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Important Dates
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9.30-10.5 - Homecoming Week
10.16 - Parents of Adopted Children Support Group, 8:15 a.m.
10.17 - DAPA meeting, 8:15 a.m.
10.17 - Picture Day (re-takes)
10.17-18 - Middle School play, Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
10.21 - Herd meeting, 8:15 a.m.
10.22-24 - Middle School Multiple Intelligences Festival
10.24 - End of Q1
10.25 - Professional Development Day; no school for students
10-28-11.1 - Fall Break; school closed
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Athletic Events
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10.5 - Varsity soccer @ Colorado Springs School, 11:00 a.m.
10.7 - Varsity vs. Denver Jewish Day, MS at 4:00 p.m., Varsity at 5:00 p.m.
10.8 - Varsity soccer @ Alexander Dawson, 4:00 p.m.
10.9 - Varsity volleyball @ Twin Peaks Charter, 4:00 p.m.
10.9 - MS soccer vs. Colorado Springs School, 4:00 p.m.
10.9 - MS cross country @ Denver Chrisitan, 4:00 p.m.
10.10 - Varsity soccer @ Ridgeview, 4:00 p.m.
10.10 - MS soccer @ Colorado Academy, 4:00 p.m.
10.10 - MS volleyball vs. Colorado Academy, 4:00 p.m.
10.12 - Varsity cross country @ Wiggins High School, 8:00 a.m.
10.14 - Varsity volleyball @ Denver Waldorf, 4:30 p.m.
10.14 - MS soccer vs. Ricks, 4:00 p.m.
10.15 - Soccer @ Liberty Common, Varsity at 4:00 p.m., JV at 5:45 p.m.
10.16 - MS soccer vs. Ricks, 4:00 p.m.
10.16 - Volleyball @ Front Range Christian, MS at 4:00 p.m., Varsity at 5:00 p.m.
10.17 - Varsity soccer vs. Denver Christian, 4:00 p.m.
10.18 - Varsity country regionals @ Fountain Creek Park, 3:00 p.m.
10.21 - MS soccer @ Denver School of Science and Technology, 4:30 p.m.
10.22 - MS volleyball vs. Logan School, 4:00 p.m.
10.24 - MS cross country @ Colorado Academy, 4:00 p.m.
10.26 - Varsity cross country state meet @ Penrose-Norris arena, 8:00 a.m.
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Dateline DA October 2013
Greetings!
October is a tricky month. The school year starts in August with the best intentions from students, parents and teachers. "This will be the year," we say. This year we will hand in homework on time, pack lunches the night before or sponsor that new club on campus. And, for the first few weeks we do really well, but then life gets in the way. The kids get strep throat, you land a demanding client at work or your mother-in-law decides to visit. (I love my mother-in-law, by the way.) At Denver Academy, we call this phenomenon the "Missiles of October." No, we're not referring to the Cuban Missile Crisis, but rather, the time when that "new school year" excitement begins to wear off (around the end of first quarter). We suspect that, ahem, you've been noticing this in your kids too. It is at this time that we need inspiration! We need to rejuvenate our goals! While we will be working with your children to finish out the first quarter strong, we know that you need a little motivation too. Please join us at:
Learning Differences Education Night
November 7th, 2013
The evening is designed to provide parents and educators with the opportunity to learn about variety of parenting and educational topics. From fostering friendships to learning about Glasser's Needs, these sessions provide an opportunity to better understand and help your child.
Check-in starts at 5:15 p.m. and sessions begin at 6:00 p.m. This is a free event, but for planning purposes, we ask that you RSVP in advance. Session descriptions, a full agenda and a RSVP form are available on our website.
We hope you can attend and leave refreshed with useful tools in your "arsenal!"
Sincerely,
Denver Academy, Headmaster
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DA News and Upcoming Events
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Let's Win $5,000 from GreatSchools.org!
Here's how it works:
just takes a minute to write. Parents, teachers and students 13 and older in K-12 schools can write reviews.
2. When our school has three new reviews this month, our school is
entered in the drawing! Every new review after the initial three gives our school another entry to win (up to 10)!
Winter Sports Update
A reminder to all winter sports athletes who are not participating in fall sports: get your physical forms and emergency cards filled out prior to participating in middle school basketball or high school basketball. All physical forms are good for 365 days.
Girls and boys middle school basketball will begin second quarter during PE classes. Girls and boys high school basketball will begin mid-November.
Good Books and Good Eats! During the Scholastic Book Fair ( Nov. 11-15), we'll be partnering with a local restaurant, Slotted Spoon. On November 11, from 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., please visit the restaurant and mention that you're with DA or pick up one of their vouchers at the fair, and they'll donate 20 percent of sales to Denver Academy! Mustang Net Parents, have you logged on to Mustang Net yet? If you haven't, be sure to check it out. It's a great to way to stay appraised of student assignments and schedules. Login credentials and directions were mailed home last week. If you have questions or are experiencing problems, please contact Mustang Net at [email protected] or call 720.524.5397.
Experiential Education 
A long-standing Denver Academy tradition is experiential week, which is March 26-28, 2014. During these magical days, students in grades 7-12 are able to participate in educational opportunities that are outside our normal classroom walls and with students and teachers from other divisions, ranging from middle school to high school. Teachers are busy planning and creating wonderful programs, which will span a variety of costs and locations (including international, national, regional, and local locales). The packets and forms will be available to seniors beginning approximately October 21st and to 7th-11th grades approximately November 5th. These programs are required. If you have any questions, please ask Vanessa Fritzsche or Virginia Hermann.
Got time?
We need your help! Join our community as a volunteer. It's a great way to get to know other DA parents, faculty and staff. We have many jobs all over campus. Are you available weekly, monthly, or occasionally? All options available. Please take a minute to fill out the volunteer form and make a difference for your student and all DA students!
Donors Choose
Here's another chance to win $$$ for our school. DonorsChoose.org is sponsoring a sweepstakes to win $25,000 for one lucky school. The more entries, the better chance we have of winning. Enter today!
The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet
Congratulations to Marcy and Troy Stagner on birth of their son, Mason Scott. Mason was born on September 9th, weighing in at 9 lbs, 9 0z. and reportedly has lots of hair!  Matt Roberts and his wife, Shreve, welcomed son, Rune, into their life in early September. Congratulations to the whole Roberts family. We can't wait to meet your new addition!
Mother/Daughter Date Night
All middle school and high school girls and their moms are invited to hear speaker Allison Greeney, owner and founder of EduKate. Allison and her mother will be speaking to us about Allison's learning difference and her journey.
November 18th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. There will be dinner and refreshments as well as group discussion and a chance for mothers and daughters to grow deeper in their relationship together. Please RSVP by November 11th.
IT Student of the Quarter
The IT Student of the Quarter goes out to a student that exhibits exceptional technological ability. This quarter the award goes to senior Caroline Field. Read more about Caroline and her tech interests.
Tennis Anyone?
Middle School teacher Andrew Green recently won the Colorado State Open 5.0 mixed doubles championship. In the tennis world this is a pretty significant accomplishment! Well done and congratulations Mr. Green!
Books on CD needed!
If you have any audiobooks sitting around unused at home, please consider donating them to Denver Academy's library. We have audio collections in both the Lower and Upper School Libraries. Questions? Contact Jolene Gutierrez.
Writing Showcase
This month, rather than focus on one author, we will provide our students the opportunity to become authors and publish their works in a variety of ways. Your child will have the chance to write different types of materials, including stories, essays, comic strips, poems, etc. and to experiment with publishing formats.
The Literacy, Library and Arts & Technology Departments will all be resources during this month of creating and publishing. Students can publish online by crafting items such as websites, blogs or using online publishing sites like www.wattpad.com, or they can pursue more traditional printed-paper publishing either printing a copy of their work or going through an independent publisher like CreateSpace. Students may also wish to tell their stories by making a video, podcast or song in Denver Academy's new recording studio.
Parents of Adopted Children Support Group
Historically, the Denver Academy student population is approximately 1/3 adopted children. The DA Parents of Adopted Children Support Group meets monthly (3rd Wednesday of each month) to share experiences, tell our unique adoption stories, ask questions, learn, give and get advice, celebrate successes and work through hardships and struggles. Raising adopted children can bring unique issues that only other adoptive parents can understand. Come share with other parents who understand.
Admissions Open Houses
Do you know a child that could benefit from a DA education? Be sure to let your friends know about our upcoming DA Admissions Open Houses. Prospective parents and students can come learn about our school, take a tour and talk to our student ambassadors and Admissions staff. www.denveracademy.org/openhouse
Next Open House: November 9 , 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
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High School News
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College and Transition Events
Hey Parents! There are a lot of important events this fall relating to college and transition, even for freshmen students. Read the corresponding document to make sure you're up to date on all the things you and your student can be doing to prepare for the future. College Visits Lots of colleges will be visiting our campus this fall. Check out the list to make sure you talk with admissions representatives from the colleges and universities you are interested in.
Catch Me if You Can
Wow! Our cross country runners are on fire! Andy O'Dell (11th grade) placed 2nd and Zach Neal (12th grade) placed 22nd out of nearly 200 runners at the Elizabeth Invitational. These two also got top times at the St. Vrain Invitational, where the team as whole finished in 8th place (out of 14 teams).
Summer Southeast Asia Trip Expands Students' World
Ancient crumbling pagodas, temples whispering their past secrets, petting tigers, cavorting with elephants, traveling ancient rivers, swimming in water falls, hiking in rain forests teeming with exotic flora and fauna.
These were just a few of the sights and sounds experienced this past summer by 12 DA high school students on an eye-opening 16-day, nine-flight, three-country tour of Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia led by ninth grade teachers Ramsey Brookhart and Sarah Hall.
After a 23 hour two-lay-over trip from Denver to Bangkok the mostly freshman and sophomore group had their cultural sensitivities rocked by the sensory overload of Thailand's swelteringly humid capital city then experienced the children's orphanage for youth with HIV and AIDS at Baan Gerda Village. Their simple presence and sharing of school supplies brought many of the socially-starved children, formerly left to die in the open, to tears as the DA students mingled with them.
A trip to Kanchanaburi Province and the historically infamous bridge on the river Kwai and visit to the Allied cemetery near there gave the students a glimpse into the years of Japanese occupation of Thailand during World War II.
They also viewed the "killing fields" of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot and the world-famous monuments and temples of Angkor Wat, the ancient capital of Cambodia.
All travel experiences must come to an end but the experiences these intrepid DA students had on their visit to Southeast Asia will continue to have an impact on their lives for years to come.
Where will they go in Summer 2014? Watch for updates from Summer and Seasonal Programs to find out more.
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Lower School News
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Speed Demons 
The middle school cross country team placed 2nd at the Alexander Dawson Invitational, with Bob Hinze placing 7th individually. They also placed 5th at the Slaven's Invitational. Way to go Mustangs!
Ponies Event Postponed
The Ponies cocktail party for new DA elementary parents (scheduled for October 10th) has been postponed. DAPA will be in touch with parents when a new date has been confirmed.
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LD News
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The Dyscalculic CEO
Dyslexia often gets a lot of press because it's the most publicly understood learning difference, but there's little mention of dyscalculia, a learning difference that affects mathematical ability. We were thrilled to see an editorial from Paul Fischer, founder and CEO of Buyometric, about his struggles with dyscalculia and his desire to create awareness about it.
ADHD Awareness Month
October is ADHD Awareness Month. Check out www.adhdawarenessmonth.org for news about local events and resources.
Giftedness Misunderstood
Many of our DA students are gifted, but this classification is often misunderstood. Read more about gifted children in a Huffington post blog from Marianne Kuzujankis, Director, Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted.
The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia
A showing of this popular documentary will take place on October 22nd at AMC Cherry Creek 8. Tickets are $5. Find out more.
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