Administrator's Corner
February 21, 2022
Hello Spartan Families!
A reminder that there is no school on Monday and Tuesday, classes will resume on Wednesday. A few other important announcements:
- We enjoyed celebrating our students this past week during the Honor Roll Presentation and Smarty Party. Congratulations to those students who were recognized for their academic achievements. Special thanks to Ms. Charles for organizing the events!
-
Please remember that masks are still required in all indoor school settings through Feb. 25. And they will still be strongly recommended even after the city’s mandate has expired. See the DPS website for more information: https://www.dpsk12.org/our-dps-weekly-additional-information-from-denver-health-on-the-feb-25-end-of-the-mask-mandate/
- Students are encouraged to attend office hours this Wednesday to receive additional academic support.
Thanks Spartans! Have a great week!
Hola Familias Espartanas!
Un recordatorio de que no hay escuela el lunes y el martes, las clases se reanudarán el miércoles. Algunos otros anuncios importantes:
- Disfrutamos celebrando a nuestros estudiantes esta semana pasada durante la Presentación del Cuadro de Honor y la Fiesta Smarty. Felicitaciones a aquellos estudiantes que fueron reconocidos por sus logros académicos. ¡Agradecimientos especiales a la Sra. Charles por organizar los eventos!
-
Por favor recuerde que las máscaras todavía son requeridas en todos los ambientes de la escuela interior hasta el 25 de febrero. Y aún se les recomendará encarecidamente incluso después de que haya expirado el mandato de la ciudad. Consulte el sitio Web de DPS para obtener más información: https://www.dpsk12.org/our-dps-weekly-additional-information-from-denver-health-on-the-feb-25-end-of-the-mask-mandate/
- Se alienta a los estudiantes a asistir a las horas de oficina este miércoles para recibir apoyo académico adicional.
¡Gracias Spartans! ¡Tener una buena semana!
|
|
Andrew Skari
Assistant Principal
|
|
Monday-
-
No school - Presidents' Day
Tuesday-
-
No school - Teacher work day
Wednesday-
Thursday-
- Senior Class Parent Planning Meeting (Virtual - details below): 7:00 p.m.
Friday-
Saturday-
|
|
-
TJ's National Honor Society (NHS) created over 150 valentines for the residents of Shalom Nursing Home in Aurora. NHS members cut and pasted colorful greeting cards and enclosed chocolates and warm wishes for a Happy Valentine's Day for the senior citizens at the facility. Great Job NHS!
|
|
-
A HUGE THANK YOU to Maria Rodriguez and Paula Hammel for another successful Honor Roll Assembly, and another HUGE THANK YOU to all those involved in organizing and executing the Smartie Party!
-
We are proud and excited to say that 569 students made the honor roll with a 3.0 or above for Fall of 2021! This is 150 students more than at our last honor roll!
- We are also proud of our students who are in AP courses taking exams! We offer 21 AP courses, and have 470 students taking 663 exams!
- Thanks to PTO for the yummy popcorn treats last week! We feel the support!
|
|
State Swim and Dive Updates |
|
Congratulations to the TJ Girls State Swim & Dive Team! Divers Denise Hanselman placed 4th overall with another All-American score of 408.15 (!!!) and Kate Jordan Little finished 21st. Kate Jordan Little also placed 17th overall in the 50 Freestyle. Our 200 Free Relay team of Gabby DeMaria, Avery LoJacono, Georgia Hartley and Kate Jordan Little placed 17th overall and the same team in the Medley Relay tied for 22nd in prelims. Proud of these student athletes and the entire team for their exemplary sportsmanship representing TJ and showing great resilience all year long under very difficult coaching and practice circumstances. Go Spartans!
|
|
Way to go, Spartans!
We're so proud of you!
|
|
|
Please see the latest video from Dr. Steven Federico, Director of Pediatrics for Denver Health (available here in English and Spanish), as it provides more information about our approach to health and safety in this next phase of our COVID response.
|
|
Update on Morning Attendance |
|
If your student is more than 20 minutes late to first period, we will have them sit in the cafeteria until 2nd period. We are working on cutting down our habitual tardies for first period and the classroom disruption that it causes. Thank you for supporting your students in getting to school on time. |
|
TJ Food Bank and Distribution Program |
|
March Food Bank Distribution signup and details will be shared in the next few weeks.
If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the TJ Food Bank, you can do so HERE. Thank you for your continued support of the Food Bank!
|
|
Spartan Staff Grants Request Window is Now Open!
TJ PTO's primary mission is to enhance and support the educational experience at TJHS. With that goal in mind, PTO has budgeted $20,000 to distribute as Spartan Staff Grants! This is DOUBLE the amount we have been able to provide in the past, and is made possible by the fundraising done through the PTO's online auction. Your support of the auction directly benefits all TJ students.
Do you know a teacher or staff member who may have a need for grant money? It's time for any staff member to submit a request for a TJ Auction funded Spartan Staff Grant to help support students in whatever class or activity they lead. Last year, grants funded by the TJ Auction were used for equipment and supplies to support the departments of Special Ed, PE, JROTC, World Languages, Counseling, Art, and Math.
TJ Staff: Please submit Spartan Staff Grant requests using this Grant Request Form. All requests are due by the end of the day on Friday, April 1st.
|
|
|
|
The 6th Annual TJ Online Auction is coming up the week of April 10-14.
The Auction is TJ's only school-wide fundraiser and proceeds from this year’s Auction will be dedicated to helping those in our TJ community and awarding classrooms grants:
- Supporting our community members in need is a huge priority. Auction proceeds will be available to support our TJ community including, but not limited to, helping those experiencing food insecurity.
- Our Classroom Grant program supports our teachers in their work to deliver an exceptional educational experience for all TJ students.
|
|
In order to reach our goal to raise $20,000 this year, we need your help to acquire auction items! It’s easy—when you are in a business (restaurant, salon, your favorite shops), ask for their support for our auction this year in the form of a gift card or an item to auction! Or reach out to family and friends who own businesses and ask for their support. Anything works, and is appreciated! Print a few copies of the attached letter to have in your car to hand to businesses when you ask for a donation. The letter provides additional details about the event, delivery instructions as well as TJ's tax-id # as all donations are tax deductible. You can also direct donors directly to our Auction management site to enter their business and donation information: https://cbo.io/bidapp/index.php?slug=thomasj
Thank you for your support,
Megan Perkins & Becca Mahoney
Auction Co-Chairs
|
|
Choice of Studies (Class selections for next year!) |
|
During advisement class the first week of March, students will be selecting their classes for next school year. Leading up to those dates, teachers will be talking to students about the options available for next year within their subject. We will also send out the updated choice form in next week's newsletter, which includes all the courses offered for next year, and a link with video explanations for each option. If you have any questions, reach out to your counselor. |
|
All DPS team members are invited to join the Healthy Start Times webinar, created specifically for DPS staff, from 4-5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22, to learn more about the three Healthy Start Times options and ask questions. Team members from our Schools, Operations and Extended Learning teams will be available to share more information and answer questions.
Finally, please encourage your school communities to take the Healthy Start Times Options survey. This survey will be open through March 9. Later, the planning committee will share what we learn from this survey and will ask for your final thoughts, before sharing the detailed plan with the Denver Board of Education this summer. Overall, there will be over a year of planning before Healthy Start Times will begin in fall of 2023.
|
|
Baseball tryouts will run the week of Feb 28 through Mar 5. There will be a parent meeting via Zoom on the night of Feb 28, starting at 7:30 pm. It is very important for all parents to attend as we will go over information about parent behavior during games, communication with coaches and other expectations for the season, summer baseball, practice schedules, and other important information. The Zoom link will be posted in our Remind group. You can join the group by downloading the Remind app and using the code @tjbase or email Coach Baughn (graham_baughn@dpsk12.net) and ask to be added.
|
|
Paraprofessional Job Openings at TJ |
|
There are 3-4 paraprofessional jobs available here at TJ! The job would pay $15 and would be from 7:20 am-2:50 pm. Please contact the main office if you are interested. |
|
Mental Health and Social/Emotional Tips |
|
Did You Know…?
Sometimes we just need a quick grounding break throughout the day. Please enjoy this short breathing video that you can do anywhere. The intention is to help you pause, recenter yourself, and calm your body.
|
|
News from the Future Center |
|
Class of 2022: Institutional Scholarship deadlines are approaching! Be sure to apply ASAP!
Make note of your institutional scholarship deadlines. These opportunities are one of THE BEST forms of $$$$ for college available to you. Apply to the institutional scholarships for at minimum your top three colleges to which you’ve been admitted! This typically means you need to create your college email addresses and passwords. Many apps are due March 1st!
Your college(s) may also be asking you for more information in order to award you financial aid.
Don’t miss out! Check your college emails and portals regularly
The DSF Scholarship opened on February 1st.
Important Dates:
February 23: Sallie Mae Presents: Navigating Financial Aid Offers Webinar
February 24: Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship DUE, Sallie Mae Presents: Navigating Financial Aid Offers Webinar
February 28: University Hills Rotary STEM Scholarship DUE
March 1: Elevations Foundation Scholarship DUE, CO School of Mines, CSU Pueblo, MSU Denver, UCCS, CU Denver and more Scholarship Applications DUE,
Most institutional scholarship deadlines are in March! (Note that some colleges’ deadlines have passed.)
Katie Damas
Future Center Advisor CC Fellow
Future Center Phone #: 720-423-7134
Rm 135
Emily Webster
College Advisor | Thomas Jefferson High School
Denver Scholarship Foundation | a 501(c)(3) Public Charity
789 Sherman Street, Suite 610 | Denver, CO 80203
emily_webster@dpsk12.net
ewebster@denverscholarship.org
|
|
Senior Class of 2022
Plans are starting to come together for an after-prom celebration on Sunday, April 24th. Do you have ideas to share or want to get involved to make this event special for our kids? We are having a parent planning meeting on Thursday, February 24th at 7pm on Zoom. We’ll share information on how the event is shaping up. We need parents ready to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to make this event happen. There are many ways to participate to make this a memorable experience for our Seniors. Attend a meeting. Volunteer. Donate. Sign up. We hope you will join in!
Topic: Senior Class After Prom Event Planning
Time: Feb 24, 2022 07:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 846 9066 5239
Passcode: 932896
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,84690665239# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,84690665239# US (Tacoma)
|
|
|
|
Big news! Bella Boutique is back for Prom 2022. If you are planning on going to prom, please schedule an appointment now to get your free prom gown, shoes and accessories. Click here to schedule an appointment!
|
|
PARENTS! HOW TO GET CONNECTED:
Next 2023 Parent Meeting: Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 7:00 p.m. to discuss some pre-planning for Senior year and fun spring and summer activities and parent fundraisers that we covered in our January meeting! Details and Zoom link to come.
|
|
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT of 2023!
|
|
Class of 2024 - Sophomores |
|
Fundraising News!
We’ll be planning a wine tasting party in mid to late April to help raise funds for the class. Please watch for more details to come!
Parent Meeting – Join Us!
Class meetings will be held the third Tuesday of month at 7pm.
Our next meeting details:
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Meeting ID: 847 2873 7251
Passcode: 222894
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,84728737251#,,,,*222894# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,84728737251#,,,,*222894# US (Houston)
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
833 548 0282 US Toll-free
877 853 5257 US Toll-free
888 475 4499 US Toll-free
833 548 0276 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 847 2873 7251
Passcode: 222894
Class Donations – Every dime counts!
Sophomores are quite possibly the best “10s” out there! Gather those dimes (pennies, quarters, and ten-dollar bills too) and make a donation to the Class of 2024; money raised will be used for the Class of 2024 After Prom.
Please click on the PTO Square link to support the class. Feel free to pass the link onto family and friends! Corporate matching is always appreciated.
Extraordinary parents – come get involved!
Reach out with questions, comments, and ideas. We look forward to a great year!
Rebecca Moore
Tambyr Reed
Robin Morrissey
Dyanna Spicher (parent)
|
|
We had an excellent first meeting to start planning for fundraising and hopefully some events in the Fall. Our next meeting will be in March.
Part of the Thomas Jefferson PTO mission is to build a strong community, but we can't do that without parents’ help. Please take a moment to complete a short survey for the Class Sponsors to let the know how you want to be involved in class activities. The information you provide will help us direct our communication to the people who want to receive it.
We look forward to getting to know you and your student(s)! For any questions, you can reach out to Heather Reeder at hmbdvm@yahoo.com or the PTO at TJHSPTO@gmail.com.
|
|
Stay Connected, Spartans! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
