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Swallow School Announces Planning for Celebration of 170th Year!
Posted 12-6-2013
The original Swallow School building first opened its doors in 1844, 170 years ago. The school district is planning a celebration to commemorate Swallow’s rich history and significant role in the community during 2014. There are a number of ways to be part of the celebration:
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Mail or email your favorite memories about Swallow School, a great experience you have had with Swallow School, its impact on you personally or that of a family member. Feel free to email or send information to:
Swallow School District
Attention: 170th Committee
W299 N5614 County Road E
Hartland, WI 53029
Email: swallowschool170@gmail.com
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Share your historic photos with us. Please send us your favorite Swallow School photos, by e-mailing them to swallowschool170@gmail.com. Please add a description, including the year of the photo and names of those pictured.
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Become part of our planning committee by contacting Melissa Thompson, Superintendent at Thompson@swallow.k12.wi.us. The first meeting will be held in early January.
Check back for more information about the celebration on the district’s website at www.swallowschool.org or join our emailing list by sending a request to swallowschool170@gmail.com. For questions about Swallow’s 170th anniversary, contact the Superintendent’s office at 262-367-2000 x124 or email Kim Zabel at zabelk@swallow.k12.wi.us.
Two Seats Up For Election on School Board
Posted 11-22-2013
In April of 2014, two seats on the Swallow School Board will be up for election as the terms of current members, Jim Douglas, Treasurer, and Rebecca Morrison, Clerk, end in 2014. If you would like more information on school boards and the election process, please visit www.WASB.org. One helpful resource is this Guide for Candidates which will help answer some basic questions for those interested. Please contact Kim Zabel at zabelk@swallow.k12.wi.us to obtain more information on running for School Board.
Swallow Robotics Teams on to Regional and State Competitions
Posted 11-19-13
Congratulations to the Masters of Disasters (Emily Dorau, Alayna Ennis, Bella Miller, Anthony Polentini, Max Schroeder, Maggie Siepmann, and Carson Poupore) who qualified for the FIRST Lego League Robotics tournament state competition on Sunday, December 8th in Appleton, WI.
All sixth graders were randomly put into collaborative groups to work together for this year’s mission: Nature’s Fury. (Read More)
Veterans Honored at Swallow School
Posted 11-19-13
Swallow 5th graders welcomed more than 30 veterans to their annual Veteran’s Day celebration on Friday, November 8, 2013. The 5th grade students worked hard to learn about the history of the United States and then became a part of America’s history through the fact-filled and entertaining American Dream tribute that combined music, history, and drama and chronicled the early years of the United States from the earliest explorers through the post-Civil War reconstruction era. Also participating in the program was Fred Sweet, from the American Legion Post 294 who spoke at the ceremony and provided a veteran’s perspective about the significance of Veterans Day. To round out the program, veterans in attendance were given a box of assorted cookies baked by 5th grade parents.
Board Work Session to be held Monday the 11th on Master Planning Process Moving Forward
Posted 11-8-13
On Monday, November 11 at 5:30pm the Swallow School Board will be holding a Work Session on the Master Planning Process to consider next steps. Initial information sharing will include past, current, and available future enrollment projections along with currently available land for development (Read More)
Board Approved Final 2013-14 Budget and Passed Tax Levy
Posted 11-8-13
At the October Board Meeting held on Monday, October 28, the School Board approved the final 2013-14 budget and passed the tax levy. The final budget is $6,512,709 which is down from the 2012-13 audited final budget of $6,604,827. Despite the decreased budget, the tax rate and levy (Read More)
Board Hears Report on Conditions and Needs of Building and Grounds
Posted 11-8-13
At the October Board meeting representatives from PRA architectural firm shared results from the first phase of the Master Planning process begun earlier this school year. The Master Planning process is an expected and proactive process used by organizations periodically to (Read More)
Get Connected, Stay Connected with Swallow School
Posted 10-18-2013
Looking to get connected with Swallow School? We offer multiple ways for you to stay informed and become personally involved in the school throughout the year. Check out or Get Connected, Stay Connected with Swallow School Flyer to learn about all of the different tools we use to keep students, parents, and the community up-to-date with news and events at Swallow.
Show Your Swallow Pride with Spirit Wear!
Posted 10-18-2013
The SEF is hosting a Swallow Spirit Wear Sale through Mid-City Sports for families of Swallow School. Click on this LINK to order your gear by October 30th. Mid-City will contact you when your order is ready for pick-up. If you’re not sure about size, stop in at Mid-City to try on samples. Order now to show your Swallow Pride!
Board Approves 2013-14 Goals
Posted 9-25-2013
The Swallow School Board approved a slate of six goals and indicators at the September Board Meeting. The goals are the result of three community feedback sessions held earlier in the summer which included participation from parents, staff, Board members, and administration and represent what all stakeholders most value as district priorities for this school year. The goals and progress on them can be viewed here and are also available on the District Home Page in the Board of Education section.
Swallow School District Earns Significantly Exceeding Expectations Designation
Posted 9-24-13
The Department of Public Instruction released school and district report cards which indicated Swallow School has earned a score of an 86.2 and designation of “significantly exceeds expectations.” In addition, District report cards were published for the first time with the Swallow School District earning the 3rd highest score among all districts in the state of Wisconsin. Please click HERE to see more data comparing Swallow's performance as both a district and school or go to the DPI website: http://reportcards.dpi.wi.gov.
Since the release of this information last week, several members of the school community have asked important questions to better understand this information. The most common are listed below. Please contact Superintendent Melissa Thompson with questions at thompson@swallow.k12.wi.us.
What is our ranking as a district? We are third in the state as a district. This calculation includes ALL school districts in the state of Wisconsin, not just K-8s.
What was our ranking as a district last year? This is the first year the District level report card data has been calculated and publicly released.
What accounts for Swallow's success on the report cards? Students who come to school anxious to learn and grow, dedicated staff across the district, and a very supportive and engaged community. Additionally, we are deeply engaged in meaningful staff development in several key areas related to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and character development.
Our ranking as a school relative to other schools in the state has dropped from last year—why is this? There are a few reasons to consider when looking at the school level data in our case—we are a K-8 and this is not a norm referenced system meant to rank schools in an order. It makes more sense to compare us to other K-8s because of the data used and span of grades tested. The accountability system at the state level is based on criteria for schools to meet or exceed—it is not designed to force rank schools relative to each other. In other words, the goal is to have all schools (and districts) score as high as they can in each area for the sake of students and their learning. Therefore data is gathered in each of the four areas and then an ultimate score and designation are provided, such as our score of an 86.2 and Significantly Exceeding Expectations.
The school's scores have dipped slightly from last year (87.8 in 2011-12 to 86.2 in 2012-13). Is there any area the school is going to look at more closely? The dip in scores is a result largely of our Closing the Gaps data coming online. For 2011-12 this category was N/A due to an insufficient data over time. If our data had been published in this area a year ago it would have looked very different. We are very proud of the progress in this area specifically and look forward to continuing to grow ALL kids, all of the time.
Given the school data, is our school on the right track? By all measures, we are absolutely on the right track as both a school and district. This year is the first year Swallow earned a score in all four categories because we did not have enough students who had attended Swallow for long enough to fulfill the requirements for the Closing the Gaps calculations last year. The state has also modified the manner in which the Closing the Gaps data is calculated from last year. This category, along with the Student Achievement and Student Growth categories, tells a powerful story as to what is right at Swallow. All three will only improve as we become even more practiced in the use of data to inform instruction and our interventions and enrichments for students. Our professional development in these areas is an important foundation to increased student learning.
Has the school been working in the past year to increase scores in any of the specific areas measured? Yes, in many ways. Qualitatively we discuss and confer with students about their work and build strong relationships to ensure they are provided appropriate feedback and we know them as people and learners. Quantitatively we have been working hard to ensure that we are growing each student using formal benchmark assessments and monitoring growth throughout the year. We also are very focused on our curriculum development, methods of instruction, and assessments to ensure we are growing professionally to evolve with the times and demands our students will face in their futures.
Swallow School Earns 86.2 and Significantly Exceeds Expectations Rating According to 2012-2013 State Report Card
Posted 9-17-13
Swallow School is proud to have earned an 86.2 and be rated as Significantly Exceeds Expectations for the 2012-2013 school year. This represents the outstanding work of our highly qualified teaching staff, dedicated students, and supportive school community. The district is committed to celebrating this accomplishment and the continued work of personalizing learning for each student to ensure their highest performance and growth during their years at Swallow. (Read More)
Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year!
Posted 8-20-13
Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year! This year marks the 170th year for our school community and we are already off to a great start with two successful registration days behind us! Next week brings PIN Day, our Back to School Tailgate, and the Budget Hearing and Annual Meeting. Below please find a summary of each upcoming event leading to the first day of school. Office hours are 8am-3:30pm and it is best to reach the office by calling 262-367-2000 x100 so that any questions you may have can be answered. (Read More)
Board Announces Opportunities for Participation in Goal-Setting for the 2013-14 School Year
Posted June 7, 2013
As the school year draws to a close and final planning and preparation for a spectacular 2013-14 school year takes place, the Board and administration invite all members of the school community to participate in a Board Goals forum. (Read More)
Swallow Students Earn Seats in WI Middle Level Honors Band!
Posted June 4, 2013
Swallow School is pleased to announce that two eighth graders, Matt Barthel and Michael Condly, have been invited to participate in the Wisconsin Middle Level State Honors Band. Out of 1300 students who auditioned, they are two of the 98 students accepted. They will perform with this group at the state music convention in October 2013.
8th Graders Travel to Washington D.C.
Posted May 24, 2013
On Tuesday, May 28th, many of the Swallow School 8th grade class, along with parents and Swallow staff, will be traveling to Washington D.C. Follow along through their picture blog as they explore the nation's capital: https://sites.google.com/site/swallowdc2013/
Destination Imagination Team Competing at Globals!
Posted May 24, 2013
The Swallow School Destination Imagination team is in Knoxville, Tennessee competing at the Global Competition through Saturday, May 25. In the month between the state level competition and Globals, (Read More)
Swallow School District's Fund Balance and Related Information
Posted May 24, 2013
Recently as a result of questions surrrounding the UW System's financial status, including the Fund Balance, local school districts have been asked about the rationale for having a Fund Balance, the status (Read More)
Swallow Education Foundation Casino Night a Full House!
Posted May 24, 2013
On Saturday, April 27 the Swallow Education Foundation hosted Casino Night, a fundraiser which raised $15,000. The Foundation works closely with the district to provide funding for special projects (Read More)
Swallow WKCE Performance Released by the State
Posted May 24, 2013
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has publicly released the results from the fall administration of the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE). Last year DPI re-normed cut scores used (Read More)
Destination Imagination Team on to Globals!
Posted 4-16-13
On Saturday, April 13, two Desination Imagination teams from Swallow School competed at the state level at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Both teams earned their way to state through significant effort (Read More)
More Articles
School Day Drop-Off and Pick-Up Routine to Change in the North Lot
Swallow to Host Arrowhead Area Regional Math Meet
DI Team Sponsoring “Honor Flight” Showing
Kindergarten Registration for 2013-2014
Swallow Earns State Recognition as a High-Achieving & High-Progress School
Plan to Experience Annie Feb 28-Mar 1
Second Board Work Session on Finance to be Held February 14
Board Settled 2012-13 Teacher Contract for Maximum Base Wage Increase
2013-14 Student Calendar Approved at January School Board Meeting
Board Work Session On Finance Held with 30 Participants December 4
Thinking About Open Enrolling to Swallow?
One Candidate for Board Election in April
Planning for Our Future
Items for Sale
Final Public Versions of 2011-12 School Report Cards Posted
State Superintendent Reveals Fair Funding Proposal
Board Takes Action to Approve Investment Model for HRA for Teacher Retirement and iPAD Pilot at November Board Meeting
Join Us in Commemorating Veteran's Day
Are My Taxes Higher Because of the Parking Lot Project?
Experience Upcoming Music Performances at Swallow
Board Takes Action to Adopt Video Recording Policy and Update Student Transportation and Facilities Rental Policy
We continue to expand the information that is available on our website to students, parents, staff and community members. We're excited about the future and are always considering ways to improve communication, so please check back regularly. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office or email Kim Zabel at zabelk@swallow.k12.wi.us.
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