October 1, 2015
Administrator's Corner   

ACT Prep starts on October 22 nd and will be every Thursday from 3-4pm through April 14 th .

The first session will be in room 134. Students can sign up in the office.
 
The ACT practice tests will be on the following dates:
November 14, January 14, and March 23.

Mike Christoff
Assistant Principal 
Quick Links
All School
Open House Tonight!
6-8 p.m.
Math Tutoring
Need help with math?
Math tutoring is available in the Library Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Bring your math materials and any questions....Great way to stay on top of your class!
Free Coding Program for Girls - Deadline to Apply: Friday, Oct. 2
Act Now!
Young ladies, and parents of young ladies, don't miss the deadline to be included in a free coding program. Our ladies will learn how to code AND receive a laptop upon completion. Click here for more information.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held October 7-8, from 3:30-7:30 p.m.
TJ Partners Staff Appreciation Event - October 7th
Dear Thomas Jefferson High School Families:

On Wednesday, October 7, 2015 TJ Partners will host the first Staff Appreciation event of the year by providing dinner for the staff during Parent Teacher Conferences and we need your support.  Teachers will be busy from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM that night meeting with parents and families so we would like to provide dinner for them during the evening.

Please sign up through the Sign-Up Genius and bring your item to the main office or room 111 any time between 2:30-4:30PM on Wednesday, October 7th.  If your item does not need to be refrigerated or heated, you can drop it off in the main office on Tuesday evening or anytime on Wednesday.  The staff truly appreciates your support during this busy evening.  
 
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Sincerely, 
Susan  Sundeen TJ  Partners PTO
Boys' Golf Ends a Successful Season
golf5.jpg The Thomas Jefferson boys' golf team concluded a successful season with two players narrowly missing qualifying for the state tournament.  On Wednesday September 23, TJ competed in the 4A Metro regional tournament against 20 other teams comprising 80 golfers. Roger Nakagawa shot 84 and finished 1 shot out of a state tournament berth.  Andy Villescas was the next best Spartan with an 85 .  
 
For the season, TJ finished 2 nd overall in DPS League play.  Individually, Roger Nakagawa finished league play with the 3 rd best scoring average at 75.2 strokes per round.  Roger was named 1 st team all-league.  Three other Spartans were named 2 nd team all-league: Jessie Aldridge with an 86 average, Colin Waters with an 86.4 average, and Andy Villescas with an 88.6 average.   
TJ's Community Partner Program is Here!
What is it? 
An awesome new program for area businesses, civic and non-profit organizations, alumni and neighbors to engage with TJ in meaningful ways and help provide cool, new opportunities and greater resources to students and staff.

We also wanted to more formally recognize TJ's current business supporters, and build stronger connections and community for TJ in Southeast Denver. Partner logos will be featured on a special page on TJ's new website, and there will be multiple opportunities to be recognized each school year. 
 
How will this program benefit students and teachers?  
  • Career readiness (workplace tours, shadows, internships, summer jobs, special projects)
  • Academic support (guest speakers, tutoring, mentoring) 
  • Sponsorships and grant awards (athletics, clubs, classrooms, programs) 
  • Community service and engagement (throughout the greater Denver area or at TJ)
  • Staff appreciation and student incentives (discounts, free food and fun!)
Who are TJ's current partners? 
Westerra Credit Union, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management DTC, Whole Foods Tamarac, Colorado Young Leaders, Challenge Denver, My Music Skool, Lone Tree Arts Center, Elvis Cinemas Tiffany Plaza, Target on Tamarac, Embassy Suites Hampden, Firehouse Subs Hampden, LiveBasil Pizza Hampden, Jim n Nick's Hampden, Milk n Cake, Papa Murphy's on Leyden, Orange Theory Fitness on Happy Canyon, Starbucks Happy Canyon, Triangle Print Media, KS Design, FilmPharm, and more to come. 

How can organizations get involved? 
What's your passion? Are you a subject matter expert? Are you interested in supporting a specific team or activity? Does your company require community service, offer internships or job shadows? Want to make a difference in a classroom or in a student's life? Does your business do cash or product donations for sponsorships, promotions, events or incentives?

These are just a few ideas to consider. A list of ideas and recommendations will soon be featured on the Community Partner Program web page.

How can you sign up? 
An entire page on TJ's new website will be devoted to this program. Look for it later this month. There will be a form to submit your interest in the program. You may also email TJ parent/alumni Spring Hericks at  springhericks@gmail.com or connect with TJ's resource specialist Danny Showers at  Edward_Showers@dpsk12.org.
Special Parent Presentation - Mental Health Awareness
October 13th, 2015 - 6:00pm
Mental Health Awareness
Suicide and Depression Prevention
 
Who: Samanda Davis- School Social Worker and Natalie Koncz- School Psychologist   + YOU!
What: Parent and community member suicide & depression prevention. As a parent and community member, you play a crucial role in our students' safety. Please join us for this training and discussion.
When: Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 @ 6:00pm
Where: Thomas Jefferson High School, Room 111
 
Please click here for additional information.
PSAT October 14
Oct. 14 is the PSAT at TJ at 7:30 am in Room 111.  Only punctual students may test and "track down" service will not be available this year on the day of the test (one proctor runs around looking for missing registrants). 
The test is primarily for Grade 11, and academically prodigious 10th-Graders are also encouraged take this test which can trigger the National Merit Scholarship.  
Registration is first come, first-served and completed only by payment of $20 to the Treasurer's Office Monique Alexander by a deadline of October 9th.  Ms. Alexander keeps record of payments, which doubles as registration, so your receipt is your test ticket.
From the Counselors - College Fair Information
Save the Date(s)!
 
TJ's In- State College Fair
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
9:30 - 10:30 a.m
TJ's gym
Over 50 colleges from Colorado(and nearby states) will be here to talk with juniors and seniors!
 
Other Fairs Around the Metro Area include: 
 
Out of State College Fair
Thursday, October 8 6:30-8:30 pm
Lakewood High School
 
In-State and Out of State College Fair
Saturday, October 10, 10:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Mountain Vista High School
 
Call Ms. Stone in the counseling office for more information.
TJ Aristocrat Yearbook News
2016 Yearbook!

We are using a new company that allows you to be directly involved in the creation of the book. You can upload all of your awesome photos from TJ events, and they
might end up getting published in the yearbook! In order to do this, you simply need to go to treering.com, make an account, and begin to upload your photos.

Other than that, if you have an interest in helping design the yearbook, please see Mr. Forrester room 110 about the weekly meetings during lunch.

Finally, for more info on the yearbook, like when senior photos are due and how to buy the book, visit tjjournal.com, and click on the Aristocrat Yearbook link on right side of the home page.
Spartan Spirit Reaches New Levels
TJ introduces a new club to uplift Spartan Spirit.
As a brand new school year arrived, students were filled with excitement about the upcoming fall sports season, homecoming, and spirit week. Thomas Jefferson High School recently introduced a new club called Legion, one of the main driving forces behind school-wide sports and spirit events. Read More
Special Movie Screening and Conversation on Race

Access Opportunity Spotlights Two Spartans

Access Opportunity invests in low-income, high-potential students, from high school through college, so that they can have impactful careers and lead change in the lives of individuals and communities. By providing personalized services, support, grants, and career opportunities, we ensure that highly talented and motivated low-income students have the tools to succeed. Click here to learn more.
Gear Up: Spartan Gear for Sale
Get your Spartan gear ready for all events!
Support your TJ Spartans today by getting your TJ gear from TJ Partners.   We have new styles and colors of TJ gear for you to show your Spartan pride around town.   Get yours today.  T-shirts are $15, Hoodies are $30, TJ Decals are $3.  Get yours today! TJ gear will be available for sale at TJ Partners meetings each month, at various TJ activities around campus, or you can get yours by contacting us at tjparentpartners@gmail.com.
Wanna Get Away?
airplane-takeoff-sun-sm.jpg
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

Infinite Campus Access for Students
Students should know that they can access their grades, attendance, test scores and most of the other information that is in Infinite Campus. Go to https://myportal.dpsk12.org and click on Student Portal. Your login is your six-digit student number and your password was set to your eight-digit birthdate. All passwords were reset over the summer and you can change your password once you log in to the portal by clicking on "Preferences". If this is the first time that you have logged in to the portal, you will be asked three questions. Those answers can help you recover your password if you should forget it. If you forget your password, go to http://iforgot.dpsk12.org/pwdreset/default.aspx
Once you log in to the portal check to see if your photo is showing up in the upper left hand corner. If not, click on Dashboard. You may have to do that two or three times to get it to reset.
The best way to see your grades is to click on Schedules/Assignments and then click on the small text icon next to the name of each class.
Your login and password are the same login and password that you need to log in to any PC computer at TJ. It is also the login and password that you need to access your school Google account. Go to googlemail.dpsk12.net   Notice that it is
.net and not
.org! Use your login and password to access your account. You can access all your content from any device, 24/7. Your content may be text docs, presentations, spreadsheets, surveys and drawings. Upload any document that you are working on to your account so that you can have access to it anytime, anywhere.
There is an Infinite Campus app that you can download to your handheld device. It will ask for a district ID which is
DXFSLP. You should never have an excuse for not knowing exactly how you are doing in each of your classes, what your grade is, what assignments are missing, which ones you are not doing well on, etc. Good students are in the know!
If you, or your parents, are having any problems with your Portal account, please contact Marshall Hanks at 29-423-7064 or email him at marshall_hanks@dpsk12.org
Kicking off the Season on the Right Foot
Boys' Soccer returns to the field with an impressive win.
As the school year begins and students settle into their academics, student athletes are also preparing for their fall sports. Over the past couple of weeks, several teams have had their first games, including TJ's Varsity Boys' Soccer team. The Spartans played against Chaparral on Thursday, September 3rd, and were victorious after a hard fight, successfully launching their season. Read more 
Health News - Flu Shots Available
October 20th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at the Denver Health School Based Health Clinic at Thomas Jefferson
 
Cost: The flu shot is free if you have one of the following insurance carriers. Cigna, Anthem BCBS, Rocky Mountain Health Partners, United Health Care/Tricare, Aetna or Multiplan/PHCS.
 
Click here for more information.
News from the Future Center
Early Application/Early Decision and Financial Aid: 
If you are applying early action or early decision to a college AND are interested in applying for financial aid, you most likely will need to complete the CSS Profile.  Colleges use the CSS Profile to assess your financial aid in addition to FAFSA.  Most early action/early decision CSS profile applications are due in early November, so you should get started filling the application out now (FAFSA does not open until 1/1/16).  I am happy to help.  For more information on the CSS Profile, click here.  Make sure to check the websites of the colleges where you are applying for specific deadlines and details. 
 
Upcoming October College Visits to TJ (Juniors and Seniors Only):
Most likely, the college admission representative visiting TJ will be the first person to read your application.  Attending college visits will connect you directly to a person who most likely will have significant feedback in your application status. 
 
If you have Naviance questions, click here to be directed to a helpful PowerPoint (slides 6-10). 
 
Time
Mon October 5, 2015
1:15 PM
Tue October 6, 2015
8:00 AM
Tue October 6, 2015
10:30 AM
Tue October 6, 2015
12:00 PM
Wed October 7, 2015
8:00 AM
Wed October 7, 2015
9:30 AM
Thu October 8, 2015
8:45 AM
Thu October 8, 2015
12:00 PM
Thu October 8, 2015
1:00 PM
Fri October 9, 2015
12:30 PM
Mon October 12, 2015
12:00 PM
Tue October 13, 2015
9:00 AM
TJ College Fair
Wed October 14, 2015
9:30 AM
Fri October 16, 2015
11:00 AM
Thu October 22, 2015
12:30 PM
Tue October 27, 2015
9:00 AM
 
College Fairs:  Click here
to be taken to a list of college fairs happening in Denver in October. 
 
Scholarship Opportunities:
Students interested in applying to the Gates Millennium Scholarship should come to the Future Center on Wednesday, September 30
th, during office hours to learn important facts about applying.  This scholarship requires a SIGNIFICANT amount of time.  You are eligible to apply if you...
  • Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian & Pacific Islander American, or Hispanic American.
  • Are a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the United States.
  • Have attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on an unweighted 4.0 scale.
  • Are a senior in high school.
  • Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities.
  • Meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.
 
Ms. Maez provided important information about the Daniels Fund scholarship on Wednesday, 9/23, during office hours.  If you would like support from the Future Center, please stop by ASAP.  
 
The Daniels Fund can cover a significant portion of the cost of attendance.  You are eligible to apply for the Daniels Fund scholarship if you meet the following conditions:
  1. 1.    Senior in high school.
  2. 2.   Your family has financial need.
  3. 3.   You scored a 17 or higher on all ACT subject tests. 
  4. 4.   You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. 
 
Other scholarships:
 
 
Check your email and Naviance accounts for more scholarship information.  

 
Rena Maez 
College Advisor, Thomas Jefferson High School
Denver Scholarship Foundation | a 501(c)(3) Public Charity

3950 S. Holly Street  |  Denver, CO 80237
O 720.423.7134   F 720.423.7098
   
rmaez@denverscholarship.org |   www.denverscholarship.org