January 12, 2014

Greetings,

It was a bit of a bumpy start to the New Year, with a snow day right off the bat (our third Tuesday in a row to have school closed), but we are glad to be back!

Here are a few happenings from around the school this past week:

Annual Fund "Thank You" Party

To thank the families of the classes with the highest participation in our Annual Fund (as of Dec. 31), their children were feted with a frozen yogurt party on Friday. The 8th grade families had the highest percentage of participation, followed by the Class of 2022 (Kindergarten). It didn't matter that it was cold outside - the treats were enjoyed by all.

Thanks to YoFresh Frozen Yogurt for their donation, and to all the class agents for their good work. But especially to all the families who answered the challenge (and you still have time to donate - the Annual Fund closes at the end of June).

Town Meeting Presentations

Most adults are uncomfortable speaking before a group, and at Swain we address that fear head-on by giving all of our students plenty of public speaking opportunities.

Thursday was a perfect example of that, as no fewer than 25 of our students between 3rd grade and 8th grade make presentations at our Town Meetings. These presentations were highlighted by a group of 3rd graders speaking about their heritage (left), and several sixth graders who spoke about influential world leaders. Also, fourth grader Reese represented her classmates with a short talk about their trip to New York City.

As Mr. Armstrong wrote, "These students did a great job speaking; they were well-prepared, and the technology was seamless. Encouraging and empowering kids to present in front of their peers, teachers, and parents is critical to their development as students and people... Hearing the voices of our students is one of the things that makes Swain so special."