September 26, 2014

Parent Retreat Survey 

The parent retreat is a chance for Swift House teachers and parents to talk about our programs in a casual setting. It's also a great social occasion, starting with a potluck dinner and then moving on to discussion. In the past we have started with dinner at 6:00 pm followed by discussion until 8:30 or 9:00. We'd like to have as many parents involved as possible so please take a minute to complete the three question survey before Monday, Sept 29 at 3:00 pm.  

Fun Night

Swift House-Sponsored Fun Night: 6:00-8:30 PM 

Our October 3rd Fun Night is quickly approaching and we still need volunteers!!

This is a very successful fundraiser. We need volunteers to help facilitate a fun evening for the kids. Please go to the sign-up form and look at the many areas in which you and your student can volunteer. Add your name(s) in the designated spot to sign on. We could not pull this off without the wonderful support from all of the families.

We ask that each person (students and parents) going on the DC trip volunteer your time for two fundraising events!! Thank You!!

Polar Express

Saturday evening, December 13, 2014 - 3:30-8:00 pm 

Swift House has a long tradition in helping with The Polar Express, which raises over $100,000 each year for the Vermont Children's Trust Foundation. Last year we brought 77 elves to the event!

 We will meet around 3:15 at the downtown Burlington train station. Shirts and elf hats are provided if needed. Gary Howard, our beloved retired Swift Facilitator, will be the "Santa" on this day and we will get our traditional Swift House photo with him. For more details see the "Polar Express Information Sheet." Please note that we need all elves to stay for the final train.

Please complete the form here for each elf in your family so we get the proper head count. Once you have entered one name you will be provided a link to submit another response.  Friends from outside Swift are welcome to come along. Parents, we need you as adult elf/chaperones, too!

For more details on the evening, see the volunteer page from Vermont Children's Trust here.

Elves greeting the train

Theater Festival 

The Swift House Theater Unit is set to begin on October 6th.  The unit begins with students choosing which play they'd like to be involved in (Romeo and Juliet or TBD).  Students interested in a speaking part then audition for the directors.  All who are interested will have lines on stage!  Those interested in leadership parts submit an essay about why they are a good candidate for costuming, technical work or stage managing.

Once all student roles are established rehearsals begin.  Students with large roles will rehearse each day while those in the supporting casts will spend the time reading the scripts and related literature until full cast rehearsals begin. All rehearsals take place during our literacy block right up until our final production week.

Please mark your calendars for our productions on the evening on Thursday, November 6th!

The witches in last year's production of Macbeth

School Days Photos...

Some snapshots from this week.

Bean grown in a bag with water

Blogging about a CNN newscast 

5th and 6th graders during a "7 Minute" write

More writers

September 19, 2014

Reminder- Picture Day is Wednesday, September 24th.

 

Parent Retreat Survey

The parent retreat is a chance for Swift House teachers and parents to talk about our programs in a casual setting.  It's also a great social occasion, starting with a potluck dinner and then moving on to discussion.  In the past we have started with dinner at 6:00 pm followed by discussion until 8:30 or 9:00.  We'd like to have as many parents involved as possible so please take a minute to complete the three question survey if you haven't already.

Curriculum Night

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for Curriculum Night.   We had a strong turnout and a lot of great questions about our new technology.  Please click on the image below to view our slide show from the evening. There are a number of hyperlinks within the presentation that may be helpful as well.

Click here to view our Curriculum Night Overview

Google Classroom

Taking advantage of our one-to-one access to Chromebooks, Swift teachers have begun using Google Classroom for many assignments.  Students can access Google Classroom from any computer with internet access.  They simply go to G-mail and log-in using their CSSU-provided username and their password.  Once they're logged into G-Mail they can access the Classroom using the "Apps" associated with their account.

Students log into their school G-Mail using their CSSU account.

The screen shot below shows the home page for an individual user.  Upcoming assignments are listed on this front page.  Using the icon in the upper left hand corner, students can also see all of their assignments in a list, both "To Do" and "Completed."  Students can view, complete and turn in their assignments using this one interface.  Teachers add comments, scores or rubrics and then "Return" ownership to the students.  All of this happens through use of Google Docs.

We expect that students will log-in and share their Google Classroom work with parents.  This is a great way to see what they are working on and get a sense of how this platform works.  Currently there is no separate parent log-in however students know that this a tool to be shared with those involved in their learning!

We'd like to again reminder everyone that students can stay after school Monday-Thursday in Swift House if they need access to technology.  They can take the late bus home any of those days at 4:30 as well.

Once they are logged in they can access "Google Classroom" which lists assignments for each class.

Jupiter Grades

Attached to this week's Greensheets you will find in the log-in information for Jupiter Graders.  Jupiters Grades is an on-line gradebook used throughout the school.  It shows scores for world language, band, music, math, science, and social studies classes.

Swift House teachers are using Jupiter Graders primarily as a tool to indicate late or missing work.  The Google Classroom is much more reflective of student activity and learning, however if you're looking for a list of everything that's been turned in, Jupiter Grades will help you.  Also, world language teachers ask that students log in each week to make sure that their work is up to date. 

Social Studies Update

Mr. Hunt and Ms. Donnelly's social studies classes have been exploring the differences between state and federal government. Mr. Hunt's students engaged with a new Chromebook application called videonot.es to watch an informational video while simultaneously taking online notes...getting ready for those SBACs!

September 10, 2014

Curriculum Night- Please Attend 

We highly recommend that you plan to attend this week’s Middle School Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 18th at 6:00. We will be in Swift House for the first hour, and our emphasis will be on explaining changes to our program that have come about as a result of our Chromebook Pilot Project. Therefore, the evening will be valuable to returning parents as well as new ones. You will be able to see some of the things that your children are already doing in class with this new technology, and ask questions about how it is being used with our students. We look forward to seeing you in the Swift House kiva this Thursday, the 18th at 6:00!

Picture Day

Picture Day forms were handed out this past Friday.  If you wish to purchase pictures of your child please send the forms before picture day. Picture day takes place on Wednesday, September 24th.

1:World Chromebooks 

Part of our contract in providing Chromebooks for each student in Swift House has been educating ourselves about the safe handling and use of this technology.  Currently all students are taking part in the "Digital Passport" program which reviews communicating, privacy, standing up for others, safe searches and creative credit on-line.  We will continue our work on Digital Citizenship throughout the school year.

Click on the image below to view the slide show presented to students the second week of school:

The CSSU Technology Use Guidelines will continue to focus our work with students throughout the school year:

Science Update

Swift House students are currently studying ecology in science classes, looking specifically at how energy enters and is transformed throughout an ecosystem.  5th and 6th graders are testing bean seeds to determine which variables affect the rate of growth. 7th and 8th graders are looking for evidence of the production of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis by using an acid indicator.  Both groups will continue on this subject by looking at the importance of balance in these ecosystems.

5th Grade Math Class at Work

Calculating volume

Comparing models

Three dimensional drawings

Middle School Ultimate Frisbee Club

Dear Williston Central School ​5th through 8th Grade​ Students, Faculty, and Parents,

My name is Jack Carnahan and I am currently a senior at CVU. As most of you might know, every senior must complete what is known as a Gradation Challenge where the senior must demonstrate new learning. I decided, because I love the sport so much and have played it for four years, that I wanted to start and Ultimate Frisbee Club at WCS and learn how to coach. With the help of my Ultimate coach, Syrus Amedore, I am hoping to teach WCS students everything from how to throw and catch, set up a workable offense and defense for a game or two, and, most importantly, how to have a good time.

 I plan on having practices every Friday starting on September 19th until October 24th, with no practice on October 17th. I plan to meet in the Swift House kiva at 3:00 right as school gets out and practice until 4:30. We will work on the fundamentals such as throwing and catching and then work our way to applying that knowledge to a game scenario. I have also set up a few games for the fall season so the kids can test their new skills on another team.

Any ​5th-8th graders​ are ​welcome to come to practice regardless of athleticism or knowledge of the sport. Simply bring the sign-up form below to our first practice on Friday, September 19th. If you would like to contact me about anything related to Ultimate you can reach me at jackcarnahan@cvuhs.org or my faculty advisor at Williston Central School, Amy Skapof, at askapof@cssu.org or 871-6127.

Ultimate Frisbee Sign-Up Form

I give my son or daughter permission to stay after school Fridays for Ultimate Frisbee from 3:00 to 4:30 on the Williston Recreation Fields, starting Friday, September 19th.

Student’s name: __________________________

Parent or Guardian name: __________________________

Parent or Guardian signature: __________________________

Parent E-mail: ______________________________________

Health and or Allergy Concerns: __________________________

Emergency contact number: __________________________

September 6th, 2014

 Swift House Camp Out

Thank you so much for helping shop, pack and organize your kids for the annual Swift House Camp Out.   Students were enthusiastic throughout the two days in Grand Isle, with everything from swimming and team-building challenges to tent-site management and picnic table moving.  Everyone made new connections with each other, whether they were new students, 8th graders, returning teachers, veteran parents or new parents.   This trip starts our year off on a positive note.

A HUGE thanks to the many parents who chaperoned.   These chaperones make the trip possible.  We will be pushing earlier next year to make sure we have enough chaperone coverage.   Please join us if you can next year!  It's a great opportunity to connect with new students, other parents and with the teachers. 

There are many photos on the Swift House Photo Site.  Please check them out!  The password is flyforever.

Mr. Hunt participates in the "Rice or Ice" skit!

Joe in the middle of the "Dizzy Bat" race.

 

 

Classed and Homework Support

All classes will be up and running this week so students could have homework for literature, writing, science, social studies, math and world language (see schedule below). Parents should look for planners to come home each night and kids to work on homework for about 10 minutes per grade level (50 for fifth, 60 for 6th, etc.) per night. Homework Club is now available with Ms. Cammann on Monday and Tuesday after school until 4:30 and at least one core teacher will be available every Wednesday and Thursday until 4:30.

 

Goal Setting Conferences

If you haven't already, please use the Parent Conference link on the right to sign up for a conference with your child's core teacher.  Parents of new students have already had these conferences.  Returning families will use this conference to set goals for the new school year. 

 

Anatomy of a Greensheet

New parents, you may be wondering...  why am I signing this green piece of paper each weekend?  The "Greensheet" is a Friday check-in, printed on green paper.  On Thursday and Friday students check in with each of their teachers, then bring the Greensheet home Friday afternoon.  Here's what each part means:

• The teacher's signature on the left of the class name indicates that the student has completed all work for that class.  
• A circle to the left indicates that there is work missing for the class.  The teacher will write the missing work on the line to the right.
• Your signature at the bottom indicates that you have seen the greensheet and know that either the work is all complete or that there is work missing.
• Missing work must be made up either that weekend, after school or during core time.  We work with parents and students individually to create a work plan if this is a regular occurance.
• Personalized learning goals will appear on the top of the Greensheet once teachers have conferenced with all students to set goals.

Students return the Greensheet on Monday morning.  Core teacher's file them if they are complete, or use them to communicate with the student about missing work.

 

Intergen Reading Program

(From the School Bell) The FAP teams up with the Dorothy Alling Library to sponsor a fun book club that brings to gether WCS Middle School Students, seniors from the community and other volunteers. Each book group will read and discuss 6 books over the course of the year.

The program will kick off in October with a "Getting to Know You" luncheon. The books groups will then meet once per month to discuss books in a relaxed and fun setting. If your 5th-8th grade child is interested in being considered for this program, please register by Friday, September 12, using this online link.

 

 

Mark Your Calendars

September 18th, 6:00-8:00 Middle School Parent Curriculum Night*

*Note that the times have been corrected.  The 6:30 time listed previously was incorrect.
 
From 6:00-7:00 pm parents will meet on-house.  At this meeting, we will be discussing the Chromebook Pilot that our team is participating in this year. We highly recommend that you attend to learn more about this!!! 

From 7:00-8:00 parents are invited to attend the WSD Learning Expo to learn about the various programs available.

Saturday, December 13th- Swift House students will transform into elves again for the Polar Express in Burlington.  We're hoping to bring 70 parents and students again this year to cheer on the trains from approximately 3:30-8:00.  Sign-ups will go out in October.