DCIS Connect (September 13-19, 2018)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students September 13-19, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) ARE YOU MISSING OUT?? We've sent out FOUR messages this week via the new app. If you didn't get them, YOU HAVE THE WRONG APP! We've discovered that some folks accidentally downloaded the old app instead of the new one. If your app icon looks like this:   ... you need to update the app right away. The icon on your phone should look like this:     To download the new app: In the App Store or Google Play, search for FLYER SCHOOL (do NOT search for DCIS or DCIS Connect, as that will lead you to the old app). Download the app and accept push notifications (these let you know when new messages come in).  Set your preferred language. Tap the + symbol to search for DCIS at Baker, then press ADD. You can delete the old app, as we will no longer be using it. If you have trouble downloading the app or have any questions about it, reach out to the Flyer Support team at support@flyerconnect.org. HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... 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 MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... Open House: Thursday, Sept. 20, 8–9:15 am DCIS Collaborative School Committee (CSC): Thursday, Sept. 20, 4-6 pm, Community Room (103) DCIS Travel Fair: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 12:30–7:00 pm, DCIS Gym  PTSA Meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 6 pm, DCIS Cafeteria Open House: Thursday, Sept. 27, 8–9:15 am CSC Nominations Due: Friday, Sept. 28, end of day Denver National College Fair: Sunday, Sept. 30, 1-4 pm, Denver Mart Open House: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 8–9:15 am Drama Club Fundraiser: Monday, Oct. 8, 4-8 pm, Chipotle, 550 Broadway, Denver (mention the DCIS Drama Club when ordering and the club will get 33% of the proceeds) FAFSA NIGHT for Seniors: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 5-7 pm Open House: Thursday, Oct. 11, 8–9:15 am Parent-Teacher Conferences: Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 16-17, 3:15-7:15 pm Fall Break – NO SCHOOL: Friday–Tuesday, Oct. 19–23; school resumes Wednesday, Oct. 24 (White Day) Drama Club Fundraiser: Monday, Nov. 12, 4-8 pm, Pizzeria Locale, 550 Broadway, Denver (mention the DCIS Drama Club when ordering and the club will get 33% of the proceeds) FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Parents, Thank you to everyone who attended Back to School Night this week. It was great to see you here, filling the halls of DCIS. Hopefully you had the chance to meet all of your child's teachers and put faces to names. As always, if you would like to have a conference with one of your child's teachers, please contact the teacher directly (email works best) to set up an appointment. In addition, DCIS will host parent-teacher conferences next month. Your child's adviser will be contacting you in the next few weeks to set up your appointment time. Conferences will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 16 and 17, 3:15-7:15 pm. Speaking of October, students will have a fall break for several days. There will be no school for students on Friday, Oct. 19, through Tuesday, Oct. 23. Classes resume on Wednesday, Oct. 24, which will be a White Day. Meanwhile, ask your students about what they are learning in school: Ask your 6th grader about LCM and GCF. Ask your 7th grader about A Long Walk to Water. Ask your 8th grader about the elements of a service project. Ask your 9th grader about map skills and the Five Themes of Geography. Ask your 10th grader about The House on Mango Street and how it ties to identity. Ask your 11th grader about their passage proposal meeting coming up in two weeks. Ask your 12th grader about their senior service project. Thank you for supporting your children with their schoolwork and for your support of DCIS! Theresa McCorquodale AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING Starting Tuesday, Sept. 18, your student(s) can get help with math or literacy through after-school tutoring, or they can use the library for quiet study for an hour after school on two days.  ***PLEASE NOTE*** No school or district transportation will be provided for students staying after school for tutoring or study hall. Students must have their own transportation to get home at 4 pm. MATH Grade 6 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3–4 pm Room 202A with Ms. Johnson Grades 7 and 8 Thursdays, 3–4 pm Room 205 with Mr. Krummel   Grade 9 Mondays and Tuesdays, 3-4 pm Room 214 with Ms. Ryan Grades 10 and 11 Mondays and Tuesdays, 3-4 pm Room 205 with Mr. Krummel   LITERACY Mondays and Tuesdays, 3-4 pm Grades 6, 7 and 10: Room 122 with Mr. Sandschaper Grade 8: Room 117 with Dr. Marion Grade 9: Room 201A with Mr. Beins Grade 11: Room 217B with Mr. Wilson-Moses              STUDY HALL Mondays and Tuesdays, 3–4 pm All grades in the Library, under the supervision of Ms. James RAISE YOUR HAND ... INPUT WANTED ON NEW DPS SUPERINTENDENT As many of you know, Tom Boasberg is stepping down as Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, and the search is on for his replacement. DPS has announced the first round of community meetings to gather input from the community, which it will use to inform the interview process. The meetings are the perfect venue for parents and students to get all their questions answered. Members of the board of education will be in attendance at all meetings. You can find a complete list of meetings here. The DCIS PTSA leadership is meeting with school board members on Tuesday, Sept. 18, to share their feedback on the superintendent search. They welcome input from parents, students and staff. If you'd like to contribute to the discussion, send an email with your thoughts by Friday, Sept. 14, to one or all of the PTSA leaders: Marie Meyer, President Karen Herbert, Vice President Lucy Rosas, Secretary Andrew Watson, Treasurer PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ASSOCIATION Our first general PTSA meeting of the year will on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 6 pm in the East Gym.  At this meeting we'll approve the new bylaws and budget and have plenty of time to hear from our community about what PTSA projects you would like to take on this year. If you filled out a parent involvement form indicating you'd like to help out on one of our many teams, we'll also be kicking off those efforts with this meeting. If you haven't signed up and would like to be involved in some way, please join us too. We have many opportunities big and small and welcome everyone's participation. If you're short on time to volunteer but would like to get to know some of your fellow parents, these meetings are a great opportunity to do that as well. Hope to see you there! DPS FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (FACE) UNIVERSITY Join us in our dynamic and interactive FACE University on Saturday, Sept. 22, 8 am-2 pm, Manual High School.  Learn important and effective educational information, strategies and resources to help support your children's academic, social and emotional growth! Choose from a variety of topics: FACE University 101: Navigating the Educational System Transportation | Food Services | School Choice | Parent Portal College and Career: New Graduation Requirements School Governance Social Emotional Learning Student Depression and Student Anxiety Special Education | Gifted and Talented Black Minds Matter-Black Families Matter Volunteer Services Title 1 English Language Acquisition District Advisory Committee (ELA DAC) Resource Fair and much more… Why attend? Because families are children's first teachers and advocates and our best academic partners! #PowerInFamily Interpretation, meals and child care (age 3-12) is provided at no cost to participants. Click here to register online. For more information, send an email or call 720-423-3135. TRAVEL ...  DCIS-SPONSORED TRIPS  The following trips are on the books and looking for participants. Please email any of the teachers listed for more information. Morocco/Spain - Sonia Burns and Patrick Garvey - This one is filling up! Italy - Dave Tabano Germany - Brian Powell and Kit Hinders  CULTURAL EXCHANGE TRIP TO JAPAN Youth in Action, a local nonprofit that helps Denver-area teens become hardworking, responsible leaders, is offering a program that includes Japanese language and culture study, community service and fundraising, culminating in a month-long cultural exchange trip to Japan in June 2020.  Open to students in grades 7-11. Attend the informational meeting on Thursday, Sept. 27, 7 pm, Highlands Methodist Church, 3131 Osceola St., Denver 80212. To find out more about this dynamic group and how to apply, please email JoAnne Harada or call her at 720-217-2160. You can also visit the Youth in Action Colorado Facebook page or its website.  TRAVEL FAIR The second annual DCIS Travel Fair will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 3-7 pm. Bring your family and invite your neighbors and friends — the Travel Fair is free and open to the public. It features more than 20 exhibitors representing gap year, travel, study abroad, cultural exchange, language immersion and service opportunities. Click here for lots more information. See you at the Travel Fair! TRAVEL FAIR SPOTLIGHT: ADVENTURE CAMINO   Adventure Camino's walking and biking trips along Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal are a perfect family bonding experience and opportunity to practice the language skills. Together families can explore and discover colorful culture, cuisine and traditions on this life-changing ancient journey. Adventure Camino will take care of all planning, reservations and luggage transport as everyone enjoys feeling adventurous.  The kids will love staying active on this trip and practicing Spanish and Portuguese in real-life situations with friendly locals in small towns and villages along the way. Put their classroom language skills to the test and explore beautiful historical European cities. The weather is great most of the year, so going on your own schedule March-October is easy. For more info and photos, check out their website here and their Facebook page here.   COUNSELORS' CORNER ...  COUNSELORS Tami Schmidt: Middle school Melisa Springsteen: High school last names A-J Ted Brugman: High school last names K-Z COLLEGE FAIR The Denver National College Fair will be at the Denver Mart on Sunday, Sept. 30, 1–4 pm. This is a great opportunity to meet with college representatives from all over the country to find out more about colleges that might interest you. More than 300 colleges from across the United States (and several international colleges) are registered to attend. Click here to learn more about the fair. At the top of the page, you can follow a link to see a list of colleges and universities that are attending the fair, as well as find a link to register ahead of time. There will also be three workshops presented during the college fair hours: The Selective College Admissions Process, Finding the Right Fit, and Understanding Financial Aid and Scholarships. Don't miss this great opportunity to meet with colleges from all over the country! SENIORS CORNER College Application Day (district-led): Wednesday, Oct. 24, 9 am-1 pm  FAFSA Night: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 5-7 pm, DCIS Community Room Other FAFSA Nights          MIDDLE SCHOOL Creating a Culture of Kindness Counselor Tami Schmidt will be in 6th grade PE classes this week administering a Google survey on kindness, conflict and bullying. She will be teaching different activities throughout the semester to 6th grade classes on these topics. She looks forward to working with the students and hearing their thoughts, concerns and ideas to work on making DCIS the school they want it to be. MEET MS. SCHMIDT  Hello,  My name is Tami Schmidt. I will be working with all the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students at DCIS as their school counselor. Being a middle-schooler can be tough. There is so much going on around them all the time. Trying to juggle home life, school, social life and extracurricular activities can be overwhelming at times. I am here to help our middle-schooler(s) start to figure out the fine art of balancing all parts of their life.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns or just to say hi. Tami Schmidt Tamara_schmidt@dpsk12.org 720-423-9006 HOST FAMILIES NEEDED!   Adolesco Youth Exchange is looking for U.S. host families for the following German students:  Sarah (born 2001) likes to dance and loves fashion, shopping and sewing. She is a vegetarian and has two cats and a turtle. Her older sister is a college student but lives at home. An exchange with a nice, open American family is her biggest dream. Anna (born 2001) lives in Northern Germany. Her younger brother is 9 years old. She likes rope-skipping and teaches kids ages 6-15 how to play the flute. Merrit (born 2001) is musical (she plays the violin) and athletic (she excels at handball). She is a group leader for very young children at her Protestant church. She is allergic to cats. Her little brother is 8 years old and very sweet. Adrian (born 2002) loves basketball! He also likes to play other sports and Frisbee with his dog. He lives in Southern Germany close to a lake. His parents are divorced, and it's only him and his mum at home. He really wants to attend school in the USA. Antonia (born 2003) lives at Lake Constance and has two cats and a sister. She likes to play handball, and her father is a musician. Merle (born 2003) is a ballet dancer and vegetarian with two younger brothers. David (born 2005) lives at Lake Constance. He is very bright and open, a quick learner who loves math and science. He suffers from occasional hay fever. Benedict (born 2005) lives at Lake Constance, is athletic and curious, and has three younger brothers. Martina (born 2006) lives in Munich. Her mother is Spanish, and they like to spend summer holidays in Spain. Martina is open, adaptable and easygoing. Please forward to anyone you think might be interested. Email Marie and visit the website for more info. ***********************************************   EF HIGH SCHOOL EXCHANGE YEAR BRING THE WORLD INTO YOUR FAMILY AND TO DCIS   Being a host family is as rewarding for you as it is for the exchange student. You learn about another culture, you provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you form a relationship that will stay with your family forever. Click here for more information. To learn more, email Derek Chandler or call him at 303-807-1255. EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES ... STEAM FOR ALL Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum and the Sentinel are hosting a STEAM For All festival this Saturday, Sept. 15, 11 am–4 pm, at the museum. FREE TICKETS available here. The festival is a chance for kids and their parents to immerse themselves in everything STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) related. The event offers attendees a chance to talk with dozens of leaders in the STEAM field, get hands-on with some of the latest technology, and have an educational experience centered on having some fun. YOUTH CELEBRATE DIVERSITY YCD believes that through dialogue and collaborative learning experiences, students can address the social issues affecting their schools and communities in a positive manner, and through these experiences become empowered to act. Are you a high school student in the Denver Metro area looking to make positive change? If you have an idea for a future workshop or event that YCD should host, an issue that needs our collective attention, or want to bring a diversity conference to your local school or community, we'd love to hear from you!   What is a high school diversity conference? We bring students together from public and private, large and small, urban and rural schools to share ideas in a cooperative atmosphere. Be part of a group of 25-30 high school students who plan this incredible event for 1,000 others from across Colorado. Meet high school student activists working to make positive change from across Denver. Decide what topics are of most importance to youth today, and select speakers on each topic. Help us make schools across Colorado safe for everyone, regardless of who they are. Email us to discuss your idea or visit our website for more information. SHORT FILM COMPETITION Project NEXT is a FREE and open competition for high school students to submit their short films for a chance to screen at the 41st Denver Film Festival. All submitted films must have been completed in 2018 in order to be eligible for competition, and they will be immediately accessible for voting. Juried awards and cash prizes will be presented at High School Day at the 41st Denver Film Festival. One Viewer's Choice short film will also be selected based on votes, so get out there and spread the word! Check the Project NEXT website for submission guidelines. DEADLINE: Friday, Oct. 5. 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