November 5, 2024

Dear Swigert Families,

Welcome to November! We have so much to be grateful for and I wanted to send my sincere appreciation for our school community - for leaning in and supporting all things - volunteering, attending fieldwork, presenting to our students, putting on book fairs, and especially supporting one another through challenging times. It makes a world of difference, thank you. 

Our inaugural fourth and fifth grade student council held our first school election today. Student council members shared speeches to our third, fourth and fifth graders this morning about why they should be elected for specific position including; communication director, spirit director, vice president and president. There were some convincing ideas including student newsletters, pizza delivery for hot lunch, and an ocean day at school. It was a relevant way to share about the voting process and have students engage in an authentic example- please see photos below. I am proud of our risk takers and communicators. 

With our Colorado weather swings we wanted to share information on inside mornings and inside recess. We like to go outside as often as we can, we believe fresh air and movement are important parts of a child’s day.  That being said, we need to be safe and prepare for changing conditions. We use these guidelines to call indoor mornings at the start of the day and indoor recess for lunch time.  We will call an inside morning if the temperature is below 20 and/or there are tough conditions - high winds, rain, or heavy, blowing snow. I. Here are the details for an indoor morning:

For all ECE families you will need to do the same routine, park and walk your student through the normal door on the east side of the building.

K-5th Grade Families you can drop your child(ren) off at one of the kiss-and-go to parking lots on the East (Trenton and 35th) or West (Syracuse and 35th) side of the building. You can also use the bus parking lane to drop off during this time. Our buses come earlier in the morning so there shouldn’t be bus traffic between 8:00-8:10. 

Students will walk in through the doors staffed by a Swigert adult which include the following:

•  East door by the ECE/Kindergarten parking lot 

•  West door by the main kiss-and-go parking lot

•  Main office doors (main point of entry) 

Students will walk to their assigned areas where teachers will pick them up. 

• Kinder & First in the cafeteria

• 2nd & 3rd in the east half of the gym

• 4th & 5th in the west half of the gym

Please make sure you send your child with appropriate and labeled clothing for the winter. 

We look forward to seeing our 4th and 5th grade families at their arts night this Thursday. The evening will include visual art pieces done by our students and a music concert for each grade level.

Sincerely,

Shelby 

Photos of Student Council Assembly:

Thank you to our parents who brought in butterflies to remember Pippa and her joy. 

As we move into the season of colder weather, we want to communicate our weather policies regarding outdoor recess, etc.  We believe that it is very important that kids be outside getting fresh air and moving their bodies whenever possible, so we will be taking kids outside unless we are truly unable to do so.  We will only move indoors for recess on days when there is heavy precipitation, the temperature drops below 20° (wind chill can also bring us to this decision) or there is other unsafe weather such as lightning.  Please make sure that your students come to school dressed appropriately for the weather.  Coats, hats and gloves are important on cold days to make sure that students can play comfortably outside.  Please label all pieces of outerwear so that we can return it to your child if they drop it in the hall or leave it on the playground!

Dear Swigert Community,

We are so incredibly impressed with Conrad’s efforts a couple of weeks ago to raise money for Make- A-Wish Colorado through his climb-a-thon. Rad was able to raise $48,000, which is equivalent to granting 6.4 kids a wish (an average wish costs $7,500). We have a lot of students and families that would love to support the Robinson Family and honor Pippa’s legacy in some tangible way - granting wishes is a way to do just that! We would love to be able to boost Conrad’s efforts to grant wishes for 8 Colorado kids who are currently facing a life-threatening disease. Below is a link that will take you to Swigert’s fundraising page:

Swigert x Rad Grant Wishes!

You can also send in dollars/coins with students starting this week (we will take donations through November 19th). We have Make A Wish bracelets, tattoos, stickers, and stars at school that students can receive with their donation. We will also put the QR codes on our main entrances to school where you can make donations.

We will be honoring Conrad and all of his efforts in a school assembly on November 20th (his birthday!), where we will reveal the total amount of money raised for Make a Wish Colorado in Pippa’s honor. We are beyond proud of Rad and our Swigert Eagle changemakers.

Here is a video that shows how powerful granting a wish can be for families: 

Wishes are Medicine Video

If you have any questions, please reach out to Caroline Dane (caroline_dane@dpsk12.net)

With Gratitude,

Caroline

This year, Swigert’s Thanksgiving Lunch will be held on Thursday, November 21st. Parents and siblings are welcome to join their Swigert students!

**LAST DAY TO BUY TICKETS FOR THIS IS FRIDAY!**

Menu:

Roast Turkey (or grilled cheese sandwich for vegetarians), Mashed potatoes with gravy, Green Beans, Stuffing, Fresh baked dinner roll, Sweet Potato cake with frosting

Lunch schedule:

The schedule is slightly modified from their "normal times" to allow for everyone to have time and room. Each lunch last about 30 minutes but students are encouraged to head out to recess when they’re done eating.

ECE4 11:15 AM

Kindergarten 10:45 AM

1st Grade 11:35 AM

2nd Grade 11:05 AM

3rd Grade 12:00 PM

4th Grade 12:25 PM

5th Grade 12:50 PM

Tickets:

Thanksgiving lunch is free for students; tickets are $7.00 for adults and $6.00 for siblings and must be purchased by Friday, November 8th. You can buy tickets from Daphne in the main office. (cash or check only). If you are unable to purchase them in person, you may send her an email (djolley@dpsk12.net) and send in the money with your student.

Tickets only need to be purchased if you want the meal. You're welcome to come and just be with your student. Or if you have a younger child who will share your meal, you do not have to buy a separate ticket for the sibling.

You are also welcome to pull any children with a later lunch time to join you and your other child at the earlier lunch time. Please note that we do not have coverage for students who have already eaten, so unless you are going to be with them, they will still have to go to the cafeteria at their regular time, although they don’t have to eat again.

Questions? Let us know!

https://swigert.dpsk12.org/2024/10/23/thanksgiving-lunch-2/

Fall Book Fair 11/4 - 11/6

We have our fall book fair coming up November 4 - November 6. Students will attend the book fair with their class during the school day and we will also be open before and after school.

To keep the check out line moving please consider adding money to your student's e-wallet. These funds do not expire and can be used online or at a later fair. 

ECE families are encouraged to take your students before or after school and not set up the e-wallet.

PTA is hosting a food drive to restock our food pantry next week November 11-15th! There will be bins for each grade level.

ECE - Granola bars/multi-pack snacks

Kindergarten - Ramen

1st - Canned chicken/Canned tuna

2nd - Cereal - not super large boxes from Costco and no bagged cereal

3rd - Canned fruit – 15oz or less

4th - Canned vegetables / Tomato sauce – 15 oz cans, not large ones from Costco or glass containers

5th - Pasta/Grains/Rice/Mac N Cheese

All- Reusable cloth bags

We strive to have great communication about all things Swigert.

Please visit our website at www.swigert.dpsk12.org learn more about Swigert and events that are coming up.

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.

Wondering who to contact if you have questions about? See table below:

Swigert uses Google Calendar. Do you? If so, you can stay up to date on all school activities.
Just add the Swigert Calendar to your personal calendar. Learn how to do that here.

To reach Swigert International School:
Office: (720) 424-4800
Attendance: (720) 424-4740

We love our Swigert Sponsors! Check out and support their businesses!