Posted August 10, 2021
Good afternoon Swigert Families,
We are so excited to launch this school year with you! Our first priority is student health and safety; we will share below the health guidance and guardrails we will be following at this time. We are still waiting for specific guidance around quarantining. Swigert’s priorities also include that every student is known, seen and met where they are in their journey.
We know that families might be anxious about students returning to school after being remote, coming to a new school, or even starting school for the first time. We also know you might be anxious about potential gaps in your child’s learning due to the disrupted learning over the past year and a half. Please know we are taking this all into consideration as we staff and plan for the upcoming year. We have committed more staff and funding for social emotional support as well as math and literacy intervention to meet individual student need. We are committed to a longer runway this fall – taking more time the first two weeks to get to know students on an academic as well as social emotional level. Classroom teachers will also spend more time building classroom communities with daily morning meetings and routines.
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.org
You can still order school supplies through EPI (https://www.
Please note: most grades have split supply lists by last name, so that we don’t end up with too many of one item and not enough of another.
ECE A-M
ECE N-Z
Kdg A-M
Kdg N-Z
1st Grade
2nd Grade A-M
2nd Grade N-Z
3rd Grade A-M
3rd Grade N-Z
4th Grade
5th Grade A-M
5th Grade N-Z
The first two days – August 23rd and 24th – of school are half days. This allows students to ease into their new schedule and provide time for individual assessments in the afternoon. Your classroom teacher will reach out to you to set up individual time slots for these assessments. The arrival time is the same with students inside and starting at 8:15.
We will have our annual park to school walk on the first day. We will gather at 7:45am at the dog statue park at 35th and Xanthia Court. We will begin our walk to school at 7:50am. Parents and siblings are welcome to join us for this walk. Staff will be out on the playground beginning at 8:00 am to welcome students and guide them to their arrival door. If you are unable to join the walk, no problem, staff will be out on the playground ready to greet your children and guide them to the right door.
Students will need a mask on before entering the building. Dismissal is at noon. Each teacher will have a pick up area on the playground they will share ahead of time. Buses will be running their regular routes for both arrival and dismissal. There will NOT be lunch service on the 1st or 2nd day.
Our first full day will be Wednesday, August 25th 8:15-3:15pm. We are continuing with our soft start with students arriving between 8:00-8:15. After 8:15, they will need to go through the main office to get a tardy slip.
For students’ safety, please do not drop any students off on the East/Trenton St. side after 8:15 am. Students will only be able to come in through the main doors, on the West/Syracuse St. side.
Please see the drop off and pick up map below. Bus students will enter through the main door off of Syracuse and 35th. Click here to see a map.
Students that take the bus will enter through the doors off of Syracuse and 35th; we will have staff outside to help direct students into the building entrance. This is the main office door. For all other students, please see the map for the entry doors.
ECE: Parents must check in their children every morning and check out their students every afternoon. There will be a check in spot at door 20, just south of our main entrance (Syracuse/25th)
Kindergarten: Kindergarten students will enter their classroom doors off the Kindergarten playground (Trenton/34th)
First Grade: Students will enter their classroom doors located off the Kinder/First grade parking lot. Please be careful when dropping off students to drop them off in the marked spot (Trenton/34th)
Second – Students will enter through Door 18 (see map linked below)
Third – Students will use Door 20, on the Southwest corner of the building (see map linked below)
Fourth and Fifth – Will enter through Door 19 (see map linked below)
School ends at 3:10 for ECE and Kindergarten, and 3:15 for 1st – 5th grades. Please see the pick-up map for where to find your student(s) after school.
Greetings Swigert Community!
I wanted to take a minute to introduce (or reintroduce) myself to you all as Swigert’s new IB Coordinator! I have been at Swigert for the last 8 years in some capacity: 4th grade teacher, Senior Team Lead, and Literacy Specialist/Interventionist. I look forward to growing the service learning at our school and forming relationships with organizations that are already doing the important work of giving back. I am also a proud Swigert parent and look forward to being a liaison between our staff and parent community. This role seemed to open up at the right time for me both professionally and personally and I am thrilled to help guide Swigert students and staff in becoming lifelong learners who are motivated to make our community and world a better place.
A bit about me:
I graduated from Indiana University (undergrad: special education; masters: curriculum & instruction; study abroad: bilingual Kindergarten in Honduras) and moved to Denver in 2008. I started my teaching career in Adams12 as a 2nd grade teacher at an IB elementary school and was part of the leadership team during our school’s initial IB authorization journey. I love to travel- and to explore new places! Doesn’t have to be far away, just new! My hobbies are triathlon, running, snowboarding and spending time exploring with my family (my husband Alex, 5yo daughter, Nora, and a 3yo son, Mac). I love live music and music festivals (Telluride is my favorite). I am very passionate about volunteering and giving back to organizations that are near & dear to my heart.
These are the current health and safety guidelines we are following :
Please see DPS safety guidance here:
Update on Masking and Health Procedures for the Start of School | Denver Public Schools (dpsk12.org)
Thursday August 19th
Yay, we are excited we can host Meet the Teacher Night outside. This is a nice opportunity for your child to meet their teacher in an informal setting. Class lists will be posted according to grade levels- K-1 near the Kindergarten playground and 2-5th in the STEM and Art Room adjunct to the playground.
We will have staff with rosters to help guide you. Swigert specials teachers and specialists will also be available to answer any question.
The event will be held outside on the playground from 5:00pm to 6:00pm as an open house (you are not expected to be here the entire time). Masks are required due to the number of people on the playground at one time and ask that you socially distance as best as possible.
We are encouraging families with the last name A-M to come between 5:00 and 5:30 and N-Z to come between 5:30 and 6:00 to ease congestion.
If you have school supplies to drop off, there will be a designated area by each teacher. If you are not able to attend or would like to drop off supplies ahead of time please email Richard Fisher at Richard_Fisher@dsk12.org.
September 9th
Unfortunately, DPS shared that we cannot hold any in person activities inside for the first sixty days of the school year. This impacts how we planned to do Back to School Night on September 9th. For right now, we will plan on having online sessions with admin to go over important information from the year and have teachers create videos of their classrooms and send our important information. We will reassess when we have the green light to hold in person events on campus.
Lunch will look similar to last year during covid. Students will eat outside with their class. If they choose a hot lunch they will pick it up in the cafeteria. Kindergarten and ECE support staff will pick up lunch for our Kinder and First Grade students. If the weather is untenable for eating and playing, we will have indoor eating options where we can spread out as best as possible.
Hot lunch information here:
Food & Nutrition Services – Denver Public Schools (dpsk12.org)
Please pack a water bottle and an extra snack for your child daily. Students will have a break in the morning for snack/recess.
If your child has health concerns or allergies please email our nurse Hoang Tran at Hoang_Tran@dpsk12.org
Summer Playdates – Thursday, August 12th, 5:30 PM & Saturday, August 14th, 9 AM
We have two New Family Playdates scheduled in August to give parents and kids a chance to meet classmates and other families and to feel more comfortable on the first day of school. Current Swigert families are also welcome and encouraged to join us!
Meet The Teacher Night – Thursday, August 19th, 5-6 PM
Join us at Swigert to find out who your teacher and classmates will be for the year! You’ll have an opportunity to say hello to your new teacher, sign up for an assessment time, let teachers know your child’s plan for getting to and from school, and pick up any other pertinent information about the start of the year. The PTA will sell Spirit Wear and administrators will be making their way around to say hello.
PTA Welcome Back Breakfast – Saturday, August 28th, 8:30-10:30 AM
Join the Swigert staff and PTA for a Welcome Breakfast for all Swigert Families on Saturday, August 28th. It takes place on the Swigert playground and includes food from local restaurants, fun activities for the kids, and a chance to get to know other Swigert families.
First Day of School
August 23rd is the first day of school for ECE_5th. We will start with our Annual Walk to School, beginning at 7:45 am at the dog statue park – 35th and Xenia. The first two days of school (August 23 and 24) are half days – dismissal at noon – so teachers can do individual assessments in the afternoon. More information about afternoon enrichments will be shared as soon as we know more
Back to School Night – Thursday, September 9th
Back to School Night is a parent/guardian-only event to hear about your teacher’s plans for the school year, student expectations, general school information and an opportunity for you to ask questions. The night is divided into classroom sessions with your student’s teacher and presentations from our administrators. **Details to come and may differ for COVID protocols.
| Shelby Dennis, Principal | Shelby_Dennis@dpsk12.org | Principal |
| Emily Pool, Community Liaison | Emily_Pool@dpsk12.org | All Questions or Concerns |
| Daphne Jolley, Secretary | Daphne_Jolley@dpsk12.org | Choice/Registration, Bus, Lunch Applications, Attendance |
| Richard Fisher ,Dean of Operations/TechBarb Robinson, Social WorkerKim Irk, School Psychologist | Richard_fisher@dpsk12.orgBarbara_Robinson@dpsk12.orgKimberly_Irk@dpsk12.org | Building use, operations, technology,community eventsBackpack Program, Family NeedsSocial Emotional |
| Susan Norris, Discovery Link | Susan_Norris@dpsk12.org | Discovery Link, Enrichments |
| Courtney Percival, PTA President | president@swigertpta.com | Volunteer, Fundraising, Spirit Wear |
I want to share an amazing opportunity with you and your students. My martial arts studio (Omniform Martial Arts Academy) recently created the Dr. Frank Elliott Empowerment Scholarship, after the founder of the academy, to offer scholarships to interested kids in need (low socioeconomic status). Please see the link to the scholarship information and application here – http://omniformmartialarts.
The idea is that the scholarship is offered to kids (and adults – Omniform is a family-friendly academy) who are truly interested in martial arts AND would have a desire for long-term coaching and training in all aspects of life. Dr. Elliott is a black man who grew up facing many obstacles and used the challenges in his life to embrace his inner power and become a martial arts champion. He is a truly amazing human. As you know, Jack, Sawyer, and I have been at the studio for 9 years and are all second-degree black belts. We have had the honor and privilege to train all aspects of our lives (physical, emotional, spiritual) under Dr. Elliott and his 2 amazing daughters, who now run the operations of the academy. Applications are being accepted as soon as they are received.