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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.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK ...
COLLEGE TESTING DAY (PSAT/SAT): Tuesday, April 11. For 10th and 11th graders ONLY. There will be NO SCHOOL for students in grades 6–9 and 12.
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,
Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you all had a restful and happy break. We will need that rest as we head into the last two months of school, which are packed with events and activities.
Coming up in April ... On Tuesday, April 11, students in grades 10 and 11 will take college readiness tests, with 10th graders taking the PSAT and 11th graders taking the SAT. On this important day of precollegiate testing, only sophomores and juniors will come to school. No other students will come to school on April 11.
Beginning on April 13, our 6th and 7th graders will take their English and math CMAS tests. These students will test for a couple of hours in the morning on each of three days so that we can break up the testing a bit and avoid having more than 2.5 hours of testing on any one day. The three mornings of testing are April 13, 14 and 17.
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. Parents, please ensure that your children have a good night's sleep before any testing day and that they eat a full, nutritious breakfast in the morning. Students being well rested and well fed has a huge impact on their success!
On April 26, DCIS will host our New Student and Parent Orientation. All students who will be new to DCIS next year (and their parents) are invited to come learn about our awesome school culture, our core values, the DCIS diploma and portfolio requirements, as well as to complete their choice of studies for next school year.
Looking ahead to May ... AP exams begin on May 1. If your student is enrolled in an AP class, please be sure he or she has been signed up for the AP exam and paid the corresponding fee for the test. Each AP test costs $93 (or $15 for students on free/reduced lunch) and must be paid to DCIS on or before Friday, April 14. All students in AP classes were given a detailed letter regarding AP exams, so please ask your child to show you the letter if you haven't seen it yet. Or check the bottom of your student's backpack!
Senior Checkout will be on May 18 and 19, with the Senior Awards Ceremony being held the evening of May 18. Senior parents, look for an invitation in the coming weeks to this touching and meaningful ceremony.
Graduation for the class of 2017 will be held on May 25 at 6 p.m. in the June Swaner Gates Concert Hall on the DU campus. Seniors will receive detailed information via their advisement class within the next few weeks.
Continuation for our 8th grade class will be May 31 at 6 p.m. in the DCIS auditorium.
The last day of school for students in grades 8-11 will be May 31. The last day of school for our 6th and 7th grade students will be June 1 since this day is especially reserved for them for our annual DCIS Field Day. June 1 is also a finals makeup day for any students who are missing work or missed taking a final exam.
There are lots of other exciting events coming up, such as our spring Passages presentations, senior presentations, a pow-wow, the spring musical and much more. Keep reading these weekly newsletters to stay current on all the amazing things happening at DCIS.
Theresa McCorquodale DCIS Principal
RAISE YOUR HAND …
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 an 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.
PTSA FAMILY NIGHT: PIZZA AND PLANNING Join the PTSA for food and conversation as we gear up for the final push to the end of the school year and look ahead to 2017-2018. We'll talk about ideas in the works for our five teams — Communications, Cultural Enrichment, Fundraising and Events, School Beautification, Equity and Inclusion — and ask for your ideas too. The tendency this time of year is to begin winding down, but if the PTSA is to continue to grow and make a difference, we need to start now looking ahead to next year. Whether you'd like to be involved just a little or a lot, or even if you want to just meet other parents and be kept in the loop of what we're doing to help DCIS be the best it can be, please join us on Tuesday, April 11, 5:30–7:30 pm, in the DCIS cafeteria. Because there's so set agenda, you can stop by anytime to say hello, grab a slice of pizza and join the conversation. Hope to see you there!
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.
PRINTMAKING WORKSHOP The MSU Young Artist Studio Exchange is offering a printmaking workshop for students ages 11–21. The sessions will take place 3:30–5:30 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, April 4–June 1, at the studio, 965 Santa Fe Drive. Learn a variety of printmaking techniques and participate in a print exchange with other young artists. IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP! Click here for more information and to register.
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.
JUNIORS SAT testing will be at DCIS on Tuesday, April 11. Testing starts at 8 am, and students are expected to be at DCIS by 7:30 am.
SOPHOMORES PSAT 10 testing will be at DCIS on Tuesday, April 11. Testing starts at 8 am, and students are expected to be at DCIS by 7:30 am.
COLLEGE WORD OF THE WEEK Student Loans Student loans are low-interest loans available to students for educational expenses; repayment of most loans begins after completion of degree requirements or termination of attendance.
TRAVEL CENTER NEWS ...
A LAKOTA NEW YEAR'S PILGRIMAGE In mid-March, six DCIS students and their Lakota teacher, Ms. Locke, embarked on a pilgrimage to the Black Hills, a place where Lakota people have been going for thousands of years. They left right after school and arrived in Rapid City late Friday night. Saturday morning, they joined nine students from the Academy of Urban Learning as well as hundreds of other Lakotas and climbed to the top of Black Elk's Peak. Prayers and offerings were made at the summit for the new year. As they made their way home Sunday, they stopped by Mount Rushmore — which left the students feeling unimpressed after learning about the atrocities each of those presidents had committed against the First Nations Peoples — and Crazy Horse Monument, where they spent a couple of hours because they enjoyed it so much. A big thank-you to Ms. Locke for the lovely photo and giving these students an awesome opportunity to live and breathe the Lakota language.
#WhySpeakChinese Are any of your students learning Chinese? If so, they could win a free trip to China and take along a friend! They just need to let us know in a video what keeps them excited about studying the language, the people and the country, and post it on social media using the hashtag #WhySpeakChinese. The grand prize is two round-trip tickets to China. The deadline for submitting a short (90 seconds or less) video is May 31. More info here.
UP WITH PEOPLE Based in Denver, Up with People has been offering a unique gap year experience for young people ages 17–29 from around the world for more than 50 years. Up with People is a global education, service and performing arts program that takes students from around the globe on a six-month, multi-continent tour. Students from 20 countries travel to a new destination each week, live with local host families for a true cultural immersion experience, and contribute 1,000 hours of community service. In addition, the cast performs a live, high-energy show. Students also have the opportunity to earn 12-24 college credits for their time in the program. Scholarship money is available. Check out their camp program in Virginia for middle and high school kids too! For more information, email Associate Director of Recruitment Beyah Rasool.
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 STIPENDS STILL AVAILABLE!! Juniors and seniors, there's still time to apply. See your counselor for the application. Stipends are for $150 (a double stipend of $300 will be considered). Applications must be approved by a counselor. Stipends will be reimbursed after submitting a reflection of the college visit and a copy of the airline receipt to Geri Badler in the Travel Center. This opportunity will go away at the end of April. All approved stipend requests must be completed by May 5.
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.
Coffee Edition
Did you know...
Coffee was first discovered by shepherds in Ethiopia circa 800 A.D. after they noticed that their goats appeared to "dance" after eating coffee berries.
The majority (40%) of the world's coffee comes from Brazil, which produces twice as much as the second- and third-place producers, Colombia and Vietnam.
New Yorkers drink almost 7 times as much coffee as people in the rest of the U.S.
