Posted May 2, 2023
Dear Swigert Families,
It was wonderful to see so many of you at our event on Saturday, I just wanted to extend a heartfelt appreciation for the tremendous support. It was a special evening for sure. Thank you to the auction crew for countless hours of work preparing for this event- Dani Mossburg, Sarah Knowlton, Ashley Fallhowe, Heather Weldon, Francine Mugge and Emily Fox. Thank you, thank you thank you from the entire Swigert community.
We have our annual Swigert Gives Day on Thursday, it’s one of my favorite days of the year . This will be our fifth year giving back to the community in different ways, encouraging students to engage in the power of service and being caring members of our broader community. We will kick off the event with a schoolwide assembly and message about the importance of service from Representative Jason Crow. Then students will learn about the organizations they are partnering with, and dive into the work. We are partnering with There with Care, Balfour, Safe Outdoor Spaces, Bin Blessed, Project Angel Heart, and Back on Their Feet. If possible, please have kids dressed in their Swigert Spirit wear or blue.
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net
On Friday, May 5th, we will be doing our class placement process and there are many factors to consider. Please trust the process. We know your children well and we will very thoughtfully place them with whom we think is best. Trust me, it’s not arbitrary. We consider peer group (including which kids need to stay together and which kids could benefit from being separated), learning needs of the student, the balance of academic and social/emotional needs, boy/girl ratio, etc. The school policy is that there are no teacher requests. Please do not ask for a specific teacher, even if younger siblings have had that teacher. It’s not always the best match and there is no guarantee. Thank you for understanding.
Thank you to everyone who donated and attended this weekend’s auction, “Gaining Altitude: A Classic Colorado Affair.” Together, we raised $193,000!!! With that money, we can continue to fund our IB program for another year, additional paraprofessionals, Spanish, and all of the fun community-building events the PTA hosts throughout the year!
Special thanks to the Auction Committee, led by Dani Mossburg, for all of the hard work and dedication to making this event a success!
Unclaimed prizes (baskets, gift certificates, tickets, etc) can be picked up tomorrow morning (5/3) at the West side Kiss n’ Go. If that timing doesn’t work for you, please contact Cortney Dickey at cortney.dickey@gmail.com. If you purchased a Teacher Experience, we are working on getting those lists back to your teachers so please look out for communication from them on details within the next few days. If you purchased non-tangible items, details on those items will be available via certificate so please follow up with Cortney to retrieve those as well. If you purchased a trip, you will get an email from Dani and then certificates straight from Winspire, the resort or the host family
is next week! We have some fun in store for our amazing teachers and staff thanks to the PTA and our generous community! Here are some ideas for how students and parents can brighten the week. Thank you in advance for helping our Swigert staff feel EXTRA special!
1) Letters of Appreciation: Encourage your child to create a card, picture, or letter to give to their teachers, paraprofessionals, administration, and/or anyone who has made an impact on their life at Swigert. Please plan to deliver during the week of May 8th-12th. No message or letter is too small! Parents- you are welcome to share your gratitude as well through a card or email.
2) Themes: Keep your eye out for fun daily Teacher Appreciation Week themes on Facebook!
Motivation Monday: What motivates you in school? Share a story about a Swigert teacher who made an impact on your life.
Tagline Tuesday: We know you listen to your teachers! What’s a famous line that your teacher ALWAYS repeats in class?
Wacky Wardrobe Wednesday: It’s “dress like your teacher day” – show us your photo!
Thankful Thursday: Grab your sidewalk chalk, poster board, or plain old paper and write a message to say “thank you” to your teachers! Post your photo.
Funny Friday: Share a funny story about your teacher or Swigert staff.
Congratulations to the following students. Their art is on display at the Denver Art Museum through May 19 for the DPS Citywide Art Show. Admission to the Denver Art Museum is free for people under 18.
Artist’s Names
Zoe McKee
Xavier Fonseca
Gabby Labrillaso
Iver Hansen
Alexandra Dinh
Millie Reeves
We have heard your requests! This summer, join us for a “Get ready for 5th grade” summer program. In a small group setting, students will work with current Swigert 5th grade teachers to review 4th grade concepts and get a sneak peek at some 5th grade fun. We will be offering a literacy group and a math group, with the option to participate in one or both. The program will run for five weeks total, four weeks during the month of June and one week in August. This way, students get to enjoy their summer with the month of July off and they can get some quick refreshers in August before school starts. If you are interested in more details, please check out this link!
In celebration of the 5th graders’ years of hard work and imminent transition to middle school, we will host a 5th-grade dance on Friday, May 19 from 6 – 7 p.m. in the school gym. Information about volunteer opportunities will be emailed to 5th-grade parents in early May. Please mark your calendars for this fun event!
Hello 5th grade families! I cannot even believe it is time to think about our 5th grade exhibition and continuation ceremony. I am working on the video that will be played at the ceremony. I would love to get from every family a baby/toddler/younger picture of your child and then a more current 5th grade one to be used in the video.
You can upload them to this google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q_CyAsLuY5R2nE6htPh3_zrLuIx6WHGf?usp=share_link
Or feel free to just email them to me at emily_pool@dpsk12.net. Thank you so much and cannot wait to celebrate with you as our kids launch to middle school
GTSA Highlights:
For more information, please see their letter (attached).
Swigert has Kiss ‘n Go lanes on both the east and west side of the school. We are challenged due to the United Construction Project using additional parking spots near the school, limiting our overall parking capacity. We are working with United to figure out a better plan. However, we still need to keep the Kiss and Go Lane’s moving so please do not park in an undesignated parking spot. These areas, indicated with a yellow curb, are designed for parents who want to quickly pull into the parking lot, let their kids out, and then continue on to work. If a space is not available, please continue to make circles in the lot until you connect with your student. Thanks for your understanding.
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 |