Administrator's Corner
March 7, 2022
Happy Monday Spartans,
Thanks for another wonderful First Friday. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all those who make it happen.
Don't forget that this is a shortened week for students as teachers have a professional development day on Friday, March 11th.
Please make sure you are logging into Portal and checking grades and attendance.
Only a couple of weeks until Spring Break so make sure students are working hard.
Thanks!
Happy Monday Spartans,
Gracias por otro maravilloso primer viernes. Felicitaciones a todos los ganadores y gracias a todos los que hacen que suceda.
No olvide que se trata de una semana más corta para los estudiantes, ya que los profesores tienen un día de desarrollo profesional el viernes 11th de marzo.
Asegúrese de iniciar sesión en Portal y verificar las calificaciones y la asistencia.
Solo un par de semanas hasta las vacaciones de primavera, así que asegúrese de que los estudiantes estén trabajando duro.
¡gracias!
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Jon Poole
Assistant Principal
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Monday-
Tuesday-
- PTO Meeting: 7:00 p.m. (details below)
Wednesday-
- Office Hours
- Music Dept. Panera Fundraiser: 4-8 p.m. (details below)
Thursday-
- Senior SpartanPalooza Planning Meeting: 7:00 p.m. (details below)
Friday-
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No School - Professional Development Day for Teachers
Saturday-
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From Matt Nicolo:
Last weekend, 41 of our TJ Spartans competed at the Annual DECA State Conference. I am so proud of our group because once again they exemplified professionalism and character for the entire state to see. All students competed to the best of their ability and we were very fortunate to have 13 students compete in 8 different events for finals. Oh, and by the way we have for the first time in my career, Kate Jordan Little was named the State DECA President!!!!
At the end of the day, we had 3 International Qualifiers that will now go on to compete against more than 15,000 students in Atlanta April 22- 27, 2022. I will have more detailed competition information when we receive our final scores but I need to repeat how proud I am of these students! Thank you to everyone that continues to support our program and congratulate our State Competitors as they return to your classrooms today.
State DECA President - Kate Jordan Little
Finalists:
James Lupo - Entrepreneurship
Suzie Yeh - Principles of Hospitality
Erin Pointet - Quick Service Restaurant
Kate Jordan Little - Marketing Communications
Max Hauer - Sports & Entertainment Marketing
Lily Mullins, Oliver Swats, & Stephanie Zabel - Community Giving Project
Blake Moe, Grant Randles, & Wyatt Tyler - Franchise Business Plan
Ramiro Estrada & Lily Trautman - Innovation Plan
International Career Development Conference (ICDC) Qualifiers:
Kate Jordan Little - 5th place MCS
Erin Pointet - 3rd place QSR
Suzie Yeh - 3rd place PHT
Way to go, Mr. Nicolo and DECA competitors!
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Choice of Studies: Adding/Changing Classes |
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Students will have access to add/change next year's class choices in Infinite Campus until Friday March 11th. See below for choice forms and the class description videos.
Let your counselor know if you have any questions!
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Music Department Fundraisers |
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The music department needs your support. We are taking students on a field trip next spring to study the history of jazz and connections to the Civil Rights Movement. We want to make this trip possible for our TJ students.
We've scheduled a few fundraisers, and could use our TJ community's help in making these a success.
1) Reach out to local businesses and friends, and/or consider making a donation yourself.
We are asking for direct donations to our music program. Click here to view the letter you can share with friends and businesses. Donors will have their names or businesses listed in the concert programs this year and next.
2) Save the date . . . March 9, 2022, from 4 pm - 8 pm Dinner at Panera Bread
A portion of the earnings from meals served to TJHS Music supporters will go to the music department, and these funds will be used to help students traveling on our History of Jazz and Civil Rights. In order to qualify towards our fundraiser, patrons will need to mention the TJHS music program, or better yet bring this attached flyer.
3) Save another date . . . April 6, 2022, from 4 pm - 8 pm Dinner at Chipotle
Similar to dinner out at Panera, a portion of the earnings from meals served to TJHS Music supporters will go to the music department. These funds will be used to help students traveling on our History of Jazz and Civil Rights. Again, in order to qualify towards our fundraiser, patrons will need to mention the TJHS music program, or better yet bring this attached flyer.
Please, share the fundraising flyers with family, friends and neighbors.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely and gratefully,
Robin Morrissey
Instrumental music teacher
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Concert Attendance and Mask Guidance Updates |
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As per the district, students are no longer required to wear masks. This is now also true for vocal music! Yay! So what does this look like for the rest of the year?
Students will be able to:
- Perform mask-free for all formal concerts.
- Wear masks when not on stage/performing e.g. seated in the auditorium.
- Concert attendees will no longer be required to mask while listening-masks are of course encouraged.
- Optional mask wearing during rehearsals and classes through the remainder of the year.
Please continue to check all DPS sites for updates or new guidance in regards to masks and public health.
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All School Vision and Hearing Screening: March 14th - 17th |
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On these dates all students in all grades will be screened for vision and hearing deficits during one of their elective classes. Normally, only 9th grade students are screened. However, since universal screenings were missed during 19-20 and 20-21 school years, the plan is to screen all students so we have current assessments on file.
Please contact the school nurse at (720) 423-7061 or email kristine_serrano@dpsk12.net if you wish to have your student(s) opt out of the screening process.
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TJ Food Bank and Distribution Program |
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The March Food Distribution will take place Tuesday, March 22 from 3:30 - 5:30pm 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.
La distribución de alimentos de marzo estará el martes 22 de marzo de 3:30 p. m. a 5:30 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.
Thank you to our TJ Community for your continued support! If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the TJ Food Bank, you can do so HERE.
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TJHS PTO Meeting on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 pm
Please join us on Tuesday evening for our monthly PTO meeting. TJ’s administration will give an update on what spring activities might look like now that Covid restrictions are changing and also discuss new curriculum offerings for next school year. In addition, we will be discussing upcoming events like: April’s TJ Auction, May’s Teacher Appreciation Week and updates on the PTO’s Spartan Staff Grants program.
Hope to see you on the Zoom call!
Topic: PTO Meeting for March
Time: Mar 8, 2022 07:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 840 0517 1690
Passcode: 496433
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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.
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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.
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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
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Denver Parks & Recreation Survey for Families |
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Please click here to share your opinions about outdoor adventures and alternative sports ideas!
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9th Grade Student Supports |
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Hey 9th Graders! Do you have a grade of 62% or below in any of your classes?
Are you ready to strengthen your academic competency, self-advocacy or organization?
Come meet with Ms. Taylor the 9th grade counselor on Wednesdays.
TJ wants to celebrate YOU and YOUR hard work when you exhibit these Spartan Values!
Aspire to Achieve:
On March 9th and 23rd during lunch Ms. Taylor will be supporting students in Rm 111. Lunch will be provided for those who sign up.
Academic Accountability:
Students have an additional opportunity to earn some free swag by checking off some items in their 9th Grade Success Passport!
Ms. Taylor is located in the counseling office and is open to setting up smaller sessions.
*Please do not let language be a barrier to reaching out. Please leave a message in your language and we will call you back.
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Looking for a Summer Job? The Wellshire Wants You! |
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Paraprofessional Job Openings at TJ |
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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. |
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Mental Health and Social/Emotional Tips |
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Did You Know…?
That you can facilitate an increase in happiness in your kid?
Here are 11 questions that can make your child happier:
Some people are naturally happy/care-free, seemingly without having to make much effort to feel this way. Other people may struggle with this a bit more. The good old “Glass Half Full versus Glass Half Empty” debate. The good news is that there are some questions you can bring in to your routine at home that can increase happiness in your family members (and even yourself!). These 11 questions focus your children on how to make themselves happy. Eventually, your children will internalize these questions and ask them in their own heads. Then you'll have given them the gift of happiness, which will make you so (you guessed it) happy.
1. What was your favorite part of today?
This is a good question to ask at bedtime, to help your child feel content and happy before sleep. It also instills a habit of focusing on the best thing that happened in any given day rather than the worst. If you make this part of your bedtime routine, it will become second nature.
2. What are you grateful for?
This is a good question for the dinner table. Every family member can take a turn saying what he or she is grateful for that day. There is a strong correlation between happiness and gratitude, so this one is very powerful.
3. What are you going to do about that?
When a child comes to you with a problem, ask this question in a warm and curious tone. Don't just jump in and solve their problem; how does that help them in the long run? At least give them a chance to work it out on their own, and give them the gift of your confidence in them, which is evident by this question that implies that they can think of solutions to their own issues. If your child says "I don't know," you can say, "I am not sure either, let's try to figure it out together." Happy people are people who think of problems as surmountable, and think of themselves as effective problem solvers.
4. How did that make you feel?
At the risk of sounding shrink-y, an essential part of happiness is being able to notice and express your own emotions. If you can verbalize what you're feeling, you can make sense of it, you can process it, and you can obtain support from others. This is a great question to ask when your child comes to you with something "bad" that happened, instead of either dismissing it ("that wasn't that bad") or fixing it ("let mommy get you some ice!"). It trains your child to be aware of his feelings, and to use that information effectively.
5. What do you think he/she feels?
In any situation, you can cultivate empathy by asking your child to wonder about what someone else feels. Empathy will make your child a happier person; he or she will have stronger interpersonal relationships, feel better about himself for thinking of (and then, often, helping) others, and derive more meaning from life.
6. How can we look on the bright side?
In any situation, you can teach your child that there are positives. With preteens or teenagers, this question may be way too corny, but little kids will like it. You can also teach them the expression "making lemonade out of a lemon" and ask them how you can make lemonade out of a bad situation.
7. What part of that can we learn more about?
In any TV show, book, trip outside the house, basically any situation at all, there is something to learn more about. And look at you, Super Parent, you already have your smartphone at the ready! So this time use it for teaching your child that life is full of learning opportunities. Happy people are people who are curious and always learning. So when you watch TV and someone says "Bonjour," you can look up pictures of France or a YouTube song sung in French. Let’s use our ever progressing technology to keep learning conversations going between each other!
8. What do you want to do on the weekend?
Research shows that anticipation of positive experiences brings more happiness than the experiences themselves. Once your child is old enough to realize that tomorrow is not today, start instilling a habit of positive anticipation of small pleasures. A child who is excited all week to get frozen yogurt on the weekend is a happy child, just as an adult who plans a vacation six months in advance is happier during those six months.
9. What can we do to help/to make someone happy?
Bringing your child along to visit a sick relative, or someone recovering from surgery, or to volunteer at a soup kitchen is a wonderful gift that you can give to your child. Your child will feel even more proud of his behavior if he is the one to think up the nice thing that can be done (e.g., baking cookies to deliver, drawing a card). Research shows that giving even releases oxytocin and endorphins, so it's like a high that your child can become addicted to. Also, involve your child in your charitable activities, as giving charity is a form of altruism that is also linked directly to happiness (and just to being a good person, which you also want for your child). Incorporate a spirit of generosity into your child's daily life.
10. What do you want to do outside today?
Getting outside and engaging in physical activities alongside your child is a wonderful way to get him or her in the habit of not just sitting around. Exercise releases endorphins and can be as effective as treating depression with medication. And the most powerful way that you can teach your child about exercise is to do it yourself. Children whose mothers exercise are more likely to exercise themselves. And sunlight can also help boost mood and regulate circadian rhythms, which means better sleep for your kids, which makes everyone happier.
11. When do you feel happiest?
If you direct your children's attention to the experiences that they most enjoy, they will start to realize that they can choose to proactively increase their time spent in activities that make them feel best about themselves. According to researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "flow" is the state where people find an activity so enjoyable and rewarding that they become completely immersed in it, losing all sense of time and feeling completely in the moment. If your child is lucky enough to have found an activity that makes him feel a sense of "flow," it is helpful for you to point this out and allow your child enough time to attain this state.
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Mental Health and Social Emotional “Did You Know”: Compiled by Natalie Koncz, Ed.S., NCSP and Samanda Davis, LCSW, MSW. Resources: Harvard Health Publishing, Discover Magazine, Greater Good Magazine, CBS News, Healthline.
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News from the Future Center |
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Class of 2022
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 and provide the requested information as soon as possible. Let me know how I can help!
The DSF Scholarship is OPEN for application.
Important Dates:
Wednesday, March 9: CU Denver Rep Visit
Tuesday, March 15: Sachs Foundation Scholarship DUE, MSU Denver Institutional Scholarship UPDATED Deadline!
Thursday, March 24: Virtual Career Insight Panel: Mental Health/Psychology
Class of 2023: Be sure to check out your TJ Future Center schoology course to get started on planning for life after high school! I’ll share information about rep visits, scholarship opportunities, informational sessions, and more!
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
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Save the Date for Senior SpartanPalooza!
There are lots of fun plans in the works for the upcoming Senior SpartanPalooza scheduled for Sunday, April 24th from 12pm-3pm. Parents have gotten involved in the planning, but we will need lots of help on the day of the event so save the date! A Signup Genius will be coming out once we have all the details ironed out. We will have our next planning session and event update on Thursday, March 10th at 7pm on Zoom. Feel free to join in to hear what is going on and find out ways you can help. For questions or information, you can contact the event Chair Lisa Chaiken at lisa.chaiken@icloud.com.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 890 2610 4143
Passcode: 762753
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,89026104143# US (Houston)
+16699009128,,89026104143# US (San Jose)
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The Be Happy Boutique is an opportunity for young people to come in and find the perfect attire for prom, or another formal occasion, this season. We follow a pay what you can model with the hopes of removing the obstacle of cost. So whether someone can offer $0, $20, or more, all are welcome.
How does it work?
We will be “open for business” from March 1 - March 13. We are located at the Streets of Southglenn - Suite 236 (in the old Victoria’s Secret). We’re across the street from H & M.
Location
Streets of Southglenn (Old Victoria's Secret) - Suite 236
6851 S Vine St, Centennial, CO 80122
Hours:
Saturdays - 11 am - 7 pm
Sundays - 12 pm - 6 pm
Monday - Friday - 3 pm - 7 pm (by appointment)
On weekends we will be open during the posted hours and everyone is invited to just drop in and shop. During the week, we will serve customers by appointment. Appointments are available on the weekends, but not required.
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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!
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Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 880 4757 2970
Passcode: 799685
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,88047572970# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,88047572970# US (Houston)
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT of 2023!
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Class of 2024 - Sophomores |
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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)
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Please join us to discuss fundraising and events to raise money for the class of 2025. Our next meeting will be March 15th at 7PM on Zoom:
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.
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Stay Connected, Spartans! |
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