Swansboro Elementary Newsletter

We are proud to share that Swansboro Elementary has been recognized as one of the top ten Title I schools in North Carolina eligible for the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Award for excellence in serving students with disabilities. This is such a prestigious honor and reflects the hard work of our staff, students, and school community. Way to go, Pirates!

🍭🏆🎉🎁Great news! Our fundraiser has been extended to October 1st. Thank you for your continued support!

SBES Family Paint Night with Happy Cloud Art Studio is next Friday 10/3.
Click the link here to sign up!

We are excited to have our new playground, which is an awesome obstacle course as well. However, with new equipment comes new rules:

One at a time: Students must wait until an obstacle is clear before entering.

Directional use: Students should move through the course in the intended direction only (no skipping around obstacles).

Safe body use: Hands and feet should remain on the equipment; no jumping from high points, climbing outside rails, or hanging upside down where unsafe.

No sitting on top of bars: Students must stay on intended climbing paths; sitting or standing on top bars is unsafe.

Respectful play: No pushing, pulling, racing, or crowding.

Flow of play: After completing an obstacle, students should exit quickly and not linger or block others.

Course boundaries: Running games, tag, or chasing should not occur within the obstacle course area.

Teacher authority: Students must stop immediately and line up when signaled by staff.

Care of equipment: Misuse (swinging ropes at others, pulling parts loose, throwing mulch) is not permitted.

The Mobile Dental Clinic is coming to Swansboro Elementary on Monday October 20th through Wednesday October 22nd. If you would like your child to participate, you still have time. Please use the new link https://www.myschooldentist.com/35939_schsrm to sign up your child.

Contact Nurse Mollie if you have any questions.

Our SBES PTO Pirate Partner Burrito Shak Swansboro is hosting a Thanksgiving Food Drive now through November 27th. You can drop off items like instant potatoes, canned veggies, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pies, macaroni, or grocery store gift cards to help local families in need. Let’s eat good, do good, and support our community all in one night!

• Birth Certificate
• Updated Immunization Records
• Photo ID of Legal Parent/Guardian
• Proof of Residency (Electric or Water Bill)

8:10am - School doors open (stay in car until staff opens car door)

8:30am - Tardy bell rings

3:00-3:40pm - No student checkouts during dismissal.

3:15pm - Car riders dismissed

3:30pm - Bus riders dismissed

If your child is eating breakfast, they will need to arrive close to 8:10am to allow enough time to eat breakfast in the cafeteria and still make it to class by 8:30am. We know that the first week of school may be a little tricky with everyone learning the new procedures. Please be assured things will smooth out given a little time and a lot of patience.

Please anticipate delays the first few of weeks of school. Do not contact the school unless the bus is over an hour late for the first couple weeks. Beyond one hour or throughout the year for emergency bus situations, please email lauren.simpson@onslow.k12.nc.us and elizabeth.wilsey@onslow.k12.nc.us, as phone lines will often be tied up. Bus routes and driver concerns need to be directed to the Swansboro Transportation Coordinator, Allison Downey at 910.326.1436. Our staff thanks you in advance for your understanding!

Here are a few tips:

• The teacher is always the first point of contact. If you cannot resolve an issue after meeting with the teacher, please schedule an appointment to meet with administration.
• Pay attention to the weekly ALL CALL/EMAIL that is sent out every Friday evening. If you don't want to listen to the message, the email contains the transcript. If you are not receiving the call and/or email, please contact Lori Jones (lori.jones@onslow.k12.nc.us) so we can make sure your information on file is current. This is the method that we will use to communicate with parents in the event of an emergency, so you need to make sure that you are receiving these calls.
• Check out our school website: https://sbes.onslow.k12.nc.us/
• Check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/swansboroelementaryschool/
• Remember, for safety reasons, we do not give out student information over the phone and all changes in transportation must done in School Dismissal Manager (SDM) by the parent/legal guardian.
• If there are custody issues, we must have a copy of the current custody paperwork on file with a judge's signature. If not, both parents have equal access to the student and their educational records.

Swansboro Elementary will continue to use School Dismissal Manager (SDM), an online dismissal management system. It is dependable, easy-to-use, and can be updated by parents and guardians from the convenience of their smart phones, tablets, and PCs. Through the online dismissal management system, you can: • Report student absences and late arrivals • Schedule early departures from school • Make transportation changes as late as 1:30pm (or 9:30am on early release days) on the current day and so much more! We will begin using SDM for dismissal on the first day of school (Aug. 26). We will provide you with additional information through an email that will be sent to you directly from SDM prior to school starting (we will make a social media post on the date this occurs). The email from SDM will contain important instructions and your personal login credentials. Once you receive your credentials, please use them to log into the new system so that you can begin to familiarize yourself with it and set up your child’s default dismissal and routine. All students (whether bus or car rider) need to set up a School Dismissal Manager account. All students will need a default dismissal selected. “Default dismissal” simply means what mode of transportation will your child typically take. If you need to change this for a particular day, you will need to login to SDM and make an “exception.” All transportation changes must be made through SDM. We do not make any transportation changes over the phone. If you utilized the School Dismissal Manager App last year, please uninstall this App. Below you can find directions on how to install the new SDM App that is free and will work with both Apple and Android.

IMPORTANT: Returning parents need to UNINSTALL last year’s App from their phone before installing the new App

The Apps are no longer available in the App Stores. New/Incoming parents will need to add the SDM App to a smartphone, tablet, or web browser via this link. The app is compatible with Android and Apple devices and is free.

a. Android – Open a Chrome browser window, go to www.schooldismissalmanager.com, and login. Then click the three stacked dots at the top right corner, scroll down and click on Add to Home Screen, and follow the onscreen instructions to install the app.

b. iPhone – Open a Safari browser, go to www.schooldismissalmanager.com, and login. Then click on the box with the arrow pointing up, scroll down, and click Add to Home Screen. Type in (or click on if auto-filled) SDM and then tap Add to install the app

Car Riders - If you don't want to wait in long lines, please make sure PRIOR to Orientation, you log into your school dismissal manager account and you set your child's default transportation. Memorize your PIN number now because we will be asking for it, if you have any difficulties with checking in. 🙂If you are a bus rider, you will need to wait until OCS bus routes are available to complete setup.

Staff members will be out front to unload morning carpool students at 8:10am. Please use ALL lanes for drop-off (not grade specific in AM), except far left is reserved for buses. Students should stay in the car until a staff member opens the door for them. Please wait to pull forward until your lane is dismissed by a staff member. Do not change lanes as this jeopardizes student safety. Please drive slowly and constantly scan for students. If your child is having difficulty getting out of the car calmly and safely, you will be asked to pull into a parking spot and wait until carpool is over before attempting to enter the building, as safety is of our upmost importance.

Lanes are grade level specific in the afternoon. Please slowly pull into lane of your youngest child’s grade level. Please park (do not idle) and use the SDM app to self-check in by clicking on the blue check in button. You will be prompted to enter your PIN. Do not click the blue check in button until you are physically in the loading zone (after the parking lot entrance). Do not block other lines or entrance/exits. Do not cut through business parking lots. If you are having trouble with checking in, please wave a staff member down or call the main office (910-326-1501). Please stay in your car and we will send your child to you when it is safe to do so. Please wait to move forward until your lane is dismissed. If your child does not come out promptly, you may be directed to loop around for the next loading group or asked to park. You cannot scan in until AFTER 2:45pm. Please ensure you arrive no earlier than 2:45pm in the school’s parking lot and no later than 3:25pm. As you know our parking lot is unique and the event we need to utilize that space during the day, it makes it challenging if cars are parked earlier 2:45pm. Arriving earlier than necessary does not make the process any quicker for our staff and presents obstacles in the event we would need to evacuate the building. It is imperative you refrain from logging in to School Dismissal Manager prior to physically arriving in the school parking lot. The cut off time for car riders is 3:30pm. If you arrive after 3:30pm, you will be asked to park in one of the diagonal parking spaces, experience a wait time, as we do not conduct checkouts between 3:00-3:40pm. Additionally, you must bring your photo ID and come in the office to check out your child. Thank you for your continued patience as we work to ensure our students are escorted off campus as safely and efficiently as possible. Please note OCS Policy: For the safety of our students, no vehicles are allowed to arrive more than 30 minutes prior to dismissal. Therefore, vehicles should not be entering our parking lot prior to 2:45pm.

Remember, if your student is new to North Carolina Schools, they will need a NC Health Assessment completed and an up-to-date copy of their immunizations returned to our School Nurse . These are due on the first day of school. By law, if we have not received theses required documents your student will not be allowed to attend school/extracurriculars after September 25th. Nurse Mollie has been sending out reminders for the new enrollments and our kindergarten students. If you have uploaded health paperwork into the portal, please let Nurse Mollie know, as the system does not alert us with new information is uploaded.

Nurse Mollie has also been sending out care plans and medication forms to be completed by parent and their students' health care providers. * MEDICATION MUST BE TRANSPORTED BY PARENT/GUARDIAN ONLY* Students are not allowed to transport any medications.

If your child has a temperature of 100 F or greater, is vomiting or having diarrhea please keep them home until they have had no fever of 100 F or greater or no vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours. We are no longer quarantining for Covid. Please refer to OCS Board Policy 4023.5. We look forward to working with our Pirate Families this school year.

Please contact Nurse Mollie if you have questions or concerns, if your child has a medical issue, or will need to have emergency or daily medications at school.

Contact Info: mollie.sammons@onslow.k12.nc.us or call the school 910-326-1501, select option 5.

10/2 National Custodial Worker’s Day

10/3 PTO Paint Night in Cafe

10/8 PTO Meeting

10/8 Early Release for Students

10/11 Mullet Festival/SBES Parade Float

10/13-10/17 National School Lunch Week

10/13 Workday/No School for Students

10/16 Earthquake Drill

10/17 PTO Fall Dance 6-8pm

10/20-10/22 Dental Clinic

10/27-10/31 Red Ribbon Week

10/28 End of 1st 9 weeks

10/29 RTA Test for select 3/4 students

November Month of the Military Family

11/3-11/7 Fall Book Fair

11/4 50th Day of School

11/4 Report Cards

11/10 Workday

11/11 Veterans Day/No School

11/12 PTO Meeting

11/14 Treasure Treat Friday - 1st Quarter

11/17-11/21 American Education Week

11/19 National Education Support Professionals Day

11/19 Early Release for Students

11/19 SIT Meeting

11/21 Substitute Educators Day

11/26 Workday/No School for Students

11/27-11/28 Thanksgiving Break/No School

12/1-12/5 Santa Shop

12/3 SIT Meeting

12/4 Interim Reports

12/4 Santa Shop 6-8pm

12/10 PTO Meeting

12/12 PTO Bingo Night 6-8pm

12/19 5th Grade Family Life Education

12/22-1/2 Christmas Break/No School

1/5 Workday/No School for Students

1/6 School Resumes

1/7-1/30 Middle of Year Assessments for K-5 DIBELS and iReady

1/14 PTO Meeting

1/16 End of 2nd 9 weeks

1/19 MLK, Jr. Day/No School

1/20-1/21 Workdays/No School for Students

1/21 SIT Meeting

1/23 Treasure Treat Friday - 2nd Quarter

1/28 Report Cards

February Access Testing for EL Students

2/2-2/6 National School Counselor Week

2/9 100th Day of School!

2/11 PTO Meeting

2/11 Early Release Day for Students

2/13 Caps for Kids

2/13-2/14 All County Honors Chorus @ NSH

2/16 Workday/No School

2/16 Student-Led Conferences from 9am-12pm

2/18 SIT Meeting

2/23 School Spelling Bee

2/23 Interim Reports for 3rd 9 weeks

3/1-3/7 School Social Worker Week

3/2-3/6 Read Across America Week

Family Literacy Night TBD

3/4 Tornado Drill

3/6 Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day

3/11 PTO Meeting

3/18 Early Release Day for Students

3/18 SIT Meeting

3/20 Spring Pictures

3/25 End of Grading Period

3/30-4/3 Spring Break

Spring PTO Flower Sale TBD

April - Month of the Military Child

April - No Staff Meeting

4/4 School Media Specialist Day

4/6-4/12 National Assistant Principal Week

4/6 Workday/No School for Students

4/8 PTO Meeting

4/9 Report Cards

4/10 Spring Carnival 6-8pm

4/15 Early Release Day for Students

4/15 SIT Meeting

4/17 Purple Up! Paint It Purple Day

4/17 Treasure Treat Friday – 3rd Quarter

4/19-4/25 Administrative Professional Week

4/20-4/24 Public School Volunteer Week

4/22 Administrative Professional Day

4/22 Cap & Gown Pictures – Kindergarten and Fifth Grade

4/23 K-2 Field Day

4/24 3-5 Field Day

4/30 K-2 Field Day Rain Date

5/1 3-5 Field Day Rain Date

5/1 School Lunch Hero Day

5/1-5/21 End of Year Assessments for K-5 DIBELS and iReady

5/1 School Lunch Hero Day

5/4-5/8 Staff Appreciation Week

5/5 National Teacher Day

5/6 National School Nurse Day

5/13 PTO Meeting

5/13 SIT Meeting

5/15 Treasure Treat Friday – 4th Quarter

May - NC Extend I Window

5/25 Memorial Day/No School

TBD 3rd Grade ELA EOG & 5th Grade Science EOG

TBD 3rd, 4th, 5th Math EOG

TBD 4th and 5th ELA EOG & 3rd RTA Test (select students)

6/5 Last Day of School! Report Cards/End of Grading Period

6/5 Kindergarten Moving Up Ceremony at 9am

6/5 Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony at 11am

Please remember our OCS policy of not arriving on campus more than 30 minutes prior to dismissal. Cars should not be parking for car rider dismissal prior to 2:45pm. Recently we have had parents arriving earlier than this time. Also, please remember painted parking spaces are reserved for staff members. A valid photo ID is required to check out your child. There will be no student checkouts between 3:00-3:40pm. Thank you in advance for your assistance!

If you would like to join your child for lunch, we will have an outdoor eating area available in the courtyard. Please sign in at the office and we will get your child for you. You will need to be mindful of the weather when planning a lunch visit. :) Also, please keep in mind you are only allowed to eat with your child and if a grandparent or special guest is coming to eat with a student, we must have a note from the parent granting permission. This is to ensure student safety and confidentiality. Thanks for understanding!

Supplemental Reader: $6.00

Technology: $25.00 Usage Assessment Fee (not insurance, rental fee)

Field Trip T-Shirt: $7 (This is for safety purposes while on class field trips.)

*Music: Recorder fee of $5 for 4th & 5th grade only or students can bring in a recorder from home.

• All school fees can be paid online through School Cash Online: https://www.schoolcashonline.com/. You must register for this service and will need your student's identification number. If you already have an account from last year, use will be able to use that account.

• Technology Fee: https://onslow.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/21216/250/False/True

• Supplemental Reader: https://onslow.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/21213/250/False/True

• Student's Lunch Account: https://www.k12paymentcenter.com/

  Menus: https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1501179229405&page=menus

  Breakfast $1.25

  Lunch $2.50

• Free/Reduced Meals Application: https://www.lunchapplication.com/
  

• If you cannot afford these fees, you may request a fee waiver by emailing school administration (lauren.simpson@onslow.k12.nc.us or elizabeth.wilsey@onslow.k12.nc.us). These will be reviewed by administration and you will be notified once approved.

Email: lauren.simpson@onslow.k12.nc.us
Website: https://sbes.onslow.k12.nc.us/
Location: 118 School Road, Swansboro NC
Phone: 910-326-1501
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swansboroelementaryschool