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February 19, 2024
Hello Spartan Families!
We want to thank everyone who helped organize and participated in Challenge Day this past week. The entire junior class participated and it was an important bonding experience for the class of 2025. We also want to shout out our own TJ social worker Samanda Davis for working tirelessly to make this event possible for our students.
We also want to shout out our Honor Roll students who were recognized at an assembly and Smarty Party on Thursday. More than half of our student body qualified for the honor roll. We had 168 students qualify for Bronze (3.0-3.4 GPA), 138 students for Silver (3.5-3.9 GPA), 163 students for gold (4.0-4.4 GPA) and an incredible 191 students for Platinum! (4.5-5.0 GPA) Last but not least, we had 270 students qualify as Academic Lettermen. These students have had a 3.5 GPA or higher for 3 consecutive semesters! All students were entered into a drawing for some amazing prizes such as an Xbox, a PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, etc. Congratulations to the following winners:
Academic Letter - Evan Whistler
Platinum - Farah Djama
Platinum - Sloan Straayer
Gold - Abigail McClure
Silver - Blake Barben
Bronze - Raymond Tavares
¡Hola familias espartanas!
Queremos agradecer a todos los que ayudaron a organizar y participaron en el Día del Desafío esta semana pasada. Toda la clase junior participó y fue una experiencia de vinculación importante para la clase de 2025. También queremos gritar a nuestra propia trabajadora social de TJ Samanda Davis por trabajar incansablemente para hacer este evento posible para nuestros estudiantes.
También queremos gritar a nuestros estudiantes de Honor Roll que fueron reconocidos en una asamblea y Smarty Party el jueves. Más de la mitad de nuestro cuerpo estudiantil calificó para la lista de honor. ¡Teníamos 168 estudiantes que calificaban para Bronce (3,0-3,4 GPA), 138 estudiantes para Plata (3,5-3,9 GPA), 163 estudiantes para oro (4,0-4,4 GPA) y un increíble 191 estudiantes para Platino! (4,5-5,0 GPA) Por último, pero no menos importante, tuvimos 270 estudiantes calificados como carteros académicos.
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¡Estos estudiantes han tenido un GPA de 3,5 o más durante 3 semestres consecutivos! Todos los estudiantes participaron en un sorteo para algunos premios increíbles como una Xbox, una PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, etc. Felicitaciones a los siguientes ganadores:
Carta Académica - Evan Whistler
Platino - Farah Djama
Platino - Sloan Straayer
Oro - Abigail McClure
Plata - Blake Barben
Bronce - Raymond Tavares
Andrew Skari
Assistant Principal
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Monday-
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Presidents' Day - No School
Tuesday-
- Food Bank Distribution: 4-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday-
- Class of 2026 Parent meeting on Zoom: 6:00 p.m. (details below)
Thursday-
Friday-
Saturday-
- Saturday School - 8-11 a.m.
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CU Honor Band Performance: 6-7:30 p.m. Macky Auditorium, CU Presents, 1595 Pleasant St, Boulder, CO 80309
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The PTO treated TJ staff to delicious cupcakes from Milk & Cake on Valentine’s Day! Thank you to Susan Dolson, Tiffany Berry and Katie Mousel for arranging this special treat!
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Kudos to Samanda Davis and all of the staff/faculty volunteers who made Challenge Day a success!
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Congrats to senior Maya Cordova for being named DPS outstanding female athlete of the year for 2023-2024!
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Big thanks to Danyelle Charles and all of the volunteers who helped make the Honor Roll Assembly and the Smarty Party a success: Paula Hammel, Abby Griffin, Carla Allen, Annie Berg, Maria Crouse, Tahj Dillard-Watkins, Katie Fizgerald, Kyler Jackson, Sabrina Janczak, Austin Kirk, Natalie Koncz, Liz Lynch, Herb Lynch, Suzanne Meyer, Robin Morrissey, Antoinette Ogunwo, Laura Ruelas, Dakota Strasinger, Erin Thompson, Betty Van Norden, Suzanne Meyer, and the Admin team!
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- Congratulations to Maya Cordova for being named DPS Outstanding Female Athlete for 2023-24!
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Kudos to Jenn Sonheim for winning the Colorado Avalanche most valuable teacher award for February!
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Last week we had our Denver Unified Tournament at East where 15 schools attended! Schools were split into four divisions, TJ had a team playing in division one and three! Our division 3 team, Team Spartan(white team) took 3rd place in their division. Our division 1 team, Team Gold (gold jerseys) took 1st place over all! Congrats to our Unified Spartans!
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Showing the Love to our PTO Volunteers!
The following parents serve as the 2023-24 PTO Officers and Committee Chairs. The time they volunteer makes the TJ community a better place for our teachers, staff and students. THANK YOU to:
Grants Chair: Brooke Bolinske (11th grade parent)
Food Bank Co-Chairs: Megan Perkins (12th) & Becca Mahoney (12th)
Spirit Store Managers: Jill Van Abbema (10th) & Monica Snyder (12th)
Staff Appreciation Chair: Susan Dolson (11th grade parent)
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Members-at-Large: Megan Perkins (12th), Briana Rimkus (11th), Tracy Smith (10th), Roxanne Stevens (9th)
Class Parent Committee Chairs: Seniors: Cheri Jones, Juniors: Heather Reeder & Kerry Muhovich, Sophomores: Carrie Alleman & Sheila Tyler, Freshmen: Kendal Mullins & Tiffany Berry
PTO Officers - Secretary: Heather Fall (9th), Treasurer: Erin Kimmel (10th), Vice President: Robyn Schiff (12th), President: Krista Zizzo (12th). Fundraising Chair: Vacant
There is room for your name on this list! Considering the number of 11th & 12th grade parents leading the PTO this year, please consider getting involved. Interested? Email tjhspto@gmail.com
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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!
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AVID students were all smiles on their field trip to Colorado State University last week. They learned about the application process, programs of study, financial aid, and got a campus tour. All that delicious information couldn’t compare to their all-you-can-eat experience in the dining hall, though!
Anyone interested in smiling this much during the school day, should talk to their counselor about joining AVID!
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Student Exchange Program - Still Need Host Families! | | |
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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.
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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 2/24, 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!!
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The February 2024 Food Bank distribution will take place Tuesday, February 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, 18 February for us to have food available for you at the distribution.
La distribución de alimentos de febrero es martes el 18 de ferbero 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 18 de febrero 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.
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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 | |
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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.
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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! | |
Mental Health and Social/Emotional Tips | |
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Did You Know...?
(en español)
We are taking a break from tips this week, and you should take a break, too!
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Mental Health and Social Emotional “Did You Know”: Compiled by Natalie Koncz, Ed.S., NCSP and Samanda Davis, LCSW, MSW. | |
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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!
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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.
Wednesday, February 21st: MSU Denver Nursing Rep Visit in the TJ Future Center
Thursday, February 22nd: Community College of Aurora Rep Visit in the TJ Future Center
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
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After Prom Committee Update:
After Prom is 9 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)
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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
If you want to help, please consider donating directly to Class of 2025!
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Class of 2026 - Sophomores | |
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Please join us on Wednesday, February 21st at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom for our next parent meeting. We will finalize details for our Spring social event for the Sophomore class as well as announce the date for the Sophomore parent social event taking place in April
The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82771712199
Thank you,
Sheila and Carrie
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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.
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Stay Connected, Spartans! | | | | |
