Posted August 8, 2023
| Dear Swigert Families, We are getting closer to the start of the school year and we can’t wait to see your kids! They are the reason and truly make the magic happen at Swigert. Everyday we strive to create an inclusive, engaging and supportive school environment where kids are known and seen. I feel blessed to work with such a remarkable crew – educators choose this work because they care about kids, they care about making a difference and this building is full of those humans. I look forward to continuing this important work. Teachers are trickling in and setting up their new spaces. We officially welcome back classroom teachers this Friday to begin planning our IB units and all staff return Monday August 14th. Our school wide focus this year will be on grounding ourselves in belonging and community. We will have more new families and staff than we have in the past few years so it will take all of us to welcome and get to know each other. There will be important details in the Eagle Post today regarding all things Back to School. I realize there is a great deal of information to pay attention to so please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can answer any of your questions or concerns. Emily Pool, our community liaison, has done a great job compiling all of this information on our website – Start of School Information. We have new drop off procedures and spots as classrooms have shifted in the process of our move, see below. Drop- off Procedures: With our school expanding, we have had to make a few changes to our morning routine in order to ensure a safe and orderly start to the school day for all kids. Please see the attached map and bullet points for all the details. |
Supervision will be provided on the Swigert playground beginning at 7:55 am, so parent drop off and walkers/bike rider arrivals are welcome anytime between 7:55 and 8:10 when school starts.
All students in 1st – 5th grades will play on the main playground in the morning until the bell rings at 8:10. They will then line up at their class’s designated spot on the playground and their teacher will walk them inside to start their day.
There will be spots marked on the concrete indicating where each grade level lines up, and on the first day teachers will be outside showing students where to go.
Kindergarten students will play on the small ECE/Kinder playground until the bell rings at 8:10. They will then line up in their class’s designated spot on the small playground. Their teachers will walk them through the doors near the cafeteria and to their classrooms.
ECE families should come in the main east doors of the building and walk their student to their classroom. There they will sign them in and drop them off. (We will have balloons at the ECE drop off door on the first day so that you know you are in the right place!)
Any late arrivals will need to buzz in through the front doors of the school and check in with office staff before heading to class. For safety reasons, please don’t ever try to enter an alternate door after the start of the school day.
We request that as much as possible, parking on the east of the building be saved for ECE and Kindergarten families. Families for all other grades should use the main parking lot off of Syracuse or the west side of the school on 33rd Ave. There are kiss-n-go lanes in both parking lots for quick drop-offs, meaning no parents getting out of the vehicle. Please, no parking in the bus lane on Syracuse Street!
Details about dismissal will be available from classroom teachers on Meet the Teacher night.
This information will live here on the website if you need a reminder: Morning Drop Off
Below you will find links to important before school information. Thank you for your patience as we move into the launch of the year. I wanted to take a moment an highlight some exciting staff opportunities Swigert teachers had over the summer:
Swigert Staff Summer Learning
Swigert Fifth Grade Teacher, Jessica Ramos, spent two weeks in Washington D.C. at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History- The Making of America: Colonial Era to Reconstruction. It was a two week teacher institute to deepen knowledge of American history and offer new ideas and resources to bring back to the classroom. Over 400 people applied, 40 accepted, way to go Jessica, we can’t wait for you to bring back your learning.
Swigert STEM teacher, David Miller, spent two weeks at the Smithsonian STEM institute for educators. He is excited to share his learning with the staff and students. Check out more details here: Smithsonian STEM
Please reach out with any questions. I look forward to seeing you all in the upcoming weeks. Let’s go Swigert Eagles!
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
Shelby_Dennis@dpsk12.net
Registration is the process by which you confirm the information we have on file for your household. This is a DPS requirement that needs to be done every school year.
To register online, primary legal guardians of current DPS students must have an active DPS Parent Portal account. To get to online registration, go to your Parent Portal account and follow the below instructions:
We have one more playdate coming up on the playground! Join us this Thursday from 5:30-7:30ish for popsicles and meeting new faces. Emily Pool will be there to answer any questions as well!
Tuesday, August 15th
6-7 PM
Library
Join the admin team to learn more about ECE and get questions answered!
If you haven’t ordered your school supplies through EPI yet, check out other ways and the lists here https://swigert.dpsk12.org/parent-resources/school-supplies-for-23-24/
2022-2023 yearbooks are scheduled to arrive by Friday, August 11th. Once we have them in hand, we’ll send out invitations to join us to gather, receive the one you pre-ordered (there are a few extras, which will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, as we don’t know how many there will be), and sign each others’ yearbooks. Rising 6th graders’ yearbooks will arrive at their houses.
Swigert officially begins school at 8:10 and ends at 3:10. If your student takes the bus in the morning they will arrive at school 20-25 minutes before the bell rings. We will provide supervised space in the library for these bus students.
Lunches will be free for all DPS students this year. They are asking for each family to still fill out a benefit Even if a household is “denied,” students are still eligible for meals at no charge. We encourage families to complete the You Benefit! Form to see if they qualify to receive discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, utilities support and more.
If you are looking for a refund for you MySchoolBucks account, you can submit an online request through the Food & Nutrition website, under Refund policy.
To find out more about how to view the lunch calendar weekly, you can check out the website here: https://swigert.dpsk12.org/parent-resources/lunch-breakfast/ We also post the weekly food schedule on the Friends Swigert facebook page!
Thursday, August 17th, 5-6 PM
Join us at Swigert to find out who your teacher and classmates will be for the year! You’ll have an opportunity to say hello to your new teacher, sign up for an assessment time (during the first two days of school in the afternoons), let teachers know your child’s plan for getting to and from school, and pick up any other pertinent information about the start of the year. The PTA will sell Spirit Wear and administrators will be making their way around to say hello. You can also bring your school supplies to drop off in the classroom. This is an open-house style event; you and your family can come by anytime during the window. The Kona Ice Truck will also be on the playground!
The first two days – August 21st and 22nd – are half days. This allows students to ease into their new schedule and provide time for individual assessments in the afternoon. Your classroom teacher will reach out to you to set up individual time slots for these afternoon assessments. The arrival time is the same, with students arriving between 7:55 am and 8:05, with classes starting at 8:10. The dismissal time is noon, no lunch will be provided. Be sure to pack a water bottle and snack.
We will have our annual park to school walk on the first day. We will gather at 7:40am at the dog statue park at 35th and Xanthia Court. We will begin our walk to school at 7:50am. Parents and siblings are welcome to join us for this walk. Staff will be out on the playground beginning at 8:00 am to welcome students and guide them to their arrival door. If you are unable to join the walk, no problem. Staff will be out on the playground ready to greet your children. Buses will be running their regular routes for both arrival and dismissal. Wednesday through Friday will be regular days 8:10-3:10.
Fall 2023 After School enrichments are now available for browsing! Check out the link to the Brochure for Swigert’s spring offerings! Please take a look and get prepared for registration which opens Tuesday, August 15th at 6AM.
The brochure below will also stay updated with current information, so please check this specific link for updated information.
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:
| ROLE | NAME | |
| Instruction, Programing, etc | Shelby Dennis Amber Holthus-Pera | Shelby_Dennis@dpsk12.net Amber_Holthus-Pera@dpsk12.net |
| Daily School Life | Emily Pool | Emily_Pool@dpsk12.net |
| Registration | Daphne Jolley | Djolley@dpsk12.net |
| Technology and events | Richard Fisher | Richard_Fisher@dpsk12.net |
| Health | Nurse Hoang Tran | Hoang_Tran@dpsk12.net |
| IB Program, Service Learning | Caroline Dane | Caroline_Dane@dpsk12.net |
| Key Dates August 10 – Summer Playdate 5:30pm August 13 – School Grounds Clean Up August 15 – ECE Info Night August 17 – Meet the Teacher Night 5-6 PM August 21 – First day of school, half day August 22 – Half day August 26 – Community Breakfast August 31 – Back to School Night |
