Administrator's Corner
Greetings, Spartan Families!
There are many important and exciting things going on as we ramp up to the end of the year. Below are several key dates that we want families to know about, so read on for more information.
Seniors- April 16th is your Senior Panoramic photo! Be here for that important day!!!
On
April 28th, juniors will be taking the ACT test in the morning. All seniors in jeopardy of not having 92% attendance will be invited to attend that day for four hours (same duration as the test), and will use room 34 for study hall time. Apex seniors will be invited to come work with Ms. Spivey during that same timeframe, but no other students will be allowed in the building that day.
On
May 27th from 5:30-7:30 pm we will be hosting an Orientation Night for incoming 9th graders. All students will be tested for correct math placement. Many TJ groups will be present to talk about various aspects of TJ life:
-PTO will be there to talk about volunteer opportunities
-current students will be there to talk about sports, electives and clubs
-Admininstration will talk about how to be a Spartan (daily expectations)
-Members of the Center for Communication Technology Magnet (CCTM) will be there to talk about the program
Incoming students will get schedules, get a general overview of their upcoming life as Spartans! There will also be
an opportunity to sign up for 9th grade academy.
The TJ Paint Bucket Challenge is underway and making gains, but we're still hoping for many donations from families! Please visit the library - the painting has been done and looks great, but we still need cool hip furniture for students to use while studying. Please click
here to donate!
Thanks for all that you do to keep TJ moving from Good to Great!
Mrs. Suzanne Morris-Sherer
Principal
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Comeback Player of the Year - Adna Adrovic
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What a night!
Sophomore Adna Adrovic was chosen by the Denver Nuggets to receive the
Comeback Player of the Year award for her return from two ACL and two Meniscus operations on her right knee. She received a $1500 scholarship and was honored during a pre-game ceremony on March 25. Through our connections with the DPS Athletics Office we were able to help arrange a meeting with her fellow Bosnian, Nugget Center Jusuf Nurkic. They hit it off so well that he took her into the Pepsi Center store and purchased her one of his jerseys which he autographed for her. The Nuggets front office staff was so impressed with Adna and her family that they found courtside seats for them to watch the Nuggets take on the 76'ers. She was a terrific representation of DPS, Thomas Jefferson and TJ Athletics. Congratulations, Adna!
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Congratulations!
TJ's advanced robotics team, Sparta Robotica (team 3648), made us proud at the FIRST Robotics Competition at DU, March 26-28. Pictured: Assistant Denver Public Schools Superintendent Greta Martinez visiting with team members in the pit during day one of the competition.
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Germany!
Interested in traveling to Germany and the Alps in 2016? Please come to room 217 or click
here for more details! You can also e-mail
Jennifer_Sonheim@dpsk12.org
or call: 720-423-7093
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TJ Partners needs you!
There are various opportunities to get involved with TJ Partners!
-Chair an Event
-Bring a Dish to a Staff or Student Event
-Volunteer your time at an Event
-Become a Board Member
-And Many More!
Believe it or not, the end of the school year will be here before we know it. There are lots of fun Activities coming up that we will be reaching out to you for support so watch your emails and the newsletter.
As we begin to look toward next year - TJ Partners is looking for a few new faces to join the fun of being involved and continuing to help TJ go from Good to Great. TJ Partners Board elections will take place in May. The current TJ Partners Board consists of parents of Juniors so we are hoping to get some new faces to join in the fun and become part of TJ Partners so we can work together to learn and grow for the days when our kiddos have moved on. Please consider running for a Board position.
Our next meeting will be held on April 14
th
at 5:00 PM in Room 111. Please join us to learn more about getting involved and consider throwing your hat in the ring to join the Board. It really is a lot of fun! If you know of anyone that may be interested, please pass on the word that we are looking for a few good parents!!
A few of the fun things TJ Partners supports each year are the freshman BBQ, staff appreciation lunches, the Annual Artisan Fair/craft fair, the Backyard party for students, Mr. TJ, spirit events at games (fun raising), teacher grants, and various other fundraising events.
This link provides information regarding all of the Board positions and what they entail. Nothing daunting at all - just a ton of fun helping support the TJ Administration, staff and students. Thank you in advance for considering this great opportunity to get involved and continue to drive increased parental engagement.
If becoming a Board member is not your cup of tea, please join us to learn more about other ways to get involved too. Many hands make light work and TJ Partners wants all parents to be involved in any way that fits their schedules and interests.
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No school for students - Monday April 13th!
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Saturday School and Summer School
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Saturday school will be held on
April 11th from 8am to noon in the library. All students need to check the lists out in the hall to see if they are on the list.
Students can now sign up for summer school. It is first come, first served, so don't wait!
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STEM Opportunity for Girls - Last Call!
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Montana Tech University offers an on-campus summer camp for high school sophomore and junior girls to explore exciting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers through hands-on experiments, lab-based activities, and interactions with professors and STEM professionals. More information about the MINES program is available
online
.
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It's just around the corner!
Prom 2015
At Mile High Stadium in the Champions Club
April 25, 2015
8:00-11:00
Tickets are on sale now through April 17th for $35 per person.
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Mr. Smith will be offering review session in preparation for the AP test on the following dates for anyone interested.
This schedule is subject to change due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts.
AP World
Evening sessions starting at 6:00 pm
Tuesdays: 4/14, 4/21, and 4/28
Thursday: 5/7
Monday: 5/11
Wednesday office hours
4/15, 5/13
Test: Thursday 5/14 AM
AP United States History
Evening sessions starting at 6:00 pm
Thursday: 4/9, 4/23, and 4/30
Wednesday: 4/15
Wednesday office hours
5/6
Test: Friday 5/8 AM
Hope to see everyone there!
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Attention: Juniors and Parents of Juniors!
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You are almost Seniors!! This means we need to get together and talk about Prom, Fundraising, and Location. Join Sara Andolsek and Rebecca Hopeck, the 2016 class sponsors, on Wednesday April 15 at 5:00pm to discuss Senior year. The meeting will be held in Thomas Jefferson's Auditorium.
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Community Golf Tournament
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Southmoor Park Golf Tournament to Benefit Schools
On May 17th, there will be a community golf tournament to benefit the following schools: Southmoor Elementary, Samuels Elementary, Hamilton Middle School, and Thomas Jefferson High School. Click
here for information about the tournament, and click
here to sign up!
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Prom and Mr. TJ - Win/Win!
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Dear Seniors and Parents of Seniors: Senior Prom is on April 25, 2015 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High from 8-11pm. Al's Formal Wear at 201 Steele Street, Suite 1B in Cherry Creek North (720-941-2999) is offering a $40 discount on tux rentals using the coupon code 33862708. There are all sorts of tuxedo styles and you can even build your own tux by clicking here. Al's is a long-time supporter of Thomas Jefferson High School's Mr. TJ event and we encourage students to rent their formal wear from Al's. If we get enough student rentals using the coupon code, Al's will support Mr. TJ with tuxedo donations for this year's Mr. TJ on May 8, 2015.
For every five referrals, Al's Formal Wear will donate one tux. With every tux rental, they'll give the school $5.
Be sure to use the following code:
33862708
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Click here for affordable counseling resources for DPS students and families!
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Have You Made Your Drop in the Bucket?
TJ needs your help in making some improvements to our library and a new study lounge. We're asking every family at TJ to please make a $5 or more tax deductible donation to the TJ Bucket Challenge.
We're working to make TJ look like the great school it is, and to develop stronger community ties. Won't you please help?
Any amount gets us closer to goal of $15,000. Check out the campaign video and donate here on Indiegogo today!
P.S. Did you know you can win great prizes by sharing your bucket challenge on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? Think free lunch, gift certificates, and more!
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New TJ Tradition!
We are very excited to start a new TJ tradition with the upcoming Night Out. Students and staff are excited to make this happen! Parents, please click
here to learn more about how you can help. Click
here for the signup genius and specific ways to donate!
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TJ students eagerly prepare for the upcoming SkillsUSA State Championships.
For the TJ SkillsUSA members, it is time to shine at the 2015 State Competition Conference, taking place from April 8th through the 10th in Colorado Springs.
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CCT Photo Gallery - Save the Date!
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Opportunity for Women in Technology
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Microsoft is excited to announce DigiGirlz 2015 is open for registration.
Please join us on
April 15th, 2015 for a full day of great activities including hands on development, career panel, and more. It is a great opportunity to meet other young ladies interested in technology while connecting with Microsoft employees in their work environment.
Come dream about your future possibilities, share your great ideas and have a lot of fun with a technology leader!
The event is free; registration is now open on a first come, first served basis.
Register: https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/117360
Location: Microsoft Store: Park Meadows Mall
Address: 8505 Park Meadows Center Drive
Lone Tree, Colorado 80124
303-824-6772
Time: 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
- Students in grades 7-9 are welcome to register
- Online release forms must be signed and submitted prior to attending event
- Transportation to the event is the participant's responsibility
- Breakfast and lunch will be provided
- See registration link for additional information
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Support Future Challenge Days!
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Announcing Challenge Denver's
Benefit Concert
featuring
Daryl Streumer of Genesis
Thursday, April 16
8:00-10:30pm
The Soiled Dove in Lowry
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Have a Future Spartan in the Family?
Click
here
for information about Ninth Grade Academy, August 10th-14th.
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TJ's Black Box Brought to Life
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TJ's black box theatre received new equipment, creating a new experience for drama and stagecraft students.
While many TJ students know about TJ's main theatre and have seen performances in it, few are aware of its other stage: the black box theatre. The black box is located in drama teacher
Michael Palmieri's room, and is used for performances by drama and stagecraft classes. Last December, Palmieri was able to upgrade his equipment, giving students a deeper understanding of the theatrical process.
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News from the Future Center
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Dear Students and Families, A few updates:
- 1. FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Do not pay for this application. Click here for more FAFSA and financial aid resources.
- 2. For those of you who have completed the FAFSA and have started to receive financial aid award letters, I have created a spread sheet that you can use to compare financial aid offers among colleges. Click here to access that information.
- 3. Time is running out to apply for the Denver Scholarship Foundation's scholarship. Click here for scholarship details and click here for the application (Click "New Applicants" and then "DSF Student Portal).
- 4. The following four links will connect you to scholarship information:
- a. Denver Scholarship Foundation Scholarship Directory
- b. Where to search scholarships
- c. List of Colorado university and college scholarships
- d. Click here for scholarships with approaching deadlines.
If you need to complete the FAFSA or have questions about any step in the financial aid process, I am happy to meet with you by appointment. Please email me to set a time at rmaez@denverscholarship.org. Otherwise, please review the links in this email to help ensure that you've completed next steps of the financial aid process. Have a great week! Ms. Maez
Please let Ms. Maez know when...
You're accepted into college (bring in or email acceptance letters/emails).
You complete scholarship applications (see the attached scholarship checklist to help you organize what you need for your scholarships.)
You're awarded a scholarship or ANY time you get money from a college (might come with acceptance letter).
You receive financial aid award letters.
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Important College Events:
All events in the Future Center, unless otherwise noted.
4/14/15- 1:00 pm- New York Film Academy 4/16/15- 9:30am-12:30pm National Hispanic College and AVID College Fair, Colorado School of Mines, click here for more information.
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Summer Program for Seniors
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4/15/15- Adelina Gomez Scholars Summer Institute. Click here for information and here
for the application.
Many colleges offer summer programs at their campuses. Research the websites of the colleges of your interest. Many will offer scholarships to cover costs.
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Helpful Financial Aid Links
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