DCIS Connect (November 8-14, 2018)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students November 8-14, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) COMMUNITY AND FAMILY PARTNERSHIPS Hey parents! If you're a business owner who'd like to partner with the school or you're interested in helping us launch a program to approach area businesses as partners to support the school in various ways, please join us at the PTSA board meeting on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2-4 pm at Pizzeria Locale (meeting room), where community and family partnerships will be the focus. Whether or not you can attend the meeting, if you're interested in being involved with this group, please take a moment to RSVP here (even if you can't make it, we'll at least get your email address to keep you in the loop on future meetings, volunteer opportunities, etc.). Questions? Email Terri. HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... ADOLESCO Youth Exchange Info Meeting: Friday, Nov. 5, 12:45 pm, DCIS Community Room PTSA Board Meeting:  Sunday, Nov. 11, 2-4 pm, Pizzeria Locale Meeting Room, everyone welcome 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) Open House for Prospective Students: Wednesday, Nov. 14, 8–9:15 am MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... DCIS Drama Fall Play: "Nosferatu: The Legend of Dracula," Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 15-17, 6-8 pm, DCIS Auditorium Thanksgiving Break – NO SCHOOL: Monday-Friday, Nov. 19-23; school resumes Monday, Nov. 26 Parent-Principal Coffee: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 8-8:45 am, DCIS Community Room Collaborative School Committee: Note new date! Wednesday, Nov. 28, 4:30-6:30 pm, DCIS Community Room 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 8th Grade Open House: (for current 8th grade students and families) Tuesday, Dec. 4, 6-7:30 pm, DCIS Auditorium  DCIS Drama presents "The R+J Effect": Wednesday, Dec. 5, 6-8 pm, DCIS Auditorium PTSA Board Meeting: Sunday, Dec. 9, 2-4 pm, Pizzeria Locale, Meeting Room, everyone welcome November 15, 16, 17 at 6 pm in the Auditorium   Buy your tickets online or at the door. Students $5, Adults $8 DCIS DRAMA PRESENTS   PERFECT ATTENDANCE CELEBRATION! Congratulations to the following students who had perfect attendance in the first quarter that ended on Oct. 18. They and their parents will get to celebrate their accomplishment with beverages and breakfast danishes on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 8-8:45 am in the Cafeteria. MIDDLE SCHOOL Lia FP. Stella G. Myla G. Matthew K. Camila K. Ronald L. Maria MS. Caden M. Beckett NG. Saphira P. Leo Q. Omar R. Noah S. Juan C.   HIGH SCHOOL Amelia W. Liliana AP. Isaiah H. Sophie L. Bryan RI. Jack C. Peyton H. Carmen P. Owen S. Mical V. Lukas LJ. Jesus RE. DCIS THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE DCIS is holding a Thanksgiving food drive to help support families in need in the DCIS community. If you can donate, please send some nonperishable food items with your student starting now through the end of next week (Nov. 16). Students should drop off their items in the collection bin in their advisement classroom. The top two advisements that collect the most items will have a donut party in their advisement on Friday, Nov. 16. Please contact Mr. Washington, Ms. Springsteen, Ms. Schmidt, Mr. Powell or Mr. Brugman with any questions. Thank you for helping to support families in need in the DCIS community! EXTRACURRICULARS ...  FAMILY AND COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER DAY A day of giving is a great way to start off the holidays while benefiting your community, earning community service credit and having fun! Join Philanthropy Field Trips and History Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 17, 10 am–noon, to: Decorate bags used to deliver meals to people with life-threatening illnesses for Project Angel Heart Make kindness cards for families torn apart by immigration detention, who are being reunited by Casa de Paz Make toys for rescued dogs through 2 Blondes All Breed Put together care packages for the Close to Home Network Create thank-you cards for firefighters and others The Blue Bench will have a resources table where older kids and their families can learn more about healthy relationships and boundaries through games and information.  All participants will receive FREE admission to the museum, which has some wonderful exhibits, including Play Ball! Sign up here to get all the details, or call Michelle at 720-854-8401 for more information. FAMILY ACTIVITIES The November DenverRAP (Resource for Awareness and Prevention) Activity Calendar is out. Take a look at their calendar for all sorts of free family activities around town. You can also have information about free activities happening in Denver sent directly to your phone by texting "DenverRAP" to 67076. DCIS TRAVELS ...  ADOLESCO YOUTH EXCHANGE Meet the ADOLESCO YOUTH EXCHANGE rep in the Community Room at DCIS Baker on Friday, Nov. 9, at 2:45 pm for a pizza lunch and an info meeting about its AFFORDABLE exchange program for students in grades 6-12. Adolesco will match your child with a student about their age in France, Germany, Italy or Spain (your choice); you will decide exactly WHEN (whenever suits your family's schedule best) and for HOW LONG (6-12 weeks) you will exchange and host. The next application DUE DATE is Friday, March 15, 2019, by 5 pm. Matches will be announced by May 2019. Once you are matched, you will have two summers — and the school year in between — to exchange and host. RSVP to Marie at marie@adolesco.org so she can get a pizza count, visit www.Adolesco.org or come to the Community Room to find out more about this exchange program that's open to middle-schoolers too! You can also contact Ms. Bishop in the Travel Center for brochures. 10TH GRADE TRAVEL WEEK Arrangements are well underway for the 10th Grade Travel Week April 22-26, 2019! Your student has the choice of going to (1) Canyonlands, Utah OR to the YMCA of the Rockies just outside Estes Park, Colorado. Regardless of the location your student chooses, the purpose of these trips is to have students experience nature and the natural world through the lens of a writer, historian, mathematician and scientist, and the experience will be woven into the 10th-grade curriculum by addressing the following question: "How has the relationship between human beings and the physical and natural world changed and stayed the same over time?" We strongly encourage ALL 10th graders to go on one of the trips, and we have various fundraising projects underway to ensure that this opportunity is available to all our 10th graders regardless of ability to pay. Mr. Saller will be the lead teacher for the trip to Canyonlands. The total cost for Canyonlands is $657, which includes: A day trip rafting on the Colorado River Hiking and scrambling up slot canyons to petroglyphs on top of a mesa Sleeping in teepees under a night sky thick with stars Time to explore Professor Creek and the riparian ecosystem Time to relax, journal, read and hang out with friends Creating strong, positive relationships with classmates Ms. Sandlin will be the lead teacher for the trip to the Estes Park YMCA. The total cost is $285, and it includes: Five days exploring Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and its surroundings Four nights at the YMCA Estes Park lodge Hiking into RMNP on day hikes Outdoor education courses (such as ecology, survival skills and astronomy) Creating strong, positive relationships with classmates Time to relax, journal, read and hang out with friends You can pay by check (made out to DCIS) or cash to Ms. Hoffman. She suggests the following payment schedule of $48/month for Estes Park and $110/month for Canyonlands (or you can pay in full at any time): October 31 November 30 December 21 January 31 February 28 March 22 Please contact Marie Meyer if your student needs help with fundraising. We applied to the DCIS Foundation as a group for a scholarship (and this won't affect any individual DCISF application), and we are also accepting donations from our community. Thank you in advance if you are considering a donation! We know from past experiences that 10th Grade Travel Week is a transformational milestone for our students. TRAVEL FAIR SPOTLIGHT ... ARCC Programs For 36 years ARCC Programs has been providing impactful experiences for teenagers in some of the world's most spectacular locations. This summer we are proud to offer 18 different service and adventure programs on six continents. ARCC summer programs combine meaningful, authentic community service with the thrill of international adventures for like-minded teens. Our unique partnerships around the world with local communities, nonprofits, schools, animal rehabilitation centers and other organizations allow our projects to be meaningful for both local communities and our student volunteers.   ARCC student groups are intentionally small, ranging from 12 to 18 students grouped by age. We pride ourselves on creating tight bonds where groups share their experiences for the entire length of the program. All of this leads to a tremendously successful group experience for ARCC students. Our leaders and instructors are exceptional individuals of extraordinary character and experience. Selected from many hundreds of highly qualified applicants, ARCC leaders are enthusiastic about serving others, and most important, working with teenagers and helping students thrive. ARCC summer programs are open to students in grades 7-12 and start at $2,995. DCIS EXPLORES JAPANESE CULTURE It's been a busy couple of weeks for Mr. Matsumoto and students from our Japanese program. First, a thank-you to Mr. Matsumoto and the PTSA, who arranged for the drummers from the Shumei International Institute to perform at one of our morning meetings — it was a beautiful thing! Last weekend, Mr. Matsumoto along with PTSA reps and students represented our Japanese program at the Japanese Culture Day celebration on the DU campus — a great chance to highlight our program and to reconnect with former students. COUNSELORS' CORNER ...  COUNSELORS Tami Schmidt: Middle school Melisa Springsteen: High school last names A-J Ted Brugman: High school last names K-Z Senior Stuff Folder 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