Swift Flyer: November 24th, 2020

Return of 5/6

WCS continues planning for the return of all 5th & 6th graders four days a week, no earlier than December 7th (Dec 14th is the new target date as of Nov 30th). Swift facilitators have drafted a schedule to accommodate having all 5th and 6th graders on-house while maintaining the hybrid schedule for 7th and 8th graders. What we know so far:

Families received a survey from WCS on November 11th with two questions-- Does the change in schedule lead you to consider a switch from hybrid to fully-remote or vice versa? Will your child ride the bus?
Four core teachers on house will offer four classes at a time, three in-person and one remote. For example, one period might look like this:

Mr. Hunt - 5/6 Humanities, Group 1 in person
Ms. Skapof- 5/6 Science, Group 2 in person
Ms. Donnelly- 7/8 Humanities, Group 2 in person
Ms. Laberge- 7/8 Science, Group 1 remote

The remote 7/8 schedule will shift based on our in-person schedule.
One half of the team will eat lunch in the gym while the other half eats in Swift House or outdoors.

Of course, the rising number of COVID-19 cases combined with the holidays leave us all wondering exactly what the next few weeks will look like in Vermont. Just know that we are ready to bring your children back for more in-person school days when the time comes. Please direct any questions to your child's core teacher.

PLP Conferences

Swifites have been thoughtfully presenting their PLP sites during our virtual student conferences. They are presenting their site online as they talk through their evidences and progress for each goal. It's clear that your children are taking ownership of their personal learning plans (PLPs)-- we hear this in their insightful reflections. If you have not yet signed up for a PLP conference, please reach out to your child's core teacher.

Jumprope reports will also be sent home in mid-December. They will show feedback on student habits of learning and content standards.

PE Reminder

As the weather changes and gets colder, we want to remind families that the Physical Education staff is planning to be outside with PE classes as a first priority. PLEASE DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR THE TEMPERATURE AND CONDITIONS... (jackets, hats, gloves, etc). We recommend bringing in or keeping a few extra pairs of socks, gloves, or mittens in a cubby or backpack. Additional layers (snow pants or boots) would be acceptable for PE if needed. If younger students need snow pants for recess, they should wear snow pants to PE. Fresh air and movement is good for us all; let's be safe and prepared for the weather!

School Days

5/6 Narrative Writing

Students completing their Narrative Storyboards!! Next step, orating their story to a classmate. Then.... beginning first drafts of the narrative writing process !!

5/6 Science

Swifities learned about the flow of energy through an ecosystem, from plants capturing the sun's energy during photosynthesis, to decomposers breaking down organisms to return to the soil. Each student then created an energy pyramid showing the different levels of producers and consumers for a specific ecosystem. We are now studying the impact of apex predators on these ecosystems, using the wolves of Yellowstone as our case study.

7/8 Science

After learning the impacts of human development on Earth's natural resources, seventh and eighth-grade Swifties designed their own sustainable communities. They considered food, energy, housing, transportation, education and more in their designs. Models included drawings, maps, paper models, Lego constructions, Mindcraft worlds, and more.