Congratulations to Anthony Nguyen!
Anthony impressed everyone with his creative and unique digital game design, earning 1st place in the 3rd & 4th grade division for Digital Game Design!
He has made Swain proud, and we are excited to cheer him on as he continues to represent the Gordon County District at the regional competition in January.
🎉Way to go, Anthony! 🥳
W. L. Swain Elementary music teacher Andy McLeod had students working hard in music stations today as they explored a variety of percussion and keyboard instruments. Students practiced playing rhythms on drums and read music to perform on instruments such as bells and a miniature piano. It was great to see students engaged, active, and making music while building foundational skills in music literacy.
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
Congratulations to our Family Engagement Connection Prize Pack Winner! 🎉
We are excited to announce that Jace Elrod was randomly selected as our school’s winner for the district-wide Family Engagement Month contest!
Entries were collected from families who completed activities from the Family Engagement Calendars posted on our district website.
Each prize pack included games and snacks for a fun family game night, a family pass to the Savoy Automobile Museum, and a gift card to a local restaurant.
A special thank you to our amazing sponsors for supporting family engagement in Gordon County Schools: Food City, Wal-Mart, Savoy Automobile Museum, Cassie’s on Wall Street, Christian & Jake’s, Big John’s, Bowman’s Restaurant, and Yellow Jacket Drive-In.
Congratulations again to Jace Elrod, and thank you to all of our families who participated!
🎉⭐️🎸November ROCKSTAR ALERT! 🎸⭐️🎉
Our spotlight continues to shine on some of AMAZING Rockstars at WLS! 🌟 This month, teachers and staff nominated someone who shows true PRIDE—Polite, Responsible, Inclusive, Determined, and Engaged.
For the month of November, our focus was on being Determination, and these Rockstars make sure they show this every day ✨
👏 A HUGE congratulations to our PRIDE Winners:
🍎 Teacher Rockstar: Carrie Arnold
🦸 Staff Rockstar: Jessica Bates
These two incredible ladies were chosen for their dedication to students and staff and for always going above and beyond in everything they do. 💙
Let’s give them a big round of applause in the comments below! 👏
Way to go, Rockstars! 🎤⭐️
We are truly thankful for the amazing school nutrition team at W. L. Swain Elementary and for Director Nicole Head, who joined in cooking and serving a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for students and families!
We also appreciate every school nutrition staff member across the district for providing delicious and nutritious meals daily—your dedication makes such a difference. #ExtraordinaryWLS #ExtraordinaryGCS
We also appreciate every school nutrition staff member across the district for providing delicious and nutritious meals daily—your dedication makes such a difference. #ExtraordinaryWLS #ExtraordinaryGCS
Our "Winter Holiday Meal Box" registration is now open! Registration ends Wednesday, November 19th at 11:59 p.m., so act quickly if you are interested!
Gordon County Schools is excited to support families this holiday season by providing 10 breakfasts and 10 lunches per child to help cover meals during Winter Holidays/Christmas Break. This program is open to all children ages 0–18 (and 0–21 for students with special needs) in Gordon County; no school enrollment required.
Pickup Date & Time:
Friday, December 19th — 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
(PLEASE NOTE: There has been a change to our previous survey. GCS was notified that we are only permitted to do pickup for Friday, December 19th due to regulations pertaining to this amazing program. We will be notifying anyone who originally chose Thursday's date to let each family know of the change and whether they can still pick up or not.)
Pickup locations vary by school; please select your preferred site in the form. Registration is required to accurately supply food. One meal kit per child.
Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/eisxPH9B5W
We look forward to serving our Gordon County families this holiday season!
Spelling Bee Spotlight!
Today, our 4th and 5th grade class spelling bee winners took the stage for our schoolwide Spelling Bee, and wow—what a competition! These incredible students powered through seven intense rounds of spelling fun and showed off some serious word-power.
It all came down to two 4th graders, Leland Hamby and Leah Norris. In Round 7, Leland spelled his way to the top and became our Schoolwide Spelling Bee Champion! 🏆✨ He will proudly represent us at the countywide spelling bee!
We are SO proud of every single one of our spellers for earning their spot on that stage and giving it their all today.
Please join us in cheering on Leland as he moves forward—good luck, Leland! You’ve got this!
W.L. Swain Elementary kindergarten teacher Erin Proctor guided her students in a fun and meaningful writing lesson focused on expressing themselves with details in their stories. You would be amazed at what these young writers can create!
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
We’d like to give a HUGE congratulations to our Classroom Spelling Bee Winners and Runner-Ups! 🐝 These students went letter for letter, tackling some seriously tricky words and keeping us all on the edge of our seats!
Our Classroom Winners will move on to the School Spelling Bee on November 18th, and that champion will then represent us at the County Spelling Bee! 🏆
We are so proud of these students for their hard work, focus, and courage to get up there and spell their hearts out! 💛🖤
5th Grade Winners:
🏅 Jace Elrod
🏅 Adelynn Greissinger
🏅 Santiago Torres
5th Grade Runner-Ups:
🌟 Brittylnn Lanham
🌟 Matthew Newport
🌟 Justin Penamon
4th Grade Winners:
🏅Isabella Brown
🏅Leland Hamby
🏅Leah Norris
4th Grade Runner-Ups:
🌟Jaelyn Ingold
🌟Grayson Leatherwood
🌟Anthony Nguyen
Way to go, spellers — you’ve got us all buzzing with excitement! 🐝
October ROCKSTAR ALERT!
Our spotlight is shining bright on some of the AMAZING Rockstars at WLS! 🌟
Each month, teachers and staff nominate someone who truly shows PRIDE — Polite, Responsible, Inclusive, Determined, and Engaged.
For October, our focus was on being INCLUSIVE, and these Rockstars show it every single day! ✨
👏 A HUGE congratulations to our PRIDE Winners!
🍎 Teacher Rockstar: Carrie Barnett
🦸 Staff Rockstar: Taylor Martin
These two incredible ladies were chosen for their dedication to our students and staff — always going above and beyond in everything they do. 💙
Let’s give them a BIG round of applause in the comments below! 👏
Way to go, Rockstars! 🎤⭐️
Gordon Central’s Teaching as a Profession class hosted Swain Elementary kindergarten students today for fun, hands-on learning activities and projects led by Mrs. Albright’s TAP students! #ExtraordinaryGCS
Congratulations to two elementary schools for being recognized at the recent Gordon County Schools Board of Education meeting for their outstanding achievements.
W.L. Swain Elementary was honored by the Georgia Department of Education as a 2025 Title I Reward School, placing them among the top 5% of Title I schools in the state for making the most progress in student achievement. This recognition is based on the most recent two years of state testing data in English Language Arts and mathematics. The award reflects the hard work and commitment of Swain’s students, staff, parents, and administration. Accepting the recognition on behalf of W.L. Swain Elementary were Principal Tara Green, Assistant Principal Stacy Calvert, and teachers India Bennett and Monica Nacey
Sonoraville Elementary was also recognized for being named an Apple Distinguished School, an achievement that highlights the school’s innovative use of instructional technology to promote student collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Sonoraville Elementary joins Ashworth, Tolbert, Swain, and Fairmount Elementary in earning this distinction, with fewer than 15 schools in Georgia holding this honor. Recognized on behalf of Sonoraville Elementary were Principal Kelly Rampy, Assistant Principal Nicole Burgess, and Instructional Technology Coordinator Whitney Prather, who supported the application and video submission process.
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS #ExtraordinarySES
W.L. Swain Elementary was honored by the Georgia Department of Education as a 2025 Title I Reward School, placing them among the top 5% of Title I schools in the state for making the most progress in student achievement. This recognition is based on the most recent two years of state testing data in English Language Arts and mathematics. The award reflects the hard work and commitment of Swain’s students, staff, parents, and administration. Accepting the recognition on behalf of W.L. Swain Elementary were Principal Tara Green, Assistant Principal Stacy Calvert, and teachers India Bennett and Monica Nacey
Sonoraville Elementary was also recognized for being named an Apple Distinguished School, an achievement that highlights the school’s innovative use of instructional technology to promote student collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Sonoraville Elementary joins Ashworth, Tolbert, Swain, and Fairmount Elementary in earning this distinction, with fewer than 15 schools in Georgia holding this honor. Recognized on behalf of Sonoraville Elementary were Principal Kelly Rampy, Assistant Principal Nicole Burgess, and Instructional Technology Coordinator Whitney Prather, who supported the application and video submission process.
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS #ExtraordinarySES
🎉⭐️🎸 September ROCKSTAR ALERT! 🎸⭐️🎉
Our spotlight continues to shine on some of our AMAZING Rockstars at WLS!🌟 This month, teachers and staff nominated someone who shows true PRIDE—Polite, Responsible, Inclusive, Determined, and Engaged.
For the month of September, our focus was on RESPONSIBLE, and our Rockstars shined bright! ✨
👏 A HUGE congratulations to our PRIDE Winners:
🍎 Teacher Rockstar: Elizabeth Jarrett
🦸 Staff Rockstar: Savannah Silvers
These two incredible ladies were chosen for their dedication to students and staff and for always going above and beyond in everything they do. 💙
Let’s give them a big round of applause in the comments below! 👏
Way to go, Rockstars! 🎤⭐️
W.L. Swain Elementary 4th grade teacher Laura Hall was working with her students on long division today. Her class practiced problem-solving strategies and showed great effort as they built confidence in their math skills. #ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
Wow! This school year is flying by—we’re almost to Fall Break!
Fall Break is next week, October 6–10. We hope you enjoy a restful and fun break.
We will see everyone back on Monday, October 13!
As a school, we have raised $800! 🎉 We think we can make it even further toward reaching our goal of $10,000 for Connections Funding and School Incentives!
If you’re CURIOUS about the W. L. Swain Elementary School Glow Run program, check out today’s classroom video and make sure you’re signed up at MyBooster.com.
Tonight our challenge is Student Star Video Challenge - Get registered on mybooster.com and make a Student Star Video. If you are donating funds, sharing your page, volunteering your time—it makes a difference for W. L. Swain Elementary School. Thank you!
🎉 Congratulations to Nayeli Chavez! 🎉
She is our winner of the 2025 Drugs Don’t Work Red Ribbon Week Art Contest.
This year’s theme was “Life is a Puzzle, Live Drug Free.” Our students submitted some truly amazing artwork, and we are so proud of their creativity and positive messages.
Way to go, Nayeli—we are so proud of you! 💙👏
Second grade students at W.L. Swain Elementary are having a great time in P.E. during specials! These young learners enjoyed playing together, building teamwork, and staying active while having fun. #ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
We are excited to share that W.L. Swain Elementary has been named a 2025 Georgia Title I Reward School! This distinction places W.L. Swain among the top 5 percent of Title I schools in Georgia making the most progress in improving student performance.
Title I Reward Schools are identified by the Georgia Department of Education based on English Language Arts and Mathematics scores from statewide assessments. To earn this recognition, schools must demonstrate significant progress in raising achievement for the all-students subgroup when comparing content mastery scores over the most recent two years.
Being included on this list is a remarkable achievement that highlights effective teaching, strong leadership, and the dedication of students, families, and staff working together for success.
Congratulations to the entire W.L. Swain Elementary community on this outstanding honor!
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
Title I Reward Schools are identified by the Georgia Department of Education based on English Language Arts and Mathematics scores from statewide assessments. To earn this recognition, schools must demonstrate significant progress in raising achievement for the all-students subgroup when comparing content mastery scores over the most recent two years.
Being included on this list is a remarkable achievement that highlights effective teaching, strong leadership, and the dedication of students, families, and staff working together for success.
Congratulations to the entire W.L. Swain Elementary community on this outstanding honor!
#ExtraordinaryGCS #ExtraordinaryWLS
Participate in our upcoming W.L. Swain Elementary School Fun Run!
It’s time! You can register your student for our W. L. Swain Elementary School Fun Run! Our goal is to raise $10,000 for Connections Funding and School Incentives. Signing up is easy and comes with a fun prize for your student!
⭐️ Sign Up On MyBooster.com ⭐️
Thank you for being a part of our W. L. Swain Elementary School community and helping us make a difference for our students. We are grateful for your support!
Follow our social pages for fun progress updates in the coming weeks!
Key Dates to Remember:
🎉 Fundraiser Kickoff in school – 09/23/2025
👟 Event Day – 10/02/2025
*Need help signing up?
https://vimeo.com/949489790/2f0ebc6c21?share=copy
