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Every Thursday while school is in session, you'll receive this DCIS Connect newsletter in your email inbox to keep you up to date on all the events and happenings at our school. It's also available on the DCIS Connect app, which you can download at the Apple Store or Google Play.
If you don't wish to receive the newsletter, click the Unsubscribe link at the end. If you're receiving multiple copies of the newsletter, please email dcis.connect@gmail.com to report the problem; be sure to indicate your first and last name and preferred email address so we can update our records.
Newsletter submissions are due by 10 am on the Tuesday preceding the issue date. Email submissions to dcis.connect@gmail.com.
CONGRATULATIONS 5280 CHALLENGE TEAM!
Our DCIS Challenge 5280 team rocked it! Using their creativity, teamwork and ingenuity to address some of our community's most pressing problems during a competition with 26 other DPS schools, the DCIS Challenge 5280 team won FIRST PLACE!!! Kudos to our students on the 5280 team and their sponsor, Ms. Finnegan-Doyan. Students inspiring change is the idea behind the Challenge 5280 Competition. Throughout the school year, hundreds of DPS high school students have engaged in implementing that change through Challenge 5280, a student leadership competition. The DCIS team set out to inspire and empower students of color to step into leadership roles within our school. Check out these videos highlighting the DCIS team, as well as the competition.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK ...
CSC MEETING: Thursday, March 16, 4:30–6:30 pm, DCIS Community Room (103)
THIRD QUARTER ENDS: Friday, March 17
MARK YOUR CALENDARS ...
9th GRADE TRIP: DPS Higher Schools Expo, Friday, March 24
DEBATE CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS: Friday–Saturday, March 24–25 (all day), University of Denver
SPRING BREAK: March 27-April 3 (school resumes for students on Tuesday, April 4)
PARENT-PRINCIPAL COFFEES, Tuesday, April 4, 8:15–9:15 (English), and Wednesday, April 5, 8:45–9:45 (Spanish), DCIS Community Room (103)
COLLEGE TESTING DAY: Tuesday, April 11. For 10th and 11th graders ONLY. There will be NO SCHOOL for students in grades 6–9 and 12.
DPS FAMILY LEADERSHIP TRAINING: Thursday, April 13, 9 am–12:30 pm, PPA Event Center, 2105 Decatur St., Denver (map)
10TH GRADE TRAVEL WEEK, May 15-19. 10th graders will either be on the Stay Local trip or in Canyonlands.
LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL ...
Dear DCIS Parents,
The season of CMAS testing is upon us! There is much less state testing required than there used to be, which is good news. Essentially students in grades 6-9 take a CMAS English test and a CMAS math test, and that is it. (8th graders take a short science test, which they can accomplish during their regularly scheduled science class with Mr. Brown.) This is significantly reduced from years past during which there were two separate test administrations for both math and English, plus science and social studies for all students—by all accounts, way too much testing! The CMAS math and English tests will be administered over the course of three mornings, so students won't have more than 2.5 hours of testing on any one day. Monday, March 20, is the first day of testing (for 8th and 9th graders only), and the bell schedule has been slightly revised for that day, which you can view here.
Students in grades 10 and 11 will take college readiness exams, with 10th graders taking the PSAT and 11th graders taking the SAT; 11th graders will also take a short science test. Students in these grades will not take any CMAS/PARCC tests at all.
These assessments allow us to gain helpful information about student progress. We use test results to ensure that students are enrolled in appropriate courses, programs and services. In addition, we use results to measure our school's effectiveness, track our progress and growth, and make improvements in our practice.
All tests will take place during the regular school day, and no students will miss any classes, with the exception of April 11, which is our college testing day, and only sophomores and juniors will attend. There will be no classes that day for students in grades 6-9 or grade 12.
Thank you in advance for your support during the testing season. We are excited to see just how well our Phoenix students do on these tests!
Theresa McCorquodale DCIS Principal
RAISE YOUR HAND …
CSC MEETING
The next CSC meeting is TODAY, Thursday, March 16, 4:30-6:30 pm, in the DCIS Community Room (103). On this month's agenda:
Public comment
Discipline and attendance updates
Protocol on disciplinary procedures/consequences
UIP updates
As always, we welcome guests and allow for public comment in the first 15 minutes of each meeting. If you are unable to make it to the meeting, you can send comments, concerns or statements to be read at the meeting to one of our members.
PTSA GRANT MONIES Have an idea for a cultural enrichment opportunity to benefit DCIS students but you're unsure how to fund it? Consider submitting a application to the PTSA for a small grant (up to $300). Knowing that many DCIS students will never have the opportunity to travel internationally, the goal of these grants is to promote equity in cross-cultural experiences and to allow more students to benefit from global enrichment. You can apply online here.
CANYONLANDS TRIP INFORMATIONAL MEETING
There will be an informational meeting for the 10th grade Canyonlands trip on Wednesday, April 26, 6-7 pm. During the meeting we will review the trip itinerary and required supplies and help parents register online with Canyonlands.
COUNSELORS' CORNER ...
SENIORS The Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) offers need-based scholarships to qualifying graduates of Denver Public Schools. The scholarship can be used at DSF's Partner Colleges in Colorado, including technical, community and four-year colleges and universities. Students must enroll full-time. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years depending on the type of college you attend. Click here for more info.
JUNIORS Click here for information on the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Summer Program.
JUNIORS AND SENIORS Off-Campus Study: If you are interested in taking a college course off campus in fall 2017, please speak to your school counselor about taking the Accuplacer test if you have not already done so. This is the first step to enrolling for a college-level course.
Visiting Out-of-State Colleges Over Spring Break? There's still time to apply for a $150 travel stipend! Please contact your counselor to complete Part I of the application NOW. This may be the final year we offer the stipend, so take advantage of it now!
CHOICE OF STUDY FOR NEXT YEAR Students in grades 8-11 are in the process of registering for classes for the 2017-18 school year. Please speak to your student about what to take next year. The deadline to complete course selection is Friday, March 24. Contact your student's counselor with any questions:
If you have questions about your 8th grader's school next year, please contact the DPS Office of Choice and Enrollment Services by calling 720-423-3493 or emailing SchoolChoice@dpsk12.org.
COLLEGE WORD OF THE WEEK Accuplacer The Accuplacer is a computerized assessment tool offered through the College Board that colleges use to determine new students' skill level in reading, writing and mathematics. Prospective students should prepare for the test by practicing online.
TRAVEL CENTER NEWS ...
A TAKING ACTION AND COMMUNICATING IDEAS OPPORTUNITY for middle and high school students: Empowerment Through Integration (ETI) is a nonprofit whose mission is to develop an inclusive society by transforming social stigma against disability around the globe. They hope to empower blind youth to be authors of their futures and change-makers of their societies. ETI is holding its first ETI Expressions Competition to encourage middle and high school students to contemplate and recognize how diversity shapes their lives and to be role models to others who may not have the same view of diversity.
This competition offers students across the U.S. the opportunity to present their individual understanding and awareness of diversity and inclusion through creativity and personal stories in the form of an essay, short film or video. The first-place prize is a $500 cash award and two tickets to the ETI annual gala. Click here to apply by Thursday, Aug. 31.
SEEKING THREE HOST FAMILIES TO HOST A STUDENT FOR THREE MONTHS NEXT YEAR: Denver Rotary Club is recruiting three families to host a student during the 2017-18 school year. Families generally host for 3-4 months. The international exchange student will be 15–17 years old and will stay with the first DCIS family from the beginning of the school year through Thanksgiving, the second family from just after Thanksgiving until around March, and then the third family will host from March through the end of the school year. Students will be from South America, Europe or Asia. If interested in hosting next year, please email Scott White from Denver Rotary.
For up-to-date information on trips, scholarships and travel opportunities, as well as summer programs, be sure to check the Travel Center page on the DCIS website and the DCIS Travel Center Facebook page. Information is also posted on the Travel Center bulletin board in the hall near the main office (across from the old Travel Center) and outside the new Travel Center (room 204).
Geri Zabitz Badler Travel Center and Community Partnerships geri_badler@dpsk12.org Office Phone: 720-423-9043
Need help with French homework? Want to practice your French speaking skills, or get a multicultural perspective on the French language? My son, Arnold, is a native French speaker from Cameroon who is offering private French tutoring for French 1-4 students and French conversation practice at all levels. Arnold is an honor student at George Washington High School. $20/hour. Call or text me, Amy, at 720-338-0430.
APRIL 19: SAVE THE DATE! DCIS FOUNDATION SPRING DINNER
Join the DCIS Foundation for an evening of inspiring speakers and delicious food with a global flair. Ken Salazar, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Colorado senator and Colorado attorney general, is the keynote speaker. The event takes place Wednesday, April 19, at the Denver Athletic Club. Cocktails at 6 pm, dinner at 7 pm. Tickets are $125 — buy yours today, or sponsor a teacher if you can't make it! More info here.
Culinary Edition
Did you know...
Most wasabi consumed is not real wasabi, but colored horseradish.
Ripe cranberries will bounce like rubber balls.
A Cinnabon Classic has less sugar than a 20-oz bottle of Pepsi.
No matter what color Fruit Loop you eat, they all taste the same.
