(Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.)
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 ...
DRAMA CLUB ONE-ACT PERFORMANCES: Fri.-Sat., Feb. 10-11, 6 pm, at DCIS (see below)
HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA CLASS FIELD TRIP, Wednesday, Feb. 15
MARK YOUR CALENDARS ...
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES, Thursday, Feb. 16, 3:30–7 pm. Parents should contact their student's teachers to schedule conferences.
PRESIDENTS' DAY — NO SCHOOL, Monday, Feb. 20
SPRING MUSICAL AUDITIONS, Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 21–22, 3–4:30 pm, Auditorium; call-backs on Thursday, Feb. 23
MUN FOSSIL RIDGE CRISIS COUNCILS CONFERENCE, Saturday, Feb. 25, 7:45 am, Fossil Ridge High School, 5400 Ziegler Rd., Fort Collins (map)
SPEECH AND DEBATE TOURNAMENT, Saturday, Feb. 25, Mapleton
PARENT-PRINCIPAL COFFEE: Tuesday, March 7 (English), and Wednesday, March 8 (Spanish), 8:15–9:15 am, DCIS Community Room (103)
DPS FAMILY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, Thursday, March 9, 9 am–12:30 pm, PPA Event Center, 2105 Decatur St., Denver (map)
ADOLESCO YOUTH EXCHANGE MEETING: Saturday, March 11, 2–4 pm, Sam Gary Library (Stapleton), 2961 Roslyn St., Denver. RSVP here. Click here for more info about these family-to-family immersive exchanges for students 9–18 in France, Germany and Spain.
LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL ...
Dear DCIS Parents,
Thanks to all of you who were able to attend our Town Hall meeting last night, Wednesday, Feb. 8. We had some great discussions that generated new ideas and renewed energy around our school mission and culture. Very exciting! Look for a summary of parent, student and staff input in the weeks to come.
Parent conferences will be held next Thursday, Feb. 16, from 3:30 to 7 pm. Parents are encouraged to contact the teachers they would like to meet with via email in order to set up a time. Time slots are filling up fast, so if you would like to meet with a particular teacher or teachers, be sure to send them an email to reserve the time slot you want.
Another upcoming date to remember is the student and staff holiday on Presidents' Day, Monday, Feb. 20. Have a great week! Theresa McCorquodale DCIS Principal
RAISE YOUR HAND ...
HELP TRANSFORM OUR SCHOOL!
The DCIS Beautification Committee is ready to begin implementing its plan to transform the school into a much more appealing and dynamic environment, and they would love your help! They need as many volunteers as possible to accomplish what they want to do by year's end. With enough resources who are willing to put in some time together going forward, DCIS will look like a very different and much improved school by this May!
First, here is link to a Google spreadsheet with specifics of the plan (click on the link in the green box once you open the Plan document to see the slideshow), a timeline, and a request for materials and labor: DCIS Beautification Plan A link has also been set up under the Parents/PTSA tab on the DCIS website. Please look over the spreadsheet and see what might be of interest to you in helping out. Any help is appreciated, whether it's a donation, a task you can do from home on your own time, or your presence at the school for much needed labor. There is a place to add your contact information for a specific task on the spreadsheet.
Second, an integral part of this beautification project is displaying photos throughout the school of DCIS and its students, DCIS student and staff travels (local and abroad), and general scenic photos of different regions of the world. If you have any photos you'd like to submit, please email them to BeautifyDCIS@gmail.com. Because most of these photos will need to be enlarged for hallway displays, please send photos with sufficient resolution, and please include a short description or label of the photo (for example, "Photo of DCIS Trip to Costa Rica" or "Great Wall, China" or the names and grade levels of the students in the pictures, where appropriate).
Your help is essential to making this project a success! If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to contact either Laurie Harris at harrislaurel@yahoo.com or Karen Mortimer at gkmortimer@gmail.com. Thanks so much!
On Saturday, the show will be followed by an awesome party and fundraiser at Gastronaut's at Gravity Brewing in Louisville, and 20% of sales will benefit Drama Club! Check out the club's web page for more.
COUNSELORS' CORNER ...
ARTS INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR JUNIORS On Friday, Feb. 10, a speaker will speak to juniors about internship opportunities in the arts. A DCIS senior currently has a fantastic internship with Curious Theatre, and other opportunities are available in music, dance, photography, visual arts and graphic design. The presentation will be in the MUN room during Advisement for whichever half juniors are not in the all-school meeting.
CHOICE OF STUDY FOR NEXT YEAR Registration for next year's courses will begin this month. Students in grades 9-11 will be bringing home a registration form with the available course offerings. Students are encouraged to speak to their parents about courses and choice of study. More information will be provided in the coming weeks.
SPECIAL EVENT OPPORTUNITIES ...
PRESENCE: REFLECTIONS ON THE MIDDLE EAST (through April 8) This exhibition of more than 60 photo-based works by 12 artists living in the U.S. and abroad reflects the tension inherent in the presence, or absence, of people in a place, whether in their native land or abroad. The artists, all who are affected by the Middle East diaspora of the past 20 years, explore what it means to leave something, and in some cases, someone, behind, whether by choice or by force, and how cultural heritage and the past are interwoven with the present. FREE. Center for Visual Art (CVA), 965 Santa Fe Drive, Denver 80204. More info here.
RESOUND: REVERBERATION BETWEEN ARTIST AND PLACE(through April 8) 965 Gallery, a student-run gallery within the CVA, will feature a photography exhibition — concurrent with PRESENCE — of four artists exploring natural environments and their relation to them. FREE. More info here.
COLORADO ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL Film has the power to awaken us to the world around us, educate us on important issues and inspire us to act. This year's festival features 48 films from around the world — from Fairview High School in Boulder to the Zanskar Valley of northwest India, from Joshua Tree National Park to British Columbia. These films tell the story of the Flint, Michigan water crisis and allow viewers to compare and contrast that to development of the third-largest hydroelectric dam on the Amazon River in Brazil. FREE. Thursday–Saturday, Feb. 23–25, American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., Golden. Student filmmakers can also submit work for next year's festival. More info here.
EXTRACURRICULARS ...
YOUNG ARTIST STUDIO Feb 7–March 23, 4-5:30 pm (open studio 3:30-4) This free after-school workshop allows youths 11–21 to experiment with manipulating photography. Learn more here.
IMMIGRATION LAWYER CONSULTATION
Every Wednesday, 6:30–7:30 pm Denver Public Library, Schlessman Family Branch 100 Poplar St., Denver, Meeting Room 1
Get your questions about immigration and citizenship answered by an attorney who specializes in immigration and citizenship law. FREE.
TRAVEL CENTER NEWS ...
NOTE:The Travel Center will be closed on Friday, Feb 10.
SERVICE LEARNING IN MONTANA DCIS Montbello is heading to Montana this summer for a service learning trip in the wilds, and DCIS Baker high school students are invited! Ms. Torres will be taking 10 students total. More info and signup here.
FINANCIAL AID FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS VISITING OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGES THIS SPRING We still have a number of out-of-state college travel stipends available. The stipends are for $150 to go toward plane fare. Stipends are a reimbursement after travel, upon submission of an airline receipt and a written reflection of the experience. Please apply with your counselor. Double stipends ($300) will be considered but must be approved. Stipends are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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
Two of the world's largest tectonic plates are in North America. They collide frequently along California and Alaska, which usually causes violent earthquakes in the area.
Gerard Mercator, a geographer, was the first documented mapmaker who chose to name both the north and south parts of the American landmass as "America" in 1539.
Dolphins in North America (particularly those living off the Mid-Atlantic coast) exhibit a certain behavior that can't be seen anywhere else in the world: They operate as a single unit to drive fish to land in order to catch them for food.
More than 400 tornadoes rip through the prairies in North America every year.
RAISE YOUR HAND ...
