Take Home Tuesday

Greetings Sward Families:

I hope you are having a great time as you settle into a brand new school year. This time of year is always so exciting! New friends, new opportunities, new teachers... these all lead our students down an amazing pathway of learning.

One thing that helps our Eagles succeed is having a strong, positive bridge between home and school. This week offers a few different opportunities for you to partner with school. We kindly ask that our health and safety protocol are followed during these after school events as well. Masks are required in the building by all staff, students, and visitors over the age of 2. If your child is home sick or you are exhibiting symptoms yourself, please stay home.

• This evening (Tuesday, August 24) at 6:30 will be our first PTA Meeting of the school year.
• Tomorrow (Wednesday, August 25) brings us to our Open House. This event runs from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Each classroom teacher will be providing families with a presentation and then repeating it later in the evening. If you peek into a room and it is pretty crowded, you might want to think about skipping the first one and attending the second one. While the classroom teachers will be in their rooms, you will find many other Sward teachers in the gym.
• Friday evening (August 27) brings us to the PTA Sward Family Block Party. This event will run from 4:30-7:00 p.m. and is filled with fun, food, and friends! We hope you will join us.

Mrs. Candy Kramer

Sward School Principal

Please remember dismissal time is at 3:20. Children get nervous when they do not see you as they come out of the door. The children who have not been picked up come to the office for a phone call home. The office has been very crowded after school everyday so far and this is only the beginning of the school year. Please remember FLASH is an affordable option if you need a place for your children to go after school.

Before and after school care is offered, for a fee, through the Oak Lawn Park District. It is housed at Sward School. An informational flyer can be accessed by clicking HERE. Please click HERE for additional information and registration details.

Your Sward PTA is looking forward to an amazing 2021-2022 school year. Please take a few minutes to fill out this quick, anonymous survey and help our Sward PTA plan for the year ahead. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/swdptasurvey

Our PTA Sward Family Block Party is just around the corner. It will occur on Friday, August 27. One of the many fun activities planned for this evening event is a cake walk. In order for many families to win a cake, we are looking for volunteers to bring a cake to be awarded to a lucky winner. Please ensure that the cake is store bought and includes a list of ingredients. If you would like to volunteer to bring a cake, please sign up through this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0449ACA628A5FF2-block1

Hi Preschool Parents,

Daily Start and End Times: The morning session of the preschool program begins at 8:45 a.m. and concludes at 11:10 a.m. The afternoon session of the preschool program begins at 12:45 p.m. and concludes at 3:10 p.m.

Pick Up and Drop Off Procedures: To ensure a safe and efficient pick up and drop off, all Tuition Preschool Students will be entering and exiting the school from Door 5 located on the South face of the school adjacent to the faculty parking lot. We ask that all Tuition Preschool families park on 50th Ct. to the West of the school and walk their children up to Door 5. The Faculty Parking Lot is reserved for staff parking only.

Thank you!

As the students come back to school, some of our Eagles may need some academic, social emotional, or behavioral supports. For this reason, we follow the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process in order to help meet our Eagles' needs. Please click the following links for an explanation of this process: click HERE for English, click HERE for Spanish and click HERE for Arabic.

Please click HERE for the map that shows the traffic pattern and zones for the drop off and pick up of the students. Please note that there are "no parking" zones for the morning's drop off. These zones will remain "no parking" for the entire school year. If you do wish to help your child out of your car, please go to one of the parking zones which are marked on the map.

Children will enter and exit the school building through various assigned doors. Please note the following doors and assignments:

• Kindergarten and Grade 5 students will enter and exit on the west side of the building on 50th Ct. through door 6.
• Grade 1 and 2 students will enter and exit on the north side of the building on 98th St. through door 11.
• Grade 3 and 4 students will enter and exit on the east side of the building on Brandt Ave. through door 1.

Interested in joining Cub Scout Pack 3618? We welcome K-5th grade Boys and Girls. Join us for an ice cream social and games on Sunday, August 29th, 6pm at Trinity Lutheran Church (9701 Brandt Ave). Questions contact: krystlecastro@hotmail.com.

Families will have the opportunity to sign up for Chromebook Insurance, and are encouraged to do so, prior to September 30, 2021 at the cost of $25.00 per child. This can be completed through Skyward Family Access. If you have any questions, please call the Sward main office at (708)423-7820.

• Effective immediately, students, staff, and visitors will be required to properly wear face coverings while indoors in all District 123 schools and on all District 123 school buses.

• Families should continue to keep their children at home if they display any signs of infectious illness or have a temperature above 100.4.

• Students will:

• Return to in-person learning and regularly scheduled extracurricular programs.

• Continue to have dedicated time to practice hand-washing.

• Be given age-appropriate instruction on proper respiratory etiquette.

• Practice social distancing to the extent possible.

• Staff will:

• Use temperature checks during the start of the school day.

• Isolate students within the building if they begin to display symptoms of infection.

• District 123 will:

• Implement a voluntary COVID-19 screening and testing program in partnership with the University of Illinois and the SHIELD program.

• Utilize enhanced cleaning, disinfection, and ventilation.

• Continue to follow quarantine, isolation, and contact tracing protocols as recommended by the CDC/IDPH/ISBE.

• Tuesday, August 24- PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 25- Open House 6:30-8:00 p.m.
• Friday, August 27- PTA Sward Family Block Party 4:30 - 7:00 p.m.

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