun Pac, please return your Fun Pac to your teacher ASAP.

Students, teachers, and parents/guardians across Illinois now have the opportunity to participate in the ninth annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and anonymous. To get started with the survey head to d123.org/five. Right now, Sward has a 5% response rate to this survey. We need a 20% rate in order to receive a report. Your voice matters.

February 19 - District 123 & IDPH Vaccination Clinic

• Feb 19, 2022
• 10am - 4pm
• OLHMS - 5345 West 99th St

The vaccination clinic is open to any community member and all vaccination types (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J) will be available. This will include 1st dose, 2nd dose, and booster doses if applicable.

BOOK APPOINTMENT - d123.org/vaxclinic2022

Click HERE for the flyer.

Attention kindergarten and second grade parents, please do not forget to turn in dental exam forms if you have not done so already. Deadline is May 15th! If you have any questions or need a blank dental form please call the health office.

Save the date of Monday, February 21. D123 will be having an ice skating party at the Oak Lawn Ice Arena from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Click here for additional information and click here for the registration form.

The open enrollment for the 2022-2023 Tuition Preschool Programs began on January 19. A link for the registration can be found at: https://www.d123.org/departments/teaching-learning/programs/tuition-preschool

Kindergarten registration for the 2022-2023 school year also began January 19. A link for the kindergarten registration can be found at: https://www.d123.org/departments/teaching-learning/programs/kindergarten

All spirit wear orders have arrived and have gone home UNLESS you received a phone call from me. Those orders will be sent home as soon as they are received here at school.

During the morning drop off and afternoon pick up times, please be sure to keep the safety of all in mind. If parking, please do not block the cross walks. Not only does this make crossing safely extremely difficult, it is also prohibited to stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.

Additionally, we have been getting reports from our Sward neighbors of cars blocking their driveways at drop off and pick up. Please remember to display patience and consideration as you are dropping off and picking up your child(ren).

PTA news!

Join Remind to get up to the minute reminders about PTA events right to your phone!!!
https://www.remind.com/join/swardpta2

...just another friendly reminder that we have after school virtual homework help for the students who are currently in the quarantine protocol. If you would like your child to partake in this, please email ckramer@d123.org and ask for a link to that afternoon's Google Meet. The links change daily and the homework help is from 3:30-4:30.

If your child will be absent:

• Please call the Sward main office to report an absence (708)423-7820. There will be questions that must be asked during this time of pandemic protocol.
• Keep in close contact via email with your child's teacher. They will be able to inform you of the work your child will miss during the absence. They might provide links for your child to access on their device, a packet to pick up in the office, or a mix of both.
• Many days, there will be virtual homework help opportunity for the absent children from 3:30-4:30. Please email ckramer@d123.org for additional information or a meeting link.

We have begun the COVID-19 SHIELD testing at SWARD. This will only be for those that have already completed the OPT-IN form and signed their student up in Skyward Family Access.

The SHIELD Illinois program is a quick, simple, and non-invasive COVID-19 screening test. Students that have opted-in to the program will provide a small amount of saliva that is tested at a professional lab. Results of the test are then provided to families (if the results are positive) and our school district within the days following. The program offers students the opportunity to reduce or waive quarantine requirements in the event of close contact with a positive case or if the student demonstrates symptoms. You can opt-in to the program at any time by accessing Online Forms in Skyward Family Access. More information about the SHIELD Illinois program can be found at: d123.org/shield-illinois-testing-program If you choose to remove your child from the program after they have already been in the program, please call the Sward main office at (708)423-7820 to ensure that they have been removed from the system.

• Friday, February 11- Friendship Parties in the afternoon. Wear hearts today to celebrate your friendships!
• Monday, February 14- Kindness Week theme of the day- "Spread love" and wear red and pink
  
• Tuesday, February 15- Kindness Week theme of the day- "Hats off to kindness" and wear your favorite hat
• Wednesday, February 16- Kindness Week theme of the day- "Be a good sport" and wear your favorite sports jersey
• Thursday, February 17- Kindness Week theme of the day- "Pajama day" and wear your pajamas all day
• Friday, February 18- Kindness Week theme of the day- "School spirit day" and wear your school spirit gear and/or Sward blue
• Saturday, February 19- D123 and IDPH Vaccination Clinic 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School
• Monday, February 21- No School- Presidents' Day
• Tuesday, February 22- PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, February 24- Early Dismissal for students due to Family Conferences (Students are dismissed at 11:30. There is no lunch served today.)
• Thursday, February 24- Virtual Family Conferences 5:00-8:00 p.m.
• Friday, February 25- No School for Students due to Family Conferences
• Friday, February 26- Virtual Family Conferences 11:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, February 26- End of Trimester 2
• Monday, March 7- No School- Casimir Pulaski Day

Website: d123.org/sward
Location: 9830 Brandt Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-423-7820
Twitter: @d123sward

Email: ckramer@d123.org
Website: d123.org/sward
Phone: 708-423-7820
Twitter: @MrsKramerD123