Administrator's Corner
In our quest from good to great, we periodically measure our progress through testing. Coming up on Tuesday, April 28th, all students with eleventh grade standing will take the Colorado ACT exam. This test is free of charge for all juniors in the state. The test will begin at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 11:30 a.m.
Students in other grades will not attend on April 28th. We feel very strongly that our students are well prepared for this test. They have all had the opportunity for free ACT preparation all through this academic year, as well as practice tests. We are excited to see how well our students will perform on this important test!
Also, the Advanced Placement (AP) exams, May 4-15. Students and teachers have been putting in a lot of time getting ready for these tests. We wish them well.
Mrs. JoAnne Moreno
Administrative Assistant
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TJ Community Night at Starbucks on Happy Canyon
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Starbucks Study Night: Sunday, April 26, 5-8 p.m.
Students, this is a special night just for you! Gather a few friends and spend the evening studying at Starbucks. There will even be graduate students available to help with tutoring. This is a great opportunity to brush up before the ACT, and to get a head start on studying for finals. See you there!
Stay tuned...we hope that this will become a monthly event!
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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
[email protected]
or call: 720-423-7093
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Congratulations to SkillsUSA Students
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TJ's got Skills!
Our TJ students were just awesome at the SkillsUSA State Conference in Colorado Springs. The students represented TJ with pride.
Alec Stolz - 2nd place Photography
Katelin Kelly - 3rd place Photography
Jacob Neumann and
Josh Schaffer- 1st place web design
Morgan VanderRiet and
Rachel Sadler- 2nd place web design
Luis Avila and
Bobby Vlier - 2nd place 3d animation
Hunter Holmes and
Sam Trout - 1st place 3d animation
Stephanie Chavez and
Tyler Weiskopf - 3rd place 3d animation
Travis Domagala and
Weston Wilkins - 1st place Digital Video
Julio Munoz - 2nd place computer programming.
All 1st place winners qualify for SkillsUSA Nationals in Louisville, KY. If you see any of these students, please take time to congratulate them!
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It's just around the corner!
Prom 2015
At Mile High Stadium in the Champions Club
April 25, 2015
7:00-11:00
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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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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TJ Wins 1st Place!
David Ayres, Alejandro Botello, and Ben Wall won first place in level 3 (the highest high school level) of the Japan Cup at the University of Denver on Saturday,
April 11, 2015.
In the Japan Cup, there are different levels according to ability, and each team consisted of three students who have studied Japanese in high school and college. They compete against each other by answering questions about Japan and Japanese language.
Next year these Spartans will compete against college students. Congratulations to these students and to their fearless leader and teacher, Kyler Jackson!
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TJ's Night Out - TOMORROW NIGHT!
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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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Congratulations to the Project of the Year Winners
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Project Management Institute - Project of the Year Winners
Seven Thomas Jefferson High School seniors were awarded the High School Project of the Year designation from the Mile Hi chapter of the Project Management Institute. The Project of the Year competition is an opportunity for high school students to work with industry mentors to complete all aspects of a technology project; from idea generation through project closure. Students plan and document their projects using industry-standard project management concepts.
Thomas Jefferson winners and their projects were:
- Theo Frimpong and Nicolas Capra: presented two Android phone applications; a Bluetooth testing app and a phone locator app.
- Herick Acosta, Luis Avila, and James Fisher: presented two websites; an information and registration site for the DPS Career Fair and a site re-design for a local construction company.
- Alex Orzescu and Alex Villescas: presented their massively multi-player game concept and Kickstarter campaign supporting the game.
The students are seniors in the Center for Communication Technology Magnet at Thomas Jefferson High School. Their projects were completed as part of the senior capstone course for the program; winners are eligible to apply for scholarship awards from PMI. The Mile Hi chapter of PMI has assisted Thomas Jefferson High School since 2004 and has awarded over $100,000 in scholarship funds to TJ students.
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Upcoming World Language Assessment
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The DPS World Language Assessment will be given in foreign language classrooms all over Denver the week of April 20-24. Language students are required to complete the exam. It is important that students taking foreign language attend their classes this week. Makeups for the missed exams will take place only during lunch and during office hours until April 30.
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The It Gets Better Journey
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Join us for The It Gets Better Journey at the
Morgridge College of Education.
Learn about helping young people who are confronted with bullying and other challenges in their adolescent years.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall Commons
University of Denver
Experience a multimedia journey through the brief but powerful history of the It Gets Better Project, including a detailed discussion of the development of the live stage show. Artists will share their personal stories and offer reflections about the mission of It Gets Better. The presentation will address some of the controversy about the project and challenge the you to reflect on the next steps in the journey to create a safe, supportive climate for all young people.
Click here to RSVP
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Nursing Services Health Screenings
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Dear Parents & Guardians:
Denver Public Schools Nursing Services will be conducting the yearly school health screenings for VISION, HEARING, HEIGHT and WEIGHT and BMI (Body Mass Index) at Thomas Jefferson High School.
Screening Dates
: April 29th and April 30th
Rescreen Dates:
May 18th and May 19th
All 9
th grade students will be screened as will those in other grades with special considerations.Parents/guardians of students who did not have optimal hearing or vision will be notified, in writing, of the results.
If you do not want your student to participate in the screenings, please contact Deb Samuels, the school nurse by
April 24th.
[email protected]
720-423-7061
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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 7-11pm. 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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Upcoming Performances in the Black Box Theater
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August Wilson Project Performances
April 29th & 30th @ 7:00
in TJ's Black Box Theater
You are invited to join the August Wilson Project for two performances of timely, powerful theatre. Please come see these wonderful actors as they pour their hearts into Wilson's amazing view of the 20th century and beyond. The performances will include scenes from Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, and Radio Golf.
Admission is by donation. Seating is limited. See or call Palmieri (303-906-3554) for tickets. See you there.
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Click here for affordable counseling resources for DPS students and families!
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Final Countdown for the TJ Bucket Challenge: Only Three Weeks Left!
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Unified for One, Unified for All
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TJ's Unified Basketball team headed back to the State championship on March 20th hoping to be victorious again.
The TJ Unified Sports class has been a great facet of TJ for many years. Three years ago, TJ teacher and coach Mollie Pitrone added to its perks by creating the DPS Unified Sports League in conjunction with Special Olympics. TJ's Unified basketball team has enjoyed more success than many other team in the state, and this year has been no exception. The Spartans have played an incredible season so far with a four game winning streak, putting them in the State championship for the second year in a row.
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CCT Photo Gallery - Save the Date!
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Upcoming Community Events
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JOB FAIR: Free Community Event! (Resume Writing)
May 16th: 10-2PM @ Montbello Library
Community Resource Tables welcome!
For more information Contact RON ALLEN: 720-979-5482
KITE FESTIVAL: Free Community Event!
May 30th: 10-2PM @ Evie Dennis Campus (East Field)
Community Resources, Vendors & Event Sponsorship welcome
Please click here for more information about the Kite Festival
KATHY'S KAMP: Affordable Summer Enrichment Camp
June 8th -July 25th (7 Weeks) @ Evie Dennis Campus
Must register online. CCAP is accepted / limited scholarships are available.
Please click here for more information about Kathy's Kamp
JUNETEENTH Kids Zone: Free Community Event!June 20th 9:30-6PM @ 26th and Welton in the 5 Points. FFRC's Healthy Babies, Strong Families Program will sponsor the kids zone this year at Juneteenth. We invite Vendors and Community Partners to set up a booth for the kids zone -$150. Please contact La Toya if interested ASAP. Limited space available.
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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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Twelve years ago, Mouctar Kamara embarked on a journey that has changed his life for the better.
Students in the United States and other developed areas often take many things for granted: they complain about homework, how early school starts, and the tests that they have to take. They also overlook the fact that countless teenagers throughout the world do not have these luxuries. A significant portion of kids wake up early to work, barely earning a wage to live on, and can only dream of getting an opportunity that is taken for granted in other areas. For TJ junior
Mouctar Kamara, this dream became reality when he moved from Africa to the United States, not only gaining opportunity, but also new friends and family.
Read More
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News from the Future Center
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Dear Students and Families,
As always, I am happy to meet with you to discuss any college, career, or financial aid questions. In the meantime, please review the information below:
- Applying for Financial Aid: 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.
- Financial Aid Award Letters: For those of you who have completed the FAFSA and have started to receive financial aid award letters from colleges, I have created a spread sheet that you can use see how much you will have to pay. Click here to access that document. Consumer Financial also has a great website for comparing financial aid packages. Click here to link to their website.
- Student Loans: To provide a complete financial aid package, colleges have been including student AND parent loans, some at a very high amounts. Don't borrow too much money. Check out the Red Zone hand out to guestimate your student loan payment upon graduation. For parents, check out this informative article from US News and World Report about borrowing money for college.
- College Acceptances: All students and parents should have received a college acceptance status email from me. Please let me know if you have any questions.
- Scholarships: Check out the following scholarship resources:
- Denver Scholarship Foundation Scholarship Directory
- Where to search scholarships
- Click here for scholarships with approaching deadlines.
Have a great week!
Ms. Maez
Important Future Center Events/Deadlines:
All events in the Future Center, unless otherwise noted.
4/22/15- 10:00am-11:00am- Last visit from Metropolitan State University of Colorado.
4/28/15- 9:00am-10:00am- Grand Canyon University college visit
5/1/15- College Decision Day- Please commit to a college by this date. Admission awards expire after this date.
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.
Summer Programs
Many colleges offer summer programs at their campuses. Research the websites of the colleges of your interest. Many will offer scholarships to cover costs.
Have a wonderful week!
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Helpful Financial Aid Links
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