Administrator's Corner
January 17, 2022
Hello Spartan Families,
In Mr. Christoff's email last week he shared with you our staff shortages and student attendance due to rising COVID infections. We did have 15%-20% of our staff out throughout the week last week as well around 20% of our students. Typically we may have a few staff members out on any given day and about 90%+ of our students in attendance. Thanks to our amazing guest teachers, our own staff helping to cover classes, and our Office Manager Ms. Charles organizing everyone we were able to stay in person for another week. As Mr. Christoff said in his email, we are striving to keep the school open and to not have to shift to remote learning. You can help by keeping your student(s) at home if they are symptomatic (cough, runny nose, sore throat, body aches, etc..) and making sure that they are bringing masks to school every day and reminding them to wear them over their nose and mouth! Thank you all for your help!
A couple of upcoming events and important announcements:
We will be holding a Club Fair this Wednesday. Involvement in extracurricular activities can help a student feel more connected to school which improves attendance and academic performance.
The Honor Roll assembly is tentatively scheduled for Friday, the 21st. (Subject to change due to Covid Protocols) We look forward to recognizing and celebrating the academic achievement of our Spartans.
A reminder to keep an eye on the forecast and plan ahead for inclement weather and the difficult traffic conditions that can result.
And of course a reminder for students to wear their masks correctly in order to keep everyone as safe as possible!
Hola Spartan Families:
En el correo electrónico del Sr. Christoff la semana pasada compartió con usted la escasez de personal y la asistencia de estudiantes debido al aumento de las infecciones por COVID. Tuvimos un 15%-20% de nuestro personal a lo largo de la semana pasada así como alrededor del 20% de nuestros estudiantes. Típicamente podemos tener unos pocos miembros del personal en cualquier día dado y alrededor del 90% de nuestros estudiantes en asistencia. Gracias a nuestros increíbles profesores invitados, nuestro propio personal ayudando a cubrir las clases, y nuestra gerente de oficina, la Sra. Charles, organizando a todos pudimos quedarnos en persona otra semana. Como dijo el Sr. Christoff en su correo electrónico, estamos esforzándonos por mantener la escuela abierta y por no tener que cambiar al aprendizaje remoto. Usted puede ayudar manteniendo a su(s) estudiante(s) en casa si son sintomáticos (tos, secreción nasal, dolor de garganta, dolores corporales, etc.) y asegurándose de que están trayendo máscaras a la escuela todos los días y recordándoles que las usen sobre su nariz y boca! ¡Gracias a todos por su ayuda!
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Un par de próximos eventos y anuncios importantes:
Este miércoles celebraremos una Feria del Club. La participación en actividades extracurriculares puede ayudar a un estudiante a sentirse más conectado con la escuela, lo que mejora la asistencia y el rendimiento académico.
El montaje de la Lista de Honor está programado provisionalmente para el viernes 21st. (Sujeto a cambios debido a Covid Protocols) Estamos ansiosos por reconocer y celebrar el logro académico de nuestros espartanos.
Un recordatorio para mantener un ojo en el pronóstico y planificar por adelantado para el tiempo inclemente y las condiciones de tráfico difíciles que pueden resultar.
y, por supuesto, un recordatorio para que los estudiantes usen las máscaras correctamente para mantener a todo el mundo lo más seguro posible.
Andrew Skari
Assistant Principal
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Monday-
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No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday-
- January Food Bank Distribution / Distribución de alimentos de enero - 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-
Saturday-
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Last week Ms. Starbuck's AP Stats class hosted Mrs. Meyer's 9th-grade math class for some Probability games. It was pretty cool and FUN! Kudos to the teachers for their collaboration and creative delivery of content, and kudos to the students for participating and enjoying the fun activities!
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PTO NewsTJHTO Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 9th at 7:00 pm |
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Thank you to all the parents for joining us at the PTO meeting last week. If you want to catch up on what we discussed, you can find the minutes and meeting recording on the PTO webpage.
Bus Shelter Art Project
We are eager to find a parent who wants to coordinate the TJ Bus Shelter Art project. This was a project started in the 2017-18 school year when RTD built the shelter for TJ students allowing us to showcase student art and share our Spartan Pride with the community. It is a partnership with Councilwoman Kendra Black’s office, RTD, and TJ. PTO coordinates the overall project and art updates while JRTOC provides maintenance and upkeep of the shelter. The student art needs to be updated quarterly. We are looking for a parent who is well organized and can work with various student groups, clubs, classes to keep the art updated. This is a great opportunity to show the community all the great student work at TJ. Reach out to tjhspto@gmail.com for more information.
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TJ Food Bank and Distribution Program |
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The January Food Distribution will take place TOMORROW Tuesday, January 18 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm at TJ!
La distribución de alimentos de enero se llevará MAÑANA el martes 18 de enero de 3:30 p. m. a 5:00 p. m. en TJ!
If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the TJ Food Bank, you can do so HERE. Thank you for your continued support of the Food Bank!
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On Wednesday, January 19th during Lunch, TJ will be hosting their Semester 2 Club Fair! Come see what TJ has to offer, get the new year started off on the right foot, and join a club! The Club Fair will be located in the garden/greenhouse area, outside, as long as weather permits. See Ms. Lupo with questions and see you there!
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Youth TED Talk - Applications due Jan. 22! |
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Opportunity for students:
TEDx Cherry Creek is an event open to high school students from across the Denver Metro Region. Applications are due on Jan. 22!
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TJ Spirit Store - New Items and Online Sale! |
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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…?
In the current world, we may feel confused, frustrated, worried, angry, etc. when we encounter someone who has opinions that strongly differ from our own. The question may arise, “How well can we understand people whose life experiences — or identities — are vastly different from our own?”
Increasing your understanding and empathy regarding the other people and their point of view can strengthen connection and community.
Try this:
- Listen carefully to someone you want to communicate with better, and choose something they said or did that you don’t like or agree with.
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Now imagine at least two reasons why they might have said or done that thing. Then ask the person to tell you about their experience — and don’t react emotionally to what they say. This is about opening your mind to someone else’s and learning all that you can. Get the data and withhold what you think and feel for later.
- Now, can you imagine why this person thinks or behaves as they do?
This approach — focusing intentionally, and holding off on an emotional reaction — can be much more effective in opening a line of communication than telling someone they’re wrong (or uninformed or ignorant).
Empathy is not easy, and trying to be empathetic won’t work for everyone. But most of us are susceptible to the pull of empathy because we prefer to be understood rather than disliked or demonized.
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News from the Future Center |
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Happy Monday, Spartans! Congratulations on earning OVER $3 million in scholarship dollars thus far!
That is TRULY AMAZING.
Please review the College Access Timeline (Spring) in the TJ Future Center Schoology course with a parent or guardian to ensure you stay on track for your college opportunities.
If you have not yet applied for FAFSA or CASFA (free money for college),
Check your email regularly for updates from your colleges and
SHARE YOUR ADMISSIONS WINS! Make note of your institutional scholarship deadlines. These opportunities are one of THE BEST forms of $$$$ for college available to you. Apply to the institutional scholarships for at minimum the top three colleges to which you’ve been admitted! Instructions for accessing the institutional scholarship applications vary by college. You can typically find the needed info by searching “MSU Denver Scholarships,” for example.
Be sure to review the WEEKLY Scholarship Highlights that are shared every WEEK too!
Have you been awarded scholarships and financial aid???
January 20- FAFSA/CASFA DSF Evening Workshop at Swedish Medical Center SIGN UP REQUIRED! Click here.
January 31- CU Boulder NEW Regular Decision Application Deadline
February 1- KPMG Future Leaders Scholarship Due, CSU Ft Collins Regular Decision Application Deadline
February 28- University Hills Rotary STEM Scholarship DUE
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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Senior Class of 2022
With just a few months left, we are starting to get busy planning for the senior activities. We are looking for parents to get involved to make the last semester lots of fun. We’ll be planning a parent meeting soon so stay tuned!
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T-shirts are $15 each and ALL PROCEEDS go to your Senior Prom!
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1) Fill the form out above on the 2023 T-shirt link with size, etc.
2) See Carla Allen our Treasurer with your $15 payment (Cash, Credit Card or Check to: Thomas Jefferson High School - Put “2023 T-Shirts” in memo line) BY Wednesday, JANUARY 26, 2022, 3:00 p.m.
3) Your Class Advisors will be notified of payment
4) T-shirt Pick up will be Announced - Then Rock Your 2023 T-Shirt!
If you have any questions, please see your 2023 Sponsors Mrs. Berg or Ms. Taylor! We will conclude all of our orders by the end of the school day on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022, so hurry and get one today! Thank you!
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PARENTS! HOW TO GET CONNECTED:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT of 2023!
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Class of 2024 - Sophomores |
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Parent Meeting – Join Us!
Class meetings will be held the third Tuesday of month at 7pm.
There will be no meetings during November and December due to the holidays and school breaks, please plan on joining us in January.
Our next meeting details:
Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Jll McLain’s house
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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Now that we are into our second semester, we are getting in gear and are excited to announce the Class of 2025 Parent Sponsors, Heather Reeder and Kerry Muhovich. The Staff Sponsor for your year is Nicole Tarullo.
Mark your calendars! A parent kickoff meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 25th from 7-8pm on Zoom and we’d love to see you there.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 827 3939 8446
Passcode: 452278
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,82739398446# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,82739398446# US (Houston)
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 the PTO at TJHSPTO@gmail.com.
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Stay Connected, Spartans! |
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