W. L. Swain Elementary School

Gordon County Schools is introducing My Ride K-12, a parent communication app, to its transportation operations. My Ride K-12 will be integrated with our transportation software for families to access estimated times of arrival or departure for buses. My Ride K-12 is designed so you can access your student’s bus schedules efficiently. GPS technology on the bus works with the district’s software to automatically calculate the timing of a bus route to give you the most accurate ETAs with real-time updates and route changes. My Ride K-12 is now available for you to download on your Apple or Android mobile device. Our flyer provides step-by-step registration instructions, and you can access the app to download in a variety of ways. Scan the QR code on the flyer, follow the hyperlinks below, or search your app store for “My Ride K-12” to download and register your family on the app. Student bus route information will be available August 2nd on My Ride K-12. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-ride-k-12/id6443848115 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tylertech.myridek12&hl=en_US

2024-2025 School Supply List https://gordoncountyschoolsga.sites.thrillshare.com/page/school-guide

Check out the Gordon County Schools Open House dates and times: Elementary Schools: Thursday, August 1st Pre-K at 8:30 AM, Kindergarten through 5th grade from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Middle Schools: Friday, August 2nd 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM High Schools: Monday, August 5th Freshmen Orientation from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Gordon County Schools Summer Enrollment Information: Please review the flyer to know where to go for summer enrollment at Gordon County Schools. Enrollment opens June 18th and ends July 11th. Visit the feeder school's registration location Monday through Thursday from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Prior to arriving, please visit https://gordoncountyschoolsga.sites.thrillshare.com/page/student-enrollment to access, print, and fill out the registration packet in its entirety. Packets are available at each location if you are unable to pre-register.

Awards Days are this week. All awards programs will take place in the cafeteria. Tuesday, May 21 8:15 Pre-K Awards 10:00 Kindergarten Awards Wednesday, May 22 8:15 1st Grade Awards 10:00 2nd Grade Awards 12:30 3rd Grade Awards Thursday, May 23 8:15 4th Grade Awards 9:50 5th Grade Warrior Walk 10:00 5th Grade Awards

The 2024 Gordon County Schools Summer Feeding Program starts June 3rd through July 18th! This program serves our community by providing no-cost, healthy meals and snacks to children ages 0-18. Food will be offered Monday through Thursday each week, and Thursdays will include Friday, Saturday, and Sunday meals. Please note that all sites will be closed July 4th and 5th. Food pickup locations are at Tolbert Elementary and Sonoraville High School from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gordon County Schools will also have vans and buses delivering meals to our Mobile Locations marked with yard signs that read, "This is a Gordon County Summer Feeding Site." Listen for the honking horns as notification of arrival and please be patient as times will vary by each location. After the first week, we will announce more exact times for the Mobile Locations as our feeding staff workers learn and finalize their routes. Check out the flyer for more information! The Gordon County Schools Nutrition Department, partnered with our Transportation Department, looks forward to serving families with nutritious meal options at no cost during the summer months.

W.L. Swain Elementary School We want your FEEDBACK Help your school by providing feedback for our Parent & Family Engagement Program! Survey is open April 22 - May 3, 2024 English Link https://forms.office.com/r/ZMwbDrhGEB Spanish Link https://forms.office.com/r/M7u9ZPZuF1

The Gordon County College and Career Academy is hosting its STEAM EDVENTURE Summer Camp May 28-31 for current 5th through 8th grade students. Students will enjoy a variety of activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Register now by using the QR Code or following this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0d3qbv1eWzu9_nIJKzXOtnPNAwl0ZegPH3_fy90xSNvAMuw/viewform

Swain Elementary invites parents of students entering Kindergarten for the 24-25 school year to attend our parent meeting to gain ideas on how to help your child prepare for the transition to Kindergarten. April 19, 2024 7:45 am - 8:30 am Location: Swain Collaboration Room Contact Connie VanHouten @ 706-629-0141 or chouten@gebe.org for more information

The Book Fair is coming! When: Monday, March 18 through Friday, March 22. The Book Fair will be open on Steam Night from 5:30-7:30. https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/swainelementaryschool

Gordon County Schools is on an early release schedule Wednesday, March 13th and Thursday, March 14th for Parent Conferences. We hope families were able to schedule time to meet with teachers to discuss your child's progress this year. If not, you are encouraged to stay in contact with your school and connect with teachers to find time to discuss academic achievement and future goals. Friday, March 15th is an At-Home Learning Day. We hope that your child or children are able to explore learning opportunities that day and catch up on assignments, projects, and materials as we approach End-of-Course and End-of-Grade Milestones testing.

W.L. Swain Elementary School Invites you to join us for a night of fun and learning! Family STEAM Night 5 Stations themed around Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math! Pizza will be served! For more information contact Connie VanHouten 706-629-0141 or cvhouten@gcbe.org March 21, 2024 5:30pm - 7:30pm

We Want to Hear from You! All parents, families, school staff, students and community members! This is an opportunity for you to provide input and suggestions to revise the following documents: School-Parent Compact; School Parent & Family Engagement Policy; School Improvement Plan; District Parent & Family Engagement Policy; and Consolidated LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP) You will also be able to share ideas on how parents can assist with Building School Staff Capacity and how the 1% set aside for Parent & Family Engagement can be best used. Swain Elementary School Parent Resource Office March 7, 2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

WE NEED YOUR INPUT All parents, families, school staff, students, and community members: We need your input to plan for the 2024-2025 school year! This is an opportunity for you to provide input and suggestions to build new ideas and create positive change in our school. We will review and revise the following: School-Parent Compact, School Improvement Plan, District Parent & Family Engagement Policy, and Consolidated LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP). Come share ideas about how parents can assist with building school staff capacity and how the 1% set aside for Parent & Family Engagement can be best used, March 7, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm Parent Resource Office

Gordon Central Cheerleaders Present: Neon Nights Family Dance! Get ready to light up the night with us at our Neon Nights Family Dance! Join us for an evening of glowing fun and unforgettable memories. Here's what you need to know: Whether you want to dress to impress or keep it casual, everyone is welcome to come glow and groove with us! Don't miss out on this electrifying event for the whole family. It's going to be a night to remember! 📅 When: Friday, March 15th from 6-8 PM 📍 Where: Swain Elementary School Gym 💰 Admission: $5 per person at the door •Glow items will be available for purchase at the door so you can shine bright all night long! •Light refreshments will be served to keep you fueled for the dance floor. #GordonCentralCheerleaders

Parent Meeting for Rising 6th Graders Join us for an informative session where we'll delve into all the ins and outs of 6th grade and middle school. Whether you're a seasoned parent or new to the middle school experience, this meeting will provide valuable insights to help navigate this important transition. Date: March 14th, 2024 Time: 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Location: AMS Cafeteria We'll cover various aspects of middle school life, including academic expectations, extracurricular opportunities, support services, and ways to stay involved in your child's education. This meeting is designed to address any questions or concerns you may have as your child prepares to enter 6th grade. We look forward to seeing you there!

Veterans Day Celebration will be held on November 10th starting at 7:45. Veterans eat for FREE. Breakfast will cost $2.50 for guests who accompany the veteran. The Veterans Day invites were sent home last week. Please RSVP if you have a veteran that plans to attend. Students who have a veteran attend will eat breakfast with their veteran. Thank you!

We hope you will join us Friday, October 27 for our annual Fall Festival. The fun will begin at 5:00. All students must be accompanied by an adult. Students CANNOT be dropped off.

Next week, October 9-13, is Fall Break. The school will be closed. We hope everyone has a fun and relaxing break. We will see everyone on October 16th.

W L Swain Elementary School families, your student(s) can star in a video with YouTube Trick Shot stars, Dude Perfect! How?! Dude Perfect breaks down how PERFECT(ly) smooth this process is! Sharing is easy and FREE from MyBooster.com. Every share gets us one step closer to our $8,500 for Support for the Connections Program and Student Incentives! Head to MYBOOSTER.COM to register your student for our fundraiser and make a Student Star Video on mybooster.com. Click the “Share Button” to share with 3 people that you know! Thanks for participating & making a difference here at W L Swain Elementary School!