Administrator's Corner

February 7, 2022

Happy Monday, Spartans!

The February First Friday celebration last week was great! Thanks to all who contributed their time and energy to make it awesome. Speaking of celebrations, we will host the Honor Roll Assembly and "Smarty Party" next week, so stay tuned for details!

The winter sports season is wrapping up, and we congratulate all of the athletes and coaches for their hard work and flexibility all season.

There will be no school for students on Monday, February 21 (Presidents' Day) or Tuesday, February 22 (teacher planning day), so please plan accordingly.

Remember, with the colder weather and occasional storms, please plan ahead and allow extra time to get to school on time on those cold and snowy mornings!

Thanks, Spartans! Have a great week!

¡Feliz lunes, espartanos!

La celebración del primer viernes de febrero de la semana pasada fue genial. Gracias a todos los que contribuyeron con su tiempo y energía para hacerlo impresionante. Hablando de celebraciones, la próxima semana celebraremos la Asamblea del Cuadro de Honor y la fiesta más inteligente, así que ¡manténgase atento a los detalles!

La temporada de deportes de invierno está terminando y felicitamos a todos los atletas y entrenadores por su duro trabajo y flexibilidad durante toda la temporada.

No habrá escuela para estudiantes el lunes 21 de febrero (Día del Presidente) o el martes 22 de febrero (día de planificación del maestro), así que por favor planee lo que corresponda.

Recuerde, con el clima más frío y las tormentas ocasionales, planifique con anticipación y permita tiempo adicional para llegar a la escuela a tiempo en esas mañanas frías y nevadas.

¡Gracias, espartanos! ¡Tener una buena semana!







Mike Christoff
Principal
The TJ Girls' Swim & Dive team highlights from the A-League meet:
Kate Little placed 2nd in the 50 free. Denise Hanselman placed 2nd in the 11 dives. Medley relay placed 4th and qualified for State. 200 free relay placed 5th.

Way to go, Spartans!
The February Food Distribution will take place on Tuesday, February 15 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm at TJ!  
Any family that is in need of food support is welcomed and encouraged to sign up HERE. Please note that you MUST sign up for us to have food available for you at the distribution. Reach out to Megan Perkins (megandperkins@gmail.com) or Becca Mahoney (beccaandjoemahoney@gmail.com) with questions!

La distribución de alimentos de enero se llevará a cabo el martes 15 de febrero de 3:30 p. m. a 5:00 p.m. en TJ!
Cualquier familia que necesite apoyo alimentario es bienvenida y animada a inscribirse AQUÍ. DEBE registrarse para que tengamos alimentos disponibles para usted en la distribución.Comuníquese con Megan Perkins (megandperkins@gmail.com) o Becca Mahoney (beccaandjoemahoney@gmail.com) si tienes preguntas! si tiene preguntas.

Thank you for your continued support! If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the TJ Food Bank, you can do so HERE
Please join us on Tuesday, Feb. 8th at 7:00 pm for our monthly TJ PTO meeting. Our regional DPS Board Member, Scott Baldermann, will be joining us to talk about equity, Healthy Start Times, as well as other changes in the district. DPS is seeking community input regarding Healthy Start Times. To share your thoughts, join a community forum session by registering here.

We hope to see you on the Zoom call Tuesday, 2/8 at 7:00 pm.  

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 849 2081 7390
Passcode: 797205
Do you know that 75% of the waste that goes to Denver’s landfill is recyclable or compostable?
 
Do you know that landfills generate methane which is a greenhouse gas more potent that CO2?
 
Do you know that Denver’s recycling rate is only 26%?
 
Do you know that most cities in the U.S. do not provide waste services to residents?

Do you know that in most cities, residents must pay a private waste service to pick-up their trash, recycling and composting?
 

Join the Thomas Jefferson High School Sustainability Club, Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency, and Councilwoman Kendra Black to learn about Denver’s plans to increase composting and recycling while reducing the amount of waste dumped at the landfill.
 
Tuesday, February 15, 6:00-7:00 PM

Expanded Waste Service Proposal
This presentation will provide a brief overview of a proposal that will improve the waste hauling services provided to Denver residents – weekly recycling and composting for all customers – and also implement a fee for the service. Denver’s Solid Waste Master Plan has called for these service expansions for many years and City staff continue to explore options for how to deliver them. Prior to presenting this proposal for City Council consideration, we would like to share information with residents and hear ideas for how to make it work for Denver households.
HBCU Invitation Kickoff!! - With NAACP Denver and Local Partners

When: February 19th, 2022

Who is invited: Everyone!

There will be HBCU Special Guests and $100 prizes will be given away to students in attendance!

The purpose of this event is to provide information about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and their amazing history! 

Register with this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/258233833347
Go Spartans! 

Email us at tjhs.store@gmail.com if you have any questions.
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.
Did You Know…?

Valentine’s Day is almost here! (Insert either a “yippee!” or “groan” here). And while this day can often be stressful, maybe hurtful or frustrating, a burden, and possibly leaving your wallet a little less full, there is a lot of good that can come from people focusing their energy on love and kindness.    

Often people talk about Valentine’s Day as something that is celebrated with your partner or “the one”; but let’s not forget about the impact caring and thoughtful acts can have on your community and family members (in addition to the benefits you will receive!). 
 
Research indicates that witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin, occasionally referred to as the ‘love hormone’ which aids in lowering blood pressure and improving our overall heart-health. Oxytocin also increases our self-esteem and optimism. In addition: 

Energy
Lifespan
Pleasure
Serotonin

Pain
Stress
Anxiety
Depression
Blood Pressure
 
So, what can I do this year?
  • Here are 27 Random Acts of Kindness you can implement: https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
  • Make or buy Valentine’s Day cards with positive, warm messages for: your neighbors, the local retirement home, a nearby hospital, a soup kitchen, your local fire-department or police department, etc. 
  • Set up a card-making, cookie decorating, face-painting booth at your school (or feeder school) or neighborhood. 
  • Head out in the community with your family or friends
 
 We challenge you to spread kindness and love this year!
Mental Health and Social Emotional “Did You Know”: Compiled by Natalie Koncz, Ed.S., NCSP and Samanda Davis, LCSW, MSW. Resources: www.randomactsofkindness.org
Class of 2022: Congratulations on earning OVER $4 MILLION in scholarship dollars so far. Be sure to set aside time for your Institutional Scholarship and FAFSA/CASFA Applications to earn even more money for college! 
 
Check your email regularly for updates from your colleges and 
SHARE YOUR ADMISSIONS WINS! 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 the top three colleges to which you’ve been admitted! 
 
The DSF Scholarship opens for application on February 1st. Please complete this form to check for financial eligibility! 
 
Please review the College Access Timeline (Spring) in the TJ Future Center Schoology course with a parent or guardian. Like the Fall Timeline, it breaks down the essential steps you need to take each month. 
 
February 9- Virtual Insight Panel: Careers in Manufacturing/Supply Chain
February 11- Mini-Medical School Application DUE
February 15: FAFSA/CASFA DUE for some schools 
February 28- University Hills Rotary STEM Scholarship DUE
March 1: CO School of Mines, CSU Pueblo, MSU Denver, UCCS, CU Denver and more Scholarship Applications DUE, 
Most institutional scholarship deadlines are in March


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
Class of 2022 - Seniors
Senior Class of 2022

With just a few months left, we are starting to get busy planning for the senior activities. We are looking for parents to get involved to make the last semester lots of fun. We’ll be planning a parent meeting soon so stay tuned!
Class of 2023 - Juniors
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.  

We always need more help and input! If you have any ideas or comments and would like to get more involved, please contact Catherine Poirier  catherinepoirier@comcast.net (please note new email) or Christy Jordan christy.jordan@comcast.net - Our 2023 Class Staff Sponsors are Rebecca Taylor, MA rebecca_taylor@dpsk12.net and Annie Berg, MSW, annie_berg@dpsk12.net
 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT of 2023!
Class of 2024 - Sophomores
Thank you to everyone that has participated in class fundraisers! We are well on our way of reaching our goal and your continued commitment to the class is appreciated!

Parent Meeting – Join Us!
Class meetings will be held the third Tuesday of month at 7pm.  

Our next meeting details:
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Meeting ID: 881 3852 6482
Passcode: 546709
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Meeting ID: 881 3852 6482
Passcode: 546709
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdkYUbCphM



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)
Class of 2025 - Freshmen
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.