October 28th, 2025
Dear Swigert Families,
It was wonderful to see our student presentations of learning last week. Our Fourth Graders presented their social action posters at the Stanley - they will be up for another three weeks so check them if you visit and our ECE students presented their artwork, songs and poetry as part of their How we Express Ourselves Unit. So inspiring and heart warming.
We are getting ready for our annual Halloween parties, parade, and Trunk of Treat - wow, lots of excitement. Parties and the costume parade will take place on Thursday, October 30th.The K-5th grade Halloween Costume Parade will be on the Swigert field from 2:30-3:10 and you are welcome to join. Students will walk around in a circular fashion beginning with our kindergarten and finishing with our fifth graders (please see the map below for line up spots). For our school costume parade there are some parameters: students cannot have any type of weapon associated with their costume and students should only wear masks for the parade itself. Costumes should be appropriate for school (not gory or overly scary). If you need a costume please email me - Shelby_Dennis@dpsk12.net and if your family does not celebrate Halloween, please let your child’s teacher know. We have fun alternative activities for them to participate in.
Our PTA sponsored Trunk or Treat is a fun community event for families to check our creative Halloween inspired trunks and do some trick or treating. This year we will have our trunks set up on the Swigert playground blacktop starting at 5 until the candy runs out. We ask that our students only make one loop around to each trunk to ensure everyone gets candy!
A reminder that there is NO SCHOOL for students on Friday, October 31st. Many teachers are hosting their parent/teacher conferences on that day. Finally, we are also celebrating Día De Los Muertos this weekend - check out our display and learn more about this cultural event below!
Sincerely,
Shelby Dennis
NOW - CANDY DRIVE!
October 28th - Thanksgiving lunch tickets go on sale
October 30th - Yearbook cover contest due (5th graders only - pushed back one week)
October 30th - Halloween Parties, Parade, and Trunk or Treat
October 31st - No school for students, Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 3rd - Food Drive, Yearbook orders open
November 4th - Chick-Fil-A Dine and Donate
November 6th - 5th Grade Wax Museum, 5pm
November 10-12th - Fall Book Fair
November 13th - 4th & 5th Grade Music Concert & Art Show
November 20th - Community Thanksgiving Lunch
November 22-30th - Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
Halloween Details
We are excited to get to celebrate the Halloween festivities with your student next week. Kindergarten through 5th grade students should pack their costumes in a bag to change into before the after parties and parade. ECE kids are coming to school IN costumes. Please make sure your costumes are not gory or super scary, and there no weapons (fake sword, numb chucks, etc).
See all the details about the day here - https://swigert.dpsk12.org/2025/10/13/halloween-details-2/
Día de Los Muertos
The Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. An ofrenda is an altar or offering made in homes during this celebration to honor deceased loved ones. Ofrendas are a way to remember the dead, celebrate life, and express love. They are meant to welcome the deceased to the altar and to guide them back to the world of the living.
Ms. Jones has made a beautiful ofrenda in our hallway. We'd love to invite your students to bring in photographs of loved ones who have passed away to add to it. Please write name and class on the back with a sticky note or piece of tape so that we can return them.
Bloom retake pictures are LIVE
If your student had retake photos taken with Bloom school photos, they just went live! Go to https://thebloombeehive.com/swigert. Scroll to the teal box named “Fall 2025 Galleries.” Press that button, then press view gallery. Enter your email address, then the pink continue button. Kids are listed by last names and to view the pictures, you will need their student ID number. You can find that in your parent portal. You can order prints and packages directly from their website.
You should be able to see both the orignal and retake photos in your gallery!
Spelling Bee Winners!
Congratulations to the winners of our 2025 Swigert Spelling Bee!
School Champ: Gavin Razi (5th)
2nd Place: Henry Ragole (4th)
3rd Place: Ella Chen (3rd)
4th Place: Benji Mugge (5th)
5th Place: August Desch (3rd)
6th Place: Mustafa Panah (5th)
7th Place: Ben Heflick (4th)
8th Place: Aarush Vinod (3rd)
9th Place: Cooper McCavit (5th)
10th Place: Jorge Garcia-Roundtree (5th)
Most Spirited Speller Award: August Desch and Ethan Li
Best Sportsmanship: Cooper McCavit
Best Enunciator: Collin Estes
*Diego Fonacier and Liesel Fauerbach were on the team last year and will have the opportunity to participate again as alternates.
*Ethan Li was 11th and will also have the opportunity to participate as an alternate on the team.
SAC Survey
Our School Accountability Committee conducts a school wide survey each year to provide feedback on inclusivity and engagement. We have two versions, a one minute survey if you don't have a lot of time and a 5-10 minute one if you have some more time.
Here are the links:
Fall Food Drive!
Our Fall Food Drive for the Swigert Food Pantry is Nov. 3-7th. The Food Pantry makes a significant difference for families who need additional food supports at home. Please consider donating the following:
ECE - PB/jelly
Kinder / Autism Class - Individually packaged snacks
1st - Canned chicken/tuna/protein
2nd - Cereal and oatmeal
3rd - Pasta/ramen/ spaghetti sauce
4th - Rice and beans (canned or dry)
5th - Canned veggies/fruit
ALL - Clean, cloth reusable bags (not paper or plastic)
Donations can be brought to class. We prefer smaller cans/jars/bottles. Students carry items home, so smaller portions (not Costco size) are easier to carry!
Should your family find your needs changing, please reach out to richard_fisher@dpsk12.net. He helps facilitate the completely anonymous Food Pantry and Critical Needs programs.
Reminder: 5th Grade Yearbook Cover Contest
Reminder to all 5th graders. Submission for the yearbook cover are due to Emily Pool by this Friday, October 30th. See all the details here:
https://swigert.dpsk12.org/2025/09/08/5th-grade-yearbook-cover-contest/
We're Hiring!
We are hiring two Para Professional for our MI-Autism Classroom. If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out directly to Shelby Dennis! shelby_dennis@dpsk12.net.
October 31: NO SCHOOL, Conference Day
There is NO SCHOOL for students on Halloween, October 31st. Teachers are using the full day to host parent/teacher conferences. Some teachers are offering conferences ahead of that time as well. Please reach out to your classroom teacher for specific questions on scheduling your conference. We'd love to touch base with every family!
Thanksgiving Lunch
Swigert’s Thanksgiving Lunch will be held on Thursday, November 20th. Parents and siblings are welcome to join their Swigert students!
Thanksgiving lunch is free for students. Adult lunches are $7; non-Swigert siblings are $6. Tickets must be pre-purchased through the front office, by cash or check only; or by Venmo to @swigert-richard_fisher (please include note indicating it is for Thanksgiving and include your child's full name).
See all the details here: https://swigert.dpsk12.org/2025/10/27/thanksgiving-lunch-2/
Music - 4th & 5th Grade Concerts!
The 4th and 5th grade concerts are coming soon!
The 4th graders will present “Colorado History” and the 5th graders will present "Friendship" on Thursday, November 13.
At 5:45 PM, 4th grade students will meet in their classrooms. Their concert begins at 6:00 in the gym.
At 6:25 PM, 5th grade students will meet in their classrooms. Their concert begins at 6:40 in the gym.
Dress for this concert is nice clothes.
If you cannot make it to the evening concert, you may attend the dress rehearsals, Wednesday November 12 and Thursday November 13 during the school day: 8:20 (4th grade) and 9:25 (5th grade).
See you there!
Candy Drive
We still need more candy for Trunk or Treat!! Please bring a bag of candy to school to help make this event a success!
Trunk or Treat
Join us Thursday, October 30th at 5pm on the playground for our Family Trunk or Treat celebration. Please come in costume and have kids bring their own trick-or-treat bags/containers. Kids will trick-or-treat through the decorated cars and celebrate the holiday with their school friends! The event will end at 6pm, but we might run out of candy before then, so please come early and have fun!
Book Fair Volunteers
Our Scholastic Book Fair is coming Nov. 10th - Nov 12th.
We can't do it without you! Please consider volunteering to help. Click here to sign up!
Chick-Fil-A Dine and Donate
Tuesday, November 4th, 2025
4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Chick-fil-A on Quebec Street will be hosting a Dine & Donate event on behalf of Swigert. You can order in person or ahead! Guests simply need to mention they are there for Spirit Night. For mobile orders, participants can select “Spirit Night” in the app before completing their order to ensure their purchase is counted!! Thank you for your support.
Park & Rec Activity Guide
Denver Parks & Recreation’s Winter Activity Guide is here! ❄️
Registration for winter activities opens Wednesday, November 5 at noon — mark your calendars and don’t miss out! From Youth Ski and Snowboard programs and basketball leagues to holiday art classes and more, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this season. Stay active and make the most of winter with DPR! ☃️🏀🎨️
Browse the guide now and start planning your winter fun: Winter 2025–26 Activity Guide
We strive to have great communication about all things Swigert. Please visit our website at www.swigert.dpsk12.org to 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 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.