All students at District 11 schools who serve meals in their cafeteria will eat for free regardless of the eligibility status should a household apply. The State of Colorado provides meals for students who participate in the National School Lunch Program under the Healthy School Meals for All program.

However, we still need your help by completing this Free/Reduced Meal Application. Here's why!

Even though the students are eating their meals for free, other benefits of our families completing this application are as follows:

• Possible reduction of fees for programs both within District 11 and outside of District 11
• Qualified students will receive Summer Electronic Benefits (S-EBT) in the summer when school is not in session
• Additional funding for schools and District 11 thereby providing an enhanced educational experience for students

Thank you for your time completing the free / reduced lunch application!

We are working closely with our transportation department to address an ongoing issue of late busses that are making students on routes 113, 115, and 116 late to class. Remember that we continue to offer breakfast after the bell until 8:50 am regardless of the reason a student is late.

When students' busses are late, their attendance will be updated accurately by 9:45 am. If your student's attendance is not accurately updated by 9:45 am, please give us a call at 719-328-6900 so we can address the issue. You may still get a call from our attendance reporting system letting you know that your student is marked absent, but please know that we will have attendance updated accurately no later than 9:45 am when busses are late. You can monitor your student's daily attendance in PowerSchool. Unfortunately, it does take approximately 25 minutes to input this information, so we appreciate your patience with the process!

We apologize for the ongoing inconvenience, confusion, and lost instructional time resulting from late busses. We are in continual communication with our transportation department to address this issue. Thank you for your partnership and patience as we get this right.

• No shorts, dresses, skirts or other similar clothing shorter than mid-thigh length or shorter than fingertips with arms extended to the side. ​

• No sunglasses, hats, and/or hoods worn inside the building, during the school day. Hats may be worn indoors at after school activities, unless they become a disruption. Durags, hair wraps, bonnets, and other hair care items are allowed if they do not cover the ears. ​

• No inappropriately sheer, tight or low-cut clothing (e.g., midriffs, halter tops, tank tops, backless clothing, tube tops, garments made of fishnet, mesh or similar material, muscle tops, etc.) that bare or expose traditionally private parts of the body including, but not limited to, the stomach, buttocks, back, and breasts. ​

• No clothing, paraphernalia, grooming, jewelry, hair coloring, accessories, or body adornments that are or contain any advertisement, symbols, words, slogans, patches, or pictures that:
• refer to drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or weapons
• are of a sexual nature, denote membership in gangs, advocate drug use, violence, or disruptive behavior
• are obscene, profane, vulgar, lewd, or legally libelous
• threaten the safety or welfare of any person
• promote any activity prohibited by the student code of conduct
• otherwise disrupt the teaching-learning process.

Each student will receive an updated 2024-2025 school year student ID in advisory class this week. Students are expected to carry their IDs to gain access to after school and athletic events, to scan for meals in the cafeteria, to check out library books, and more. Student IDs fit conveniently into the clear plastic sleeve on the back of Yondr pouches, but they are also punched for those who wish to wear their ID on a lanyard. We will have school branded lanyards as a PBIS (positive behavior intervention and support) award in the coming months.

Beginning the week of 8/26, all teachers have been asked to enter at least 2 grades a week in each class (at least 1 in advisory classes). Teachers are asked to update their grade books weekly before Monday mornings. Athletics eligibility reports (see below) and weekly progress reports will be pulled every Monday to ensure accountability, high expectations, and high support for all. Parents/guardians, you can expect to receive a weekly printout of your student's grades each Monday or Tuesday from your student's advisory teacher. Please sign and return these weekly progress reports so we know your student is talking to you about their learning, grades, and progress.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students on track!

Take a look at this anchor chart that social studies teacher, Ms. Yael Horowitz's students use to support their academic discussions. These sentence stems support all students (including our culturally and linguistically diverse students) in discussing texts and concepts in the classroom.

Toth & Sousa (2019) ask, "What would be the benefits to you as a teacher to decrease your talking, act more like a facilitator, and allow time for more collaborative group work? What would be the benefits to your students?" (p. 35).

Toth, M. D., & Sosa, D. A., (2019). The power of student teams: Achieving social, emotional, and cognitive learning in every classroom through academic learning. Solution tree.

Unfortunately, there are outdated Facebook accounts for our school that we can't access. This can cause confusion resulting from outdated information. Here is our new Facebook account so you can like, follow, and stay updated!

We're on Facebook as @JackSwigertMiddleSchool.

Starting this week, students will begin using Dreambox to complete individualized, targeted math and reading intervention lessons during their daily advisory classes. Students will work with their advisory teachers at the beginning of each week to set a learning schedule with the goal of completing 5 dreambox lessons a week during advisory. Click on the link below to see how you can access Dreambox to learn about your student's progress and learning goals! Click here to learn more about Dreambox.

Volleyball games are starting! Our first home game will be at Swigert on Wednesday, September 11th. Our Lady Titans will be taking on the North Vikings! The action starts at 4:45 in the gym. We are excited to see you here!

Admission prices are as follows:

$2.00 - Adults & High School Students

$1.00 - Middle School Students

Free - Children Under 6th Grade

Attention ALL students who are interested in wrestling: Coach Kevin Meyer will be holding a pre-season open gym for any student who are interested in wrestling! This will take place September 9th-13th after school. We will meet in the gym from 4:15-5:15. Athletes do not need physicals for open gym events. If a student plans on wrestling during the regular season, a physical is required. Wrestling season begins September 17th, after school! Please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Ethan Moore with any athletic related question. He can be reached at 719-328-6930 or ethan.moore2@d11.org

Families, there is still time for your student to sign up for Cross Country. Is your student worried about participating in a sport for the first time? No worries! We welcome students of all ability levels! Please contact Mr. Moore at 719-328-6930 or Ethan.Moore2@d11.org for more information or if you have questions.

Weekly Grade Checks will be done by the coaches and school Athletic Director every Monday.

Scholar athletes are not eligible to play if they have any Ds or Fs.

• If a student has a “D” or “F” they will be given a slip to take to their teacher to get missing work and check with teacher.
• If a Student Athlete is not eligible, they will not be allowed to play in the games for that week. If a student is placed in ISS or ISD for a period or the day, the student will not be allowed to practice or participate in the game for that day. If a student is suspended out of school, they will be removed from the team.
• Students must be at school the day of the game.
• If miss entire day = Not allowed to play in the game/match/meet
• If half day missed = Sit out 2 quarters of the game/1 match
• If 2 periods missed = Sit out 1 quarter of the game/Subs in
• If students know they are going to be absent from school, they must communicate with coaches.
• Students must also be at practice the day before a game/match/meet, or they sit out from the game/match/meet.
• If students are going to miss practice, they must let the coaches know ahead of time and get it approved.

Reach out to our Athletic Director & Dean, Mr. Ethan Moore, with any questions about athletics.

The School Accountability Committee (SAC) is an important part of our work to continually improve teaching and learning at Jack Swigert Middle School. It is a great way to get involved, learn more about our school and district, and to share your feedback! Here are some of the things you can expect to be involved in through the SAC:

• Making recommendations to the principal on the school priorities for spending school money, including federal funds, where applicable
  
• Making recommendations to the principal and the superintendent concerning preparation of a school Improvement plan
  
• Publicizing and holding a SAC meeting to discuss strategies to include in a school Priority Improvement or Turnaround plan, and using this input to make recommendations to the local school board concerning preparation of the school Priority Improvement or Turnaround plan prior to the plan being written
  
• Publicizing the district’s public hearing to review a written school Priority Improvement or Turnaround plan
  
• Meeting at least quarterly to discuss whether school leadership, personnel, and infrastructure are advancing or impeding implementation of the school’s Performance, Improvement, Priority Improvement, or Turnaround plan, whichever is applicable, and other progress pertinent to the school’s accreditation contract

All students except those in our SSN (Significant Support Needs) program should place their backpacks in their lockers before 1st period and not take them back out again until after 7th period. Students in PE, dance, or any other activity or class that requires a change of clothes should retrieve their clothes from their locker before class. Why? Keeping backpacks in lockers minimizes distractions in the classroom from inappropriate items coming into the room (food, toys, games, personal technology not appropriately stored, etc.). It also decreases trip and fall hazards in classroom walkways.

If a student comes to class with a backpack, our teachers will write them an eHall Pass and have them go back to their lockers to deposit them. If this is an issue repeatedly for a student, teachers will call home to let you know. For students who report difficulty opening their locker, please connect with administrative assistant Eryn Stivison to address the issue: eryn.stivison@d11.org.