Posted March 19, 2024
Dear Swigert Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the snow days, I wasn’t anticipating both but March storms tend to have a mind of their own. The spring is already flying but and we have several big events to look forward to in the near future – including a PTA Sponsored Community Bingo Night with Mr. Shutts as the caller (April 18th), International Night (May 2nd), the Swigert Auction (May 4th), Swigert Service Day (May 10th) and Field Day (May 17th). Mark those calendars!
I know many of you are anxious to see the 2024-2025 Swigert calendar. As an innovation school, we have some flexibility around our calendar and shift some of our days from the typical Denver Public Schools’ Calendar. Our proposal for next year is very similar to the model this year, with just a few days we’ve adjusted to better fit our school’s needs. Here is a DRAFT of our proposed calendar in google doc form or a pdf form:
’24-25 Proposed Calendar – Google doc
’24-’25 Proposed Calendar – pdf form
Please know it is not final – it still needs to be approved by SAC on April 8th and then DPS before it’s official. We should have a final calendar by the second week of April but we don’t anticipate changes.
As part of their Ameritowne experience, our fifth graders were interviewed by parents and teachers for specific jobs. The jobs ranged from Mayor, judge, police officer, shop owner, D.J. and more. It was a great exercise for students to prepare for and plan for an official interview. They have elections today and will attend Ameritowne on April 5th. You can learn more about the program here: https://yacenter.org/young-ameritowne/
Sharing a little Kindergarten joy – yesterday in honor of Ms. Marijke’s birthday, the kids had pirate day! Ahoy Matey!
As always, please reach out with any questions or clarifications!
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net
We hope everyone enjoys Spring Break. We have Cesar Chavez Day on Monday, April 1st and a Teacher Professional Learning Day on April 2nd. We look forward to seeing our students on Wednesday, April 3rd.
Swigert was recently awarded a grant from the Denver Public Schools Foundation to support our school-wide March Madness Book Competition to encourage our students to engage in diverse texts and foster a love of reading. This award came from the Denver Public Schools Foundation’s A to Z Grant Program, which funds materials, resources and opportunities that fall outside classroom budgets, and have a lasting impact on students. The A to Z Grant has funded more than $2.95 million to schools in DPS since the program’s inception in 2006. You can learn more about DPS Foundation and support the A to Z Grants on their website. The A to Z Fund is funded through collective donations made to the DPS Foundation from organizations, companies, individuals and foundations. Thank you to third grade teacher Mrs. Capozza for bringing March Madness, Book Edition, to Swigert and securing funding through the A-Z Grant. We can’t wait to see which book wins!
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!
Save the date for exhibition and continuation on Tuesday, June 4th. Also start looking for your favorite baby/younger kid picture of your student and a current picture for the slideshow!
Experience Dyslexia Simulation
Apr 21, 2024, 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
3239 E 2nd Ave, Denver, CO 80206
DenCoKID is excited to offer a free dyslexia simulation to the Denver community. Participants will experience some of the challenges and frustrations faced by people with attention, processing, and language-based learning differences like dyslexia. They are guided through learning tasks commonly encountered in the classroom or workplace. This empathy-building experience benefits everyone, including parents, guardians, grandparents, educators, principals, students, coaches, employers, clergy, and anyone with an interest in dyslexia or learning differences. Light refreshments will be provided and childcare for school-aged children is available upon request via email. And parking is free! Learn more and RSVP today!
The 2024 Olympic Games are coming to Paris, France this summer! Might you or your entire family want to attend?!
Mr. Hopper, Swigert parent and husband of Mrs. Hopper, one of Swigert’s first grade teachers, has lodging available in the center of the city through his company, Journey to the Games. The price is normally $1500 per person for 7-nights (check-in on Sunday, July 28th, 2024 and checkout on Sunday, August 4, 2024). He is offering a discount to friends and family of Swigert International School, decreasing the price to $1000 per person AND he is giving back 50% of funds spent to our school! This is an incredible opportunity to snag an amazing lodging opportunity in Paris while also supporting our beloved Swigert. For more information, please check out https://www.journeytothegames.com and/or contact Merritt at merritt@race2adventure.com.
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 21st. See you there!
Sign Up Here
Kids’ Heart Challenge: Thank You!
Thank you, Swigert Community, for making the Kids’ Heart Challenge a resounding success! Swigert raised $11,940.91! This money makes a tremendous impact in helping millions of Americans through increased awareness of cardiovascular disease, lifesaving scientific research and critically needed education efforts.
 | Everly, age 5Before Everly was born, doctors knew that her heart would need some extra attention. Everly was born with several congenital heart defects which meant that she needed to undergo a very complicated surgery on her tiny heart the size of a walnut. After four heart surgeries, her heart is not the same as others, however it is just as special. Everly loves to swing, dance, play in the dirt, go horseback riding, and just loves life!The Kids Heart Challenge |
Again, thank you for all you do for our community.
Mr. Shutts
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:
Please see the attached flyer for Camp Galileo. Summer registration is now open!
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 25th – April 2nd: No school, Spring Break (Students come back on Wednesday, April 3rd)
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
June 4th – 5th Grade Exhibition and Continuation
June 5th – 5th Grade Clap Out, Early Dismissal for all 12pm, LAST DAY!
