DCIS Connect Newsletter (April 5-11)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students April 5-11, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) If you haven't done so already, now's the time to mark your calendars for what's sure to be a ton of fun: the first-ever DCIS Celebration & Alumni Reunion on Saturday, April 28, 3–7 pm, at the school. And please help us get the word out to any alumni you know by sharing this RSVP link. Even if they can't attend, we're trying to compile an alumni directory and would like to get the contact information of as many alumni as possible. The celebration will include games, a bouncy slide, dunk tank and other activities; a "Taste of DCIS" International Food Fair; a silent auction; and the dedication of the auditorium in honor of DCIS founder Dr. Dan Lutz. Students will be performing throughout the event, AND ... the festivities will feature the first-ever DCIS Family Talent Show! Students and alumni can perform as individuals or as a group, but we also welcome families to join in. To learn more and sign up, click here. Interested in helping? We need parents to solicit or donate silent auction items and to recruit $100 sponsors through any businesses or organizations you know. Parents can also be sponsors! Getting as many hands on deck as possible will help make this Celebration & Reunion the best it can be. Hope you can join us! HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... 10th Grade Travel Week: April 9-13 College Readiness Testing for 9-11 Grades: NO SCHOOL for middle school students or seniors, Tuesday, April 10, all day; sophomores on the Canyonlands trip will take their PSAT on Tuesday, April 17 Café con la Directora (en español): Wednesday, April 11, 8:45–9:45 am, DCIS Community Room (103) MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... CSC Meeting: Tuesday, April 17, 4–6 pm, DCIS Community Room (103) DCIS Foundation Passport Dinner: Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 6–8 pm, Museum of Nature & Science DCIS Reunion & Celebration: Saturday, April 28, 3–7 pm, DCIS Coffee with the Principal (in English): Wednesday, May 2, 8:15–9:15 am, DCIS Community Room (103) DPS Superintendent-Parent Forum: Family Leadership Awards and Conversation with Board of Education Members, Thursday, May 3, 9:30–11:30 am, PPA Event Center, 2105 Decatur St., Denver; register here DCIS Musical: Beauty and the Beast: Thursday–Saturday, May 3–5, 6 pm, DCIS auditorium Dine Out for DCIS PTSA: Thursday, May 10, 4–8 pm, Chipotle, 550 Broadway, Denver (50% of proceeds benefit the PTSA!) "Navigating Adolescence" Parent Presentation/PTSA Meeting: Thursday, May 10, 6–7:30 pm DCIS Powwow: Friday, May 11 Drama Club Banquet: Friday, May 11 Prom: Saturday, May 12, 8 pm–midnight Dear DCIS Parents, Hope everyone had a restful spring break. Staff came back refreshed and energized for the rest of the school year. With just under two months left in the 2017-18 school year, we are excited and motivated to finish strong!   Here are a few reminders to help your children finish strong: Attendance matters! Our goal is to have every student here every day. Please make sure your students come to school every day, unless they are sick. We would love your support. In addition, we will be announcing some cool incentives for students who have perfect attendance between now and the end of the school year. Look for details next week! If your child currently is struggling with and/or failing one or more classes, please encourage your child to attend tutoring. We have tutoring available at lunch for middle school and after school for high school. Please make sure your child is taking advantage of this free tutoring if they need help. Remind your child of our phone policy. Phones are not allowed in classrooms unless specifically directed by the teacher for instructional purposes. With this in mind, please do not text your child during class! If we see them texting, even if it is to you, we will take their phone for the rest of the day. Please encourage your child not to be on their phone during class. Encourage your child to ask questions. Remind and encourage your child to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. Breakfast is free for all students every day at DCIS. We stop serving when the bell rings to move to first period, so as long as your child isn't tardy, there should be plenty of time to eat a free breakfast at school if they didn't have time to eat at home. Ask your child questions about their current schoolwork, projects, tests, etc. Thanks for your partnership with DCIS to help all kids finish strong. We will do everything we can on our end to make the end of this school year as successful as possible. Theresa McCorquodale DCIS Principal COUNSELORS' CORNER ... COUNSELOR ASSIGNMENTS Tami Schmidt: Middle School Ted Brugman: 9th and 10th Grades Melisa Springsteen: 11th and 12th Grades FRESHMEN If you were unable to make the March 1 presentation for 9th graders and their parents, the PowerPoint presentation regarding graduation requirements is available here, and information regarding the Spring 2019 10th grade Canyonlands trip is available here. SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS If you were unable to make the March 1 meeting, "Graduation and Beyond," the PowerPoint slides are available here. SENIORS  89% of our senior class has applied to a university, community college and/or technical school 30% of students who have applied have been admitted thus far 84% of the senior class has completed their FAFSA 94% of the senior class is remediation-free in Math 91% of the senior class is remediation-free in English Congrats to Evan Tribelhorn on receiving a full ride to Seattle University!  Congrats to our DPS Retired Teachers' Scholarship winner… $40,000! Congrats to our four Daniel's Fund Scholarship recipients, who'll be getting a full ride to college: Sierra Romero, Imad Rashed, Mohammed Rashed and Yaseen Rashed Senior Parent Night — View the presentation from the Feb. 15 meeting here.          Check out the latest scholarship opportunities here.  SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES ... YOUNG AMBASSADOR PROGRAM History Colorado is thrilled to again partner with the Smithsonian Latino Center on the Young Ambassador Program (YAP) this summer. This is a paid internship that is available only to graduating high school seniors. YAP is a national program aimed at fostering the next generation of Latino leaders in the arts, sciences and humanities via the Smithsonian Institution and its resources. YAP is a college preparatory and leadership program encouraging participants to explore various academic and career opportunities through the lens of the Latino experience.   Students with an interest in and commitment to the arts, sciences and humanities as they pertain to Latino communities and cultures are selected to travel to Washington, DC, for a weeklong seminar at the Smithsonian.    This enrichment opportunity is a leadership development and skill-building training that exposes youth to a wide array of academic disciplines promoting higher education and encouraging the exploration and understanding of the Latino identity. The seminar, known as Washington Week, includes visits to the Smithsonian's Latino collections and one-on-one interaction with renowned experts from various fields.    Following the training seminar, students participate in a four-week interdisciplinary internship in museums and other cultural institutions in 17 cities across the United States and Puerto Rico including the Education Department at the History Colorado Center here in Denver! This hands-on component allows students to gain transferable knowledge and apply the skills acquired during the training seminar to their internship assignments.    The application deadline is Monday, April 9. Click here for the applicant guide and here to apply.    LOW-COST AND FREE CAMPS/ACTIVITIES ... With summer vacation quickly approaching, many parents are tasked with the overwhelming responsibility of making sure their children are safe, fed and well cared for. In addition, you want to find something for your child to do that is low cost (or better yet, free!), and will match their hobbies and interests. This may seem like an impossible task, but DenverRAP has made life a little easier for you with a list of low-cost and free summer camps and activities for Denver youth. For the full list, visit this site.   STEAM! CHILDREN'S THEATRE PROJECT Join DCIS's own Caroline Kerswill and several other great educators at Sky Vista Middle School for a summer program that focuses on proving the relevance of theatre arts in a STEM-focused world. At this science center with an arts education emphasis, students will create original theatre productions based on stories that need to be told in our community. Our mission is to provide young adults with the opportunity to make genuine connections with valuable content to help them grow in self-discovery, confidence and citizenship. Click here for more information and to register. DCIS FOUNDATION PASSPORT DINNER   This year the DCIS Foundation's annual fundraising event will take place at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science! Please join us for "DCIS Foundation Passport Dinner: Igniting Global Understanding, Shaping Tomorrow's Leaders," Thursday, April 26, 6 pm. Order tickets here. **Own a business or have connections with one?** We are seeking sponsorships! Please view our sponsorship packet for our Globetrotter, World Traveler, Domestic Destination Explorer and Travel Bug sponsorship levels. Thank you for helping us get more kids out of the classroom and into the world! CONNECT ... DCIS Website DCIS Facebook Page DCIS Parents Group (closed, non-school-sanctioned) on Facebook DCIS Drama Club Facebook  DCIS Travel Center Facebook DCIS Foundation Facebook DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Please send questions or comments to dcis.connect@gmail.com.  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 below. 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.  Copyright © 2018 DCIS Connect Newsletter, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email newsletter because you are a member of the DCIS community. If you do not wish to receive the newsletter, please click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Our mailing address is: DCIS Connect Newsletter 574 W. 6th Ave. Denver, CO 80204 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list