DCIS Connect Newsletter (Sept. 12-18, 2019)

DCIS Connect Newsletter (Sept. 12-18, 2019)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students September 12–18, 2019 (Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.) DINE OUT FOR DCIS  Thursday, Sept. 19 Please join us at California Pizza Kitchen in the Cherry Creek Mall between 11 am and 10 pm on Thursday, Sept. 19, to Dine Out for DCIS. Can't stay for a sit-down meal? Takeout is included!  Let your server know you're there to support DCIS and 20 percent of your check will be donated to the DCIS PTSA. Save yourself some time in the kitchen and raise some serious dough for DCIS! HAPPENING THIS WEEK ... CSC Meeting: Thursday, Sept. 12, 4:30–6:30 pm, Community Room West Varsity Softball: Thursday, Sept. 12, 4 pm, vs. Far Northeast High School, All-City Softball Field West Volleyball: Thurs. Sept. 12, 4 pm (JV), 6 pm (Varsity), Bruce Randolph, 3955 Steele St., Denver Middle School Boys Soccer: Friday, Sept. 13, 4 pm, vs. BVI, at DCIS Middle School Boys Soccer: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 4 pm, Kepner Middle School, 911 S. Hazel Ct., Denver MARK YOUR CALENDAR ... West Varsity Softball: Friday, Sept. 13, 4 pm, Englewood High School, 3800 S. Logan St., Englewood West Varsity Football: Friday, Sept. 13, 7 pm, vs. St. Mary's High School, All-City Stadium West Boys Varsity Tennis Tournament: Saturday, Sept. 14, 8 am, Arvada High School, 7951 W. 65th Ave., Arvada West Volleyball Varsity/JV Tournament: Saturday, Sept. 14, 8 am, Arvada High School, 7951 W. 65th Ave., Arvada West JV Football: Monday, Sept. 16, 4 pm, St. Mary's High School, 2501 E. Yampa St., Colorado Springs West Boys Varsity Soccer: Monday, Sept. 16, 4 pm, vs. Englewood, Denver West High School West Varsity Softball: Monday, Sept. 16, 4 pm, vs. Jefferson, Denver West High School West Cross-Country Varsity Angel Invite: Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2:30 pm, City Park, Denver West Boys Tennis: Tuesday, Sept. 17, 6 pm, vs. Aurora Central, Denver West High School Middle School Cross-Country: KCAA Southwest Smackdown, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 3:45 pm, Harvey Park West Varsity Softball: Tuesday, Sept. 17, 4:15 pm, John F. Kennedy High School, 2855 S. Lamar St., Denver West Volleyball: Tuesday, Sept. 17, 5 pm (JV), 6 pm (Varsity), vs. Aurora Central, Denver West High School West Boys JV Soccer: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 4 pm, vs. Far Northeast High School, Denver West High School California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser: Thursday, Sept. 19, 11 am–10 pm, Cherry Creek Mall Middle School Cross-Country: Hamilton, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 3:45 pm, Bible Park Drama Club Fundraiser: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 4–8 pm, Chipotle, 6th and Broadway Middle School Boys Soccer: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 4 pm, vs. Slavens, at DCIS Middle School Boys Soccer: Monday, Sept. 30, 4 pm, KCAA, 2250 S. Quitman St., Denver Middle School Cross-Country: League Meet, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 3:45 pm, Bear Valley Park Homecoming Dance: Saturday, Oct. 5, 7–10 pm Spirit Week: Monday–Friday, Oct. 7–11 Picture Day: Wednesday, Oct. 9, all day Drama Club Fundraiser: Monday, Oct. 14, 4–8 pm, PIzzeria Locale, 6th and Broadway Middle School Volleyball: Monday, Oct. 14, 4 pm, at DCIS FREE COLLEGE APPLICATION DAY: Tuesday, Oct. 15; learn more here Family–Teacher Conferences: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 3:15–7:15 pm Non-Student Contact Days: Friday, Oct. 18; Monday–Tuesday, Oct. 21–22 Middle School Volleyball: Friday, Oct. 25, 4 pm, KCAA, 2250 S. Quitman St., Denver Middle School Dance and Haunted House: Friday, Oct. 25, 6–8:30 pm Middle School Volleyball: Tuesday, Oct. 29, 4 pm, vs. BVI, at DCIS Fall Play – Almost, Maine: Thursday–Saturday, Nov. 14–16, 6 pm FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... Greetings DCIS Families, I wanted to take a quick moment to say THANKS to those folks who were able to join us last night at Back To School Night. It's always great to see the building full of families. While we educators know we play an important role, our students' family members are the most important people in their lives (even if they may not admit it). Also, I wanted to say thanks to those parents who have taken a moment to share with me what is going well and where we need to improve. I fundamentally believe we can all get better!   Finally, I wanted to celebrate some AMAZING results coming out of the high school. The ELA (Literacy) growth for the PSAT/SAT is the HIGHEST in the district. Yes, that means we showed more growth than DSA, East and DSST. Please be sure to give a huge shout-out to the students and teachers for this AWESOME accomplishment. If you are interested in seeing what a progressive dress code looks like, please check out our updated dress code on the website. We had conversations with students and staff and agree that dress codes predominantly discriminate against females. The National Organization of Women in Oregon has put together a very forward-thinking dress code that we have pretty much copied. Please check it out and give us your feedback.    Cheers, Dr. Gamba ARTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION ... VISUAL ART In Visual Art, students are working on developing observation as a habit of mind and using line drawings to communicate ideas in detail. The results are better than they expected!  TRAVEL CENTER NEWS ...  REISCHAUER SCHOLARS PROGRAM The Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP) is an online course for high school students sponsored by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). Named in honor of former Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer, the RSP annually selects 25–30 exceptional high school sophomores, juniors and seniors from throughout the United States to engage in an intensive study of Japan. The RSP provides students with a broad overview of Japanese history, literature, religion, art, politics, economics and contemporary society, with a special focus on the U.S.–Japan relationship. Ambassadors, top scholars and experts throughout the United States and Japan provide online lectures and engage students in live discussion sessions. Selected students participate in the online course on Japan from February to June of each year. Students who successfully complete the course will earn Stanford Continuing Studies Program (CSP) credit and a Certificate of Completion from SPICE, Stanford University. Application Deadline: Tuesday, Oct. 15. Apply online.    SUPPORT THE TRAVEL CENTER Is making travel available to DCIS students important to you? Support the DCIS TRAVEL CENTER by: Donating to the PTSA Travel Center Fund  Attending the Travel Fair, Dec. 12, 5-8 pm in the Cafeteria DCIS T-SHIRTS AND HOODIES GOING FAST  PTSA is selling on-hand apparel items, including $25 hoodies and $10 T-shirts.To reserve yours, email Marie.  COUNSELORS' CORNER ...  COUNSELORS Tami Handley - 720-423-9006 Ted Brugman - 720-423-9094 SENIORS Seniors should be setting up senior meetings with their counselor. During this meeting they will go over their graduation plan and post-secondary plans. FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) opens Tuesday, Oct. 1. Scholarships Boettcher: Open now. Deadline is Friday, Nov. 1 Daniels Fund: Opens Tuesday, Oct. 1. Deadline is Friday, Nov. 15 James Cook: Open now. Deadline is Monday, Sept. 16 at 5 pm Seniors can create an account for Going Merry, an online scholarship search tool, at goingmerry.com. WE NEED YOU! Even though we're only about halfway through the first quarter of school, we're looking ahead to next year in one respect: recruitment. Parents and students are already checking out schools to determine which one they'll attend next year, and we hold open houses and offer shadowing opportunities to show them all DCIS has to offer.  What does this have to do with you? Everything! Word-of-mouth marketing via our current parents and students is the best way to let prospective families know about our school. If you know of any 5th or 8th graders shopping around for a middle or high school next year (or any 6-12 student who is unhappy at their current school), we'd love it if you can share with them why DCIS might be a good fit. Below are just a few of the many reasons: The Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS) is a great fit for students in grades 6-12 who are passionate about the world around them. While DCIS students take the same core courses in English, math, science, and social studies as their counterparts at other DPS schools, they also take a second social studies course each year and engage in the study of one of six world languages offered (Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Lakota, and Spanish). High school students choose electives that help to broaden their perspective across disciplines, including courses such as health medical sciences, psychology, film production, women in world history, and a unique elective focusing on Mexican history taught entirely in Spanish. High school students are also able to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes at DCIS, as well as in concurrent enrollment classes either at DCIS or on the Auraria college campus that earn them both high school and college credit. DCIS's Travel Center supports students in finding the right travel or study abroad opportunity, offering school-sponsored trips, summer or school-year study abroad, and more. The DCIS Foundation supports student travelers with group and/or individual scholarships, making it possible for many more students interested in travel or study abroad to engage in those opportunities. In recent years, DCIS students have gone on to pursue higher education at local colleges and universities (including the University of Denver, the University of Colorado – Boulder and Metro State University) as well as at colleges and universities further afield (including Yale, Stanford and Cornell). Shout-out from Linwood Washington to Holden Huntzinger for hosting a yoga class for all staff after school on Fridays. Thank you from Restorative Justice (RJ) Coordinator Vanessa Medina-Pasillas to Shelly Stolitza, who did an on-the-spot restorative practice that really helped support the student.  Shout-out from Vanessa Medina-Pasillas to science teacher Frank Pomponio for having an engaging class. Shout-out from Vanessa Medina-Pasillas to science teacher Steve Rounds for being very welcoming. Shout-out from RJ Coordinator Josiah Ellsworth to Takaaki Matsumoto for the kindness and joy he brings to work and in his classroom. Mr Matsumoto leads with integrity and high expectations. Shout-out from science teacher Jef Brown to Dino on the custodial staff for all the above-and-beyond work he does for this school and the kids. He is always ready to help and make things happen. Thank-you from Camay Hunter to fellow math teacher Rachael Binkley for her support and for helping her find resources both in and out of school. Shout-out from art teacher Susan Marion to Nathaniel Arellano, grade 6, who is always ready to help or say a kind word, rolls with changes and makes everything better. He loves our school and isn't afraid to show it! Shout-out from Susan Marion to Mo Siid (grade 9) for being willing to take artistic risks and suggestions and grow, and to Jesse Lopez (grade 11) for being willing to teach his peers what he knows about art. Shout-out from Susan Marion to Camay Hunter, who helped with prep work in a time of need. She is "wicked smart" (as they like to say in Boston) and likes to collaborate on art. RAISE YOUR HAND ...  NEWSLETTER EDITOR NEEDED Our two longtime newsletter editors are vacating their positions as the last of their kids will graduate this year. We already have one parent volunteer who has begun to take over production duties and are looking for another. Having two is hugely helpful for lightening the load and providing coverage during absences, time off, etc. No experience needed — we will train. Proofreading/editing skills and an eye for detail are desirable. Once you're trained, you can expect to spend about an hour a week (sometimes more, sometimes less) to get the newsletter out on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. You'll also learn how to send out push notifications through the school app (super easy). Please send an email to dcisconnect@gmail.com, detailing your interest and any related skills/experience. We hope you'll join us! It's a great way to keep on top of what's going on at the school and to get to know DCIS staff, other parents and students. AMAZON SMILE DCIS is a registered charity on AmazonSmile! You can contribute to the PTSA by selecting our organization (search for DCIS PTSA) as your AmazonSmile under My Account. Make all your Amazon.com purchases at smile.amazon.com. There is no cost to you, and Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to the DCIS PTSA. In order for the PTSA to get credit for your purchase, it must be made through the smile.amazon.com website. We are very excited about this fundraising opportunity for our school! Please participate in our community by adding this simple step every time you make a purchase from Amazon.   BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION DCIS is now a Box Tops for Education school! Download the BTFE app to your phone, set up an account and scan your grocery receipts to earn money for DCIS. Or you can turn in your box tops or grocery receipts to the box in the main office and we will scan them for you! When everyone participates, we can earn thousands of dollars for our school! Back to School Night on Wednesday, Sept. 11, is the perfect time to bring in your collected coupons and grocery receipts. You can drop them at the office or give them to Allison Freeman, our new PTSA Treasurer, at the PTSA meeting that starts at 7:30 pm.  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