Administrator's Corner
We're in the final stretch, with the Thanksgiving Break within reach!
Since we have the entire week of Nov. 23-27 off, that would be a wonderful time for students to do some community service hours or to work on Apex work! Students, be sure to connect with Ms. Spivey if you need any Apex work unlocked before break.
Stay safe and warm, and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday!
Andrew Skari
Assistant Principal | Athletic Director
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 To fill the TJ community with some holiday spirit this week, activities coordinator
Sara Andolsek came up with the idea to hold a pie eating contest for students. "It's a time where there aren't many activities going on in school because of the holidays, so I thought everyone could use a little break and have some fun with a pie eating contest," said Andolsek. The competition was held during Office Hours on Wednesday, October 18, with 22 students willing to participate. Contestants had 3 minutes to consume their pumpkin pies before the winner was announced. Junior Jackson Cline was crowned the champion, finishing his entire pie with five seconds to spare. The contestants are now prepared for Thanksgiving Day, when they will undoubtedly be treated with more scrumptious pies. Thanks to all of the faculty and staff who donated the pies!
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A new video drone will allow for the capturing of all new kinds of footage, unlike anything seen before at TJ.
Center for Communication and Technology (CCT) teacher
Grant Laman is very experienced when it comes to video production. He has used his knowledge both on the Spartan Edition and in his senior video intern class; now he is going to help produce all new kinds of videos, thanks to TJ's new Phantom 3 Video Drone.
Read more
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TJ ArtFest Call for Vendors
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TJ's ArtFest is back!
Mark your calendars now for this wonderful tradition, and if you know any potential vendors, please send them to the
2015 ArtFest Application.
Thanks in advance for making this another successful fundraising event for the TJ Community!
Plan to enjoy, shop and perhaps sign up to help either the night before (set up in Fri eve) or the day of, Saturday. A list of options may be found by clicking
this link.
Thank you for your consideration and support of your neighborhood high school!
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Contributions for the ArtFest Book Fair
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We need your help!
Please gather up all your gently used books, CDs, DVDs, VHS cassettes, audio cassettes and yes, even, 8-track tapes and bring them to the TJHS office for the TJ Partners PTO ArtFest and Book Sale. This fundraising event for TJ Partners PTO is being held on Saturday, December 12th from 9 am to 4 pm in the gymnasium and cafeteria.
We welcome your donations for the book sale right up to December 12th. We will provide a receipt for your tax-deductible contribution! Tell your friends, family and neighbors that we will be happy to accept their contributions as well. Last year we raised over $700 from the book sale alone to support various programs benefiting the students and staff at TJ.
If you have donations but are unable to drop them off at the school, please contact Susan Sundeen at [email protected] and she will arrange to have your donations picked up and delivered to Thomas Jefferson.
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Barnes and Noble Theater Fundraiser
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Below you will find a flyer for Barnes and Noble. When you present this flyer during your holiday shopping (or regular shopping) a portion of the proceeds go directly to TJ Theater! Additionally, all of the wonderfully FUNNY and quirky Monologues from the "Hello, Dolly!" auditions will be presented LIVE at the venue in December. (The date is on the flyer)
Please come and support the arts and enjoy coffee and cookies while you browse! Feel free to forward this on to anyone that you think would love to join in the sponsoring.
Click here for the flyer.
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The Advanced strings and Advanced woodwinds will be performing in the lobby of the Ellie Caulkins prior to the Colorado Ballet's performance of
The Nutcracker and then during intermission. The strings will be performing on
November 28, for the 1pm show, and the woodwind quintet will perform on
December 24, again for a 1 pm show.
Should you wish to attend either of these shows, a "friends and family" discount is available. The coordinator for these events has asked that "friends and family" wishing to purchase tickets contact her directly, and mention that you are with the TJ performers. If interested, please contact:
Molly Epstein
Group Sales Manager
303.619.6196
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Additionally, on
December 20, a couple students and I will be joining the annual "Tuba Christmas" downtown. 200-300 tuba and euphonium players gather and play Christmas carols. It's quite a sight & sound. This is an event the takes place in cities around the country, and Denver is know for quite a large turn out. We play regardless of the weather conditions. Concert is at 1 PM at Skyline Park (downtown).
On
December 5, the Denver Brass host a Holiday Brass Fest on the Denver Performing Arts Complex Galleria at 1 pm. Any current or former brass players are welcome to join. I frequently attend, and would welcome company. If you play a brass instrument and want to come, let me know.
These are both fun concerts.
If you have any errands to run downtown, you might consider running them on one of these days, and catching an outdoor concert. Bring the kids - it won't matter if they're wiggly.
Sincerely,
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On October 17
th, seventy TJ JROTC cadets and their three instructors headed down to the Coliseum and Civic Center Park to volunteer with multiple jobs at the Rock and Roll Marathon from 8 am to 12pm. TJ split into two groups: the Race Team and the Registration Team. The publicity officer and his assist were split between both teams and alternated between helping set up the race or registering participants, and taking pictures. The Race Team went to Civic Center Park and helped set up the finish line. They helped unpack and placed medals on the award stands. After finishing setting up, the Race Team ate lunch and decided to give any of their
remaining boxes of pizza to homeless people that were in need. The Registration Team went to the Coliseum and registered Rock and Roll Marathon participants. The cadets aided in handing out race numbers, or "bib numbers," helped with distributing race shirts/bags, answered questions and solved problems when they arose. With one cadet at every of the twenty stations and four or five doing other management jobs, we were never short of work to do! At lunch, Sergeant Johns, Chief Gaines, and Major Campbell, our instructors, decided to buy pizza for all our hard work. After the event, some cadets left to go home, but some went to the Zombie Crawl happening not too far away. All in all, the Rock and Roll Marathon was a great experience, great success and was a fun way to collectively get
420
volunteer hours!
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The Key to a Better Future
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A new club empowers women to build a life defined by values and success.
With the uprising number of young women falling prey to the feeling of being inferior and lacking self confidence, Anette Bowser created an organization know as 'Ladies Of ValuE' or 'L.O.V.E.' The purpose of this group is to encourage ladies to emerge with self love and confidence; it also provides guidance for young women who struggle with low self-esteem, as well as the true meaning of a woman with value. Ultimately, L.O.V.E. is a multipurpose resource, meaning it not only educates young ladies, but also helps them with finances and higher education. Read more
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Giving Back - Gloves and Socks Drive to Benefit L.O.V.E.
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Donations will be accepted in the main office through December 18.
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We are excited to announce our Challenge day dates are January 19th and 20th. We are asking for a $20 participation fee for each student; however, NO Junior student will be denied participation in the day. We made it easy to financially support the program, please click here for payment and description of the program.
If you have questions or are interested in volunteering for the day, please contact Samanda Davis. It is a one full day commitment on either January 19th or 20th.
Samanda Davis, LCSW MSW
Social Worker
Thomas Jefferson High School
M,T,Th
720-423-7072
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The new Model United Nations Club aims to aid TJ students in public speaking and boost their confidence by debating real world problems.
Model United Nations (Model U.N.) is a new club that was formed by Thomas Jefferson High School's Spartans who are interested in debating and learning about the world around them. Model U.N. was formed with the intent to increase students' skills in debate, public speaking, and teamwork, as well as informing the members of current events in the world. The club was started by sophomores
Leora Busse
,
Rebekah Yohannes
,
Arwah Ahmed,
and
Ariadne Katsaris.
TJ's new U.S. History teacher
Garien Behling
excitedly took on the task of sponsoring the new club. Read more
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Support the Denver Scholarship Foundation
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Dear TJ Community,
I wanted to personally invite you to support DSF in its efforts to make college possible for more students by donating to DSF on Colorado Gives Day, December 8, 2015. Presented by the Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day is an annual statewide movement to celebrate and increase philanthropy through online giving.
Many of you have heard my personal stories about the power and positive impact that DSF has on hundreds of thousands of Denver Public Schools' students. Would you take a moment to donate to DSF to make sure our work can continue? Your contribution will go directly to help Denver's students succeed! You can make your commitment online today and it will count on December 8th!
Can you help me reach my goal of raising $500? Any amount helps - could you give $5, $10, or even $20?
DSF is also hosting Open House events at two Future Centers on Colorado Gives Day! All are welcome to drop by and see how DSF is making a positive impact on our community. Come by to see what DSF does!
Thank you!
Rena Maez
Denver Scholarship Foundation | a 501(c)(3) Public Charity
College Advisor, Thomas Jefferson High School
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Fundraisers - Class of 2017
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Jason Sheehan steps up as the new English Department Chair.
At the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, an instructor was needed to fill the position of English Department Chair.
Matt Santambrogio
, former Department Chair and English teacher, transitioned into teaching Robotics classes full time, and
Jason Sheehan
stepped up to take on the challenge. Sheehan's personality and passion have made him a favorite among students and faculty alike, and he is always prepared for new challenges in his career. Read more
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News from the Future Center
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For upcoming events, college visits, financial aid workshops, scholarships, and much more, visit the Future Center wikipage!
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
[email protected]
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www.denverscholarship.org
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