DCIS Connect Newsletter (Dec. 6-12, 2018)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students December 6-12, 2018 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... 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, 4:30-6:30 pm, DCIS Community Room MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... Teacher/Staff Appreciation Lunch: Wednesday, Dec. 19, 11 am–1:30 pm, DCIS Community Room Finals: Monday-Thursday, Dec. 17-20 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 Passages Day: Friday, Jan. 18 FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Parents, Just a reminder about our Finals Week schedule, which is coming right up! Some teachers are giving finals on Monday/Tuesday, others on Wednesday/Friday. Note there's no White Day during this week. Here's the schedule: Monday, Dec. 17, Green Day Tuesday, Dec. 18, Blue Day Wednesday, Dec. 19, Green Day Thursday, Dec. 20, Blue Day Friday, Dec. 21, no classes for students. Students can meet with teachers by appointment to make up finals or major projects. Otherwise, no school this day. These next couple of weeks are the last big push! Thank you for supporting your students through what can be a stressful time.  If you'd also like to support our awesome teachers and staff, please think about contributing something to the staff luncheon on Wednesday, Dec. 19 (see details below). As always, thanks so much for everything you do. Theresa McCorquodale EMERGENCY TEXTS FROM DPS Families and high school students will now receive emergency texts from the district. The communications team will also send emergency robocalls and robo-emails. Messages will be sent during crises such as lockdowns, evacuations and weather delays/closures. We are excited about this change because sending text messages will inform families and students of crises in a much shorter time frame than what it takes for a robocall or robo-email to be delivered. Parents and guardians* have been automatically opted-in to receive emergency texts** based on cell phone numbers provided during registration. Please check to make sure your information is up-to-date in the Parent Portal. Messages will be sent in English and Spanish. *Families of high school students, please fill out this Google form in order to sign up YOUR STUDENT to receive emergency texts. **Please note, Communications does not send out messages during lockouts unless they take place during arrival/dismissal and we hear directly from a school leader or DPS Safety. Lockouts are typically caused by police activity in our neighborhood and will only affect families and students during arrival/dismissal and lunchtime. Learn more about lockdowns and lockouts here. RAISE YOUR HAND ... TEACHER/STAFF LUNCH DONATIONS REQUESTED Each year, DCIS parents show the wonderful DCIS teachers and staff our appreciation for their hard work with a holiday lunch. Please sign up here for a dish to bring to help them kick off a well-deserved winter break. Cooking not your thing? We also need volunteers to bring plates, utensils, napkins and cups, and to help set up and clean up!   Items should be dropped off in the DCIS Community Room by 11 am on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Dishes can be picked up after school that day or on Thursday, Dec. 20.   Thank you for supporting our teachers and staff! 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 A SUCCESS 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!!! FALL SEMESTER Finals for fall semester are the week of Dec. 17. 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 ... OneSeed Labs OneSeed Innovation Labs are two-week, international summer learning experiences for high school students entering their junior or senior year. OneSeed Labs are designed to immerse students in the unfamiliar and to encourage them to think critically about the world around them. Students will learn the basics of design thinking and develop skill sets (and mindsets) to solve difficult problems using entrepreneurial methodology. This hands-on approach provides a unique opportunity to learn about and explore a new country and to step outside of one's comfort zone, whether that's by interviewing a local business owner or trekking through the Himalayan mountains.   OneSeed Labs evolved out of the work of OneSeed Expeditions, a social enterprise dedicated to changing the way travel impacts local communities. Since 2010, OneSeed Expeditions has invested in more than 500 small businesses around the world — empowering fellow risk-takers to launch or expand their business. We believe that some of the most enduring and meaningful impacts we can create is through business development. We're excited to expand our mission by empowering high school students to explore a new way of thinking and approaching the world. Check out OneSeed Labs for more information! DPS WHOLE CHILD SUPPPORTS...  BE THE INFLUENCE As you may know, Denver Public Schools is partnering with an organization called Be the Influence (BTI). BTI is a parent support program for a network of parents who are dedicated to doing all they can to keep their teens safe and away from drugs for as long as possible. BTI provides access to a secure database of this network of Denver parents who pledge to host teen parties free of alcohol, marijuana, nicotine and other drugs. BTI sends out bimonthly newsletters to its parents with parenting tips and facts about different drugs. There is also an option for parents to receive these newsletters without making the pledge. We invite you to check out this website for more information about this community.    To view BTI's latest blog on teen use of marijuana, including information on the latest trends, products and studies, click here. For health effects and other risks for teen use of marijuana, click here.  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