S.W.A.R.M. Information
Bank of S.W.A.R.M. Link
http://5768.mykidsbank.org/
http://5768.mykidsbank.org/
Note: If the link above is not working, follow these procedures to get into your account:
1. Go to mykidsbank.org,
2. At the top of the screen, type in 5768 as the bank ID and your usual user name and password. See below for an example.
1. Go to mykidsbank.org,
2. At the top of the screen, type in 5768 as the bank ID and your usual user name and password. See below for an example.
2016-2017 S.W.A.R.M. Reward Dates & Pay Periods
September 16
August 15 to September 9
4 weeks
October 28
September 12 to October 21
6 Weeks
November 22
October 24 to November 18
4 Weeks
December 16
Bowling Blast Field Trip
No S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day This Month
January
No S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day This Month
February 17
November 28-February 10
10 Weeks
March 31
February 13-March 24
6 Weeks
April 28
March 27 to April 21
4 Weeks
May
Last Day of School
Movie Blast Trip
No S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day This Month
August 15 to September 9
4 weeks
October 28
September 12 to October 21
6 Weeks
November 22
October 24 to November 18
4 Weeks
December 16
Bowling Blast Field Trip
No S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day This Month
January
No S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day This Month
February 17
November 28-February 10
10 Weeks
March 31
February 13-March 24
6 Weeks
April 28
March 27 to April 21
4 Weeks
May
Last Day of School
Movie Blast Trip
No S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day This Month
What is S.W.A.R.M.?
Fifth grade teachers use a combination of the Emma B. Ward Discipline Plan and a cross-curricular program called S.W.A.R.M., or “Students Working to Attain Reward Money”. Individual teachers may also incorporate their own classroom incentive plans and positive reinforcement to encourage good choices, behavior, and classroom performance.
S.W.A.R.M. uses “virtual money” as a reward for students who follow academic and behavior expectations and teaches valuable economic, mathematical, social, and life skills concepts in the process. The virtual money earned will then be budgeted, saved, and spent on activity tickets at monthly scheduled S.W.A.RM. Reward Days. There will also be “auctions” in which students may choose to participate. Virtual money saved will also be used to qualify to attend both the Bowling and Movie Blast trips. The online bank students will participate in is called the Bank of S.W.A.R.M. It is an online artificial bank for kids. Each student will be given login information and a password on a label located on the inside cover of the Agenda Book.
Virtual money is earned by following expectations and procedures set by the school and classroom teachers. Attending school is viewed as each student’s “job”. Students can earn a virtual sum of $20.00 per regular class per day, but may lose more than that daily if expectations are not met resulting in a negative bank balance. Money earned is recorded on a “time card”. An example of a time card appears at the end of this handbook.
The amount of $400.00 will be electronically deposited each week of designated “pay periods” (usually 4-6 weeks long). Money may also be deducted from time cards in preset amounts in the categories of incomplete work, being unprepared for class, and behavior.
The deadline for time cards to be turned in is the Wednesday after the last day on the card. For example, each time card starts on Monday and ends on Friday of the same week. That means the Wednesday of the following week is the deadline. Students who do not turn in time cards will not get paid for their week of work and the $400 will be deducted. Students may not receive regular reminders to turn in time cards. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure his or her time card has been turned in to the designated spot.
If no money is lost on a student’s timecard, then all the money earned in the pay period counts toward S.W.A.R.M. Reward Days, auctions, and the two Blast trips throughout the year. However, if students have been “docked” money on their timecards for incomplete work, being unprepared for class, or behavior, they will have those amounts withdrawn from their bank accounts. Withdrawals will be made from accounts by student “bank tellers”. Bank tellers will be hired before the end of August by the fifth grade team of teachers. They will participate in a very detailed training including terms of confidentiality.
With internet access, both students and parents may access bank accounts at any time. This way, deductions will be visible to parents and they may keep track of their child’s progress. Copies of timecards are also kept confidentially on file and parents may view them at any time.
Students may also earn additional money called “bank notes” to deposit in their online bank accounts. Bank notes have a unique code on them (much like a coupon code) and can be issued in any amount. They may be deposited by students themselves or given to bank tellers to be deposited. Teachers may use bank notes as rewards beyond the regular sum paid or as extra credit for assignments and projects.
It is the student’s responsibility to take care of timecards and make sure they are turned in to the designated area so they may be paid. Time cards not presented for payment by the Wednesday following the week of the time card will not be accepted. Time cards without names will not be deposited into accounts. Teachers do not have the available time to investigate the ownership of nameless time cards.
Time card money deductions will be made for incomplete work, being unprepared for class, and behavior issues. These areas correspond with the Agenda Book stamp discussed earlier in this handbook. Parents are asked to check the lines next to each of these areas on the stamp each day when initialing the stamp. In most situations, the teacher docking the student will contact parents by email or phone about the incident unless he or she deems it to be a minor situation. If the teacher has not emailed or called about the incident and there is parental concern, please contact the teacher for more information.
S.W.A.R.M. Reward Days are a celebration of students’ hard work throughout the S.W.A.R.M. pay period and occur once every four to five weeks. They start after lunch and run to the end of the day. A two-part evaluation method is used to determine if a student may attend S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day. The evaluation measures the number of times a student has attended Study Hall for the pay period and the number of time cards (if any) a student has neglected to turn in during the pay period. Each student starts out with 100 points at the start of the evaluation. Each Study Hall attendance is a deduction of 5 points. Each missing time card is a deduction of 10 points. Students who receive an office referral to Mr. Murphy by a fifth grade teacher or any other teacher or staff member during the pay period will lose 15 evaluation points.
At the end of each pay period, students who earn a score of at least 75/100 evaluation points may attend S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day. These students may purchase tickets for special activities including movies, auctions, computer time, art and crafts, and extra recess time. Those students scoring below 75 evaluation points will be asked to participate in the “Honeycomb” rather than S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day, where they will complete a special reflection assignment and/or get caught up on missing or incomplete work. The goal of the Honeycomb is to help students understand how and why they scored below 75 on their evaluation so they will not repeat their mistakes. A supervising teacher will counsel the students and help them learn strategies to be better students and how to achieve their goal in the future. Students may also be asked to retake tests, work on additional academic practice, or complete remedial work while in the Honeycomb.
Fifth grade teachers do not notify individual parents when a student does not earn a S.W.A.R.M. Reward Day. However, a calendar of pay periods and S.W.A.R.M. Reward Days is included at the end of this handbook. Parents may email or call prior to each S.W.A.R.M. Reward for more information about their child’s evaluation. Should any parent have any concerns about his or her child’s progress in this area, they are encouraged to contact a fifth grade teacher.