DCIS Connect Newsletter (May 9-15, 2019)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students May 9-15, 2019 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) DCIS DRAMA PRESENTS THE DROWSY CHAPERONE MAY 9, 10 and 11   With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and "The Drowsy Chaperone" begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight. Purchase advance tickets HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon: Thursday, May 9, 12:30 pm  DCIS Drama Spring Musical: The Drowsy Chaperone, Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11, 6 pm (+ 2 pm matinee on Saturday) West High School Spring Football Meeting: TONIGHT, Thursday, May 9, 6 pm, West High School Library Community Powwow: Friday, May 10, 2-6 pm, south side of school General PTSA Meeting and Parent Volunteer Appreciation: Friday, May 10, 3:30-4:30 pm NEW! China Trip Meeting: Wednesday, May 15, 5:45-6:15 pm, Room 120 MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... Senior Awards Night: Thursday, May 16, 6-8 pm, at DCIS, dinner will be provided DCIS Art Department Art Show and Reception: Thursday, May 16, 5-7 pm, DCIS Art Room (117) and surrounding hall   Senior Checkout: Thursday and Friday, May 16-17 Drama Club Banquet: Friday, May 17, 5 pm, Congress Park Graduation: Wednesday, May 22, 6 pm, University of Denver NO SCHOOL: Memorial Day, Monday, May 27 Final Exams: Tuesday and Wednesday, May 28-29 8th Grade Continuation: Wednesday, May 29, 6 pm, DCIS Auditorium Day of Service/Students' Last Day: Thursday, May 30 Taco Night and Chili Cook-off: Friday, Aug. 23, 5-9 pm (sign up for the Chili Cook-off here) GRADUATION IS NEAR ... ... less than two weeks away! Senior Checkout, which is Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17, is when seniors will confirm that they've handled all their school business before they get their cap and gown. If you have questions about the process, see your counselor. See Ms. Zinn if you have issues with your personal checkout. We're excited to celebrate all your successes at the Senior Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 16, at 6 pm at the school. We'll also host a dinner after the ceremony. Please come in your dress clothes ready to honor the great work of the Class of 2019! FROM THE ACTING PRINCIPAL ... Dear DCIS Families, Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Thanks for all the ways you have helped us honor and celebrate our amazing teachers and the great work our whole team does to make this community so special. We are gearing up for the events that fill up the calendar (see below), and every class period we continue to push for intellectual engagement. We're going to keep growing minds through the very last day of finals! Spring Musical (May 9–11) Powwow (May 10) Senior Awards and Art Show (May 16) Graduation! (May 22) Continuation! (May 29) Final Exams (May 28 and 29) Day of Service (cleanup and fun, May 30) No students (faculty work day, May 31) Thank you for your continued support of all our special events while always keeping a focus on the importance of daily lessons and the learning that helps us develop global citizens every day.   With gratitude and zest, Jenn Zinn and the DCIS team 8th GRADE CONTINUATION CEREMONY! The 8th Grade Continuation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 29, at 6 pm in the DCIS Auditorium. A reception will follow. We ask all students to dress up for this exciting occasion. Students should continue to report their service hours and other elements of their DCIS work in addition to focusing on great grades in every class. Please call the office with questions about the requirements and expectations for Continuation. TRAVEL & HOSTING OPPORTUNITIES ...  CHINA DCIS Chinese teacher Ms. Liu will host a China trip the week of June 8-16, 2020. Students and parents are welcome to come along for what will surely be an amazing and rich experience. For details on the trip, click here, then type Liu-4980 in the search box in the top right corner.   Ms. Liu will host a parent/student meeting on Wednesday, May 15, 5:45-6:15 pm in Room 120, to answer questions. Feel free to email her with any additional questions. URGENT: HOSTS NEEDED FOR RUSSIAN BUSINESS LEADERS The Russian Fellows represent the next generation of emerging Russian leaders (ages 22 to 27) in business, entrepreneurship and innovation who are committed to driving economic development through leadership and sound business practices. WorldDenver is looking for people interested in hosting either for the entire stay (May 24-June 17) or partial stay (May 24-June 6).   As a home-stay host, you would need to: Provide a welcoming home that is respectful of other cultures. Treat your guest(s) like a member of your family. Share your favorite cultural parts of the city and state with the visitors. Provide a room with an individual bed and access to a shared bathroom. Provide two meals per day, Monday-Friday, and three meals per day on weekends (dietary restrictions may apply). Transport or provide assistance in taking public transportation to/from work site placements, Monday-Friday. You can apply to be a home-stay host here. Please email Megan with any questions. HOST ITALIAN EXCHANGE STUDENTS IN THE FALL DCIS families, would you like to host an Italian student for 10 days at the end of September? Italian high school students from the Istituto Balbo in Casale-Monferrato in the northern Italian region of Piemonte will be spending the week with DCIS, and we're looking for host families. They will have different levels of English-speaking abilities, but one of the primary goals of the Italians will be to practice their English. Please click here for more information, or contact Sally Bishop if you are interested. 2019-20 NORWEGIAN EXCHANGE STUDENT We are still in need of a host family for a 17-year-old Norwegian boy who will be joining us in the fall for the 2019-20 school year. André is the perfect exchange student! He is really excited and has the right expectations for a year abroad in the U.S. He is very family-oriented and friendly. André has a lot of energy and does a lot of activities in his spare time, including soccer, skiing and dancing hip hop. He is very open-minded and the type of person who will try not to judge and to always be positive. André is a student with EF High School Exchange Year and comes fully insured with health insurance and his own spending money. His American family would provide a bedroom to sleep in, meals at home and a loving home to call his own. Email Derek today to find out how you can make André's American dream come true!  Advanced Language Study Opportunities! Are you and your child interested in continuing your world language study beyond the courses DCIS offers in the coming school year? Please complete this form (before May 20) to tell us about your interest, and we'll connect you with the resources that are available (some of which are free!). There will be an informational meeting for all students who wish to play football at West High School in the fall, who haven't played for West before. The meeting will be TONIGHT, Thursday, May 9, at 6 pm in the West High School Library. Meet the West High coaching staff, athletic director and administration. Summer activity and lifting schedules will be given out. If you have any questions, please email Coach Garcia or call him at 720-423-5323. Check out the team's website for more information. DCIS ART DEPARTMENT SHOW AND RECEPTION On Thursday, May 16, 5-7 pm, the DCIS Art Department will have an art show and reception in and around the Art Room (117) at the south end of the hall. This will feature our iconic art furniture and objects (by MS artists), a slideshow of commissioned art around the school and community in room 118, and our ceiling gallery in 117. Punch and cookies provided for guests of the artists who sign our visitors' book! LIBRARY UPDATE ...  FROM OUR LIBRARIAN, HOLDEN HUNTZINGER The DCIS library received $4,368 in Mill Levy funds, so we were able to order new books in two rounds. This money is earmarked specifically for books and can't be used for any other library supplies or improvement projects.  We are very grateful to Marie and our PTSA for stepping in with their donation of four bean bag chairs and six yoga mats for the library. We are still seeking additional donations of more comfy chairs and young adult fiction, in particular, as we work to make the library a safe, clean, welcoming space. I'm also focused on launching a pro-reading initiative; and reorganizing and cataloging our class sets and textbooks for ease of use.  I was also awarded $1,500 this year from the DPS Foundation after writing a grant proposal to supplement and kick-start our makerspace. Those monies went toward 3D printing pens, computer components, wearable electronics and other small projects. We'll also have a 3D printer that we found in the building and are repairing. The PTSA donated another $200 so we can build two new tables to be used in the new makerspace. At the end of this year, we will have a basic makerspace where students can explore coding, digital art, wearable electronics, cardboard construction and two different kinds of 3D printing. I applied through the nationwide "Making Spaces" project, sponsored by Google, and was awarded a $2,000 grant for next year. With help from the Denver Public Library, we have a team of trained teachers who are involved in planning the space. Starting next year we will develop our space for use by a dedicated makerspace club that will create projects in approximately month-long units focusing on specific domains of making. We'll use this grant money to beef up our supply of consumables (e.g., filament for 3D printing) and to expand our space to include audio and video recording equipment as well as more tools for digital audio and video editing. THANK YOU to the PTSA and to those who have donated to the library. We are so grateful for all the support and look forward to an exciting and creative 2019-20! YEARBOOKS ARE IN! If you ordered a yearbook, it is available for pickup in room 216A during lunch! Students must sign for yearbooks in person.   Didn't buy a yearbook? It's not too late! Order your very own here.   RAISE YOUR HAND ...  PTSA You are invited! Please join us TOMORROW, Friday, May 10, at 3:30 pm in the Community Room for a quick general PTSA meeting, followed by a Parent Volunteer Appreciation ceremony led by Mr. Linwood Washington, where we'll celebrate the many parents who have made a difference in our community this past year. Very important: This is the one PTSA meeting for which we ask that you please RSVP so we know to expect you. Are you short on time but would still like to support our school? Consider making a one-time or monthly donation to the PTSA here or, if you're a business owner, making a tax-deductible donation as a community sponsor or donor! If you have questions or something else you can offer, please email Marie Meyer or call her at 303-913-4845. Thank you for your support! DCIS RECEIVES KUDOS FROM THE DENVER URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE From DUDL: We are thrilled for Denver Center for International Studies' participation in the 2018-19 Denver Urban Debate League's 11th season. Coaches Benjamin Pruitt and Kristen Miller did a phenomenal job, and students from your school earned the following honors and medals this season. We hope you can find a way to celebrate their hard work representing DCIS at all the tournaments. Wish them luck as they continue to plan and prepare for the upcoming season. We wish graduating seniors who were part of the DUDL community success in their future endeavors. Thank you for all you do to support speech and debate at your school. 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 SENIOR ANNOUNCEMENTS Scholarship Newsletter and Other Documents Senior Calendar-Class of 2019 IMPORTANT DATES Friday, May 10 — 10th & 11th Grade: Deadline for Off-Campus Concurrent Enrollment for Fall 2019 All paperwork and registration must be completed and turned in by this date. This is for sophomores and juniors who have taken the ACCUPLACER already and are college-ready. Students who did not have the chance to ACCUPLACE and/or register this spring must wait until fall 2019. Wednesday, May 22 — Graduation, 6 pm, at the University of Denver Students must arrive by 5 pm. Doors open for families at 5:30 pm; ceremony starts at 6 pm. REMIND SIGN-UP FOR JUNIOR/SENIOR FAMILIES Parents and guardians: please sign up! Get text and/or email reminders about what is going on with the DCIS Counseling Department. Seniors  Juniors Sophomores Freshman FROM THE OFFICE OF WHOLE CHILD SUPPORTS The May DenverRAP Activity Calendar is here! This calendar provides information about free activities happening in the Denver area. You can find the calendar (as well as a printer-friendly version) online. Please share this with anyone who might benefit from this resource. You can also have information about free activities happening in Denver sent directly to your phone by texting "DenverRAP" to 67076. 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