Posted November 2, 2021
Dear Swigert Families,
It was wonderful to see so many families at our Halloween Parade last week and witness the pure joy on our students’ faces as they participated in this school tradition. I am glad we were able to host this year. There is a lot of information in this week’s communication , please reach out if you have any questions.
We are excited to announce Swigert received three grants in the past month to support our school community.
Cultural Displays at School:
Dia de los Muertos – October 31st-November 2nd
Here is a video by National Geographic you may want to share with your students:
https://www.bing.com/videos/
Diwali – November 4th
National Geographic Video to share with your students:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Native American Heritage Month- November
National Geographic Video of contemporary Native American culture at the 31st annual Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a Powwow. Over 700 tribes attend this three-day cultural heritage celebration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.org
Wednesday, November 3rd, 6 pm via Zoom:
Meeting ID: 865 6814 7462
Passcode: 6Jt5Ue
Please join us for our PTA meeting and guest speaker hosted by Swigert and the PTA…
Following our PTA meeting, we will hear from Dr. Ziegler, a renowned psychologist who will discuss the state of mental health in Colorado since this pandemic and what parents can do. There will be a Q & A session following.
Dr. Ziegler…
Dr. Sheryl Ziegler is a national and international presenter on topics related to stress, parenting, mental health and burnout as well as a Tedx speaker. She is the founder and managing director of The Child & Family Therapy Center at Lowry. She holds a Doctorate in Psychology and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado, as well as a member of the American Psychological Association and the Colorado Association for Play Therapy. She has treated thousands of children, tweens, teens, and their families with a broad range of issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, bullying, self-harm, divorce, social skills, and overall life adjustments.
Dr. Ziegler is the International Latino Parenting Book of the Year award winner and bestselling author of Mommy Burnout: how to reclaim your life and raise healthier children in the process. She also hosts Dr. Sheryl’s PodCouch, where she has guests who are thought leaders in their respective fields talking about all things mental health, parenting, self-care, screen time, racism, sustainability, stress management, resilience and more. Furthermore, she is the founder of the parent-child puberty course, Start with the Talk. You can see Dr. Ziegler as a Parenting Expert on 9NEWS in Denver, Colorado for the segment Mental Health & Me.
Dr. Ziegler has appeared as a mental health expert in 100+ news related shows including The Today Show with Megyn Kelly, The Katie Couric Show, The Jenny McCarthy Show, The Doctors, CNN, Headline News Weekend Express with Lynn Smith, Morning Express with Robin Meade, and more. Articles she has contributed to have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, TIME, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Real Simple, Huffington Post and more.
Dr. Sheryl Ziegler
Start with the Talk online course
Dr. Sheryl’s Podcouch
Mommy Burnout
As the weather shifts, as it did yesterday, we will make calls regarding eating and playing outside with careful discernment and deliberation. Please know safety is always our first priority. We also have to weigh Covid health guidelines that ask us to eat outside whenever possible due to students having their masks off while eating. If we do need to eat inside we will spread kids out as much as possible and ensure they put their masks on right after eating. We made the decision to stay outdoors and the kids were able to have their recess outside. Indoor eating during Covid is also a staffing issue; when we move inside we have to go back to the classroom and ensure we have one staff member to supervise per class. When we are outside we can manage two staff per grade level when eating. We are required to give teachers their lunch and daily planning time so we cannot use them for coverage. Our administration, interventionists, and para professionals are doing multiple lunch duties a day. It’s a great way to connect with our students outside the classroom environment.
Here is our recess policy:
Students go outside every day for recess. Please make sure that they are dressed appropriately to be outside for up to 25 minutes at a time. We are all aware of how fast the weather in Colorado can change so it would be great if students always have access to a warm jacket or sweater in their backpack. We check the temperature/ wind chill and generally will go out if students won’t get wet and it is 20 degrees or higher. We ask that all students create an inside recess bag. Please place items a child can play with in a gallon bag in case we need to keep them in at recess time. Items such as puzzles, games, books, small toys (that don’t leave their hand) are all good items. Please no electronic devices. Students may skip on this part of the playground, but we ask that running be on the track or grass to minimize injuries in our busiest play area.
Bridget Baker is going on maternity leave Wednesday, November 3rd. We wish her all the best as she welcomes a new family member to the fold. We will miss her and we are fortunate to have Elaine Tintera, a retired teacher and consistent Swigert substitute, to fill her maternity leave. Elaine knows our students and came in for several days to watch Mrs. Baker in action. Mrs. Baker will return in January.
We continue to see more students home due to exposure and currently have 4 student cases. They are across the grade levels and we do not have any cases of community spread within the classrooms. Please reach out to Nurse Tran if you have any questions regarding symptoms or for guidance. He can be reached be email at Hoan_Tran@dpsk12.org.
The Spirit Wear PRE ORDER is now live! Visit https://www.likewear.com/collections/swigert to get your orders in by 11/14! We have brand new items with something for everyone! They also make great holiday gifts. Happy Shopping!
Do you have pictures for the yearbook? If so, we’d love to have them! If they’re grade-specific, please upload them to that grade’s photo album. If not, then one of the other albums is sure to fit. “Around the School” is for any pictures that don’t fit into another category. Please add any pertinent information (kids’ names, who took the picture, etc.) that you’d like to share.
Please note: once the pictures have been downloaded from the shared album, they will be deleted. So if you think your pictures are missing, feel free to reach out to Daphne to confirm they’ve been downloaded.
Thank you for your help, and thank you parents who have already shared photos!
Cover Contest
Congratulations to our winner, Lucy Murray, and runner up, Lily Masters! Lucy’s interpretation of “Back…in Living Color” will be the cover, and Lily’s will be the Title Page. Thank you to all contributors of excellent artwork, and to the staff members who voted. It was a difficult decision!
Cover (above)
Title Page (below)
Photo and Text Submissions
If your student has a passion for photography or writing, I’d love to include some of their work in the yearbook! Some ideas for inclusion are pictures from after-school or special events like the Monster Mash or Wax Museum, writing about what makes school “in living color,” favorite things about school, etc. They are also welcome to submit questionnaires to distribute to either the 5th grade or the school (as the submitting student directs), quotes about living color, etc. Again, these can be submitted electronically to daphne_jolley@dpsk12.org or hard copy to the front office. These submissions are due by 9 AM on Friday, January 28th.
Thank you for letting your student(s) express themselves through their 5th Grade Yearbook!
The 12th annual REALGiving Campaign in 80238 is underway to provide King Soopers gift cards for families in need at Thanksgiving. Last year, Central Park area Realtors, builders, lenders, friends, Brookfield Properties and The Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities assisted 200+ families in need throughout the community and local school food pantries. With the Covid impact continuing this year, nothing has been normal especially for our families in need. We are asking for your donation to help us purchase King Soopers gift cards for the identified families. To donate, click on the link below for the secure site to use CC, Venmo or PayPal this year!!:
REALGiving2021 Donation Link or directly https://thewcepta.com/
On the donation page, follow the prompts and DONATE! Donations are tax deductible. The gift cards will be loaded on Tuesday November 16th and delivered to the schools for distribution to families before the holiday break. Thank you as always to the Westerly Creek PTA for powering the secure giving site to donate! For more info and updates please visit the REALGiving Facebook page [full link: https://www.facebook.com/RealGiving80238].
#ItTakesAVillage #GiveWhereYouLive #PowerofCommunity #REALGiving2021
The Lunch menu is continuing to change based on availability, so we will keep you as updated as much as possible.
The menu for the rest of this week is:
Wed 11/3: Cheeseburger (no fries) OR Grilled Cheese OR PB&J
Thu 11/4: Pepperoni Stromboli OR Vegetable Stromboli OR Yogurt Basket w/Blueberry Muffin
Fri 11/5: Chicken Drumstick OR Garden Chili OR PB&J
The menu for next week is:
Mon 11/8: Pancakes with Chicken Sausage OR Pancakes with Scrambled Eggs OR PB&J
Tue 11/9: Beef Taco OR Charro Beans & Rice OR Yogurt Basket
Wed 11/10: Country Chicken Bowl OR PB&J
Thu 11/11: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce OR Spaghetti with Marinara OR Yogurt Basket
Fri 11/12: Chicken Quesadilla OR Cheese Quesadilla OR PB&J
You can also view the menu by going to https://www.schoolcafe.com/
If your child has a peanut allergy and needs Wow butter (or other food allergy that requires accommodation), please be sure you’ve completed the attached Meal Modification Form. Food & Nutrition Services requires this form even if you have an allergy/anaphylaxis form on file with the nurse. You can return the form to our kitchen manager or the front office.
Students at Northfield High are having a coat drive and have a donation box in the Swigert lobby. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
| Shelby Dennis, Principal | Shelby_Dennis@dpsk12.org | Principal |
| Emily Pool, Community Liaison | Emily_Pool@dpsk12.org | All Questions or Concerns |
| Daphne Jolley, Secretary Laura Gonzalez-Carrazco, Lunchroom Manager | Daphne_Jolley@dpsk12.org Laura_Gonzalez-Carrazco@dpsk12.org | Choice/Registration, AttendanceFree/Reduced Lunch Applications |
| Richard Fisher,Dean of Operations/Tech Barb Robinson, Social Worker Kim Irk, School Psychologist | Richard_fisher@dpsk12.org Barbara_Robinson@dpsk12.org Kimberly_Irk@dpsk12.org | Building use, operations, technology, community events Backpack Program, Family Needs Social Emotional |
| Shavon Glasper, Discovery Link | Shavon_Glasper@dpsk12.org | Discovery Link, Enrichments |
| Courtney Percival, PTA President | president@swigertpta.com | Volunteer, Fundraising, Spirit Wear |
Nov 1-14 Spirit Wear pre-order
Nov 3rd PTA Meeting and guest speaker Dr. Sherly Ziegler
Nov 10th GT Family Night
May 14th Auction 5:30 – 9:00 PM