DCIS Connect Newsletter (Aug 23-29, 2018)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students August 23-29, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... Taco Night/Silent Auction: Friday, Aug. 24, 3-7 pm, DCIS (see below for info) 10th Grade Canyonlands Meeting: Friday, Aug. 24, 6 pm, DCIS Auditorium Drama Club Meeting: Wednesday, Aug. 29, at lunch, Auditorium; all interested students are welcome MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... DCIS Drama Fall Play Director App Deadline: Wednesday, Sept. 5  DCIS Drama Fall Play Auditions: Monday–Tuesday, Sept. 10–11, after school by signup outside Auditorium  PTSA Board Meeting: Sunday, Sept. 9, 9–11 am, Einstein's at 6th and Broadway; all are welcome Back to School Night: Wednesday, Sept. 12, 6–7:30 pm, DCIS Auditorium and classrooms DCIS Drama Fall Play Tech Apps Due: Thursday, Sept. 13  DCIS Travel Fair: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 12:30–7:00 pm, DCIS Gym (see below) PTSA Meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 6 pm, DCIS Cafeteria FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Parents, We are off to a great start with the first week of school. We are getting into the groove of school routines and policies, and students have done an excellent job all week of following the rules. Students have been extremely respectful of our school, and are taking our school culture and policies very seriously. They are a joy to be around. We miss them during the summer! Thank you for supporting your child with the first-eek jitters and for getting your children to school on time. School begins at 7:50. Please make sure your child arrives no later than 7:45. Doors to the school open at 7 am. There have been some questions about the school calendar this year. Please note that DCIS is following the DPS calendar, which you can find here, with one small change: DPS indicates the last day of school is a half day on June 1. Our last day of school will be May 30 for all grades except 6th and 7th, and May 31 for 6th and 7th graders, which will be a field day. The 31st will also be a makeup day for high school final exams. Check this newsletter each week or the calendar on our website for weekly updates specific to our school.   We hope to see as many families as possible this Friday night for Taco Night! This is a fun evening you won't want to miss. Come early, come late, leave early, leave late ... just make it a priority to stop by any way you can! Last year we had over 200 parents, and this year we are hoping for even more. Come grab a taco or two, meet fellow DCIS families and staff, peruse our silent auction items, play some games. Feel free to enter your favorite chili in our chili cook-off or your favorite dessert in our dessert contest—or both! See you on Friday.   Theresa McCorquodale RSVP For all the cooks in the crowd, don't miss this opportunity to enter our best chili and best dessert competitions. Last year we had 15+ chili entries and more than 20 desserts, all of which made for great food and great fun. We've simplified the judging process this year, and we'll have gift cards for the winner in each category.  SILENT AUCTION In conjunction with Taco Night this Friday, Aug. 24, the DCIS PTSA will have an internationally focused silent auction with a number of items to bid on, including gift baskets from around the world (with local restaurant gift certificates) along with global art, jewelry and other decorative objects. Like things from a little closer to home? There are movie passes, more restaurant gift certificates and even a two-night stay and spa package in Estes Park, valued at almost $1,200! So please come ready to shop to support classroom enrichment grants and other PTSA initiatives for DCIS. If you would like to volunteer to help with the auction, please use the Taco Night RSVP and include your information on the last line letting us know that you can help. DCIS Connect App Gets a Face-Lift   The DCIS Connect app not only has a new look, but it can do a whole lot more. The upgrades are so significant, in fact, that you have to download a whole new app. That's right ... go ahead and delete your old one (if you have it), and follow these easy instructions to get the new one. Not only will you receive push notifications with the new app, but you'll be able to communicate directly with staff members. And if your native language is one other than English, no problem! You'll set up the app in your preferred language. All communications from others will appear in that language, and when you write communications in your native language, they'll be translated into English or the preferred language of the recipient! These messaging capabilities will be available as part of the groups function, which is being rolled out in the next few weeks. We'll provide more detailed guidance on how to use those features once they become available. In the meantime, take some time to familiarize yourself with the app. Check out the calendar, the newsletter and the various resources. And please understand it's a work in progress, both with respect to the content you can access through the app and its capabilities. If you have trouble downloading the app or have any questions about it, reach out to the Flyer Support team at support@flyerconnect.org. TRANSPORTATION ... WHERE CAN I DROP OFF/PICK UP MY STUDENT FOR SCHOOL? Please only pick up and drop off your students on Delaware and Fox Streets past the parking lot driveways. We also request that students only exit the vehicle curbside and on the school side of the street, meaning that if you are driving north, you'll drop off your student on Fox Street between 5th and 6th; if you are driving south, you'll drop off your student on Delaware Street between 5th and 6th. Click here for a map. Please do not drop your students off in the DCIS parking lots on either the south or east sides of the school, nor on 6th Avenue. This is a safety hazard, and our DCIS community strives to keep our students, staff and parents safe! Please feel free to contact the main office if you need any clarification or if you have any other questions or concerns, and we thank you in advance for following our safety protocol. IS YOUR STUDENT TAKING THE BUS? For information on yellow school bus transportation, check out the DPS Transportation website.   Calling all makers: The Young Artist Studio opens Tuesday, Sept. 4! Center for Visual Art 965 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204 Register for YAS!   There is still space for students ages 11+ to join our free, after-school workshops at CVA. Students will explore new media throughout the year, and families will have the opportunity to learn more about the exhibitions on view at CVA.   Tuesdays and Thursdays | 3:30–5:30 pm   Electronic Fiber Arts: Sept. 3–Oct. 18 Mixed Media Sculpture: Oct. 23–Dec. 20 Photo Montage: Jan. 8-March 21 3rd Annual Printmaking Exchange: April 2-May 23   Drop-ins welcome, but it's always best to register online (use the link above).  CANYONLANDS T-SHIRTS Canyonlands T-shirts are here! Please help us send ALL our 10th-grade students to Canyonlands, Utah, for a school trip scheduled for April 22–26, 2019. These one-of-a-kind T-shirts, designed by DCIS student Trong Pham, can be worn by ANYONE (not just Canyonland students) and cost $20 each. BUY YOUR TEACHER A T-SHIRT! Please contact dcisptsapresident@gmail.com to buy the teacher of your choice a Canyonlands T-shirt. We are happy to deliver them one in just the right size! Reminder: Join Mr. Saller and Ms. Sandlin tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 24, 6 pm in the Auditorium, for an update about the 10th Grade Travel Week to Canyonlands. They will have important information about FUNDRAISING and payment options. We will also be looking for volunteers for the "Dads and Their Brats" Canyonlands BBQ Fundraiser on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 4–7 pm, at the DCIS TRAVEL FAIR. (Photo: Ms. Hoffman and Mr. San Andres with their beautiful Canyonlands T-shirts!) TRAVEL FAIR  The second annual DCIS Travel Fair will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 12:30-7:00 pm. The fair is free and open to the public, so please help us spread the word about this showcase of opportunities, including gap year, travel, study abroad, cultural exchange, language immersion and service opportunities. The DCIS Foundation will have a scholarship workshop set up in the Community Room (103) from 5 to 7 pm for DCIS students. If you know of any vendors — particularly those that offer great service opportunities for students — please email the organizers with their contact information. SPORTS ... Some important dates and information for boys soccer this fall: Tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 24, is the last day of the three-day soccer camp this week, after which we'll decide on final player placement. On Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25-26, coaching staff will make phone calls to players to inform them of their placement. We will NOT make cuts. Every middle school boy who comes out will be placed either on an A team or a B team. Both teams will play matches against other schools. The training/practice schedule will be finalized after player placement. We will train twice per week. Players can sign up for camp by emailing me or completing the tryouts form found here. Every player must have a physical on file with coaching staff by the first game on Thursday, Sept. 6. The full league and game schedule can be found here and is subject to change. There is a $25 participation fee. We will have a full coaching staff, including Coach Munoz (USSF National D coaching license), Coach Huntzinger and Coach Grossman (collegiate ex-player and coach), who are dedicated to ensuring players have fun, grow in the game and play soccer for life. Please reach out to Mr. Munoz with any questions: Gmunoz2@dpsk12.net Keep an eye out here for more information regarding cross-country, which starts soon, as well as girls' volleyball and boys' flag football, which start later in the fall.   PTSA ... The DCIS PTSA welcomes all members of the DCIS community at its board meeting on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 9 am at the Einstein's at 6th and Broadway.  We had a lot of fun and got a lot of work done at our last meeting ... come join us! 2018-19 PTSA Board:  President: Marie Meyer (second from left) Vice President: Karen Herbert (far right) Treasurer: Andrew Watson (far left) Secretary: Lucy Rosas (third from left) More Information   CONNECT ... DCIS Website DCIS Facebook Page DCIS Parents Group (closed, non-school-sanctioned) on Facebook DCIS Drama Club Facebook  DCIS Travel Center Facebook DCIS Foundation Facebook   DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Please send questions or comments to dcis.connect@gmail.com.  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 below. 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 noon on the Tuesday preceding the issue date. Email submissions to dcis.connect@gmail.com.  Copyright © 2018 DCIS Connect Newsletter, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email newsletter because you are a member of the DCIS community. If you do not wish to receive the newsletter, please click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Our mailing address is: DCIS Connect Newsletter 574 W. 6th Ave. Denver, CO 80204 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list