DCIS Connect Newsletter (Jan. 10-16, 2019)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students January 10-16, 2019 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) 2019-2020 BELL SCHEDULE SURVEY The School Leadership Team (SLT) would like your input regarding next year's bell schedule. Only the first question is "required" if you choose to take the survey, so you're free to respond to the other questions most relevant to you. To fill out the survey, please click here.   HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... PSAT/SAT Practice Test: Monday, Jan. 14, during morning classes  DCIS Foundation Mandatory Scholarship Meetings: Monday, Jan. 14, and Thursday, Jan. 17, lunchtime in MUN room Open House for Prospective Families: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 8 am MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... PTSA Community Meeting: Thursday, Jan. 17, 6:30-8 pm, DCIS Cafeteria, everyone welcome CSC Meeting: Thursday, Jan. 17, 4:30-6:30 pm, DCIS Community Room Passages Day: Friday, Jan. 18 NO SCHOOL — Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, Jan. 21 Open House for Prospective Families: Thursday, Jan. 31, 6–7:30 pm NO SCHOOL — Non-Student Contact Day: Friday, Feb. 1 DCIS Drama Presents One-Act Plays: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 1-2, 6 pm DCIS Drama Spring Musical Auditions: Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 4-5; Thursday, Feb. 7, after school FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Parents, Happy 2019! We are so happy to have your kids back with us at school. We have had a great start to the new semester. To begin, we're thrilled to have the following new staff members: Josiah Ellsworth: New Restorative Practices Coordinator Dante Johnson: New Facilities Team member Susan Marion: Art teacher, returned from her leave last semester Vanessa Medina: New Restorative Practices Coordinator Diego Rodriguez: New Spanish and ELD teacher Next week two major events will take place. First, on Monday, Jan. 14, all 9th, 10th and 11th graders will be taking a full-length PSAT/SAT practice test during the morning, with classes resuming after lunch. Middle school students will attend classes as normal. Seniors who have any missing credits will be given the day to complete credit recovery. All other seniors do not have classes on this day and do not need to come to school.   Second, Friday, Jan. 18, is Passages Day. Sixth graders will attend one Passages presentation and then depart for their full-day field trip to International Town. All other students will attend Passages presentations and related activities throughout the day. Parents are welcome! Our juniors really shine on this day and provide an impressive model for younger students who will be completing their own Passages when they become juniors.   Monday, Jan. 21 is a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please feel free to join our Student Council at the Marade on this day.   Know any parents looking for a great school for their children for next year? Please spread the word about DCIS! We have an evening Open House event on Thursday, Jan. 31, 6-7:30 p.m. All are welcome. Here's to a great start for 2019! Theresa McCorquodale DCIS TRAVELS ...  MANDATORY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP MEETING The DCIS Foundation student travel scholarship process begins soon. Students planning to apply for a travel scholarship MUST attend a DCIS Foundation orientation in the MUN room on one of the following two dates during lunch: Monday, Jan. 14 Thursday, Jan. 17 RAISE YOUR HAND ...   PTSA YOU ARE INVITED to attend the DCIS Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) community meeting on Thursday, Jan. 17, 6:30-8 pm, in the DCIS Cafeteria. We look forward to discussing volunteer, fundraising and sponsorship opportunities, and answering your questions or hearing your ideas for fundraising and your priorities for how to spend the money the PTSA raises. Hope to see you there! CSC The next CSC meeting is Thursday, Jan. 17, 4:30–6:30 pm in the DCIS Community Room. All members of the community are welcome to sit in on these meetings, and there is a period for public comment at the beginning of each meeting. What is a Collaborative School Committee? The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) brings together families, staff and community members to create and implement a plan to promote high achievement within a school. This committee meets on a regular basis throughout the school year and is an opportunity for key stakeholders to have a voice in their school. Colorado law requires all schools to have a CSC to increase the amount of accountability and family involvement in our schools. What is this group responsible for doing? This group works with school leaders to provide feedback on important school decisions. These decisions may include ways to improve academic performance, budgets and the school's program. Why does my school have one? Every school in the Denver Public School system has one. Colorado law requires all schools to have this kind of group to increase the amount of accountability and parent involvement in our schools. (To learn more about that law, please click here.) 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 Welcome back! Some important dates to add to the calendar. Friday, March 22: 9th grade College Expo Tuesday, April 9: PSAT and SAT testing for grades 9-11 Friday, May 3: 12th grade college signing day during all-school meeting Wednesday, May 22: Graduation Senior Stuff Folder DPS WHOLE CHILD SUPPPORTS...  SMART COLORADO TOOLKIT Parents: You may have smoked pot when you were younger and think you turned out OK. So what do you tell your kids in Colorado's era of marijuana commercialization? Now there's an online toolkit that provides factual information to educate you and your children on the risks of today's ultra-potent marijuana products. Plus, take a five-question survey and enter to win a $250 donation to your favorite school or youth nonprofit.  FUN, FREE ACTIVITIES IN THE DENVER AREA Check out the DenverRAP (Denver Resource for Awareness and Prevention January Activity Calendar. 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 © 2019 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