Posted February 28, 2023
Dear Swigert Families,
I am thrilled to announce that we will be opening two additional ECE-4 classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year. I am happy that we can provide more seats to siblings at an earlier age and also have a cohort of ECE classes at Swigert. In the next few weeks we will begin our hiring process for two ECE-4 teachers and paraprofessionals.
Our fifth graders had an incredible overnight experience at Balarat last week. DPS selects our dates each year so we don’t have control over the timing or the weather. Our students and staff were troopers and truly enjoyed the serenity that accompanies fresh snow and chilly temperatures. Students participated in a variety of activities including a ropes course, 4-6 mile snow hike, sunrise walk and a giant swing. They also learned about the mountain environment, new science concepts and outdoor safety. To learn more about the fifth grade program check out their website- DPS Balarat Program.
We had a wonderful turn out at our ECE Art show last week. As part of their How We Express Ourselves Unit, our youngest learners studied artists from around the world. They created and displayed some pretty remarkable sculptures, photographs, collage art and dot painting. Thank you to Ms Shannon and Ms Gale for putting together this student presentation of learning- the kids were beyond excited to come to school when it was” dark out” and show off their artwork.
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net
Our shelves are running low in the Swigert Food Pantry – Please help us restock them for the remainder of the school year to support our Swigert families! Bring in all food donations the week of March 6th – 10th. Boxes will be placed outside of each classroom to collect food. The classroom with the most donations will win a root beer float party. Thank you so much for your support!
ECE/kinder PB/Almond butter/Jelly
1st grade Canned Chicken/Canned Tuna/Spam
2nd grade Cereal/granola bars
3rd grade Canned vegetables
4th grade Canned fruit
5th grade Pasta/Pasta sauce/Mac N Cheese
Much as we love our dogs at Swigert, it is against city ordinance to bring them on campus. If your dog helps walk your child(ren) to school, please say your goodbyes at the gate, so that we don’t break any laws.
Denver Public Schools (DPS) is beginning enrollment for Summer Connections for all eligible families currently in kindergarten to fourth grade. The new EAL program will offer free classes in core subjects to enrolled students, allowing them to get ahead of critical course material and get a head start on the upcoming school year. For more information, please check out the Summer Connections website at https://www.dpsk12.org/academics/summer-connections/ . To enroll your student in the free summer program, go to
The DPS food service team has started offering snacks for purchase on Fridays here at Swigert. They sell cookies and chips to 3rd – 5th grade students during their lunch hour. Students purchase these snacks with the funds that parents load into their lunch accounts, and some students have been buying multiple snacks each Friday. Swigert tried to opt out of this program, but was unsuccessful in doing so as it is a requirement for DPS schools. We will be asking that kids who do purchase a snack only buy one, and do not buy for their friends. If you do not want your child to purchase these snacks at all, please talk with them about this and make sure that they understand your wishes. You can also email our cafeteria manager, Laura Gonzalez (l_gonzalez-carrazco@dpsk12.net) and notify her of your wishes so that she can flag their account. You can always monitor what your kids are spending their lunch money on through the My School Bucks app or website.
4th and 5th grade singers!
Auditions for DPS Elementary City-Wide Honor Choir are coming soon! Swigert is allowed to send 8 students from 4th or 5th grade.
Auditions are Tuesday, March 14 during 4th grade and 5th grade lunch recess. Expect to sing for Mrs. Baker in small groups at the audition. There is no need to prepare anything ahead of time.
Anyone auditioning makes the promise to:
Audition results will be posted by Friday, March 17.
This is a great opportunity to represent Swigert!
I hope to see you at auditions,
Mrs. Baker
Calling all (1st-5th Grade) Singers!
Swigert Singers, the school’s extracurricular choir, begins rehearsals soon. The choir is open to any 1st-5th grade student who wants another chance to sing and perform. Swigert Singers will rehearse each Tuesday after school from 3:15-4:00 in the music room. The choir will sing at International Night on May 11.
Rehearsals begin Tuesday, March 14. See you there!
Mrs. Baker
Please click on the flyer or here to link to their online auction.
Water polo is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. If your child has an interested in improving their swimming skills and playing a team sport, Colorado Water Polo is a local club that is looking for new players. The club has been around for many years and has a track record of developing young kids into great athletes.
If you think your child might be interested, Colorado Water Polo is hosting clinics this winter at Hinkley HS in Aurora from 12-2pm on Saturdays (starting 2/25) to teach the sport to new players ages 6-13. For more info, visit their website www.coloradowaterpolo.org/ or email coachkyle@coloradowaterpolo.org.
Please see the attached flyer for more information.
We are scheduled to host International Night on Thursday, May 11th this year. This is a community event where we love to recognize, honor, and celebrate different cultures from around the world. International Night is always made better by involving our students and their own backgrounds, traditions, and interests. If your student/family (or your student’s extra curricular group) would like to present, host, or demonstrate something at International Night, please reach out to Tabitha Jones at tabitha_jones@dpsk12.net. Examples of past student performances have included Irish Dancing, Drill Team, Japanese Flag Making, Mexican Folk Dancing, Capoeira, Bollywood Dancing, Polish Dancing, Craft Making, etc.
The kindergarten and 2nd grade concerts are coming soon!
The kindergarteners will present “Insects” and the 2nd graders will present “Folk Tales” on Thursday, March 9.At 5:45 PM, kindergarten students will meet in their classrooms. Their concert begins at 6:00 in the gym.
At 6:25 PM, 2nd grade students will meet in their classrooms. Their concert begins at 6:40 in the gym.
Dress for this concert is nice clothes.
If you cannot make it to the evening concert, you may attend the dress rehearsals. They are Wednesday March 8 and Thursday March 9 during the school day: 12:25 (2nd grade) and 1:30 (kindergarten).
We are in need of sweat pants/stretch pants in various sizes to keep on hand in the nurse’s office. We use these so that when kids spill on themselves, slip in the mud, or have any other type of accident they have something clean and dry to put on. Our current supply is dwindling pretty low, so if you happen to do a closet clean out at home and have sweats or stretch pants that are still in good condition, we would be happy to take them! You may drop them off at the front office or send them in with your student to drop by the front office. Even the older students have a need, so sizes from very small to young adult are welcome. Thank you!
Swigert will be hosting an Art Show for Kindergarten through 2nd Grades on Thursday, March 23rd, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM.
We hope to see you there!
We have our CMAS schedule set for April for our third through fifth grade students. Please try and schedule trips and appointments around these times and dates. We will send out more information as we get closer, but want you to have it on your calendar. Please reach out with any clarifying questions.
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
Mar 6-7 PTA Dine & Donate Chook Chicken
Mar 9 Kdg & 2nd Grade Concerts
Mar 10 No ECE.
Mar 22 Swigert Spirit Night – Urban Air
Mar 23 Kdg-2nd Art Show
Mar 27 – Apr 3 Spring Break
Apr 29 Swigert Auction
May 4 Swigert Service Day
May 11 International Night
May 20 Swigert Night at the Rapids