August 12, 2025

Dear Swigert Families,

This is such an exciting time as we prepare for the upcoming school year. Yesterday, we welcomed back our Swigert staff to start planning and gearing up for the new year. Teachers are busy setting up their classrooms and creating engaging and welcoming environments. Our schoolwide focus this year is working together as a team to support our diverse learners.

I realize there is a great deal of information to pay attention to at the start of the school year so please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can answer questions or clarify information. Emily Pool, our community liaison, has done a great job compiling all of this information on our website - Start of School Information. The two big events on the horizon are Meet the Teacher Night - this Thursday from 5-6 pm and my personal favorite, the First Day of School, next Monday August 18th! You can find more details below.

A little bit about were we are in place and time. Swigert currently has 705 students, 49% students of color, and 88 students in our Multi Lingual education program - representing 25 languages from around the world. We are excited to open up our first autism classroom at Swigert and have 8 students enrolled.

We can’t wait to have the students back in the building. Your kids' bright faces and enthusiasm for learning make this place special and our the why to this important work. Everyday we strive to create an inclusive, engaging and supportive school environment where kids are known and seen.

Swigert Staff Updates and Celebrations from the Summer:

Two teachers - Holcomb Mosley (third grade) and Jessica Ramos (fifth grade) are in a PhD program at UC Denver in their Education Department.

Please reach out with any questions. I look forward to seeing you all soon. We are excited to launch an amazing year as a Swigert Team. Go Eagles!

Sincerely

Shelby Dennis

Shelby_Dennis@dpsk12.net

**Registration**

We absolutely need your online registration done today or tomorrow. If you have not completed it online, please stop in the office on Meet the Teacher night this Thursday for a paper form or for assistance in the online process.

Who is My Teacher?

Teachers will be emailing you by the end of day today so you know where you're headed for Meet the Teacher night on Thursday!

August at a Glance

This is your August at a Glance calendar. A full resolution printable of this and instructions on how to link our google calendar to yours can be found here: https://swigert.dpsk12.org/about/calendar/

Meet The Teacher Night - this Thursday!

We are so excited to welcome you all into the building on Thursday, August 14th from 5:00 – 6:00 for Meet the Teacher Night! It will be an awesome opportunity to connect as a community, see classroom placements, meet the teachers and peek into classrooms. Teachers should be emailing you by the end of day today! Class lists will also be posted around the building. We encourage you to walk to the classroom to have a quick look and say hello to the teacher. There will be maps posted to help you find the room and plenty of Swigert staff around to guide you to the right spot. While quickly visiting the classroom, please do not allow children to play.

After you’ve visited classrooms, we invite you to head to the main lobby to grab a photo, then to the playground to enjoy a music and time to mingle with other families. There will also be a Kona Ice Truck and Pozzetti's Gelato available for purchase. Make sure you stop by the tables to sign up for PTA, help in your child’s classroom as a room parent, and to order spirit wear.

Please understand that teachers have just been able to get back into their classrooms, so most of the rooms do not look “finished” or like they will once we are ready to start school. Also, we ask that you use the time for a quick introduction with the teacher, but save all personal questions and conversations about your child for a private meeting with the teacher. This will ensure that everyone has a chance to say hello in the short time we will have together. If you need to contact the teacher around specific concerns or questions for your child, we encourage you to reach out via email. All teachers’ email addresses can be found on the website, at this link: https://swigert.dpsk12.org/faculty-staff/staff-directory/

If you are unable to come Thursday evening, no problem. All classroom teachers will send an email out with a welcome letter and electronic sign up for assessment earlier in the week.

We look forward to seeing all of you as we kick off a great year!

Here are maps of our classrooms :

First Week Information

The first two days – August 18th and 19th – are half days. This allows students to ease into their new schedule and provide time for individual assessments in the afternoon. Your classroom teacher will reach out to you to set up individual time slots for these afternoon assessments. The arrival time is the same, with students arriving between 7:55 am and 8:05, with classes starting at 8:10. The dismissal time is noon, no lunch will be provided. Be sure to pack a water bottle and snack.

We will have our annual park to school walk on the first day. We have a new location to begin our walk this year. We wanted to eliminate the challenging crossing on Central Park Blvd. This year we will gather at FlyteCo Tower in the parking lot (MAP). We have permission to park in their lot. Grab coffee at Panda Coffee House from 7-9:30 and they'll be giving Swigert 20% back!

We will begin our walk to school at 7:45am. Parents and siblings are welcome to join us for this walk. If you are unable to join the walk, no problem. Staff will be out on the playground ready to greet your children at 7:55. Buses will be running their regular routes for both arrival and dismissal.

Where do we drop off (on normal days)?

Supervision will be provided on the Swigert playground beginning at 7:55 am, so parent drop off and walkers/bike rider arrivals are welcome anytime between 7:55 and 8:10 when school starts. Students are welcome to head to the cafeteria for free breakfast starting at 7:55.

All students in 1st – 5th grades will play on the main playground in the morning until the bell rings at 8:10. They will then line up at their class’s designated spot on the playground and their teacher will walk them inside to start their day.

There will be spots marked on the concrete indicating where each grade level lines up, and on the first day teachers will be outside showing students where to go.

Kindergarten students will play on the small Kinder playground until the bell rings at 8:10. They will then line up in their class’s designated spot on the small playground. Their teachers will walk them through the doors near the cafeteria and to their classrooms.

ECE families should come in the main east doors of the building and walk their student to their classroom. There they will sign them in and drop them off.

Autism Classroom students will walk directly into their classroom from the East Parking lot.

Any late arrivals will need to buzz in through the front doors of the school and check in with office staff before heading to class. For safety reasons, please don’t ever try to enter an alternate door after the start of the school day.

We request that as much as possible, parking on the east of the building be saved for ECE, Autism Classroom and Kindergarten families. Families for all other grades should use the main parking lot off of Syracuse or the west side of the school on 33rd Ave. There are kiss-n-go lanes in both parking lots for quick drop-offs , meaning no parents getting out of the vehicle. Please, no parking in the bus lane on Syracuse Street!

What's for Lunch?

Community Welcome Breakfast

Back to School Night

Thursday, August 28th from 5:30-7:00 pm.

This event is for parents to learn about the year ahead from their classroom teacher and school wide programming from the leadership team. We will send out details as it gets closer.

Critical Needs Funds

If you would like to donate for scholarships for our critical needs students, here is a link in My School Bucks to do so!

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/prdembd?ref=ZZI5ZQ2XQU04MZG_ZZJGCLMIHD0H0TC

Visit https://www.swigertpta.com/ to learn more. PTA will have a table at Meet the Teacher Night to be able to sign up!

DPS Community Hubs

Registration Now Open at the Near Northeast Community Hub!

Want to continue your education, build new skills, or support your family’s learning? We offer completely free classes just for you!

Classes available:

English Classes

GED Classes (in English and Spanish)
Citizenship Classes (in English and Spanish)
Computer Classes – from basics to practical use
Programa Familiar de Lenguaje – learn and grow together as a family (Spanish)

Classes start in August 2025
Register now at this link https://forms.gle/VyehsNb1kjv4DAKo6

All classes are 100% free and held in a friendly, supportive environment with experienced instructors.

For more info, call us at 720-423-1170

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.

If you need translation services for ANY Swigert event, please reach out to Megan Tate at mdonald@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.