February 26, 2024

I can't believe we are already heading into March! Attendance is a main component of academic success, and we ask that you please encourage your student to be on time to every class, every day. Students should be in their first hour classroom before 8:25am (9:25 a.m. on Wednesdays). The end of the semester will be here before we know it and having high attendance will help your student be successful throughout the entire semester.

Spring sports are underway! As games begin, get all the updated game schedules on: https://dpscalendars.org/public/genie/757/school/11/

TJ's Unified Basketball team hosted South last week for an exciting game that went into overtime. TJ came out on top and both teams had a lot of fun! Our student section made signs, cheered, and showed true TJ Pride. I want to thank everyone who attended for supporting all of our students and making TJ an inclusive place to be. This is just one example of why TJ is the best! (See the Kudos Korner for a pic from halftime!)

We have some cool accomplishments from our student-athletes so be sure to check out our Kudos Korner.

¡No puedo creer que ya nos encamine hacia marzo! La asistencia es un componente principal del éxito académico, y le pedimos que anime a su estudiante a estar a tiempo para cada clase, todos los días. Los estudiantes deben estar en su clase de primera hora antes de las 8:25 am (9:25 am los miércoles). El final del semestre estará aquí antes de que lo sepamos y tener una alta asistencia ayudará a su estudiante a tener éxito durante todo el semestre.

¡Los deportes de primavera están en marcha! A medida que comiencen los juegos, obtenga todos los horarios de juegos actualizados en:

https://dpscalendars.org/public/genie/757/school/11/

El equipo de baloncesto unificado de TJ recibió a South la semana pasada para un emocionante juego que entró en el tiempo extra. TJ salió en la cima y ambos equipos se divertieron mucho! Nuestra sección de estudiantes hizo carteles, aplaudió y mostró el verdadero orgullo de TJ.

Quiero agradecer a todos los que asistieron por apoyar a todos nuestros estudiantes y hacer de TJ un lugar inclusivo para estar. ¡Este es solo un ejemplo de por qué TJ es el mejor! (¡Vea el KUDOS Korner para una foto del medio tiempo!)

Tenemos algunos logros geniales de nuestros estudiantes-atletas, así que asegúrese de consultar nuestro Kudos Korner.

Anne Rice

Athletic Director

Assistant Principal

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• Saturday School: 8-11 a.m.
• Jazz Band Festival: 2 - 6 pm (TJ's jazz band performs at 3:30 pm on Stage 2) Denver School of the Arts 7111 Montview Blvd, Denver, CO 80220 TICKETS -  General admission tickets: $15 each

• Another successful year with Challenge Day: TJ has brought Challenge Day to our Junior class for the past 15 years as a "rite of passage" and to build community and change makers among our students. This year, 207 students participated in Challenge day and 56 adults consisting of teachers and community members supported the event. We can't wait to start planning for next year.  

Congratulations to Will Perkins for joining the 1,000 career points club in our playoff win last week!

Congratulations to Ellie Huntsman for being named 3A/4A All City Volleyball Player of the Year!

• Unified game halftime picture!

• Thanks to Emily Bobrick and the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design for bringing the Wandering Pixel to TJ! Students loved getting a chance to create in a very cool space.

Student Exchange Program - Emergency!

This just in:

We have had an unfortunate turn of events with our student host families. We have had 3 families mail and drop out within the last week and a half and we lost our teacher host as well. We currently only have 9 of our 14 students with a home when they come on March 6th and a teacher without a home as well. Finding a student for them to shadow during the day for the 2 weeks that they are here is the easy part but, what was equally easy prior to Covid, has proven to be extremely difficult. When there were only 2, I was not worried because that can be easily taken care of. Five students is not so easy. If you have the ability to host a student or teacher or have spoken to a student who has expressed interest, please let me know ASAP. 

We are currently in need of additional 3 host families for 3 female students participating in an exchange program from Chiben Gogo in Japan.



The students will be living with and attending school with students here at TJ. They will attend each of their classes but they will have their own work provided from their schools in Japan. These students study English in Japan so, although they are not fluent in English, they have the tools to communicate in the language. They simply need practice and exposure. The students will be with us from March 6th through March 24th when they will return to Japan together. Of the remaining students, there are 8 girls and 1 boy in need of a host.

If you are interested and able, please contact Mr. Jackson at kjackso@dpsk12.net for more information. This is a tremendous opportunity because it opens the doors for our students from TJ to travel to Japan and be hosted with families there as well. 

PTO News

The March PTO Meeting will be held next Tuesday, March 5 from 6-7pm in the TJHS Community Room, Rm 111. A Zoom option will be available - the link will appear in next week’s newsletter. Our monthly meetings are a great way to meet other parents and get information and questions answered.

Please consider how you can use your skills to help TJ be the best it can be. Current PTO leadership opportunities include:

President or Co-Presidents (for 2024-25)

Vice President (for 2024-25)

Fund Raising Chair(s)

Questions? Want to get involved? Join our e-mail list: TJHSPTO@gmail.com

The PTO uses the King Soopers’ Community

Rewards program as one of our annual fund raisers. King Soopers contributes a percentage of your grocery sales to the non-profit of your choice with quarterly payments to us. All you do is enter your Rewards number each time you shop. Last year 132 TJ families participated, earning the PTO over $6,800.

We use these funds to support our PTO operating costs, Teacher Appreciation program and provide funding to our Class Committees. Have you signed up yet? Or perhaps need to change the beneficiary from your previous school to TJ? Click here for more instructions. The PTO’s organization name is Thomas Jefferson High School Partners, or use code UT036. Thank you to all who currently participate!

SPARTAN GRANTS PROGRAM APPLICATION IS OPEN! 

We are excited to announce that the PTO's Spartan Grant Program will open on February 19th. For those of you who aren't familiar with this program, it started several years ago when a group of TJ parents decided to start an online auction to raise money to fund classroom grants. Since 2017, the PTO has granted over $100, 000 to the TJ community, funding needs in our classrooms and extracurriculars. 

This link takes you to the Spartan Grant application. TJ Staff who are interested in applying, please fill it out and include all the information requested. In years past, we have had over $20,000 to give, however this year due to having no school auction, we have fewer funds, so we ask that your requests are thoughtful and needed.

The deadline to apply is March 22nd.  The PTO will review all applications at our April meeting. We will provide responses to all applicants by mid-April. Funds are then transferred to the school by May 1, for use in the 2024-25 school year. Since some grants are time sensitive, please let us know if you need your funds prior to those dates.

Thank you for all that you do for our TJ students!

TJ Food Bank

The March 2024 Food Bank distribution will take place Wednesday, March 20 from 4:00-5:30 pm. Any family that is in need of food support is welcomed and encouraged to sign up HERE. Please note that you MUST sign up no later than Sunday, 17 March for us to have food available for you at the distribution.  

La distribución de alimentos de febrero es miércoles el 20 de marzo de 4:00-5:30 pm en TJ. Cualquier familia que necesite apoyo alimentario es bienvenida y animada a inscribirse AQUÍ. DEBE registrarse antes del 17 de marzo para que tengamos alimentos disponibles para usted en la distribución.

Thank you to the TJ Community for your continued support of the Food Bank!  If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the TJ Food Bank, you can do so HERE.

Reach out to Megan Perkins (megandperkins@gmail.com), Becca Mahoney (beccaandjoemahoney@gmail.com) or Jillian Krause (jillian.krause@gmail.com) with questions

Music News

Monticello went to Boulder last week for the Jamaican Choral Symposium. They worked with students/professors from the University both Boulder and Jamaica and it concluded with a concert.

Click here to watch a clip of the concert!

Saturday School

We are focusing on students who have F's during Saturday School. If you will be dropping your student off for Saturday School, please be sure that they do have their Chromebook to work on their F, and that you drop them off at door #8 by the softball field. The times are from 8:00 am-11:00 am. The school will provide snacks/drinks. 



The dates for Saturday School are 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18.

We will begin Saturday School starting this Saturday. The form will always be in the Newsletter and will be open for you to fill out. Our Spring Saturday School sessions will only be focused on students through the semester who have an F.

Thank you for supporting your students to stay on track with their credits!!

Ready for an Adventure?

Join us for an adventure to Eastern Europe where we will see the ancient Croatian cities of Dubrovnik and Split and the majestic, storybook castles and mountains of Slovenia. This 9 day tour takes off this summer in mid-July with the EF tours. While we have recruited 12 students for this trip, we have room for more! Contact Amber Wilson (amber_wilson@dpsk12.net) for all of the details!

Concurrent Enrollment and Tax Season

Tax season is coming up, and if you have a student who took a CE class, you may get a 1098-T tax form from the college that the class is offered through. If you have any questions, please refer to this link: FAQ 1098-T Tax Year 2020.pdf (cncc.edu)

This form is informational only and should not be considered as tax opinion or advice. It serves to alert students that they may be eligible for federal income tax education credit such as the Lifetime Learning Credit and the Hope Credit as part of their Federal Income Tax Return.

If you have tax-specific questions, please consult a tax consultant/professional.

DPS Mental Health Resources

Denver Health Mobile Health Centers

Hi TJ fans! In need of TJ gear? Send us an email. Also, anyone interested in joining the fun and getting to know the TJ community by selling gear, please get in touch at tjhs.store@gmail.com. Thank you TJ community for your school spirit! 

Did You Know...? 

(en español)

You don’t have to wait until you have a solid chunk of time to get some exercise in your day …

Mental Health and Social Emotional “Did You Know”: Compiled by Natalie Koncz, Ed.S., NCSP and Samanda Davis, LCSW, MSW. Resources: www.BHG.com, article from June 2018 issue- “Sneak Exercise into Your Day.” 

Future Center News

Spartan Seniors and Families,

Congratulations on earning OVER $3 million in scholarship awards thus far. Keep up the AMAZING work! If you have already completed your FAFSA or CASFA, please complete this form! Letting us know you’ve already completed your FAFSA/CASFA helps us better support students who have not yet done so. Thank you in advance! 

• The DSF Scholarship is NOW OPEN for application! Apply today!
• Institutional (college specific) Scholarships are one of the BEST ways to help pay for college. Apply to scholarships at at least 3 of your colleges! 
• If you have not yet submitted your FAFSA or CASFA, please plan to submit BEFORE March 1st as colleges will begin receiving applications at that time.

Thursday, February 29th: Construction Careers Hiring Event 

Monday, March 11th: DSF/Capital One FAFSA/CASFA Workshop SIGN UP!

Click here to learn more about the Denver Scholarship Foundation and the DSF Scholarship. 

Emily Webster, M.S. Alyssa Baker, M.Ed.

DSF Lead College Advisor DSF College Advisor

emily_webster@dpsk12.net alyssa_baker@dpsk12.net

Yearbook News

Buy A Yearbook Now!

Sparta-Fill is Here!

For more information, please visit https://spartafill.com/

After Prom Committee Update:

After Prom is 8 weeks away! Mark your calendars for a fun night for our seniors, Friday, April 19. The funds have all been raised and the committee is off to a great start, but we are still in need of parent volunteers. Interested? email Cheri Jones at: jonesoils.co@gmail.com

THANK YOU to the Sub-Committee Chairs for your leadership! We need parents on each sub-committee to help with plans and volunteer at the event. All Senior Parents are welcome to come to our monthly After Prom committee meetings.

After Prom Committee Meetings:

Thursday, March 14th 7pm in Room 111

Thursday, April 11th 7pm in Room 111

After Prom Sub-Committee Chairs:

Welcoming Committee: Carrie Alleman and Kim Tapia

Chill Space: Sheila Tyler and Katie Swats

Volleyball Tournament: Vacant

Casino Room: Jll McLain and Jean Steimel

Entertainment and Food: Maria Sadkhi and Andrea F

Senior gifts and prizes: Megan Perkins and Becca Mahoney

Decorations: Jenni Scobey, Jill VanAbbema

Volunteers: Janet Randles and Colley Moe

KEY DATES FOR SENIORS

Tuesday, 4/9/24: Senior Class “Panoramic” Photo is taken today

Friday, 5/3/24: Senior Awards Night (by invitation)

Friday, 4/19/24: Prom - at Space Gallery in Denver’s Art District and After Prom. There’s no

school for students on 4/19!

5/20/24: Senior Check Out (last day for Seniors)

5/21/24: Graduation Rehearsal @ TJ; Cap & Gown Distribution

5/28/24: Graduation at 1pm at the University of Denver’s Magness Arena (On-site rehearsal is

held that morning, time TBD)

Stay tuned for more info in the next month or two about Teacher Appreciation the first week of May, Juniors and Junk food at the end of the school year and the Senior Sleep Out August 18th!

If you have any comments, suggestions or want to help out with a specific event, please email: hmbdvm@yahoo.com

Class of 2026 Parents, we are looking for someone to lead the Sophomore Smores event for the students right after school the week of May 6th (flexible on the date). Please reach out to Carrie or Sheila for more details.

Also “Save the Date” for a Happy Hour Fundraiser to be held on Thursday, May 16th from 6 - 8 pm. More details to follow.

If you want to help, please consider donating directly to Class of 2026!

https://tjhsstore.square.site/product/2026-class-donations/108

Thank you, 

Carrie (Carriealleman@yahoo.com) and Sheila (Sheilamtyler@yahoo.com)

Give $27 to the Class of '27 and help cultivate community for our students!

The Class of 2027 Class Fund supports class activities each year led by our Parent Committee. If each family gives just $27 a year for the next 4 years, we would meet our budget to sponsor incredibly memorable social events every year for the Class of 2027.

Give $27 to The Class of '27 through the PTO’s Online Square Account:

https://tjhsstore.square.site/product/2027-class-donations/112

Connect with other Freshmen Parents

Contact Committee Co-Chair Kendal Mullins at kendalbmullins@gmail.com or 303-875-6810 to join the Class of 2027 email list.