DCIS Connect Newsletter (Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2018)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students November 29-December 5, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) OPEN HOUSE FOR CURRENT 8TH GRADE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES Please Join Us Tuesday, Dec. 4, 6-7:30 pm, Auditorium RSVP DCIS was awarded the 2018 Succeeds Prize for Transformational Impact in a High School and is the No. 1-ranked district-run DPS high school in 2018, according to U.S. News & World Report. Learn more about our high school programming, including passages, Advanced Placement courses, concurrent enrollment opportunities and electives  Hear from current DCIS high school students about their experiences with athletic programs, both at the West campus and at their neighborhood high schools Explore how our high school prepares students for college and career Ask questions of current DCIS high school students and administrators Look forward to seeing you on Dec. 4! HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... Cafe con la Directora: Thursday, Nov. 29, 8:30-9:15 am, DCIS Community Room Open House for Prospective Students: Thursday, Nov. 29, 6-7 pm PTSA Board Meeting: Sunday, Dec. 2, 2-4 pm, Pizzeria Locale, Meeting Room, everyone welcome 8th Grade Open House: (for current 8th grade students and families) Tuesday, Dec. 4, 6-7:30 pm, DCIS Auditorium  MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... One-Act Play Auditions: Dec. 10, 11, 13, 3-4 pm, Auditorium One-Act Play Tech Apps Due: Thursday, Dec. 13 CSC Meeting: Thursday, Dec. 13, 4-6 pm, DCIS Community Room Finals: Wednesday-Thursday, Dec. 19-20 Finals Makeup Day: Friday, Dec. 21 Winter Break: Dec. 21- Jan. 6 Classes Resume: Monday, Jan. 7 PTSA Meeting: Thursday, Jan. 17, 6:30-8 pm, DCIS Cafeteria, everyone welcome LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Parents, I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break. Hard to believe that in a little more than three weeks we will get another break! It is important between now and then to help keep students focused on their schoolwork so they can finish the semester strong, and earn all of their credits in good standing. Please help us at home by encouraging your students to complete any and all missing assignments. One of the biggest reasons students end up with failing grades (or grades lower than they want) is missing work. So we ask that you take the time to discuss the grade that your child currently has in each class, and make a plan with them to make sure that all work is completed before the end of the semester. At the moment, a very large percentage of our students have at least one missing assignment. Now is the time to fix this. We will do what we can on our end but would love to have your support from home. Thanks! 8th Grade Parents We want your child to continue with us for their high school career! DCIS offers some great opportunities as a high school and has won both state and national recognition in the past year. Come find out what DCIS has to offer as a high school option (and how it is different than middle school). We will host an Open House exclusively for our current 8th graders and their parents on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 6–7 pm in the DCIS Auditorium. Please come check out this option for your child. As It Gets Colder…. Please remember that school ends at 2:55 pm and that after 3:15 we have no supervision for students. Students must leave the building by 3:15 each day unless they are part of a supervised activity, such as Drama Club, sports events, etc. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up by 3:15 or to take the bus home. DCIS does not have any after-school care staffing or programming, so please make sure your child is picked up on time. We certainly don't want to send them out to wait in the cold. However, we can't have them just hang out in school unsupervised either. So please, make sure you have arrangements in place for your child to leave the building safely by 3:15. Thank you!   As a reminder, Friday, Dec. 21, is a makeup day for finals, and there are no classes. Students who need to make up a test or complete any remaining missing work need to do so on this day and should make arrangements with their teachers. Students who have completed their work and their tests will not come to school this day. Classes resume for all students on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. Theresa McCorquodale RAISE YOUR HAND ... BLACK FRIDAY PAPER DRIVE If you bought copy paper for the school during the Black Friday Paper Drive, thank you!! You can drop it off in the main office during regular school hours. If you need help carting in cases, let them know, and they will assist. We appreciate everyone's contributions! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED A message from our friends at DCIS Fairmont To Our Neighbors at DCIS Baker: DCIS Fairmont is running a fundraiser this year on which we hope to partner with DCIS Baker next year. To familiarize you all with the operation, we would like to invite you to volunteer at our CHRISTMAS TREE LOT starting on Friday, Nov. 23, and running through Sunday, Dec. 16, on the corner of Broadway and 2nd Ave. (parking lot behind Compound Basix, 145 Broadway, Denver, 80203). Please sign up for shifts here — we need your help! Monday through Friday hours are 5-7:30 pm, with one shift starting at 4:45, the second starting at 5 and both ending at 7:30. Saturday and Sunday hours are 10 am-7 pm, with shifts of varying lengths available. Thanks so much in advance for your help! PTA at DCIS Fairmont DCIS PTSA YOU ARE INVITED to attend the DCIS PTSA membership meeting on Thursday, Jan. 17, 6:30-8 pm in the DCIS Cafeteria.If you have any questions or ideas about fundraising, we look forward to discussing the Christmas Tree Lot collaboration with DCIS Fairmont and other sponsorship opportunities, as well as your priorities for how to spend the money the PTSA raises! COUNSELORS' CORNER ...  COUNSELORS Tami Schmidt Middle school 720-423-9006 Melisa Springsteen High school last names A-J 720-423-9105 Ted Brugman  High school last names K-Z 720-423-9094 DCIS CANNED FOOD DRIVE Thank you to all the students who donated to our canned food drive. We collected more than 350 canned goods. A big congrats to Mr. Pomponio's Advisement and Ms. Ryan's Advisement for bringing in the most cans!!! JUNIOR AND SENIOR DEADLINES The concurrent enrollment deadline is this Friday, Nov. 30. Please have your student speak to Mrs. Springsteen ASAP to discuss their college readiness scores and registration. 8th GRADE Thanks to all the 8th graders who attended the District Career Fair last week. Students visited with various organizations based on their results from a career assessment survey as well as their general interest in companies that participated. Students also had a great opportunity to visit with various DPS high schools and postsecondary institutions to begin asking questions to help them start thinking about their futures after completing the 8th grade. Hopefully the fair ignited a spark in many of them about the exciting possibilities ahead!!! FALL SEMESTER Finals for fall semester are Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 19-20. Please make sure to monitor your student's grades between now and then to make sure your student passes with a D or better to earn credit. Senior Stuff Folder TRAVEL FAIR SPOTLIGHT ... Youth In Action Founded in 2000, the Youth In Action program includes weekly Japanese language and culture study, community service, volunteer work, and fundraising activities. Students commit to 15 or more hours of study and service a month.This 18-month program culminates in a month-long cultural exchange trip to Japan in the summer. Through this experience, students will have the opportunity to discover themselves in a place that is unfamiliar to them, and develop self-awareness and self-esteem in a way that cannot be duplicated. Students also learn how to confront social challenges outside of their comfort zones and deal with problems head-on. Also, Youth In Action students must learn to live in their host families' households, which increases the value they place on their own home and family life.  Traveling to Japan in the month of June allows the group to participate in school visits — a significant component of the Youth In Action program. YIA students spend 10-12 days in schools — elementary, middle, high school and colleges. Not only do YIA students benefit from experiencing the Japanese education system, but on a typical day they teach 3-4 English classes at the schools, providing each Japanese student the unique opportunity to interact with and learn English from an American youth close to their own age. The Youth in Action program builds the integrity and character of today's youth, helping them to become responsible members of society by building relationships with each other and their community while creating a strong work ethic. The youth involved become more aware about themselves and their world by studying world cultures, through interactions within their communities and through the firsthand experience of traveling to another country for a cultural exchange. Our month-long exchange trip includes home stays in Colorado's sister state of Yamagata and in the southern city of Kumamoto, Japan, along with local school visits where we learn about Japanese culture and share ours. A portion of the trip will include staying and sightseeing in the historical cities of Kyoto and Hiroshima. Check out YIA's Facebook page for 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