(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 ...
DCIS Foundation Scholarship Meeting: Thursday, Sept. 14, 12:30-1:20 pm, MUN Room
Boys Soccer Game: Monday, Sept. 25, 4-5:30 pm, Kunsmiller
Picture Day: Monday, Sept. 25-Tuesday, September 26
Cross Country Meet: Tuesday, Sept. 26, 4-5:30 pm, Bible Park
Cross Country Meet: Tuesday, Sept. 26, 4-5:30 pm, Bible Park
Open House for Prospective Students: Wednesday, Sept. 27, 7:50– 9 am
PTSA Fundraising and Events Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 3, 6 pm
Parent Social — Santa Fe Art Walk: Friday, Oct. 6, 6-8 pm, meet at Alliance Française de Denver, 571 Galapago St., Denver
DCIS Homecoming: Saturday, Oct. 7, 7–10 pm. Details to come.
PTSA Fall Bulb Sale: Monday, Oct. 9, Fall Bulb Sale Orders Due
PTSA Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 10, 5:30-7 pm, Linwood Washington, Dean of Culture, will present on the new culture at the school: "The DCIS Way", DCIS Cafeteria
FALL BULB SALE
This Thursday, at Back to School Night, the PTSA will be kicking off our fall fundraising campaign, a bulb sale! We have a great web site set up for online orders and hard copy order forms will be available Thursday or at the school office.
Parents, friends and family can buy bulbs for beautifying their own gardens, but they can also buy bulbs for beautifying our school. For orders placed for the school, the shipping address is Dayana Quintana, DCIS PTSA, 574 W. Sixth Avenue, Denver, CO 80204 and your order will also be eligible for a tax-deduction.
50% of the proceeds from all bulb sales will go to the PTSA. Our campaign goal is to raise $1200, but the more we raise, the more we can do for our kids! Our campaign will run through October 9th.
Please visit our website, order some bulbs for your garden and the school, and post our campaign to your social media accounts! Thank you DCIS families!
LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL ...
Dear DCIS Families,
We are so excited about Back to School Night and our new format! We will begin in the auditorium at 6:00 p.m., then move to advisement classrooms for 25 minutes for some general information specific to each grade level. Then for the last part of the evening, we will have an "Open House" format where parents can go and meet any/all of their child's teachers. The idea is for parents to be able to meet and greet their child's teacher, put a face to a name, check out the classrooms, etc. There will not be time for individual parent conferences, but there will be time to say hello and have teachers and parents meet each other. We will be hosting parent/teacher conferences in October. Look for details soon.
As a reminder to all families who may qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch, please complete the application form here.
There are many benefits to families and students who qualify for this benefit. Here are a few of the benefits:
A reduced price or a free lunch
AP Exams (for high school) at the reduced cost of $15 instead of the full cost of almost $100
Application fees waived for almost all colleges and universities—normally it costs between $50-$100 just to be able to apply to a college
The school receives an additional $500 per student who qualifies, which we use to provide additional services to lower income students
Reduced prices for student travel trips
Much more!
Looking forward to seeing you all at Back to School Night!
Sincerely, Theresa McCorquodale
YEARBOOKS Pre-order your yearbook and save!
Yearbooks are available for just $40, but prices go up in December, so get yours now! You can purchase a yearbook online by clicking here, contact Mrs. Hoffman at abby_hoffman@dpsk12.org, or visit room 216A anytime. We accept cash/check in person, or credit cards online.
All senior section materials (senior picture, senior quote, and a baby picture) are due by 3 p.m. on December 8. Please email your items (JPEG or PDF files) to dcisphoenixyearbook@gmail.com
RAISE YOUR HAND ...
PLEASE VOTE FOR COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL COMMITTEE PARENT MEMBER REPRESENTATIVES Voting is now open for Collaborative School Committee Parent Representatives. Voting will be online and will close Monday, September 18, at 4:00 pm. You can access ballots in English or Español.
There are three candidates nominated for two Parent Representative positions. The CSC includes parent, staff, and student representatives who work on the school improvement plan, evaluate school data, provide strategic direction for DCIS, and provide guidance on and evaluation of the school budget. Please make your voice heard for DCIS and vote!
PTSA BOARD ELECTIONS The PTSA became aware of an oversight in our Board elections last spring. We are holding elections again this fall to ensure that everyone interested has the opportunity to throw their hat in the ring to be nominated for election to our Board.
Elected Board positions are: President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.
State PTA requires that all elected Board members be 18 years of age or older.
The existing PTSA Board (Karen Mortimer, President, Terri Porter, Vice-President, Edmond Horsey, Treasurer, and DawnMarie Gallardo, Secretary) has elected a Nominating Committee of Tanya Tribelhorn, Karen Herbert and Vivian Masket.
Nominees need to be PTSA members (having paid the membership dues - $10 adults, $7 students). This can be completed by taking a check made out to the DCIS PTSA to the school office or dues can also be paid online via this link (put your name and "membership" in the Instructions to Seller box).
Nominations may be submitted via email to tribelhorns@comcast.net through September 29, 2017
After receiving all nominations, the Nominating Committee will select and nominate one eligible person per office and present their slate of four candidates at the October 10th PTSA meeting.
At the next PTSA meeting, Tuesday, November 14th, the slate (four nominees - one per office) will be presented and additional nominations can be accepted from the floor.
Election ballots can only be completed by PTSA members.
PTSA CULTURAL ENRICHMENT AND INCLUSION (CEI) MEETING Thursday, Sept. 14, 5-5:30pm, meet at the PTSA table before Back2School Night to discuss teacher's grants. Please see here for the applications under consideration, and please encourage YOUR teachers to apply.
COUNSELORS' CORNER ...
NEW COUNSELOR ASSIGNMENTS Tami Schmidt- Middle School Ted Brugman- 9th and 10th Grade Melisa Monteon (Springsteen)- 11th and 12th Grade 12th GRADE POST-SECONDARY COACH: NOTE TO SENIORS Hey DCIS! My name is Aly Bortle, and I will be your Post-Secondary Coach this year! I will be here for the entire day Wednesdays and Fridays, in room 101B in the main office. My goal is to help you accomplish anything and everything you want for yourself after high school. If you want to go to college, let's find the best one for you with the most scholarships available. If you want to start a career, let's make sure you are doing something you love! I am here to help you complete applications, write college essays, research interests, and much more! Email: ALYSSA_BORTLE@dpsk12.org SENIOR COLLEGE & SCHOLARSHIP NIGHT Wednesday, Sept. 20 5:30-6:30 pm, DCIS Community Room Representatives from the following universities and technical college will be present. • Metro State • Emily Griffith Technical College • University of Denver • University of Colorado, Denver • Community College of Denver (pending) They will be discussing their admission process and how to navigate college applications. Even if you are not planning on attending any of these schools, it is a great time to get information about the overall application process and ask questions.
*Students: Event may be used as a special event (dependent on reflection) DCIS FAFSA NIGHT Wednesday, Oct. 4 5:30-7 pm, DCIS Community Room Walk-in and complete your FAFSA. We will have representatives from University of Denver and University of Colorado, Denver supporting you through the application process. We are aware that not all applications will be completed that night, but please join us to get started.
Documents to bring:
Social Security numbers and Social Security card (if applicable): Student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to receive federal aid. Non-U.S. citizens may be eligible for institutional aid in Colorado. Parent does not need to be U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Student's alien registration or permanent resident card (if applicable)
Birth dates: month/day/year (parent AND student)
2016 W-2 Forms and other records of money earned last year (parent AND student, if applicable)
Student's 2016 Federal Income Tax Return (if applicable)
Parents' 2016 Federal Income Tax Return
2016 untaxed income records (if applicable)
Social Security benefits statement
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Veterans benefits records
Disability benefits records
Date and year parents were married and/or divorced
Savings and checking account dollar amounts (parent AND student, if applicable)
Business and investment mortgage (not the home in which you and your family live) information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment records (if applicable)
Your FSA-ID or FAFSA PIN number (parent AND student, if previously applied for)
You can save a lot of time by creating your FSA-ID before the FAFSA workshop. To create an FSA-ID, go here. Be sure to write the username and password down and bring them withyou.
SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS- PSAT/NMSQT Deadline approaching! Sophomores and juniors can register to take the PSAT/NMSQT test, happening on October 11, 2017. The test is optional and measures college readiness, provides practice for the SAT, and most importantly can unlock college scholarships for juniors with qualifying scores.
The cost is $16, payable to the main office before school, at lunch, and after school.
The deadline to pay for this test is Friday, September 15th. We are unable to accommodate any late payments!
Current sophomores and freshman will have the opportunity to test next year as juniors and sophomores.
10th GRADE SPRING TRAVEL-MANDATORY PARENT MEETING We're hoping that all 10th grade families will join us on Thursday, September 21 at 6pm in the Auditorium to discuss the spring travel week options--Canyonlands and Local--for 10th graders. Pizzeria Locale has generously offered to host a fundraiser for this travel experience on the same evening.
YIA 2019 DESTINATION JAPAN Youth in Action (YIA) is a local nonprofit organization that helps Denver-area teens become hardworking, responsible leaders. The program includes Japanese language and culture study, community service and fundraising, culminating in a month-long cultural exchange trip to Japan in June 2019. Open to students grades 6-12. Interested students and parents should attend the informational meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 7 pm, at Highlands Methodist Church, 3131 Osceola St., Denver. To find out more about this dynamic group and how to apply, please call JoAnne Harada at 720-217-2160, email her or visit the YIA website.
PARENT SOCIALS ...
The PTSA is trying something new this year! Since DCIS families are spread all over the Denver metro region, we thought it would be nice to give DCIS parents a chance to get to know their neighbors at regional small-group socials at various parents' houses. Bilingual (Spanish-English) parents will be in attendance at each of these events, and we're aiming to have a DCIS administrator at each one too. Parents are welcome to attend any and all socials, not just the one in their area. Please join us on one or more of the following evenings:
Southeast--New Date!: Sunday, Oct. 1, 6–8 pm, Terri Porter's home, 117 S. Lincoln St., Denver.
To RSVP for one or more of the socials, click here.
SPORTS ...
Schedules for middle school cross country and boys' soccer can be found here.
High school athletes and their families can find out more information about this season's opportunities by contacting the athletic director where students want to participate. A complete list of DPS high school athletic directors can be found here.
Of course, if anyone has questions or needs additional information, please contact John Tricarico, DCIS Assistant Principal.
DENVER WEST CROSS COUNTRY This sport is a great way to MAKE FRIENDS, get in shape, be involved, socialize, compete and HAVE FUN!
Every day after school at 3:45 in the Butler Building at West High School
RAISE YOUR HAND ...
SPORTS ...
