DCIS Connect Newsletter (Aug. 29-Sept. 5)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students August 30-September 5, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... NO SCHOOL, LABOR DAY: Monday, Sept. 3 DCIS Drama Fall Play Director App Deadline: Wednesday, Sept. 5  MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... PTSA Board Meeting: Sunday, Sept. 9, 9–11 am, Einstein's at 6th and Broadway; all are welcome DCIS Drama Fall Play Auditions: Monday–Tuesday, Sept. 10–11, after school by signup outside Auditorium  DCIS Collaborative School Committee (CSC): Tuesday, Sept. 11, 4-6 pm, Community Room Back to School Night: Wednesday, Sept. 12, 6–7:30 pm, DCIS Auditorium and classrooms Open House: Thursday, Sept. 13, 8–9:15 am DCIS Drama Fall Play Tech Apps Due: Thursday, Sept. 13  Open House: Wednesday, Sept. 19, 8–9:15 am Open House: Thursday, Sept. 20, 8–9:15 am DCIS Travel Fair: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 12:30–7:00 pm, DCIS Gym (see below) PTSA Meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 6 pm, DCIS Cafeteria Open House: Thursday, Sept. 27, 8–9:15 am Open House: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 8–9:15 am FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Parents, Thanks to all of you who were able to attend Taco Night. For the second year in a row, this event was a huge success. Not only was the food delicious, but the games were fun, the silent auction raised much-needed funds and families got a chance to get to know each other. A special thank-you to our awesome PTSA and other volunteers for organizing and running this event, not to mention cleaning up! So many of you helped out in one way or another, and we are very grateful. Two Important Upcoming Events We look forward to seeing all of you again soon at two important upcoming events: Back to School Night on Wednesday, Sept. 12, and the Travel Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 4–7 pm. We will be sending out more details about both of these events soon. For now, mark your calendars. A Favor  We are going strong in our second week of school. Students are cooperative and really following our routines for the most part. But we could use your help with one routine: Because students are not permitted to use their phones during class time, please do not call or text your students while they are in class. During lunch, students are welcome to use their phones. If there is an emergency and you need to reach your student during class time, please call the main office at 720.423.9103, and we can get a message to your child. Alternatively, you can set a habit with your child for them to call/text to check in during a passing period or lunch. But please, please, please not while they're in class! After-School Tutoring We will offer after-school tutoring in math and literacy for both middle school and high school students starting the week of Sept. 10. This tutoring will run from 3 to 4 pm and will focus on building general reading/literacy and math skills for students who need extra support. In addition, many teachers offer tutoring for their specific classes at various times, depending on their schedule. So if your child needs additional general support in literacy in order to prepare for PSAT/SAT testing in the spring, the after-school tutoring would be ideal. However, if your student needs specific help with their physics homework, that would be something they should arrange directly with the physics teacher. Please contact our new Dean of Instruction, Jenna Martin, at 720.423.9047 or at jenna_martin@dpsk12.org if you have questions about which kind of tutoring is right for your child. Look for the specific schedule for the after-school math/literacy tutoring next week. As always, it is a pleasure to work with your children every day! Theresa McCorquodale   DCIS Connect App Gets a Face-Lift   The DCIS Connect app not only has a new look, but it can do a whole lot more. The upgrades are so significant, in fact, that you have to download a whole new app. That's right ... go ahead and delete your old one (if you have it), and follow these easy instructions to get the new one. Not only will you receive push notifications with the new app, but you'll be able to communicate directly with staff members. And if your native language is one other than English, no problem! You'll set up the app in your preferred language. All communications from others will appear in that language, and when you write communications in your native language, they'll be translated into English or the preferred language of the recipient! These messaging capabilities will be available as part of the groups function, which is being rolled out in the next few weeks. We'll provide more detailed guidance on how to use those features once they become available. In the meantime, take some time to familiarize yourself with the app. Check out the calendar, the newsletter and the various resources. And please understand it's a work in progress, both with respect to the content you can access through the app and its capabilities. If you have trouble downloading the app or have any questions about it, reach out to the Flyer Support team at support@flyerconnect.org. PTSA ... Follow this link to our current proposed bylaws for the 2018-19 school year.  If you have any questions or suggested edits, please send them to Marie Meyer. The DCIS PTSA welcomes all members of the DCIS community at its board meeting on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 9 am at the Einstein's at 6th and Broadway.  We had a lot of fun and got a lot of work done at our last meeting ... come join us! 2018-19 PTSA Board:  President: Marie Meyer  Vice President: Karen Herbert  Treasurer: Andrew Watson  Secretary: Lucy Rosas  TRAVEL CANYONLANDS FUNDRAISING HELP NEEDED Please help us send every 10th grader to Canyonlands, UT, for 10th Grade Travel Week, April 22–26, 2019 (see trip information here). The cost of $650 per student is too much for some of our families, so we are raising funds to help students who need that extra little bit to take part in this life-changing trip. Here are three ways you can help: Please volunteer to bring your grill (gas only) and help outside the east entrance (Delaware St.) with cooking and selling sausages, 4–7 pm, during the TRAVEL FAIR on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Sign up here.  Please volunteer to sell our beautiful Canyonlands T-shirts during the TRAVEL FAIR on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Slots available between 3 and 7 pm; please sign up. BUY A T-SHIRT FOR YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER! We will make sure the right size gets delivered, with your message. Email Marie Meyer if this is something you are interested in.   Calling all makers: The Young Artist Studio opens Tuesday, Sept. 4! Center for Visual Art 965 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204 Register for YAS!   There is still space for students ages 11+ to join our free, after-school workshops at CVA. Students will explore new media throughout the year, and families will have the opportunity to learn more about the exhibitions on view at CVA.   Tuesdays and Thursdays | 3:30–5:30 pm   Electronic Fiber Arts: Sept. 3–Oct. 18 Mixed Media Sculpture: Oct. 23–Dec. 20 Photo Montage: Jan. 8-March 21 3rd Annual Printmaking Exchange: April 2-May 23   Drop-ins welcome, but it's always best to register online (use the link above).  TRAVEL FAIR  The second annual DCIS Travel Fair will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 12:30-7:00 pm. The fair is free and open to the public, so please help us spread the word about this showcase of opportunities, including gap year, travel, study abroad, cultural exchange, language immersion and service opportunities. The DCIS Foundation will have a scholarship workshop set up in the Community Room (103) from 5 to 7 pm for DCIS students. STUDENTS are invited to sell at the Travel Fair in order to raise money for their own travel! See the flyer for more information. TRANSPORTATION ... WHERE CAN I DROP OFF/PICK UP MY STUDENT FOR SCHOOL? Please only pick up and drop off your students on Delaware and Fox Streets past the parking lot driveways. We also request that students only exit the vehicle curbside and on the school side of the street, meaning that if you are driving north, you'll drop off your student on Fox Street between 5th and 6th; if you are driving south, you'll drop off your student on Delaware Street between 5th and 6th. Click here for a map. Please do not drop your students off in the DCIS parking lots on either the south or east sides of the school, nor on 6th Avenue. This is a safety hazard, and our DCIS community strives to keep our students, staff and parents safe! Please feel free to contact the main office if you need any clarification or if you have any other questions or concerns, and we thank you in advance for following our safety protocol. IS YOUR STUDENT TAKING THE BUS? For information on yellow school bus transportation, check out the DPS Transportation website. BE THE INFLUENCE ... DPS Office of Whole Child Supports has asked us to pass along links to Be the Influence, a site whose mission is "To reduce teen alcohol, marijuana, nicotine and other drug use by empowering parents with factual information and the tools to support their children in making healthy and safe choices." Are you interested in learning a few tips about how to help your student handle the transition into the new school year? Check out the suggestions from Be the Influence here. More Information   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 noon 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