Dear Thomas Jefferson Families,

I hope this message finds you well. As some of you may have already heard, I’m writing today with a mixture of excitement and heartfelt gratitude to share that I have accepted the position of Principal at Hamilton Middle School and will be transitioning to that role in the coming weeks. While I’m excited for this next chapter and the opportunity to grow professionally, leaving TJ is bittersweet.

Serving as part of the Thomas Jefferson community has been an incredible honor. I’ve cherished the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated staff, supportive families, and—most importantly—our amazing students. I will carry those memories and relationships with me always.

This community has meant the world to me, and I am deeply grateful for the trust and partnership you’ve extended. I'm hopeful that we can build a trajectory in the Southeast part of Denver that will be strong and sustainable. 

Paula Hammel
Assistant Principal

Monday-

• Spirit Week: Anything but a Backpack

Tuesday-

• Spirit Week: Country vs. Country Club

Wednesday- 

• Spirit Week: Beach Day

• Movie Night: 6:30 p.m. - The Fifth Element (details below)

Thursday-

• Spirit Week: Sorority vs. Fraternity

Friday-

• Spirit Week: TJ Day

• Assembly Schedule - Spring Sports Pep Rally

Saturday-

• Saturday School: 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

• AP Music Theory: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

• Senior Prom - 8:00-11:00 p.m. Denver Athletic Club

• Congratulations to this year's Film Festival winners! Categories and student names below:

Spartan Edition
Game Life  -  Ethan Petersen

Public Service Announcement (P.S.A.)
Wear a Backpack - Emerson DeZeeuw Spencer and Zachary Alleman

Promo/Commercial
TJ Journalism  -  Max Feierstein and Jackson Schneider

Sports Hype
TJ Hoops for North -  Dylan Walsh

Cinematography (Basic Action)
Watching a Movie - Viola Ryan

Cinematography (Moving)
A Pencil’s Life  -  Ax Nagel

Scene Match
The Benchwarmers  -  Caleb Mulugeta and Jesus Flores-Sanchez

Thriller
Be Nice  -  Viola Ryan

TJ Together, the online auction to support Spartan Grants, is now open!  Get your bids in now.  The online auction closes on Thursday, May 1st, at 9 pm.  There are many great items to bid on - parties, get-a-ways, celebrity items, local business gift certificates, and amazing vacations. Register and bid now and often!

https://tjhspto.betterworld.org/auctions/thomas-jefferson-high-school-8th

TJ Senior AVID Presents: Outdoor Movie Night to Support Ukraine! 
Date: April 30th, 2025
Time: Doors open at 6:30 PM | Movie starts at 7:00 PM
Location: TJ Solar Theatre
Feature Film: The Fifth Element 🌌

Join us under the stars for a special outdoor movie night, hosted by the TJ Senior AVID class, in support of humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. We’ll be screening the cult classic The Fifth Element—bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and friends for a fun and meaningful evening!

The TJHS Senior Art Show will be held at Blue Tile Art Space (BTAS) in Englewood this year! Join us at the reception to celebrate our amazing Senior artists! Seniors will experience curating, hanging, exhibiting publicly, marketing and other skills as they produce their own exhibit. The artists’ reception is Thursday, May 15th from 5 to 7 pm. All are welcome. Bring your friends and family to see our ceramics, drawings, paintings, mixed media artworks and more! The exhibit is open to the public May 10th through the 16th. BTAS is located at 3944 South Broadway, Englewood 80113.

BTAS hours of operation:

Saturday, May 10th: Second Saturday Event from 12 - 8 pm

Sunday, May 11th: 12 to 4 pm

Wednesday (5/14) through Friday (5/16): 5 to 7 pm

Link to buy a yearbook:  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12v4BiS0N1HDYbhNkpQE4hULbMSMztjPmTTh4TCBBbAw/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.3e2qzigqdi5q

During the week, (Monday-Wednesday) teachers will provide passes to students and assign them to Saturday School for Math and/or English. Students - if your teacher gives you a pass, you have been assigned to Saturday School due to a low grade in Math and/or English. Parents - you will receive a text message on Thursday if your student has been assigned to Saturday School. Saturday School hours are 8 a.m.-12 p.m. The entrance is located on the north side of the building near the softball field. A small breakfast snack will be provided for students. 

The Final Food Bank distribution of the school year will take place Wednesday, May 14, 2025.  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, May 11, 2025 for us to have food available for you at the distribution. 

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.

Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to support the school in a whole variety of ways. Our final big fundraiser of the school year will be our online auction. The auction link will go live on April 27th and will be open through May 1st. All proceeds from the auction will be used to fund our Spartan Grants Program for our amazing TJ Teachers! 

TJ PTO is proud to announce that due to your generous donations over the past several months, we were able to provide over $6,600 in grants to TJ staff.  Every request was at least partially, if not fully, granted.  What does that mean for our TJ Students?

•  The TJ Hispanic/Latino Club now has funding for field trips, meetings, graduation stoles, etc.

•  TJ Social Workers have critical funding to help students and their families in need.

• The TJ Speech and Debate Club now can pay for tournaments, entry fees, and supplies.

•  The TJ AVID program will be able to partially fund field trips and events such as college visits.

• Ceramic students at TJ will have new supplies, materials such as underglaze, and won't have to share tools anymore.

• The TJ PLEX program will be able to take their students on field trips which help in their social skills and community experiences.

• The TJ students who participate in the Problem of the Week (which encourages a positive disposition school wide towards mathematics) will be able to continue to earn prizes and weekly celebrations.

• All the talented TJ students who advanced to the DECA International Career Development Conference will receive a small grant to help lessen the financial cost of the event.

The TJ PTO will be holding a Silent Auction in a few weeks to help fund the TJ Spartan Grant program for next year.  Please participate in this amazing online event so that our students will continue to receive all these "extras" that make TJ so special.   

Spartan Seniors and Families,

Congrats on all of your hard work this year as you plan for life after high school. You’ve earned OVER $10 million in scholarship awards along with many other exciting accomplishments. Well done! 

REQUIRED to Check Out for Graduation!

1) Complete this form to report Financial Aid Task Completion. Due April 30th! 

2) Complete this survey so we know where to send your Final High School Transcript.

3) Only if you are eligible, take some time to apply for the DSF Scholarship! Due May 1st.

Spartan Juniors and Families: 

Be sure to check out your Future Centre College Planning course in schoology. Now is a great time to familiarize yourself with the resources we’ll use throughout Senior year and to get started on creating your Colleges Considering list in MAIA Learning! Please take a few minutes to complete THIS SURVEY. We look forward to working with you on your college planning! 

Upcoming Deadlines and Events:

Wednesday, April 30th:  Complete this form to report Financial Aid Task Completion and Scholarship Awards for the Graduation Program. DUE today! 

Thursday, May 1st: DSF Scholarship Application DUE today!

Friday, May 2nd: TJ Commit Day- we’ll celebrate your plans for life after high school! 

Emily Webster, M.S. Alyssa Baker, M.Ed.
DSF Lead College Advisor DSF College Advisor
emily_webster@dpsk12.net alyssa_baker@dpsk12.net

It can be really easy to embed kindness into your everyday life.
Here is a simple cheat sheet for you! 

Mental Health and Social Emotional “Did You Know”: Compiled by Samanda Davis, LCSW, MSW and Natalie Koncz, Ed.S., NCSP. Resources:https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

Class of 2025 Parents & Guardians,

Prom will take place on Saturday, May 3, 2025. There will be a fun After Prom party at the Island, 2233 S. Geneva St, Aurora, CO 80247, 11:15pm-2:30am free to all seniors. There will be all kinds of games, entertainment, food, and fun.Tons of prizes, including an iPad, TV’s and headphones. Please urge your kids to attend!!

We will need lots of help the night of After Prom on May 3rd. Please see the Sign up Genius below for volunteer shifts and items to loan us for the night.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084CA8AE29A3FB6-55782413-class

CLASS OF 2026 PARENTS-WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please see the two sign ups below and sign up to help support our teachers and give our kids a fun, end of the year party:

Let's celebrate our "Nacho" ordinary teachers and staff at TJ with a Nacho Bar and all of the fixin's! The Class of 2026 is kicking off Teacher Appreciation week on Monday, May 5th and we'd love your help.  Please check out the SignUp Genius for what we need to make this a big success for our amazing teachers and staff:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849A4A823A1FF2-56210352-nacho#/

May 13th - Juniors and Junk Food

We are going to celebrate the end of a successful school year with our juniors by hosting "Juniors and Junk Food". This event is open to everyone in the Class of 2026.  

Please view the sign up for all of our junk food and parent volunteer needs:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CADA72FA31-56326754-juniors

Thank you,

Carrie, Sheila and Tracy

Help us celebrate our amazing educators and staff! 🥳🍿 The Class of 2027 is serving up a trail mix bar to fuel our fantastic teachers and keep them energized! Please check out the sign up genius for details and donations. We need your support to make this a success!!!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084CA8AE29A3FB6-56229975-class

Please check out the sign up genius for details and ways you can help with our S’mores event! 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084CA8AE29A3FB6-56284267-sophomores

Please also consider making a donation to the Class of 2027’s Class Fund. Donations will support the After Prom (held Senior Year) and other class activities. This can be done through the online square account listed below

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

Want to get involved and help with ideas and planning for the Class of 2027? Please contact Class of 2027 parent co-chairs Tiffany Berry at broncofantif@hotmail.com or Katie Mousel at katielmousel@gmail.com 

The Bottom of the 9th event will be May 2, between the end of school and the 4:15 home baseball game. The kids tailgate to celebrate the end of the 9th grade and then watch the game.  The link to help with supplies is https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084CA8AE29A3FB6-56279978-bottom.  Please let us also know if you can help set up, cook and tear down. Thanks to those who have already signed up.

The class of 2028 will provide food on May 6 for Teacher Appreciation Week.  Here’s the Sign Up genius -  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084CA8AE29A3FB6-56481715-freshman.