Dear Swampscott Families,
On behalf of the Swampscott Public Schools I would like to welcome you to the 2018-2019 school year. A special welcome to those students and families who are joining us for the first time. The beginning of school is rapidly approaching and there is much to do as both you and the district prepare for the opening of school.
The first day of school for students in Pre-K and grades 1-12 will be on Tuesday, August 28th. Individual screenings will take place by appointment for our incoming Kindergarten students from Tuesday, August 28th through Thursday, August 30th. There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, August 31st, and Monday, September 3rd in honor of the Labor Day holiday. The first day for Kindergarten students is on Tuesday, September 4th. The school year calendar can be printed from our website along with a year-long calendar of events that is easily accessible for each of the schools. The calendar feature also allows filtering for those of you with students in more than one school: Calendar Link to SPS Website
Shortly after school begins, Curriculum Nights will be held at each of the schools for parents and guardians to meet teachers and learn about the curriculum expectations. Please mark your calendar as the dates and times of these events are as follows:
Clarke Elementary Wednesday, September 12th 6:30pm
Hadley Elementary Thursday, September 6th 6:00pm
Stanley Elementary Thursday, September 6th 6:00pm
Middle School (Grades 5 & 6) Tuesday, September 25th 6:00pm
Middle School (Grades 7 & 8) Wednesday, September 26th 6:00pm
Swampscott High School Thursday, September 27th 6:00pm
We continue to build upon the work we began last year in the following curriculum areas:
Pilots: - There will be several curriculum program pilots occurring throughout the district this year. Fifteen teachers in grades K-5 across the district will be piloting Math in Focus and our ESL department will be piloting Reach core curriculum. At the high school level a new Spanish curriculum will be piloted in Spanish I, II, & III and a Financial Literacy curriculum will also be piloted. Piloting programs allows the district to make program adoption decisions by the end of the year to keep our program materials current.
Technology/Google (K-12) – This year we will be mapping out grade level Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards in grades K-12.
We also continue to focus on the priorities in our District Strategy: Social Emotional Well-Being, Educator Growth, Curriculum & Instruction, Assessment & Data, and Technology.
I have only scratched the surface of all the great things happening in our district. July and August are very busy months when countless facility and maintenance projects are underway, curriculum work occurs, interviews and hiring of new staff, all as we anticipate the arrival of the students and faculty. Each school year brings a renewed enthusiasm and excitement to our work and each September I am reminded of what a privilege it is to serve this community and an honor to be your Superintendent.
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