DCIS Connect (September 6-12, 2018)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students September 6–12, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... 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  Back to School Night: Wednesday, Sept. 12, 6–7:30 pm; potluck and club fair, 5-5:55 pm; DCIS cafeteria, main hallway and classrooms MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... 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 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 Open House: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 8–9:15 am Open House: Thursday, Oct. 11, 8–9:15 am FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Families, Back to School Night is less than a week away! We are looking forward to seeing all DCIS parents next week for this important beginning-of-the-year event. Based on your feedback, we are doing things a bit differently this year. We'll start with a potluck in the cafeteria at 5 pm, followed by a Club Fair from 5:30-5:55 in the main hallway, where you and your student can learn about what clubs our school has to offer. Starting at 6 pm sharp, you will begin to follow your child's schedule, beginning with their advisement class. There, you'll learn about grade-level expectations for your child and receive an overview of what your child's grade level entails and what you can expect throughout the year. After advisement, you will follow the rest of your child's schedule, from periods 1-8 (see the timetable in the boxed description of Back to School Night below). At the end of the night, we will offer advisement classes again as an option for parents who have more than one child. Even if one parent of multiple students can't follow more than one of their students' schedules at the same time, at least they can attend two advisement classes and get the overview for different children. Bear in mind that this night is all about getting the big picture, putting a face to a name for all your child's teachers, and feeling welcome and comfortable at DCIS. This is not a time for individual conferences about your child. Each "class" is only six minutes long! If you do need to talk to a teacher specifically about your child, please email the teacher to set up an individual appointment.   We ask that you come to school with your child's schedule in hand or on your phone if your student will not be accompanying you (they are certainly welcome and encouraged to attend!). You can find your child's schedule on the Parent Portal. We will have staff members on hand to help you with this if you need assistance, but in order to save time and avoid long lines, please plan to have your child's schedule already accessible when you arrive.  Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday, Sept. 12! Theresa McCorquodale   BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT Wednesday, Sept. 12, 6-7:30 pm  Potluck and Club Fair, 5-5:55 pm Back to School Night will be a "Follow Your Student's Schedule" format, with advisement repeated to give parents with more than one student an option to connect with both advisement teachers. Students are welcome and encouraged to attend Back to School Night along with their parents or guardians. Here's the schedule: 5:00-5:55      Potluck Social in the Cafeteria (sign-up below) 5:30-5:55      Club Fair in the Main Hallway 6:00-6:15      Advisement Class (5th period) (grade-level expectations) 6:18-6:24      1st period 6:27-6:33      2nd period 6:36-6:42      3rd period 6:45-6:51      4th period 6:54-7:00      6th period 7:03-7:09      7th period 7:12-7:18      8th period 7:20-7:30      Advisement (5th period) (optional)    ABOUT THE POTLUCK SOCIAL + CLUB FAIR Please join the PTSA from 5-5:55 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 12, in the school cafeteria for a social gathering. We will have a table for each grade so you can meet other parents with children in the same grade as yours.  The club fair will give students and parents an opportunity to explore the many club options available. Please will you bring something to share? It can be something sweet or savory, store-bought or homemade, or something to drink. You can sign up here. We will have maps of the school so you can plan your route between classes. The schedule allows only three minutes to get from one classroom to the next, so we will have to hustle! Lastly, we'll be selling Canyonlands T-shirts and hoodies. See you Wednesday! 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 COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL COMMITTEE (CSC) The DCIS CSC is looking for two parents to serve on the committee for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years. The CSC is composed of 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. Meetings take place monthly, and representatives serve two-year terms. Parents of students at all grade levels are welcome! Please send an email by Thursday, Sept. 13, to parent member Jennifer Gentry with your name, email and a description of your interest in being part of the CSC. She'll contact you with further details, and voting by the larger DCIS community will take place the following week. If you'd like more information about the CSC, please visit the CSC web page. 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. COUNSELORS' CORNER ...  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.  I will also be planning activities around Start with Hello Week in September. It is a way for students both new and old to our school to feel included or learn how to include others in their lives. Sometimes a simple "hello" is all it takes. I will be going into 6th grade PE classes several times a month to focus on creating a Culture of Kindness in middle school. These will be 20- to 30-minute lessons that are interactive, reflective and hopefully forward-thinking as your students move through their middle school years. 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.   EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES ... YOUNG ARTIST STUDIO There is still space for students ages 11+ to join our free, after-school workshops at CVA. Going on now: Electronic Fiber Arts (Sept. 3–Oct. 18). Workshops meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-5:30 pm, at the Center for Visual Art, 965 Santa Fe Drive, Denver 80204. Register here.  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. You Do Have the New DCIS Connect App, Right?   Just checking ... Even if you have it, READ BELOW for an UPDATE! If you've missed the various notices about downloading the new app or just haven't gotten around to it yet, now's the time! This will be our last notice about it, and we are no longer sending messages through the old app. Don't miss out! Just 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! UPDATE: These messaging capabilities will be available as part of the groups function, which is being rolled out in the NEXT FEW MONTHS (hopefully before the end of 2018). It's taking a little longer than we'd hoped, but it'll be worth it! 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. 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