Dear Swigert Families,
Welcome Back and Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed time with their loved ones. I was grateful to have my older daughter home from college (Sko Ducks) and we spent some time in California with my parents. I even got back on roller skates, last time was age 12, so that was both a challenge and a treat.
We welcomed back our staff yesterday with goal setting, professional learning about how to support students with autism, literacy and math planning. One area we focused on was how we support and foster a love for literacy across the school. We do this through integrating rich and diverse texts in our IB Units, authentic experiences for our students to share their writing with different audiences, and differentiated book clubs. Our staff is also participating in our own book club to model a love for books- our last book was The Correspondent by Virginia Evans -such a great read!
At Swigert we also like to engage students in school-wide literacy incentives including lexia challenge, Read Around the World Book Club, March Madness (coming soon) and Carmella’s reading program. You will be receiving information about Carmella’s reading challenge in this week's Friday folder, but think of it like the old school Book It program you might remember with Pizza Hut. Dustin Chiappetta, one of our Swigert Parents, owns Carmella’s Pizza Restaurant and Pearl Market in Northfield. He wanted to encourage kids to read so he started this incentive program. Students are encouraged to read or be read at night and keep track of their reading. After four weeks, students who read for a certain amount of time will get a button for a free personal pizza at Carmella's. We are excited about this partnership and hope you can encourage it with your own kids at home.
This week the DPS school board will hear from teachers, parents and leaders about our innovation plan and innovation zone plan. Nora Colter, our third grade teacher, has signed up to speak. We will find out Thursday who was chosen but if you are interested to listen they will have it streamed virtually at 4:30 - please find the Vimeo link on their website.
Finally, we are asking for continued community support innovation, if you have a moment and support our innovation plan and zone, please sign this letter to the school board (we are up to 1,016 signatures but need more) Letter of Support. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
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January 7th - DEI Committee Meeting 5pm
January 9th - Community Coffee 8:15am
January 14th - SAC (5pm) and PTA Meetings (6pm)
January 16th - Last day for yearbook orders
January 19th - NO SCHOOL, MLK Jr Day
January 29th - DEI Guest Speaker/Family Night 5pm
February 2nd - Spring Enrichment Sign up opens (view classes starting on 1/20)
February 19th - Family Literacy Night
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Meeting
Please join us for our next DEI Committee meeting on Wednesday, January 7 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the Swigert Library.
Our Swigert DEI Committee vision: A welcoming and supportive community where all students and families feel seen, valued, and are able to thrive.
- We celebrate diverse cultures and experiences while promoting understanding, inclusion, and respect.
- We strive to elevate each voice and ensure equal opportunities.
- We collaborate, educate and actively engage to foster a sense of belonging for all.
Whether you've attended meetings in the past or would like to join us for the first time, we hope you can attend!
Please RSVP to amber_holthus-pera@dpsk12.net
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Hook and Harmony Showcase |
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Hook and Harmony Showcase: Mrs. Bresnahan is working with Polaris GT Teacher, Sarah Holdeman and musicians, Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass) and Travis McNamara on an exciting new program! The Hook and Harmony Songwriting Program is bringing together 18 creative students from Swigert International School, Polaris Elementary, Denver School of the Arts (DSA), and George Washington High School for a four-week journey — from blank page to big stage.
Guided by critically acclaimed musicians Paul Hoffman and Travis McNamara students in grades 5–12 will explore songwriting, lyric writing, melody, and performance. The program will culminate in a live concert on Wednesday, January 28, at 6 PM at the Denver School of the Arts Concert Hall. You can learn more about the program here. Swigert has four 5th grade students participating; Olivia W, Cooper, Brock, and Mattie. We hope to continue the program and we are on the lookout for students who love to sing, write songs and play music to apply to be a part of the program in future years. We would like to invite the Swigert Community to attend the final showcase! It should be very entertaining and we hope to fill the DSA Concert Hall. The tickets are donation based and all proceeds go to the Hook and Harmony Programming. Get Your Tickets! (You must do a separate purchase PER ticket).
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Save the Date: Family Literacy Night! |
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Make sure you buy your yearbook. The last day for orders is January 16th!
BUY HERE!
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Summit School of Chess at Swigert International School!!
***Where - Swigert, Classroom TBD ***
**When - Fridays from 3:15-4:15 PM**
Winter Session (9 weeks) – Jan 16, 23, 30, Feb 6, 13, 20, March 6, 13, 20
Cost: ($15 per class) $135 for the 9 week class
How to Register OR SCAN QR CODE
1) Go to www.summitschoolofchess.com
2) Under School Programs click on Find Your School. Select Swigert International School.
3) Complete registration form and submit payment.
4) You’re done! It’s that easy!
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Wednesday, January 14th
6-7pm
It’s a bit early, but in about 30 days, we will have our 3rd PTA meeting and vote on the bylaws for next year. Every 3 years Colorado PTA requires we re-do the bylaws, so please come and help us vote. Only PTA members can vote, but everyone is welcome at the meetings!
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Carve out the date for the 2026 Swigert Auction where we will Apres-Ski in the City on April 18, 2026 6-10 PM at DaVita World Headquarters. The PTA proudly donates $200,000 to Swigert each year to support our school’s programs. Because we fund in arrears, the money raised at this spring’s auction pays for the programs your child experienced this year. These funds are essential to continuing the Units of Inquiry, teacher trainings, and IB curriculum that make learning at Swigert so engaging.
The auction is an adults-only event. Tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks—more details coming soon! If you have questions, please email fundraising@swigertpta.com.
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Carmella's Family Lasagna Night |
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Skip the dinner stress. Grab a Carmella's lasagna kit
when you pick up your kiddo — ready-to-bake 2LB
Bolognese or Veggie Pesto Lasagna, 1⁄4 pan of
Focaccia, Family Caesar Salad, and Banana Pudding.
Pickup at Swigert or Pearl Market
PICK UP WED JAN 21st
$60 PER KIT, $10 FROM EACH KIT GOES BACK TO SWIGERT PTA
1.Navigate to Carmella’s catering menu, via qr code (LINK)
2.Pick up Jan 21st
3.Notate in COMMENTS if you would like to pick up at
Pearl Market or Swigert
PRE-ORDER ONLINE BY JAN 16TH |
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We strive to have great communication about all things Swigert. Please visit our website at www.swigert.dpsk12.org to learn more about events that are coming up.
If you need translation services for ANY Swigert event, please reach out to Megan Tate at Megan_Tate@dpsk12.net
You can also join our Friends of Swigert International School, a private Facebook page. We post pictures of events at school, interact as a school family, and you can see friendly reminders of upcoming events.
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