Posted March 12, 2024
Dear Swigert Families,
This warm weather is teasing us prior to the winter storm on its way. We always defer to Denver Public Schoosl regarding any change to our schedule. Please reference their policy here- DPS Inclement Weather. I wanted to share a little bit about IB Reauthorization visit last week. This process occurs with every International Baccaleraute school on a five year cycle. The process starts months in advance when we share our unit planners, professional learning plans, policies and practices. Two members of the IB organization then come out to visit our school for two full days. Last week, they toured classrooms, interviewed teachers, students and parents, and reviewed all of the documentation. In 8 weeks we will get a final report including findings and next steps. In the interim I wanted to highlight a few key takeaways from the visit. They shared consistent evidence of the following:
I know we always have work to do and it was affirming to have educators also stamp the important work we see happening on a daily basis.
I know many of you are curious and anxious about school choice results. Denver Public Schools typically releases school results the Friday before spring break which would be Friday, the 22nd. The calendar committee is meeting today after school and we plan to have a finalized calendar by the first week of April. Please reach out with any questions or clarifications.
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net
Just a heads up that second-trimester report cards will be available on March 13th. Report Cards are all online now (through Parent Portal) and there isn’t a paper card that is sent home. Report cards are one piece of data that provides a snapshot of how your child is performing in school in academic areas and specials. They do not follow the typical A, B, C, D pattern but are standard based on a 1,2,3,4 level, the link below provides specific and detailed information on how to access the report card and more about standards-based grading. If you still have questions about report cards after looking at this page please reach out with specific questions. We know it’s a different grading system than most of us are familiar with.
Please help stock the Swigert Food Pantry! Our pantry makes a significant difference for our families.
Please bring in the following items the week of March 18th – 22nd :
ECE/Kinder – Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Jelly and reusable bags
1st – canned chicken, canned tuna, Spam and reusable bags
2nd – cereal, granola bars and reusable bags
3rd – canned vegetables and reusable bags
4th – canned fruit and reusable bags
5th – pasta, pasta sauce, mac n cheese and reusable bags
Please do not send in extra large jars/boxes of food unless it is a large container of individually wrapped items, as students have to carry items home.
Thank you for your support!
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.
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 Thursday 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
This year, the auction committee is bringing back class art projects and decreasing the class baskets so that there is only a grade level basket. We’ve made this shift to direct auction efforts toward more sentimental items whenever possible.
In order to create class art projects we are asking for donations of both time and supplies. Schoolwide, we are seeking donations of exterior house paint in a rainbow of colors. Do you have a fabulously colored Central Park front door? Could you share some of the paint remnants with us? Paint can either be dropped off at the school, or you can email Christina Ethier (ckethier@gmail.com) to arrange pick up.
In addition, below is a list organized by grade level that includes sign ups for volunteers and Amazon Wishlists for supplies. Please note, communication for ECE classrooms will be sent separately.
| Kindergarten | Sign Up Genius | Amazon Wishlist |
| 1st Grade | Sign Up Genius | Amazon Wishlist |
| 2nd Grade | Sign Up Genius | Amazon Wishlist |
| 3rd Grade | Sign Up Genius | Amazon Wishlist |
| 4th Grade | Sign Up Genius | Amazon Wishlist |
| 5th Grade | Sign Up Genius | N/A |
All materials on the Amazon Wishlists will ship directly to Lisa Carlson, the art teacher, at Swigert. Any unused portion of supplies will be left in the art room with Ms. Carlson for future use with Swigert students.
If you have an item to donate that meets the item on the list please reach out to Christina Ethier (ckethier@gmail.com) as all donations are welcomed. Finally, if you prefer to donate via Venmo, feel free to send any amount to Christina (@Christina-Ethier) and indicate the grade level for which you are donating. We look forward to sharing finished art projects with the community in the next month!
Some class art from a previous auction:
Writing can be tough to teach and often gets too little attention in classrooms. A mentorship program with McAuliffe and Swigert international students tapped into bluegrass music for inspiration.
Northfield’s girls’ basketball team lost a close one in the 5A state basketball championship game Saturday. The boy Nighthawks lost in the semi-final round on Thursday. Check CPEdNews for more!
And a full-size auditorium on the Sandoval Campus is on the preliminary list of DPS bond projects that may be on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Don’t forget to sign up for our free, weekly news roundup at the nonprofit www.CPEdNews.org!
CPEdNews.org is a project of nonprofit The Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities.
If you’re looking for camps for Spring Break, Creative Breaks has an option that will be hosted at Willow. Please see the attached flyer if you’re interested.
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
A heartfelt thank you for your dedication to our Kids Heart Challenge at Swigert International School! We’re immensely proud of our students for wholeheartedly embracing this program—learning, helping, and cultivating vital life-skills along the way.
Together, we achieved:
The Siqueiros family shares their gratitude. Raising funds and awareness for the American Heart Association has impacted each of their three children as they all navigated a congenital heart defect.
Any additional donations will be sent to the American Heart Association and your students post-event. Thank You Gifts will be ordered soon!
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 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
