(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.
STAFF APPRECIATION!
DCIS staff members have worked so hard this year, and they do so much every day to make our school a better place. We'd like your help in recognizing and honoring them for the big and small ways they make an impact. Please take a minute or two to fill out this form with a short testimonial or anecdote about a staff member (or two or three) who has made a difference. Students AND parents are welcome to fill out the form as many times as they'd like.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK ...
ENGLISH AND MATH CMAS TESTS: For 6th and 7th graders, beginning Thursday, April 13; continuing on Friday, April 14, and finishing Monday, April 17
DPS FAMILY LEADERSHIP TRAINING: Thursday, April 13, 9 am–12:30 pm, PPA Event Center, 2105 Decatur St., Denver (map)
MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE: Friday, April 14, 6–8 pm, DCIS cafeteria
AP PRACTICE EXAMS: World History and Statistics (also any makeup Biology and Chemistry), Saturday, April 15
DCIS FAIRMONT HEALTHFAIR: Saturday, April 15, DCIS Fairmont
DCIS FOUNDATION SPRING DINNER: Wednesday, April 19; cocktails 6 pm, dinner 7 pm; Denver Athletic Club, 1325 Glenarm Place, Denver. More info here.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS ...
CSC MEETING: Thursday, April 20, 4:30-6:30 pm, DCIS Community Room (103)
AP PRACTICE EXAMS: Language and Human Geography, Saturday, April 22
SENIOR PRESENTATIONS: Monday, April 24
8TH GRADE DRAMA FIELD TRIP: Tuesday, April 25, 9 am–noon, Denver Children's Theatre
STUDENT COUNCIL MOVIE NIGHT: "Finding Dory," Wednesday, April 26, 3:30–5:30, DCIS auditorium
NEW STUDENT/PARENT ORIENTATION NIGHT: Wednesday, April 26, 6–7 pm, DCIS auditorium
10TH GRADE FAMILIES: CANYONLANDS TRIP INFORMATION MEETING: Wednesday, April 26, 6–7 pm, MUN room
SPRING MUSICAL: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS: Thursday–Saturday, April 27-29, 6–8 pm, DCIS auditorium
PARENT-PRINCIPAL COFFEE (English): Tuesday, May 2, 8:15–9:15 am, DCIS Community Room (103)
AP ENGLISH LIT EXAM: Wednesday, May 3, 8–11:30 am
PARENT-PRINCIPAL COFFEE (Spanish): Wednesday, May 3, 8:45–9:45 am, DCIS Community Room (103)
SUPERINTENDENT-PARENT FORUM: "Closing the Opportunity Gap," Friday, May 5, 9:15–11:15 am, PPA Event Center, 2105 Decatur St., Denver (map)
DRAMA CLUB BANQUET: Friday, May 5, 6–7 pm
AP BIOLOGY EXAM: Monday, May 8, 8–11:30 am
PARENT PLANNING SOCIAL: Join the PTSA Fundraising & Events team to begin planning for the 2017-18 school year. Monday, May 8, Racines restaurant. More details to come.
AP FRENCH EXAM: Tuesday, May 9, Noon–3 pm
AP ENGLISH EXAM: Wednesday, May 10, 8–11:30 am
AP WORLD HISTORY EXAM: Thursday, May 11, 8–11:30 am
AP STATS EXAM: Thursday, May 11, Noon–3 pm
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY EXAM: Friday, May 12, 8–11:30 am
10TH GRADE TRAVEL WEEK: May 15-19. 10th graders will either be on the Stay Local trip or in Canyonlands.
SENIOR AWARDS CEREMONY: Thursday, May 18
SENIOR CHECKOUT: Thursday–Friday, May 18–19
GRADUATION: Thursday, May 25, 6–8 pm, June Swaner Gates Concert Hall at the University of Denver
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Wednesday, May 31, for students in grades 8–11; Thursday, June 1, for students in grades 6–7
DCIS FIELD DAY: For 6th and 7 graders, Thursday, June 1
LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL ...
Dear DCIS Parents,
Today your students should be coming home with the Parent Satisfaction Survey. We ask that you take a couple of minutes (it literally shouldn't take more than 3-5 minutes) to complete the survey. You can mail it back to DPS directly in the postage-paid envelope provided, or you can give it to your student, who can return the survey to their advisement teacher. Either way, we are trying to keep track as a school of who has completed the survey and who hasn't, so we also are sending home a half-sheet of paper with an option for you to say you mailed in the survey or that you gave the survey to your child to give to their adviser. Each advisement teacher then will keep track of how many surveys have been returned, and the advisement for each grade level with the most returned surveys wins a breakfast burrito party! Thank you so much for your cooperation and participation in the survey. I value your feedback and look forward to hearing what you think!
We have finalized our calendar for 2017-18. Look for the updated color-coded 2017-18 calendar on our website soon. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that we will be following the basic DPS calendar for 2017-18, with a couple of exceptions at the end of each semester. Namely, in order to give teachers time to grade semester finals and post grades before leaving for break, we will be assigning Dec. 20 as a "make-up day" for finals or for students who have missing work. Only students who have missing work or need to make up a final need to come on this day. Then Dec. 21 will be a student no-contact day so teachers have time to grade and post semester averages by 5 p.m. that day. For most students (unless they have make-up finals), the last day for the fall semester will be Dec. 19.
We will do the same thing in the spring. The last regular school day will be May 30, with May 31 designated as a make-up day for finals, as well as the Field Day for 6th- and 7th-grade students. Students in grades 8-12 will not come to school on May 31 (unless they need to make up finals), and their last day of school will be May 30.
Other than these minor changes at the end of each semester to accommodate final exams and grading time for teachers, there will be no changes to the main DPS calendar for the year, which you can view here.
We will send out the DCIS version, highlighting these minor adjustments, in the next week or so.
Please join me in wishing all our 6th and 7th graders good luck on their CMAS tests, which begin today, Thursday, April 13, and end on Monday, April 17. On each of these mornings, students will test for about two and a half hours, and then continue with a regular school day after that. We decided to break up the testing over three days so that no one day has an excessive number of testing hours. So far, this plan seems to be working great, given the feedback from our 8th and 9th graders, who completed CMAS testing before Spring Break. Best of luck to all our 6th and 7th graders!
Theresa McCorquodale DCIS Principal
CONGRATULATIONS DCIS DEBATE TEAM!
The DCIS Debate Team did very well at the Denver Urban Debate League City Championships on March 24-25. Parrish Van Ausdall and Max Fireman Schiavoni made it to the varsity finals and are going to the Urban Debate League Nationals in Chicago the weekend of April 21st. Other top finishers were:
Drama: Ennis Abel and Anika Kieler (semifinals), Bri Mortimer (2nd)
Slam Poetry: Ennis Abel (1st), Anika Kieler (2nd), Halston Seremet (3rd)
Debate Novice Breakout Speaker: Halston Seremet (1st), Jahan Anderson (2nd)
Varsity Breakout Speaker: Reyna Esquibel (2nd)
Quarterfinals: Sam Borowsky/Stella Wilson, Madison Alexander/Mei Qi Liang, Owen Schalk/Reyna Esquibel
Big Questions/Speaker: Sofia Mandujano-Morreo
RAISE YOUR HAND …
MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE - APRIL 14 - CHAPERONES & DONATIONS NEEDED! It's time for the Spring Middle School Dance sponsored by the DCIS Student Council. The dance is on Friday, April 14, 6-8 pm. Please consider helping by being a chaperone or donating snacks or water. Sign up here.
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK - MAY 1-5 - GIFT CARDS NEEDED! Our tradition at DCIS is to provide gift cards to the DCIS staff as a way of showing our thanks. Please drop off gift cards ($5 or $10 cards are best) in the front office by Wednesday, April 26. Stay tuned also for a staff appreciation breakfast in the works.
EXTRACURRICULARS …
COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY Do you need community service hours? Our nonprofit needs you! Represent Adolesco Youth Exchange at community events. Work when you want; training provided. All ages welcome. REGISTER NOW FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR. Please email Marie for details and visit our website for more info about our program of family-to-family language immersion and cultural exchanges for kids between 9 and 18 to France, Germany and Spain.
SPECIAL EVENTS OPPORTUNITY In the wake of the Trump administration's actions on immigration, Curious Theatre Company has produced its boldest play yet, BUILDING THE WALL, by Robert Schenkkan (All the Way, The Kentucky Cycle), a terrifyingly timely, gripping exploration of what happens when we let fear win. The show runs April 4–19. Each performance of this roughly one-hour play will be followed by a talk-back, allowing the audience to discuss how this work can serve as a catalyst for change and action in our community. Many of the talk-backs will include special guests from Denver's activist, immigration rights and social justice communities. For more information or to buy tickets, click here.
COUNSELORS' CORNER ...
ALL STUDENTS The Denver Public Schools Regional Summer School program will take place June 12–July 21 at the following five sites:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College
Thomas Jefferson High School
West Leadership Academy
Bruce Randolph High School
North High School
Classes will be Monday–Friday, 8 am–noon. If you have questions about summer school eligibility, please contact your student's school counselor:
For students who are interested in such supports, breakfast will be served at each site 7:30–7:50 am, and lunch will be served noon–12:30 pm.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) TESTING For this 2016-17 school year, AP exam costs are as follows:
If you are on free/reduced lunch: $15 (You do not automatically qualify for this. You must submit an application through Nutrition Services in order to qualify.)
If you are not on free/reduced lunch: $93
If a student decides not to test, a $15 fee will be added to their student account. College Board charges this fee for each returned exam.
You may submit payments to Dayana Quintana in the main office ONLY before school, during lunch or after school.
AP PRACTICE EXAMS All students taking an AP exam are required to take an AP practice exam on the Saturday indicated below. If there is a conflict, please contact Ms. Kim Rodriguez by stopping into room 109 or calling 720-423-9009.
April 15: World History and Statistics (also any makeup Biology and Chemistry)
April 22: Language and Human Geography
April 29: Spanish
COLLEGE WORD OF THE WEEK Syllabus: A description of a course that also lists the dates of major exams, assignments and projects.
TRAVEL CENTER NEWS ...
HOST A ROTARY EXCHANGE STUDENT NEXT YEAR Rotary is still in need of three host families to host a boy from Brazil for a three-month period during the 2017-2018 school year. This is a great way to have a deep cultural experience with no passport needed. If interested please email Scott White for more information.
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES SCHOOLS NETWORK (ISSN) GRANTS/OPPORTUNITIES
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes: This prize honors young people ages 8–18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Each year, the top entries each receive $5,000 to support their service work or higher education. Application deadline: April 15, 2017
Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge: Students create a 1– to 2–minute video in which they identify an everyday problem that directly impacts them, their family, their community or the global population. Deadline: April 19, 2017
iWitness Video Challenge: This challenge asks middle and high school students to use their innovation and creativity to create positive value in their communities by doing something ordinary (or extraordinary), and then asks them to create a video telling the story. Deadline: April 28, 2017
Awesome Foundation Grants: The Awesome Foundation is a global community forwarding the interest of awesome in the universe, $1,000 at a time. More info here.
OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGE TRAVEL STIPEND REIMBURSEMENTS Seniors who have been approved for an out-of-state college travel stipend must complete and return Part 2 of the application (the reflection of your visit) with a copy of an airline receipt or boarding pass to Geri Badler in the Travel Center before May 3 in order to be reimbursed. Please bring these to the Travel Center or leave in Ms. Badler's mailbox ASAP. Any questions, please stop by the Travel Center.
Geri Zabitz Badler Travel Center and Community Partnerships geri_badler@dpsk12.org Office Phone: 720-423-9043
The annual DCIS at Fairmont Health Fair takes place Saturday, April 15, 9 am–noon. It is an AMAZING event that promotes healthy lifestyles in our community and features everything from a yoga instructor/class to mindfulness practices to health services (mammography truck, etc). DCIS Fairmont 5th graders also each do a project for the health fair and present them to their community. Free breakfast, and raffle prizes throughout the morning.
YEARBOOKS
Attention DCIS parents and students! Get your yearbook before it's too late!
Yearbooks will be here in just over a month, and we have a limited number still available for pre-order. Don't miss out on this chance to take home all the incredible memories from this year at DCIS! Yearbooks are just $50 and can be purchased in room 216A or by emailing abby_hoffman@dpsk12.org. Once they're gone, they're gone, so don't wait ... order your yearbook today!
Human Body Edition
Did you know...
Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour.
The brain is much more active at night than during the day.
Women's hair is about half the diameter of men's hair. And human hair is virtually indestructible.
The human body is estimated to have 60,000 miles of blood vessels.
