Posted November 1, 2022
Dear Swigert Families,
As Swigert’s IB Coordinator, one of my favorite parts of the work is seeing the students’ learning come alive with presentations of learning, integrated field work, and transdisciplinary connections. Last week, fourth graders finished up their Where We Are in Place & Time unit all about Colorado History. Students showcased their learning by creating an artifact that came from one of the historic people groups they learned about during the unit (Native Americans, miners, trappers/traders, mountain men, explorers, and others who played a role in the westward expansion of our state and country). They were able to present their artifacts and written descriptions to the third grade classes as somewhat of a living museum. It was great to see some of our students step outside of their comfort zones and grow their presentation skills- way to go, risk-takers!
Students had voice, choice, and ownership in what they chose and how they created it- true agency.
Our third graders traveled to the NCAR Mesa Laboratory in Boulder today as part of their How The World Works unit. In this unit, third graders learn about weather, weather instruments/tools, and how to use data and observations to make predictions. This is Swigert’s first time partnering with NCAR and we are excited for our students to get an inside look at how weather works. Here is a brief video about the research and work taking place at NCAR: Air, Planet, People. Be on the lookout for pictures from this field experience on the Swigert Facebook page.
If you have any questions about our IB program, please feel free to reach out. We are also hosting a parent coffee about the IB program- student curiosity, inquiry and engagement on Friday, November 18th at 8:20, after drop off.
Sincerely,
Caroline Dane
IB Coordinator and Service Learning Coordinator
Swigert International School
Learn a little more about Swigert’s Librarian, Sallie Shultzabarger.
Hi, my name is Sallie Shultzabarger (aka Mrs. S.). I have been fortunate enough to be the Swigert librarian since 2014. I am proud to say that this is my 21st year in education. I was born and raised in Florida and went to college at DU. My favorite part of being a librarian is reading silly books to the kids and making them laugh. I also love seeing students light up with excitement when they find a good book. When I am not working, I am typically at home in Bailey with my daughter, Ruby, or cozied up with a book, a crossword puzzle, or completing a jigsaw puzzle.
Our 34 top third through fifth grade spellers will participate in the 2022 Swigert Spelling Bee on Wednesday, November 9th in the library at 1:45. Classes may livestream. Go Spellers!
GT Newsletter
Please see the attached Fall 2022 GT Newsletter.
The 4th and 5th grade concerts are coming soon!
The 4th graders will present “Colorado History” and the 5th graders will present “The Joy of Music” on Thursday, November 10.
Dress for this concert is nice clothes.
If you cannot make it to the evening concert, you may attend the dress rehearsals.
See you there!
We are excited to offer our Thanksgiving Dinner to families again this year! Due to the size of the event, lunch times will have to be slightly modified; details to come.
Thanksgiving Dinner will be held on Thursday, November 17th. Students’ meals will be the regular price, and processed as a normal lunch. Siblings who do not attend Swigert will be charged $3.00 if they get their own lunch. Adult meals are $5.00 each. Tickets need to be purchased before the event at the front office, by check (made out to Swigert) or cash (exact change, please).
The menu is:
Roasted Turkey (omitted for vegetarian option)
Chicken Gravy
Dinner Roll
Sage Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Sweet Potato Cake
Milk/Chocolate Milk
Dine and Donate with Dos Amigas – enjoy delicious, authentic Mexican meals delivered right to your door. These convenient meals are perfect for busy evenings, to bring along for weekend ski trips, or for serving when you are hosting during the busy holiday season. Place your order between 11/2 and 11/8 for delivery on 11/9. Use code Swigert and 20% of your order is donated back to our school. https://dosamigas.com
Shop and Donate at Aspen Lane Just in time to start your holiday shopping – Shop in store or online between November 10-13 and 10% of your total purchase will be donated back to Swigert. Use code SWIGERTFALL22.
Swigert will be hosting a food drive to stock the shelves of our food bank. Please bring in the following items the week of November 7th to help support our families. There will be collection boxes outside each classroom door. We ask that donated items are canned or boxed, rather than bagged.
ECE/Kinder: Peanut or Sun butter / Jelly
1st: Canned vegetables / fruit
2nd: Canned Chicken or Tuna
3rd: Cereal
4th: Pasta / Pasta sauce
5th: Granola bars / Mac and Cheese
As a part of the music curriculum, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are learning to play the soprano recorder. The 3rd grade classes are starting their recorder unit now. The 4th and 5th grade classes will have their recorder units later this year. We have found that many parents like to purchase the recorders so students can practice at home as well as at school. We will be ordering 3-piece Yamaha recorders. Each recorder (including shipping) costs $5.00.
Students may also wish to purchase a copy of Recorder Express for $6.00. This book is supplemental to the work the students are doing in class.
Here are some helpful practice hints:
If you choose to purchase a recorder, sign into your account at myschoolbucks.com. From there, click on “Products,” then “Recorders-Swigert.” You will have the option to choose a recorder alone (standard), recorder and book, or book alone. Your student will receive their recorder during music class.
If you would like a recorder for your student but are unable to afford one at this time, please contact Krystie in the front office.
Thank you for your continued support of your child’s creativity in music!
Tour season is ramping up for DPS School Choice. We’d love to support our 5th grade families in any way we can as you start to tour middle schools. We have made a webpage with the 6 Central Park enrollment schools with links to their tour sign ups. Let us know if you have any questions that we can help find the answers for!
https://swigert.dpsk12.org/middle-school-info/
We’d love to connect with you as much as possible. You will be automatically added to our weekly Swigert Eagle newsletter that comes out every Tuesday during the school year. Please also visit our website at www.swigert.dpsk12.org to learn more about Swigert and events that are coming up. You can also join our “Friends of Swigert International School” private Facebook page – www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofswigert. When requesting to join, please include a note to say you are a new family. We post pictures of events at school, interact as a school family, and you can see friendly reminders of upcoming events.
Who to contact if you have questions about:
| Registration | Daphne Jolley | DJolley@dpsk12.net |
| Technology and events | Richard Fisher | Richard_Fisher@dpsk12.net |
| Daily School Life | Emily Pool | Emily_Pool@dpsk12.net |
| Instruction, Programing, etc. | Shelby Dennis Amber Holthus-Pera | Shelby_Dennis@dpsk12.net Amber_Holthus-Pera@dpsk12.net |
| Health | Nurse Hoang Tran | Hoang_Tran@dpsk12.net |
| IB Program/Service Learning | Caroline Dane | Caroline_Dane@dpsk12.net |
Key Dates
Nov 7-11 Food Drive
Nov 17 Thanksgiving Dinner
Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving Break