(Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.)
(We're having some technical difficulties with posting the newsletter on the website. We'll post this most recent issue as soon as we're able. Thank you for your patience.)
(Estamos teniendo algunas dificultades técnicas con publicar el boletín en la página web. Publicaremos esta edición más reciente tan pronto como podemos. Gracias por su paciencia.)
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.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK ...
MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL vs. Hill, Friday, Jan. 13, 4 pm (girls), 5 pm (boys), at DCIS
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY: Monday, Jan. 16, NO SCHOOL
6th GRADERS GO TO INTERNATIONAL TOWNE, Monday, Jan. 23 (all day)
PASSAGES DAY, Monday, Jan. 23
DRAMA CLUB LONDON TRIP FUNDRAISER: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 4-8 pm, Pizzeria Locale, 550 Broadway, Denver
MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL at Grant Ranch, Friday, Jan. 27, 4 pm (girls), 5 pm (boys)
DCIS AND DENVER EAST MUN CONFERENCE: Saturday, Jan. 28 (all day)
SPEECH AND DEBATE TOURNAMENT: Saturday, Jan. 28 (all day)
MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL vs. Grant, Monday, Jan. 30, 4 pm (girls), 5 pm (boys), at DCIS
MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL vs. Henry, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 4 pm (girls), 5 pm (boys), at DCIS
NAEP TESTING: 8th graders, Monday, Feb. 6 (see below for more information)
MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL vs. Kepner, Monday, Feb. 6, 4 pm (girls), 5 pm (boys), at DCIS
DCIS TOWN HALL MEETING: The Rising Phoenix
On Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, DCIS will host a Town Hall meeting in the school cafeteria to bring our DCIS community together to share and strengthen our school culture. The evening will provide an opportunity to "look back" on our DCIS history including the past few years of transition, a chance to examine today's culture and share efforts already underway to address concerns, and finally, to solicit our whole community's involvement in DCIS's positive future. We are the "Rising Phoenix"! For those who can't attend, the school will be sending out a questionnaire in order to gather your input and will share ideas generated at the meeting via email. Stay tuned!
LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL ...
Dear DCIS Parents,
Happy New Year! Hope you all enjoyed a happy, healthy and restful break. The students seem to have come back refreshed and ready to learn, so we are looking forward to a positive and productive spring semester at DCIS.
With the new semester have come some changes to DCIS. Following is a summary of some staffing changes in our school with the start of the spring semester.
Marlene Garcia, one of our secretaries in the front office, resigned her position at DCIS in order to focus more on her family and her business. We wish her luck! In her place we have a new secretary, Abigail Rodriquez. She comes to us with experience working in schools, with students and in an office. We are delighted to have her. The next time you are in the main office, please take a moment to say hello and welcome her.
Sarah Lebovic, our 8th grade English teacher, is out this semester on maternity leave. We are very happy for her, but of course we miss her. We have had the extreme good fortune to hire Alyx Vanness, who was Ms. Lebovic's student teacher all last semester, as Ms. Lebovic's replacement this semester. Ms. Vanness has the wonderful advantage of already knowing all the students and being familiar with the content, curriculum and classroom procedures.
Katie Rockwell, our 7th grade English teacher, resigned at the end of the fall semester. In her place we are fortunate to have hired Kristen Miller for this semester, who served as Gerardo Munoz's student teacher last semester. Ms. Miller was an outstanding student teacher, not only for Mr. Munoz in the fall, but also for Ms. Burns last spring semester, so she has specific experience with 7th grade, and she knows many of the students. We are very excited to have her join our DCIS team this semester. Already this week, several 7th graders have let me know they really like their new English teacher. High praise indeed after only a few days!
Come hear about the changes as well as all the other things going on at DCIS at one of our Parent-Principal Coffees next week. We will meet next Tuesday, Jan. 17 (English), and next Wednesday, Jan. 18 (Spanish), 8:15–9:15 am, in the Community Room. I would love to see you there.
Theresa McCorquodale DCIS Principal
The PTSA would like to give a huge shout-out to Edmond Horsey, 7th grade parent, who served as the heart and soul of last semester's successful coffee fundraiser. Thank you, Edmond, for your countless hours of organizing and facilitating all the moving parts of this inaugural PTSA schoolwide fundraiser.
And another big shout-out to Craig and Lisa Conner, owners of Pablo's Coffee, without whom the fundraiser wouldn't have been possible. THANK YOU!!
COUNSELORS' CORNER ...
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
College application deadlines are coming up quickly. Students, be sure to give recommenders and counselors a minimum of two weeks to prepare and send recommendations and transcripts.
Currently, 75% of the senior class has applied to college or a university. Let's keep those numbers growing.
FAFSA should be all done! If you haven't yet filed one, please see your school counselor for support.
SPRING SCHEDULE CHANGES (high school students) Students who have scheduling issues for spring semester must request any schedule changes before or after school or during lunch within the first two weeks of the spring semester.
COLLEGE WORD OF THE WEEK Adviser: School official, usually assigned by your college or university, who can help choose your classes and make sure you are taking the right courses to graduate.
**8th GRADE FAMILIES** DCIS has been selected to give the NAEP test to all 8th grade students. This is a national test that does not count for or against our students or our school. Each student will take one 90-minute exam in one subject on Monday, Feb. 6. See attached (EnglishEspanol) for more information, and please reach out to school administrator Melanie Schultz via email with questions or concerns.
DREAM BIG!
DREAMers, check out this incredible opportunity!
WHO ARE DREAMers? DREAMers are students who were brought to the country at an early age without documentation but have assimilated to U.S. culture and have been educated by U.S. school systems. As a result, these individuals are ineligible for federal or state financial aid. The only way these students can afford college is through opportunities such as TheDream.US.
TheDream.US provides scholarships of up to $25,000 to DREAMers to help cover the cost of tuition and fees, books, supplies and transportation for a two-year or four-year degree at partner colleges. Metropolitan State University of Denver is one of those colleges, which means DREAMers can attend the university using TheDream.US scholarship funds.
The application is open only to first-time college students or community college graduates and is due March 8. Metro State will be holding information and application support days throughout the next few weeks. For more information and an application, please visit TheDream.US website.
TRAVEL CENTER NEWS ...
DCIS FOUNDATION TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS: Applications for second-semester travel scholarships will be available at lunchtime meetings on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and Friday, Jan. 20. Students MUST attend one of these meetings to get an application and be eligible for a DCIS Foundation Travel Scholarship. Scholarships are available to high school students who have not previously received a DCISF Travel Scholarship. Middle school students going on a DCIS school-sponsored trip can apply as a group.
AMERICANS PROMOTING STUDYING ABROAD (APSA) is back after a three-year hiatus and offering a four-week summer China experience in Beijing, with scholarship money available! Applications are available online and are due Jan. 31.
SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS FOR GIRLS:Inspiring Girls Expeditions is accepting applications through Jan. 31 for free summer science and wilderness expeditions in Alaska and Washington for girls ages 16 and 17. Three teams of up to nine girls and three instructors will spend 12 days exploring and learning about mountain glaciers or fjords with tidewater glaciers. They'll conduct scientific field studies with professional glaciologists, oceanographers, artists and mountaineers. The three Inspiring Girls trips of 2017 are Girls on Ice Alaska (not available to students outside the specified region), Girls on Ice Cascades and Girls in Icy Fjords. They are operated through the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Natural Science and Mathematics and the International Arctic Research Center.
Here are details for the expeditions available to DCIS students:
Girls on Ice Cascades (July 16–27): Girls explore Mount Baker, an ice-covered volcano in Washington.
Girls in Icy Fjords (Aug. 11–22): Girls explore Bear Glacier and its marine environment near Seward, Alaska, while learning to kayak.
GIRLS STEAM CAMP IN MALAWI: Join other girls from around the world for a unique educational opportunity and rich cross-cultural experience at the 2017 WiSci Girls STEAM Camp held in Malawi July 30–Aug. 15. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Design, and Mathematics. The camp will include a STEAM curriculum led by experts in their fields, as well as leadership development activities and learning excursions within Malawi.
Applicants must be citizens and residents of Malawi, Liberia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia or the United States, self-identify as female and be between the ages of 15 and 18 to apply. Applicants must (1) have the express permission of a parent or guardian to apply, (2) have at least one year of secondary school left to complete, and (3) commit to attend the full duration of camp. Applicants should also have regular access (at least once per week) to the internet at home, school or another location.
The application is due by Monday, Feb. 13. Please be sure to read the WiSci FAQs to ensure you are eligible and able to participate in the full camp before you apply. If you have any additional questions about the camp or application process, please email the organization here.
SUMMER LEADERSHIP PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPS:The Experiment Leadership Institute is offering fully funded scholarships to high school students for two summer-abroad programs:
South Africa: Youth Leadership in Peace, Politics and Human Rights
Both programs run July 3-Aug. 11. Applications for the programs and for need-based financial aid are due Feb. 15. Applicants are accepted and aid awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early!
DIGITAL EXCHANGE WITH IRAQ: No passport needed. No cost. Just an opportunity to connect with peers in Iraq! Applications are due before March 1. The program is open to 9th through 11th grade students ages 15-18. The virtual exchange program will take place June–August. For more information and to apply, visit the DYLEP website.
For up-to-date information on trips, scholarships and travel opportunities, 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
The Center for Visual Arts presents PRESENCE Reflections on the Middle East Feb. 3 – April 8
This exhibition of photo-based works reflects the tension inherent in the presence, or absence, of people in a place, whether in their native land or abroad. More information here.
The Center for Visual Art also hosts the Young Artist Studio, a free after-school activated space just for young artists. Located in the Art District on Santa Fe, this off-campus Metropolitan State University of Denver gallery offers access to contemporary art, high-quality materials and instruction. Participants in the YAS:
Connect with young creatives.
Make work in a variety of media.
Discover inspiration in a contemporary art gallery.
Learn new techniques from university students and professionals.
Additional information and registration Studio is open: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4-5:30 pm Center for Visual Art | 965 Santa Fe Dr. | Denver, CO 80204 | 303-294-5207
PHOENIX FUN ...
For Phoenix Fun this semester, we are changing from a quiz-based section to a "Did You Know?" format. We'd like to share fun factoids about the cultures of our world as well as previously unknown tidbits about some DCIS staff, parents and students.
"Did You Know?": Europe Edition
Did you know ...
that in Albania and Bulgaria, shaking your head means yes and nodding your head means no.
there are 450 types of cheese in the world, and 250 come from France.
the potato was unknown in Europe until the 17th century, when it was introduced by returning Spanish conquistadors.
The PTSA would like to give a huge shout-out to Edmond Horsey, 7th grade parent, who served as the heart and soul of last semester's successful coffee fundraiser. Thank you, Edmond, for your countless hours of organizing and facilitating all the moving parts of this inaugural PTSA schoolwide fundraiser. 
