Posted February 1, 2022
Dear Swigert Families,
February marks the beginning of Black History Month as well as the start of the Chinese New Year – today marking day one.
February is the official month to recognize Black History Month, knowing that Black History is not something we focus on solely during the month of February but throughout our days, throughout our curriculum, and throughout every school year. That being said, it is critically important to take this time to understand, reflect and honor the lives and accomplishments of Black individuals in our nation. Given the current racial injustices and division evident in our country, this work is even more important and incumbent upon us all to prioritize.
The purpose of this month was originally created to teach school-aged children about Black history so we could spearhead change and transformation in our society; and that holds just as relevant and true today. As our third graders just studied, Black History Month was born during the 1920s during the time of the Harlem Renaissance.
Here is a article outlining the history of Black History Month:
At Swigert we are:
For Chinese New Year we are sharing information about the holiday with our students. We also have a table set up in the main hallway that shares the history and traditions of the Chinese New Year.
A Recommended Read Aloud in honor of Chinese New Year:
The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Dawn Casey:
Happy New Year! May the year of the tiger bring you all good health and happiness.Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net
DPS Library Services is excited to share that Sallie has been awarded the Culturally Sustaining Collections Grant of $2,000!
The purpose of the Culturally Sustaining Collections grant is to support Denver Public Schools’ commitment to advancing asset-based cultural and linguistic responsive practices by infusing school libraries with books that provide affirming, authentic representation of the identities, home languages, and lived experiences of our students.
Sallie, thank you for pursuing this opportunity to increase authentic, diverse representation in your library collection and for ALL you do to support Swigert students’ love of reading and continual access to a high quality digital and physical library collection.
With the shift to Healthy Start Times in fall 2023, DPS is seeking input on what options work best for the community in carrying out this change. There are three options for bus routes that make Healthy Start Times possible. Please share these opportunities for students, families and DPS community members to join upcoming meetings. For more information and to register, visit the Healthy Start Times page.
Happy Chinese (Lunar) New Year! 2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger.
Swigert Library Chinese New Year & Cultural book collection list:
https://collections.follettsoftware.com/collection/61e85a2489831e0013c6d455?h=9a646bff4d3827311438f224f61cde5131e32e9e7228c62f6209fc205c64761a
Sora ebooks/audiobooks:
https://soraapp.com/library/dpsk12/search/query-Chinese%20New%20Year/libraries-202341,29/page-1
—
Sallie Shultzabarger (she/her)
Swigert International Elementary School Librarian
https://sites.google.com/dpsk12.net/swigert-school-library/home
DPS cares about the health of your child. To support our efforts to identify health issues that may impact your child’s success and ability to learn, we are resuming our health screening program with in-person vision and hearing screenings at school.
Due to the impacts of the pandemic, we will be unable to provide in-person oral health screenings this year. Since good oral health is so important for concentration, we are asking that you please complete the Oral Health Screening At Home survey on the Parent Portal. A few minutes and a flashlight or good light source is all you need to complete the screening!
Along with the vision and hearing data, the information collected through the online oral health survey will help us connect you and your students to any health resources you may need.
Please complete the survey electronically within three weeks from today. Although the data is most accessible electronically, if there is a need to complete a paper copy, please contact the school’s health or front office, then return the document within 3 weeks of this message.
Children’s Hospital is hosting a virtual Town Hall meeting on mental health tomorrow, Wednesday February 2nd at 6 PM. Please see the attached flyer. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-health-town-hall-tickets-254758348077
Yearbooks are no longer available through the Walsworth website. However, we did order extra, both hard- and soft-cover. Yearbooks can be purchased through myschoolbucks.com until they are sold out. Once they have sold out, you are welcome to email Daphne to be put on a list. Walsworth does send extra yearbooks, but we never know how many until they arrive. We won’t collect any money on the waitlist books until we’re sure we have them to hand out.
Yearbooks are $36.25 for a softcover or $41.25 for a hardcover.
Please Join Us for Our Introductory Planting Seeds Meeting!
Planting Seeds Committee Meeting
Thursday, February 10, 2022
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89414547977?pwd=Wkg4MXR5SXJmOHVqTjY4cC9jWnN6UT09
Meeting ID: 894 1454 7977
Passcode: j95mWp
The Planting Seeds Committee is a group of Swigert parents, caregivers, and staff members dedicated to making Swigert an inclusive and equitable community.
We will identify goals for the committee and discuss equity workshop topics and facilitator ideas.
Please RSVP to Shelby Dennis if you can attend at shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net
Hello Swigert Community!
The auction committee is working hard to make sure May 14, 2022 at the Denver Botanic Gardens is a huge success and wonderful time!
Another suggestion on how to help us out is to consider hosting a buy a share for the auction…
For instance… are you an amazing host? Host a dinner for people at your home (for as many people as you chose) and people would buy a share to attend. Do you love wine? Host a wine tasting experience and people can buy a share to attend. Do you make the best margaritas and your neighbors are amazing chefs – partner together and host a buy a share. We are sure the community has some great talents and ideas that will make a meaningful impact for the kids! Every dollar raised for your buy a share goes to the school!
The buy-a-shares are also a wonderful way to meet more Swigert families. We have missed in person community events – they are a great way to build camaraderie, celebrate Swigert, and have fun!
We would love to have you donate your very own Buy-A-Share party!
Please feel free to reach out to Amanda Jozsa amandatjozsa@gmail.com, Molly Lacy mollyelacy@gmail.com, Anna Bangert annabangert@gmail.com or Jenn Massie jennmassie@gmail.com
Other exciting event sponsorship opportunities, auction spirit wear and ticket pre-sales are all coming soon!
It is going to be a great time!
Wednesday, February 9 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM MST
Do you have a child, family member, or student that struggles to read, write, spell, or memorize math facts? Is homework a battle? Does the child complain about going to school?
If so, join us for a presentation by DenCoKID in partnership with International Dyslexia Association-Rocky Mountain Branch about:
Zoom link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7483660661?pwd=N0grL1hiczZvR29qTEI4UURTMkNTUT09
Attn: You may need to use Chrome for the Zoom link to connect properly!
The Lunch menu is continuing to change based on availability, so we will keep you as updated as much as possible.
If your child will be coming in late and needs a hot lunch, please inform the office of their choice so their lunch can be added to the counts.
The menu for the rest of this week is:
Wed 2/2: Korean BBQ Beef Bowl OR Cheesy Breadstick OR PB&J
Thu 2/3: Chicken Alfredo OR Alfredo Pasta OR Mexican Chopped Salad OR Yogurt Basket
Fri 2/4: Cheeseburger OR BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich OR PB&J
The menu for next week is:
Mon 2/7: Cheeseburger OR Country Chicken Bowl OR PB&J
Tue 2/8: Beef Taco OR Spicy Chicken Sandwich OR Grilled Cheese Sandwich OR Yogurt Basket
Wed 2/9: Mediterranean Chicken Wrap OR Pancakes and Chicken Sausage OR Pancakes and Scrambled Eggs OR PB&J
Thu 2/10: Meat Lasagna OR Spinach Lasagna OR Yogurt Basket
Fri 2/11: Chicken Quesadilla OR Cheese Quesadilla OR Bean Burrito Bowl OR PB&J
Blackjack Pizza will be served on the third Thursday of the month. Pizza days for the remainder of the year:
February 17th
March 17th
April 21st
May 19th
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.
Home Lunches:
Please note that we do not have a way for students to heat their lunches. If you send a lunch to school with your child, it must be ready-to-eat. No microwaves or refrigerators are available.
Show yourself some love and share some with Swigert too! The Skincare Studio is graciously partnering with us to provide some much needed pampering while also supporting our school! Swigert Mom, Julie Bellina, is a Licensed Esthetician and owner of The Skincare Studio right here in Central Park. Her customized facials deliver results for anti-aging and adult/teen acne.
Book a facial during the week of Valentine’s Day (Feb 14-18th ) and 20% will be donated back to Swigert!
To learn more about facial services and to schedule, please visit
http://www.yourskincarestudio.com/appointments-contact
When booking add a note: Swigert Valentine
*must show proof of vaccination to redeem services
The PTA is excited to offer a FUNdraising opportunity – Selfie & Donate is similar to a Dine & Donate event… just with family fun taking all the pictures you want in front of 25+ different backdrops! Selfie@Stanley is a fun, interactive art experience located within the Stanley Marketplace (www.selfieatstanley.com). On Feb 2, every ticket purchased will result in 20% of sales returning to our school! You can purchase tickets online, and choose which timed entry slot works best for your family. Please be sure to enter the code SwigertSelfie so that our school benefits.
One important detail is that Selfie@Stanley falls under the Tri-County Health Department’s Mask Exemption program requiring that all visitors must be fully vaccinated from Covid-19 and must show proof of vaccination upon entry. So, we are so sorry that littles age 4 and under who aren’t yet eligible for vaccination, or anyone who is unable (no matter the reason) to be fully vaccinated, can’t attend. Should the health order change, we will certainly update everyone so you’re in the know. What this does mean, is that you can take all the photos you want without a mask on, and be confident knowing that everyone else in the Selfie@Stanley space will also be fully vaccinated. We can’t wait to see you there and your fun photos after!
The PTA is excited to host a Winter Warm Up event! Please join us on Saturday, February 5th at 9:30 on the school playground and grab a cup of hot chocolate and say “hi” to fellow Swigert Families! We hope to see many families at the event!!
Discovery Link will be offering as much outdoor programming as possible this summer. Please see the attached brochure, or click here for more information or to register.
Summer Connections (formerly Summer Academy) is a free, 6-week academic program that is open to all rising 1st through 5th-grade students. This full-day program was redesigned to prepare elementary students for future success.
There are a few programming options offered by DPS for students who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Please contact the Special Education team if you are unsure which program is best for your student. Participation and attendance in the Extended School Year (ESY) program is a priority for students who are eligible for these services.
Students will engage with content they will see in the upcoming school year, which will include instruction in foundational literacy, math and science. Our enrichment partners will guide students for 60 minutes each day through hands-on activities aligned with that day’s academic lessons.
Please click here for more information and registration instructions.