DCIS Connect (September 20-26, 2018)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students September 20-26, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... DCIS Travel Fair: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 3–7 pm, DCIS Cafeteria PTSA Meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 6–7 pm, DCIS East Gym MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... CSC Meeting: Thursday, Sept. 27, 4:30-6:30 pm, Community Room Denver National College Fair: Sunday, Sept. 30, 1-4 pm, Denver Mart Mandatory Orientation for DCIS Foundation Scholarship: Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 1-2, Lunch, MUN room Open House for Prospective Students: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 8–9:15 am PTSA Board Meeting: Sunday, Oct. 7, 2-4 pm, Pizzeria Locale meeting room, 550 Broadway, Denver; all are welcome Canyonlands Fundraiser: Sunday, Oct. 7, 4-8 pm, Chipotle, 550 Broadway, Denver (mention the DCIS PTSA when ordering and the PTSA will get 33% of the proceeds, which will go towards the Canyonlands trip) 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) Spirit Week: October 8-12 FAFSA NIGHT for Seniors: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 5-7 pm, DCIS Community Room (103) Open House for Prospective Students: Thursday, Oct. 11, 8–9:15 am High School Homecoming Dance: Saturday, Oct. 13, Time TBD Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences: Tuesday-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) Middle School Halloween Dance: Friday, Oct. 26, 6–8 pm Open House for Prospective Students: Thursday, Nov. 1, 8–9:15 am 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, Did you know your child attends a school that's been recognized as having the most transformational impact on high school students of any school in Colorado? Well, it's true! Go ahead and brag a bit. I know I will. On Tuesday, Sept. 18, DCIS was awarded the Succeeds Prize in Education for Transformational Impact in a High School. The award is based on three criteria: (1) impact on student learning and preparation for college and career, (2) innovative approach to school/program design and implementation, and (3) focus on growing the whole child. The Succeeds Prize is the most prestigious awards and recognition event for Colorado public schools and educators and is intended to "identify, reward and amplify what's working in public education." We also received an official certificate from the State of Colorado House of Representatives commending DCIS on the recognition. You can watch the video from the live stream of the event here (the presentation is at 58:13 - 1:03:52). Come by the main office at DCIS to view the Succeeds Prize trophy (which is quite fancy!) and the Certificate of Commendation from the State of Colorado. As if the award, the trophy and the certificate weren't enough, we're getting $15,000 in award funds to further our innovative practices. Go Phoenix!!! Bursting with pride over winning the Succeeds Prize! In other news, after-school tutoring began this week. We have tutoring in math and literacy for both middle school and high school students. See below for the days and times. Finally, a look ahead to October, when we will be holding student-led parent-teacher conferences on October 16-17. Your child's adviser will be reaching out to you to schedule a specific time slot. All parents will have an assigned time so we can accommodate every parent who wishes to meet, and conferences will last 15-20 minutes. Should you wish to have a longer conference with your child's adviser or with any teacher, please reach out to the teacher directly via email to schedule another time to meet. Thank you for your continued support of our AWARD-WINNING SCHOOL!!! I am impressed by your children on a daily basis. The proud, proud, proud principal of DCIS, Theresa McCorquodale TRAVEL FAIR **UPDATE** THE TRAVEL FAIR IS THIS COMING WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26, 3-7 PM!! SEE YOU THERE! More than 25 vendors, food and drinks for sale, swag and more. And don't miss ... THE CHILL ROOM! DCIS students who have traveled in the past year will be happy to talk with interested students, parents and teachers in the East Gym, better known as the "Chill Room," throughout the Travel Fair time (3-7 pm). Relax on the couch, listen to some mellow tunes and play some board games while getting the inside scoop about what it will mean for your student to travel, potential challenges, highlights and more. Check out the other events on the Travel Fair Schedule PTSA GENERAL MEETING Please come to the Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) general membership meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 6-7 pm, in the East Gym to provide input about what projects we should tackle this year. We will also approve the 2018-2019 budget and vote on changes to the bylaws. If you're not yet a PTSA member, you can become one at the meeting ($10 per person). 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. Our teams include: 10th Grade Travel Week Fundraising Alumni Outreach Bilinguals Beautification Cultural Enrichment and Inclusion (CEI) Events  General Fundraising Marketing and Communications Middle School Dances Office Greeters Parent Workshops Staff Appreciation Travel Assistance If you'd like to join or lead one of these teams but can't make the meeting, please email Marie to let her know of your interest, and we'll get you connected with the team(s) you're interested in joining.  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!   RAISE YOUR HAND ... APUSH NEEDS A PUSH A textbook cannot and should not be the only source of information students receive on a subject. Supplemental texts are vital in a history class. DCIS' Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) class covers over 600 years of history. The amount of content can be overwhelming, especially when students are relying on a dense textbook. AMSCO offers a supplementary resource that helps students by reviewing and synthesizing broader themes, regions, events and people and giving students the opportunity to practice historical thinking skills (stimulus-based multiple choice, short-answer questions, and essays) throughout. APUSH teacher Jennifer Boyle has created a Donors Choose campaign to fund the purchase of these AMSCO books for her students. Please click here to support this ambitious project to ensure all AP students have access to a high-quality supplemental resource for years to come! FUNDRAISER FOR 10TH GRADE CANYONLANDS TRIP Join us at Chipotle at 550 Broadway,  Sunday, Oct. 7, 4-8 pm, to help raise money for the 10th grade Canyonlands trip. PLEASE MENTION THE DCIS PTSA to the cashier before paying (or show a digital or paper flyer) to ensure the PTSA gets 33 percent of the proceeds, which will be split equally among all the 10th grade students attending. RSVP to Marie and be sure to invite your family and friends! FUNDRAISER FOR DRAMA CLUB Join us at Chipotle at 550 Broadway,  Monday, Oct. 8, 4-8 pm, to raise money for the Drama Club.  PLEASE MENTION THE DCIS DRAMA CLUB to the cashier before paying (or show a digital or paper flyer) and the Drama Club will get 33 percent of the proceeds.  AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING 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 TRAVEL ...  DCIS FOUNDATION TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS Part of what makes DCIS Baker special is the financial help our students get from the DCIS Foundation so they can afford to travel. Everyone who wants to apply to the DCIS Foundation for a scholarship must attend a student orientation (see dates below), where they will receive a scholarship application. Parents are welcome to join their students at this session as well. You can find more information about the scholarships and application process here. DCIS Baker Mandatory Student Orientation Monday, Oct. 1, during the lunch period (MUN Room) Tuesday, Oct. 2, during the lunch period (MUN Room) Once applications have been submitted, the foundation will schedule interviews with applicants during the following times: Monday, Oct. 22, 3-5 pm (DCIS Community Room) Tuesday, Oct. 23, 3-5 pm (DCIS Community Room)  Thursday, Oct. 25, 3-5 pm (DCIS Community Room) Friday, Oct. 26, 3-5 pm (DCIS Community Room) It will take at least a month to find out how much money students have been awarded, and families should receive their check before the winter break. REMEMBER ... the DCIS Foundation will be at the TRAVEL FAIR on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 5-7 pm in the Community Room — bring your questions! Special help for 10th graders needing money to go to Canyonlands. 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 SPOTLIGHT ...   ACIS Since 1978 ACIS has been a leader in quality educational travel for middle and high school students and their teachers. We believe in the power of travel to open students' eyes and change their lives—and every detail of our educational tours is carefully crafted to help make it happen.   We offer more than 100 spectacular programs all over the world, working with teachers to achieve their global education goals. Catering to groups both large and small, our programs highlight off-the-beaten-path locations alongside world-famous cities and monuments. ACIS is proud to partner with a diverse range of educators all over the nation that help expand classroom walls and encourage students to become global citizens. Interested in providing your students with an educational travel opportunity? If so, contact Christina Lake at 800-367-1748 ext. 2 or at clake@acis.com. 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. Those who register and get scanned will be entered into a raffle for a $50 Visa gift card! 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!  If you can't make this one, check out others around town. 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 ARE YOU MISSING OUT?? If you haven't been getting push notifications via the app in the past couple of weeks, 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. 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