Posted February 27, 2024
Dear Swigert Families,
I wanted to highlight an important event coming up next week for Swigert. As an International Baccalaureate School we are required to participate in programme evaluation every five years. Programme evaluation is an opportunity for us to reflect on how well we are implementing each part of the Primary Years Programme. Our IB coordinator, Caroline Dane, has been preparing diligently for this visit with our staff by refining our school’s program of inquiry and units of study. The visit will highlight the important work we do as a school- stamping our focus on student agency, international mindedness, student inquiry and service learning. What is IB at Swigert The IB organization sends out representatives to complete a two day site visit. They will visit classrooms, interview students and teachers and community members on March 6th and 7th. John Younquist, Denver Public Schools Board Member, and Anne Rowe, NDIZ President, will also be a part of the visit. We would love to invite families to come celebrate and hear about the findings on Thursday, March 7th from 3:30-4:00 in our library. 
As we kick off March we are bringing in our own March Madness education style- with books! Each teacher is reading or having mystery readers present different children’s books. The students are voting on which one they like best and we are keeping a school wide tally. By the end of the month we will have a March Madness Book winner. We have a live bracket up in the main hallway to track the results. Ask your child at home which book is their favorite so far and what messages or themes are they learning about. 
Thank you for all your support and all you do for our school, kids and community.
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net
Please see the attached letter about DPS health screenings and instructions on how to opt out..
Class Pictures will be taken on Tuesday, March 19th. As the date approaches, your child(ren)’s teacher(s) will reach out with more information on timing. Please note that there will not be any make-ups for class photos.
We are overflowing again with coats and lunch boxes in our lost and found. Please come by or encourage your student to look at the lost and found this week (it is conveniently located on their way to and from the cafeteria) We will donate items to as part of our refugee drive if they are not picked up.
Swigert has a Special Education 1:1 Para Professional needed at Swigert: We have an opening for a part time (.5) paraprofessional to support a special needs student one on one for the remainder of the school year. Please reach out if you are interested, Shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net.
Summer Connections is a free, five-week academic program that is open to all rising first through fifth-grade DPS students at eligible schools. This full-day program focuses on preparing elementary students for future success. Registration will open Friday, Feb. 16. Please check back for updates!
Students will engage with content they will see in the upcoming school year, which will include instruction in foundational literacy, math, science and technology. Our enrichment partners will provide enrichment opportunities daily. Students with IEPs are invited to participate in Summer Connections.
I wanted to share our CMAS testing schedule for our 3-5th grade families. Please mark these dates on your calendar. Please try your best not to schedule appointments during these times.
The Kindergarten and 2nd grade concerts are next week!
The Kindergarteners will present “Musical Patterns” and the 2nd graders will present “Folktales” on Thursday, March 7.
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, Wednesday March 6 and Thursday March 7 during the school day: 12:20 (2nd grade) and 1:20 (kindergarten).
See you there!
Calling all 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 2.
Rehearsals begin Thursday, March 14. See you there!
Sign Up Here
Denver Public Schools and the Family of Community Engagement is offering a Social Media Safety for Families Workshop on March 12 from 5-6 p.m. This session will provide resources and tips for families on the dangers of social media and how to help students stay safe and smart online. Families will gain valuable information and collaborate with other families on technology safety solutions. We will launch an interactive training module for DPS families as well to use after this session and receive certification they have completed the training. Families can learn more and RSVP here. Questions can be directed to Jasmine Rigby.
Get ready to join the fitness revolution! Registration for FutchFit is officially open today! Secure your spot by visiting FutchFit.com and completing the enrollment form. With limited availability ensuring personalized attention, our program offers two one-hour classes per day at 3:15 pm and 4:30 pm, running across six sessions throughout March. Priced at $175 for the month, this is an opportunity your child won’t want to miss. Click the link to learn more and reserve your spot now!
Kids Heart Challenge at Swigert International School is nearing its end, but there’s still time to reach our goal! We’ve raised $9,969.24 donations crushing our $5,000 goal so far, and we hope all students will join the team! So far, 101 students have already joined, and 13 students have completed Finn’s Mission, entering them into the NFL Sweepstakes for Super Bowl 2025 tickets!
Have you reached your Kids Heart challenge goal?
One last week to sign up, donate, or get a donation and complete Finn’s Mission. It’s a great time to send one final reminder to friends and family who will want to support you.
Download the app for iPhone or Android, or register online:http://www2.heart.org/goto/SwigertInternationalDenverCO.
Any student who raises $50 will qualify to purchase discounted tickets and get a special ON COURT experience with the Denver Nuggets! The class that raises the most gets an EXTRA PE CLASS!
One more way to be a lifesaver:
Stroke is a major cause of death and disability. Acting quickly is critical. Protect your family by learning to spot a stroke as part of Finn’s Mission. Log into your Kids Heart Challenge page and click on the Stroke Quiz then click “share” to send the video.
Don’t forget: You can double your gift by checking to see if your employer will match your donation. Follow the steps and forward the confirmation to matchinggifts@heart.org to have this added to the student’s fundraising page. (https://www2.heart.org/site/SPageNavigator/aha_matchpro_landing.html)
Registration for Summer Connections (previously Summer Academy) is now open! Summer Connections is a free, five-week academic program that is open to all rising first through fifth-grade DPS students at eligible schools. This full-day program focuses on preparing elementary students for future success. Registration will open Friday, Feb. 16. Please check back for updates!
Students will engage with content they will see in the upcoming school year, which will include instruction in foundational literacy, math, science and technology. Our enrichment partners will provide enrichment opportunities daily. Students with IEPs are invited to participate in Summer Connections.
For more information, or to apply, please visit https://www.dpsk12.org/page/summer-connections
As a school dedicated to the Whole Child, one of our focuses is on mental health. Please see the attached resources for parents of Elementary students who would like Mental Health Support:
All About Mental Health
Supporting Mental Health
Coping with Stress
Calming Techniques
Managing Anxiety
Building Self-Esteem
Please join us for our next Diversity and Inclusivity Working Group meeting: Monday, March 4 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Swigert Library. If you are interested in meeting families of all backgrounds committed to celebrating diversity, building International Mindedness and making Swigert even more inclusive, please join us! Please RSVP to shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net.
Some of our students now have smart watches and cell phones, and we want to reiterate our school policy. Smart watches are ONLY used as watches during the school day. Please don’t call or text with your students during the day through the smart watch. Students should not be calling home or using apps at any time. If they need to call home during the day they need to ask permission from a staff member. Phones are to be put away before class starts in your backpack and not be used during the day. If there is a change of plan for a pick up please notify Daphne at the front office and your teacher. If phones or smart watches are being used incorrectly in class, teachers will take the phone or watch for the remainder of the school day and return it to the student at the end of the day.
The Avalanche will have a pre-game Girls Only Try Hockey and a Post Game Female Open Skate and I wanted to make sure that your students were aware of the opportunity to join us and skate on Ball Arena Ice.
Here are the links as well:
Pre:
https://avalanche.spinzo.com/colorado-avalanche-vs-detroit-red-wings-2024-03-06-JZWBC?group=girls-hockey-night-pre-game-hz2d
Post:
https://avalanche.spinzo.com/colorado-avalanche-vs-detroit-red-wings-2024-03-06-MACQR?group=girls-hockey-night-postgame-4vj8
This is the link to buy tickets: THE LINK TO BUY TICKETS FOR FROZEN
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 |
| Swigert PTA | Cortney Dickey | president@swigertpta.com |
Key Dates
March 1st: Swigert Science Fair
March 7: Kdg, 2nd Grade Concerts
March 8th: ECE not in session, K-5th there IS school
March 13th: PTA meeting, 6pm
March 19th: Class Picture Day
March 25th – April 2nd: No school, Spring Break
April 19th – ECE not in session, K-5th there IS school
May 2nd – International Night
May 3rd – No School
May 4th – Auction!
May 10th – Service Day
May 17th – Field Day
May 27th – No School, Memorial Day
