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Thursday, October 17, 2019

DCIS Connect Newsletter (Oct. 17-23)

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Staff and Students

October 17–23, 2019

(Leer en Español usar el traductor de Google aquí.)
DCIS DINE OUTS
Dine Out for DCIS fundraising has been wildly successful! Last month we raised $250 thanks to California Pizza Kitchen at the Cherry Creek Mall. We are taking a break this month to make time for family/teacher conferences. In November please plan to join us at the Panera Bread at 640 South Colorado Boulevard, Glendale, CO 80246 location on Thursday, November 21, between 4 and 8 pm. We look forward to seeing you all there!

HAPPENING THIS WEEK ...

  • NO SCHOOL (Non-Student Contact Days): Friday, Oct. 18; Monday–Tuesday, Oct. 21–22
  • CSC Meeting: Thursday, Oct. 24, 4:30-6 pm, DCIS Community Room

MARK YOUR CALENDAR ...

  • 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, DCIS Cafeteria
  • Parent Coffee & SPF Review (In Spanish): Monday, Oct. 28, 8 –9:15 am
  • SPF Review (Bi-lingual): Monday, Oct. 28, 5:30–7:30 pm
  • Parent Coffee & SPF Review: Thursday, Oct. 31, 8–9:15 am
  • Middle School Volleyball: Tuesday, Oct. 29, 4 pm, vs. BVI, at DCIS
  • School Safety — A Shared Responsibility: Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6–7 pm
  • Middle School Student Perception Survey: Monday, Nov. 4, 7:50–9:20 am
  • High School Student Perception Survey: Monday, Nov. 6, 7:50–9:20 am
  • Family Trivia Night: Monday, Nov. 8, 6–8 pm
  • Fall Play — Almost, Maine: Thursday–Saturday, Nov. 14–16, 6 pm
  • Dine Out for DCIS: Thursday, Nov. 21, 4–8 pm, Panera Bread, 640 South Colorado Boulevard
  • NO SCHOOL: Nov. 25–29
Click here to access the schedule for all West High School sports.
TRAVEL FAIR VENDORS WANTED
DCIS is looking for vendors of travel or language related merchandise, preferably unique, locally-made, or hand-crafted, for the 2019 DCIS Travel and Language Fair. The Fair is a showcase of opportunities for students 4th to 12th grades on Thursday, Dec. 12, from 5 to 8 pm. 

For more information visit the
Facebook event page and complete the exhibitor registration form  or contact Marie if you have any questions or comments. 

The participation fee is $100 for for-profit exhibitors or $50 for nonprofits. However, teachers and students can attend for free. Community service and event credits available to student volunteers.

WHO IS INVITED?
This event is free and open to the public. Teachers, students, and parents from DCIS, as well as other schools are welcome.
 
FROM THE PRINCIPAL ... 

Greetings DCIS Community! 

This past week the School Performance Framework (SPF), which is like a report card for schools, was released. It looks at how well we are preparing our students for success and also looks at student and family satisfaction, attendance, behavior and enrollment. Unfortunately, our school received an overall rating of red, or Accredited on Probation, on the 2019 SPF, which certainly does not meet our expectations or hopes.

If we separate the high school and the middle school, the high school dropped a little bit this year from a past rating of green, Meets Expectations, to yellow, or Accredited on Watch. The middle school's performance continues to be red, or Accredited on Probation and was poor enough to bring the overall rating of the school down to red.  

Based on this rating, we are required to update and share an improvement plan with the DPS Board of Education in December. While it is easy to look for excuses and problems with the SPF, the reality is, as a school, we are not doing a good enough job meeting the needs of our students. We must do better!

In looking on the bright side, I believe we have a unique opportunity to re-set and get back on track. This isn't the first time that I have lived this reality as I became the principal of College View Elementary in the same situation. In three short years with some hard work and lots of dedication, College View passed some 75 other schools on the SPF and was a green school. It takes a mixture of hard work, a unified focus, creativity and support from the community. It MUST be done! The stakes are just too high not to.

What can you do as a parent?  Please come and share your ideas about what is working and what needs to be done differently. Send me an email with your thoughts and ideas. Drop in before or after school and give me your one-minute summary. Engage in the process by attending a CSC meeting, parent coffee &/or SPF Review as a way to learn more and share your ideas. 

1.       CSC Meetings at DCIS: Thursday, Oct. 24, 4:30–6 pm
2.       Parent Coffee & SPF Review (In Spanish): Monday, Oct. 28, 8 –9:15 am
3.       SPF Review (Bi-lingual): Monday, Oct. 28, 5:30–7:30 pm
4.       Parent Coffee & SPF Review: Thursday, Oct. 31, 8–9:15 am

Thanks in advance for remaining optimistic, committed and engaged as we all focus on what makes DCIS such a great place to be. 
 
Cheers,
Dr. Gamba

DCIS FOUNDATION ... 

Mega Amount of Applications for the Fall Travel Scholarship Season
The DCIS Foundation just closed its online scholarship application portal and we had many applications arrive. DICS Foundation funds three scholarship options: 1) Elementary Trip Grants, 2) Group Travel Scholarships, and 3) Individual Travel Scholarships. The Scholarship Committee will take the next few weeks and review the applications, interview students/groups, and make final scholarship recommendations for board approval on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Student will hear about their status after that time. 

What is the DCIS Foundation? 
The non-profit foundation was established to raise money so all DCIS students can engage in educational travel. Because of the DCIS Foundation, students experience local/national/international travel, cultural exchanges, practice their language skills, and enhance their global understanding and role in the world. Travel like this takes their knowledge from the classroom and applies it. 

It takes a lot of smart and dedicated people to keep these funds growing for our students year after year, and we have raised almost $400K for DCIS students.

Please join us.
We are looking for smart and dedicated members to join our Board of Directors, Executive Advisory Committee, and Events Committee. Get involved; there's no more important use of your talent. Email Foundation Executive Director Theresa Conley for more information. 

COUNSELORS' CORNER... 

COUNSELORS

Tami Handley - 720-423-9006
Ted Brugman - 720-423-9094


SENIORS
FAFSA is now open! Use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form to apply for financial aid for college or grad school. Read this resource to find out the three common roadblocks and how to solve them. 

The Daniels Fund application window is now open! The Daniels Scholarship is a comprehensive college scholarship that pays toward the costs of:

  • Tuition and fees
  • Room and board
  • Books and supplies
  • Miscellaneous educational expenses
It is a "last dollar" scholarship, so it is secondary to all other grants and scholarships. After considering the student's other scholarships, financial aid (federal, state and institutional), and any work-study accepted, as well as the determined Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the Daniels Fund pays toward the scholar's remaining education costs. Scholarship amounts are unique to each Daniels Scholar and can vary from year to year.
ARTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION ...

DRAMA UPDATES
Thursday–Saturday, Nov 14-16, "Almost, Maine"
Performed by the DCIS Drama Club. $5 for students, $8 for adults, $10 for first three rows.

VISUAL ART UPDATES

This week in visual art we will be studying "stewardship" as a theme in all classes, listening to R. Carlos Nakai (renowned Ute/Navajo flautist), exploring color, and experimenting with mosaic as an art form in several cultures.  
RAISE YOUR HAND... 

COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Our next CSC meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24, 4:30-6 pm, in the Community Room at DCIS. All members of the community are welcome to sit in on these meetings. Want to know more about the role of the CSC? Check out our webpage. Minutes from the September meeting can be found here.

AMAZON SMILE
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. 
For a limited time (Tuesday, Oct. 29 to Saturday, Nov. 2) your shopping with Amazon raises 10x the funds for DCIS! Do your holiday shopping and give back to DCIS. 

TRAVEL CENTER NEWS... 

DCIS PLANNED TRIPS FOR 2019–20

Trips with enrollment still open:
  • China with Ms. Liu for middle and high school students. Trip includes Beijing, the Great Wall, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai—$3,777 (Explorica) June 8 to 16
  • Guatemala with Ms. Miller for middle and high school stiudents. Students will work on a service project, hike a volcano, learn about Mayan traditions, swim, kayak, zip-line through the jungle, and improve or learning Spanish—$2,963 June 1–10
Please contact the teachers for more information about these life-changing opportunities. 

Trips no longer accepting applications:
  • Japan with Mr. Matsumoto, who promises another one next year!
  • Italy with Ms. Quesada and Ms. Bishop. This student exchange takes place every two years
  • Rapid City, South Dakota with Gwen Holmes—Lakota Nation Invitation Language and Activities Tournament
NEED A HAND ... 

DISCOUNTED RTD FARES
RTD's new income-based fare discount program offers 40% off transit for qualifying adults between the ages of 20 and 64 (other discounts are offered for those outside this age range). Click here to read more about this program. As always, students at DCIS can receive free RTD passes if they reside more than 2.5 miles from the school.

HELP WITH ENERGY BILLS
If you or someone you know needs assistance paying their energy bill, Energy Outreach Colorado and DPS Family and Community Engagement may be able to help. Click here for more information.  

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
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