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    Bio 

    Hello! My name is Rachel Sweigard (pronounced “Swy-guard” if anyone is curious), and I am very excited to be a Wildcat! I am originally from Jasper, Alabama, but Tuscaloosa has always felt like a second home to me because I have many family members in the area. I knew very early on that I wanted to be a teacher because I had several teachers who went above and beyond to invest in me as a student and as a person and I wanted to “pay it back.” I truly love my job and I am here because I want to be here! In my free time, I love reading anything I can get my hands on, hiking, traveling (I have been fortunate enough to visit 25 states and 17 countries!), and spending time with friends and family. I am looking forward to a great year at TCHS! 

    Education 

    University of West Alabama—Master of Education, May 2020 

    University of North Alabama—Bachelor of Education, December 2016 

    Experience 

    Tuscaloosa County High School  

    11th grade English—August 2021-present  

    Duncanville Middle School 

    7th grade English—August 2017-May 2021 

    8th grade English—January 2017-May 2017 

    Supplies 

    1. Binder or binder section divided into the following sub-sections:

    Bellringers 

    Reading  

    Writing 

    Grammar 

    **You don’t have to have a binder solely for English class, but I do expect that you have at least  a section of your binder devoted solely for English. You may use whatever you want for dividers,  but I do expect that it be divided and organized so that you can easily access the information.** 

    2. Continuous supply of paper and pens or pencils throughout the year 

    3. Dividers 

    4. Facial tissue or paper towels 

    5. Hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes 

    6. ADVANCED English 11 ONLY—Personal copies of the following novels: 

    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 

    A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry 

    Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. **We may not get to Their Eyes Were Watching God; please wait before purchasing this novel.** 

    Communication 

    **The best way for parents and students to stay informed of academic progress is to gain access to their PowerSchool portal and check it weekly.  

    **Students and parents are encouraged to sign up for our class’s Remind messages. If you have trouble joining, it is the responsibility of the student to reach out to me to be manually added. 

    To join the Remind account for your class, text one of the following codes to 81010 or enter it on the Remind app.  

    First block: @swei1 

    Second block: @swei2 

    Fourth block: @swei4 

    **I encourage students and parents to reach out to me with any questions. Email is the most efficient avenue to communicate with me as I can often respond to an email sooner than I can return a phone call. Be advised that I do not check my email on nights, weekends, or when TCSS schools are closed. 

    Email: nrsweigard@tcss.net 

    Phone: 205-342-2670  

    Planning block: 3rd block (11:18-1:16)