“Emotions matter, and they matter a great deal in school. Everyone needs emotional intelligence and opportunities to be brave and kind.”
Marc Brackett, PhD. - Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Dear Swigert Families,
At Swigert, our mission states that our school strives to create a better and more peaceful world. One way we promote that mindset is through our social-emotional curriculum. Students from ECE all the way through 5th grade receive consistent lessons on social-emotional learning (SEL). Each grade develops an age-appropriate understanding of their own feelings and reactions, as well as works to build a toolbox to help move through the school day, and life, mindfully.
Students at Swigert receive a majority of their instruction from two vetted curricula, both modified to incorporate the language and philosophy of IB. Second Step is a human skills curriculum taught to K-2 students, focusing primarily on identifying feelings, showing empathy, and solving problems appropriately. In the upper grades, the MindUP! curriculum was modified to allow for a more in-depth study of the neuroscience behind our feelings and reactions. Third through fifth graders each approach this learning differently, with mindfulness and amygdala response as the focus in third, balance and mindful awareness in fourth, and optimism and perspective-taking in fifth. There are myriad benefits of SEL being taught in school; a new study just reported a clear link between SEL learning and test scores.
Your donations (during our direct giving week and the spring auction) help to make my role as social-emotional learning coordinator a possibility rarely seen in public school. As I continue into my second decade of educating and supporting Swigert students, I feel lucky to be in a position that promotes the growth of the whole child, and I see first-hand the learning that happens in their hearts and minds. It shows up in the way they treat each other, reflect on their choices, and build their vocabulary and capacity to show up and face the challenges of childhood.
Sincerely,
Meghan Montgomery
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November 12th - Last Day of Book Fair
November 12th - SAC (5pm) & PTA (6pm) Meetings
November 13th - 4th & 5th Grade Music Concert & Art Show
November 22-30th - Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
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December 11th - Mici's Dine and Donate & Winterfest!
December 19th - Class Winter Parties, Early 12pm Dismissal
December 20th - January 5th - NO SCHOOL, Winter Break & Professional Development Day
January 6th - back to school!
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Winter Weather - Inside Starts/Recess
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With our Colorado weather swings (and potential for snow next week) 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. 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)
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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 (first and last name) clothing for the winter.
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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-DPS 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). Tickers are to be physically picked up in the office.
See all the details here: https://swigert.dpsk12.org/2025/10/27/thanksgiving-lunch-2/
Thanksgiving lunch is free for students. Adult lunches are $7; non-DPS 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). Tickers are to be physically picked up in the office.
See all the details here: https://swigert.dpsk12.org/2025/10/27/thanksgiving-lunch-2/
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Read Around the World Book Club |
✈️It's time for the next Read Around the World Book Club. It is open to all Swigert students, with book choices best suited for grades 3–5. Parents can decide if selections are right for their child.
📅 Meetings: 3:15–4:15 in Room 212 (Mosley’s Classroom). Pickup outside the main office.
Questions - reach out to Ms. Mosley at l_holcomb-mosley@dpsk12.net
Sign up now for November's book!
Thursday, December 4th--Africa, Book: The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
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Yearbook sales are live! We are only offering hardback covers this year and they are $20. Prices go up to $30 on December 1st! You buy directly from the yearbookforever website!
BUY HERE!
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Save the Date: Winterfest! |
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11th, 6-8 pm
What: A celebration of different winter holidays and an opportunity to learn about a variety of cultural traditions.
What to bring: a dish/dessert to share
We will provide: Percussionist, Central City Opera, holiday displays, holiday crafts from around the world, plates and utensils
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Hi families! Tomorrow (Wednesday 11/12) is the last day to order your child's original works art merchandise! You have until 8 pm on 11/12, after that any orders will be considered "late" and won't be delivered before winter break. Lost your child's code? No problem! Follow these steps:
1. Go to https://www.originalworks.com/
2. Click "access artwork" tab
3. Search by State, School, and first and last name
4. Order
Thank you! Please email me at lisa_carlson@dpsk12.net with any questions.
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Music - 4th & 5th Grade Concerts! |
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The 4th and 5th grade concerts are this Thursday!
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!
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Art: November Artists of the Month! |
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November’s Artists of the Month are Aisa Watkins and James Sponsler in Ms. Page’s 2nd grade class. Both Aisa and James have been leaders in their class and they showed Open-Mindedness with their art projects. They were risk takers and very knowledgeable with their free choice art projects. Aisa also is a very caring helper when students need guidance. James is great with being an Inquirer when he creates art. Here they are with their take on the 4th grade leaf project. Way to go! |
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Our next PTA meeting is this Wednesday, November 12 at 6pm in the library! Come learn more about our Winter community events, get insider info on the Auction, and more! We’d love to see you there! |
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Tomorrow, Wednesday November 12th is your last chance to visit the Book Fair (online purchases can be made anytime between Nov 7-Nov 20)!
Our book fair will be running during the following times :
Wednesday, Nov 12th: 7:30 am-12 pm & 12:30 pm-5:30 pm
Please visit our homepage for more information as well as setting up an e-wallet at: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/swigertinternationalschl1
Want more Book Fair but can't make it in person? No problem! Keep the party going online (online purchases can be made anytime between Nov 7-Nov 20)! All book purchases over $35 ship free and every purchase benefits our school! https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/swigertinternationalschl1
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It's never too soon to start a birthday party invitation or holiday card! Do it with Minted - Save 20% on your purchase (exclusions apply) and Minted will give back 10% to Swigert! Use code: FUNDRAISESWIGERT
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Link Your King Soopers Card! |
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Please link your King Soopers card to Swigert prior to any big holiday shopping! It's totally free and the school financially benefits!
Step-by-step Instructions:
1. Sign in to your King Soopers digital account.
2. Search "Swigert International School PTA" here.
3. Select us from the list and click “Save”.
Your selected organization will also display in the King Soopers Community Rewards section of your account. If you need to review or revisit your organization, you can always do so under your Account details.
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Every January, DSA hosts an event called Drama Day in which students of DSA's Theatre Department teach elementary and middle school aged students from around Colorado. This year, Drama Day will be held on Saturday, January 24 from 9am-2pm. Drama Day Flyer
We are looking for students in Grades 3-6 who are interested in theatre! (They sometimes make exceptions for 7th/8th graders who have a strong interest in auditioning)
WHAT: Denver School of the Arts Theatre Dept. Annual Drama Day
WHEN: 8:30am-2:00pm on January 24, 2026
WHERE: Denver School of the Arts (7111 Montview Blvd. Denver, CO 80220)
WHY: To expose elementary and middle school aged students from all around Colorado to the power of theatre!
Registration for Drama Day will begin at 8:30AM followed by five workshop sessions (students choose which workshops they would like to take.) To register: scan the QR code on the flyer or click HERE.
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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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