W. L. Swain Elementary School

🎉 Awards Ceremonies are just around the corner! 🎉 We’re so excited to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of our amazing students! Mark your calendars with the following dates and times: 📅 May 20 🧸 Pre-K – 8:30 AM 🎓 Kindergarten – 10:00 AM 📅 May 21 📘 1st Grade – 8:30 AM ✏️ 2nd Grade – 10:00 AM 📚 3rd Grade – 12:20 PM 📅 May 22 🎯 4th Grade – 8:30 AM 🏅 5th Grade – 10:00 AM Let’s celebrate all the growth, learning, and achievements from this school year! 💛💙

Kindergarten HERE I COME! Swain Elementary invites parents of students entering Kindergarten for the 25-26 school year to attend our parent meeting to gain ideas on how to help your child prepare for the transition to Kindergarten. Topics to be discussed: Self help tips to practice during the summer. A day in the life of a Kindergartner. Tips for an easy transition. April 23, 2025 7:45 am - 8:15 am If you have any questions, please contact Connie Van Houten cvhouten@gcbe.org

Field Day is Coming! ☀️🎉 Get ready for some fun! MARK your calendars for our upcoming Field Day events: 📅 April 17th – Kindergarten, 1st Grade, & 2nd Grade 📅 April 18th – 3rd Grade & 4th Grade 📅 May 16th – 5th Grade Field Day & Picnic (More details coming soon!)

This morning, our W.L. Swain Reading Bowl Team competed in the Helen Ruffin State Reading Bowl Competition. While our team did not place, we are incredibly proud of their diligence, persistence, and hard work this year! These students have shown true dedication, and we couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishments! Way to go, team! 🎉

WE NEED YOUR INPUT! All parents, families, school staff, students, and community members: We need your input to plan for the 2025-2026 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 the 1% set aside for Parent & Family Engagement can be best used. March 20, 2025 12:00 - 2:00 pm For more information, you can contact us or visit our website: Telephone: 706-629-0141 Fax: 706-879-5291 Email: tgreen@gcbe.org Website: www.gcbe.org/o/wls

Dear Gordon County Schools Families, As we approach the end of the school year, we invite you to participate in the Cognia Accreditation Family and Community Survey to share your insights and provide valuable feedback about our school district. Your input is essential in helping us assess our strengths and identify areas for improvement. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by clicking the link below: https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/277370/p3228 Your feedback plays a vital role in our continuous improvement efforts and helps ensure that we are providing the best possible educational experience for our students. The survey is open until Friday, April 4th, so we encourage you to complete it as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and support in making Gordon County Schools the best it can be!

STEAM Night is tomorrow night! 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! For more information contact Connie VanHouten cvhouten@gcbe.org March 13, 2025 6:00pm - 8:00pm

WE NEED YOUR INPUT! All parents, families, school staff, students, and community members: We need your input to plan for the 2025-2026 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 the 1% set aside for Parent & Family Engagement can be best used. March 20, 2025 12:00 - 2:00 pm For more information, you can contact us or visit our website: Telephone: 706-629-0141 Fax: 706-879-5291 Email: tgreen@gcbe.org Website: www.gcbe.org/o/wls

BookFair starts March 10 and goes through March 14.

🎉 Exciting News at W.L. Swain Elementary! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce that Mrs. Sherri Wilson has been named the 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year at W. L. Swain Elementary! 🏆 Mrs. Wilson has been a dedicated educator for 9 years, starting her career right here at Swain. Currently, she teaches 5th-grade math and has made a tremendous impact with her innovative, research-based teaching methods. She’s creative, resourceful, and always ready to tackle new challenges! 📚✏️ In addition to her teaching excellence, Mrs. Wilson plays an active role on the Local School Governing Team, is the Grade Level Chair, contributes to the Outreach Committee, and leads the W. L. Swain Reading Bowl—which recently placed 1st in the region and is heading to the state competition in March! 🏅📖 Her ability to connect with students and her passion for teaching make her a true asset to our school community. We are so fortunate to have Mrs. Wilson at W.L. Swain! 💙 #SwainNation #TogetherWLS

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! For more information contact Connie VanHouten cvhouten@gcbe.org March 13, 2025 6:00pm - 8:00pm

W.L. Swain Elementary 1st grade teacher Rebecca Weaver's class did a great job answering questions about time! #TogetherGCS #GordonCountySchools

W.L. Swain Elementary 3rd grade teacher Christina Armstrong worked with her students on a reading activity together. #TogetherWeLearn #TogetherGCS #GordonCountySchools

Gordon County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay Wednesday, January 22. This delay is implemented to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families at this time. Please adjust your child's morning drop-off time by two hours. Buses will also operate on a two-hour delay behind their usual route times. Elementary schools will begin at 9:30 a.m. Middle and high schools will begin at 10:30 a.m. Note that buses may run slightly later than the normal schedule to allow for extra precautions to keep students warm and safe. Encourage children to dress warmly as they travel to school. Layering helps keep them safe and warm. Indoor recess activities will take place. We will also provide flexibility with arrival times for all students to ensure safe arrivals. Weather forecasts indicate a slight chance of precipitation this evening. We are working closely with local agencies to continue monitoring the situation and will notify families promptly through our communication channels if anything changes.

Gordon County Schools will be closed Tuesday, January 21st, 2025. Due to the latest weather forecast predicted by GEMA for potential precipitation in the northwest Georgia region, all schools in the district will be closed Tuesday. This precaution is to ensure the safety of our students, employees, and families for unpredictable weather. We will continue to work with local agencies to monitor the weather forecast for the rest of the week. Families will be promptly notified through our communication channels. Stay warm and safe tomorrow!

District leaders presented schools today with banners celebrating outstanding performance ratings on the Georgia 2024 College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). Congratulations to W.L Swain Elementary School for their district level performance in Highest Growth for English Language Arts Content, ELA Progress, and Literacy!

Due to road conditions from inclement weather, Gordon County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay Monday, January 13. This delay is implemented to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families Monday morning. Please adjust your child's morning drop-off time by two hours. Buses will also operate on a two-hour delay behind their usual route times. Elementary schools will begin at 9:30 a.m. Middle and high schools will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Due to the current Winter Storm Watch and the forecast of potential snow, ice, and high winds, all Gordon County Schools will be closed on Friday, January 10th, to prioritize the safety of our students, staff, and community. Students will bring home any missing assignments, including work for their reading logs, spelling, vocabulary, or other classwork, to complete if they have not already done so at school. We encourage families to use this time to help students stay on track with their learning. We will continue to monitor weather and road conditions closely and will update families promptly about any further changes to school operations. Thank you for your continued support. Please stay safe and warm!

W.L. Swain Elementary STEAM teacher Brooke Stone had great activities in her class for her students today! It was great seeing all of their creativity on display. #TogetherGCS

It's looking festive at W.L. Swain Elementary! Students were having a great time in the cafeteria for lunch. Thank you to the cafeteria staff who put so much effort and love into what they do! #TogetherGCS