We are almost there! Please support your student in finishing strong this school year. That includes attending every class every day, eating breakfast or getting to school early enough to eat in the cafeteria, and turning in all assignments. We can do it!

We have AP testing again this week. Make sure you are getting here early for the 7:30 a.m. tests. Please click here for the full testing schedule. 

This Friday, May 16th, students will have shortened classes followed by the Talent Show and then Backyard Bash! Click here for the schedule. Quick reminder for seniors: Friday, May 16 is also Senior Checkout. This means you will attend all classes.

Have a great week!

Azadeh Fathi
Principal Resident

Monday-

• Regular School Day

Tuesday-

• Class of 2027 Fundraiser - Chook Chicken (details below)

Wednesday- 

• Final Food Bank distribution of the school year: 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Thursday-

• Sophomores and S'mores: 3:20-4:20 p.m.

• Instrumental Music Concert: 7:00 p.m.

Friday-

• Click here for the adjusted schedule

• Talent Show

• Backyard Bash

Saturday-

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

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

• Spartan Seniors and Families,

  Well done, Spartans! It’s been a joy to get to know you this year and cheer you on through your planning for life after high school. We’re so excited for you and your bright futures! 

  See below for your Future Center required tasks to check out on Friday.

• From the district: Pete Fey with Library Services put together this poetry book of poems and illustrations by students from McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School, including photography by Lea Rabon's class at TJ!

Click here to see the news segment highlighting this special project!

• Check out this cool highlight for TJ from the Teacher Weekly! Congrats to Lynne Valencia-Hernandez!

• Congrats to Angie Jacobsen for this special shout out in the DPS Weekly from Ila Tobey-Davis! We appreciate all you do for our students (and Ila, thanks for your special tribute to Ms. Jacobsen!)

DPS Senior Spotlight

This week’s Senior Spotlight shines on Adelaide, a senior from Thomas Jefferson High School, who made the most of every opportunity that came her way. From playing volleyball to serving in the sustainability club, she balanced academics with impact and left her mark on DPS in a big way. 

As part of a district graphic design contest, Adelaide designed the new look for DPS Food Truck, Front Range Flavor. She will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she will be studying computer science, marketing and graphic design. Adelaide encourages younger students to embrace new opportunities as a way to discover their passions and shape their future.  

Congratulations, Adelaide! Watch her full story here.

Please note: all students are expected to attend all of their finals!

Please remember to lock up your valuables if you have a PE class! Students were issued locks at the beginning of the year. If you still need a lock, please ask your PE teacher for one! Valuables such as cash, Airpods, wallets, jewelry, or other expensive items, should be locked up, always! Staff is not responsible for missing items. Cell phones will be collected by the teacher and stored safely at the beginning of every class period. 

MLE DAC Celebration at the Children’s Museum, Wednesday, May 14

You are invited to the Multilingual Education District Advisory Committee (MLE DAC) end-of-year celebration and community resource fair at the Children’s Museum of Denver on Wednesday, May 14, from 5-7 p.m. DPS families will enjoy free access to the museum and grounds! Dinner and interpretation will be provided. Share the event flyers with your multilingual families. Attendees are encouraged to pre-register for the event. Staff are also highly encouraged to attend. For more information, visit the MLE website or contact Olga Olivas at 720-423-3058.

The Spring Art Show is coming soon! 

May 20th through May 22nd: 
Come see the incredible artwork by our art & ceramic students at TJHS in Room 111.   

Tuesday & Wednesday: 4th period lunch
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday: 5th period lunch 
Tuesday & Thursday afternoons from 4 to 6 p.m. 

NEW ONLINE STORE OPEN! Support your Spartans with your favorite gear and brand names using customizable designs. 20% off the first month with all items delivered straight to you. 

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/colorado/denver/thomas-jefferson-high-school

Stop by the DECA store after school Mon-Thurs for in-house gear. Feel free to email us with any questions.

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

Yearbook Distribution starts on Friday, May 16th at the Backyard Bash!  

SENIORS ONLY can pick up or purchase their yearbook at a table outside at the Backyard Bash.  Card is a preferred method of payment.

-All students still can purchase their yearbook for $78 with their MySchoolBucks account while supplies last.  Up until Friday, May 16th students can go to the treasurer's office to pay for their yearbook.

-Students in all other grades can pick up or pay for their yearbook during lunch only in the photo lab, room 110 for the week of May 19 - 23.

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 on WEDNESDAY, May 14 from 3:30-5:00 at TJ!

Thank you to the school community for your support this year. Distributions will resume again in September!

Please 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 attended our final PTO meeting of the 24-25 school year. We are excited to welcome Julie Schlater as our incoming VP for next year! Our minutes from the meeting will be posted to the website by the end of the month. 

We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who got involved in helping the PTO and TJ this year - whether that was attending a meeting, donating food for teacher appreciation, donating money, or helping at an event, we could not have had a successful year without you! Thank you TJ families! We look forward to working with you all again next year! 

Spartan Seniors and Families,

Well done, Spartans! It’s been a joy to get to know you this year and cheer you on through your planning for life after high school. We’re so excited for you and your bright futures! 

See below for your Future Center required tasks to check out on Friday.

REQUIRED to Check Out for Graduation!

1) Complete this form to report Financial Aid Task Completion including Scholarship Wins.

2) Complete this survey so we know where to send your Final High School Transcript. Please note that Final HS Transcripts will not be available until the end of June at the earliest. It then may take several weeks for their receipt to show up in your college portal. 

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! 

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

Did You Know…?

AP and Final Exams are here! Some people stress a lot, a little or not at all.  Here are some simple things any test-taker can do to help with preparation for the big day.

1) Get good sleep: Cramming the night before is not the best use of your time. Adolescents need the most amount of sleep per night, and the night before a big test is no difference. Aim for 8-9 hours- plan ahead to go to bed earlier and make sure your alarm is set in the morning to give you plenty of time for breakfast and to get ready.

2) Do something relaxing before bed: Put away your phone and all electronics at least an hour before bed (eye-roll, we know). Take a shower or bath, listen to music, draw, read, color, journal, talk with family, etc.   

3) Eat the right food: Dinner the night before and breakfast the morning of- keep it as healthy as possible, and limit sugar and caffeine intake. High-protein foods like scrambled eggs are often best for aiding concentration and minimizing fatigue. 

4) Wear comfortable clothing:  This would be a good day to wear sweatpants or workout gear that is loose and breathable.  

5) Visit the Bathroom 15-30 minutes before: Limit water intake starting an hour before the test.

6) Answer the questions you know:  If you come across something that you can’t answer, star it, and move on! Come back to the “starred” after completing all the items you know. 

7) Read the question IN FULL  before trying to answer it. At least some of the answer choices will be designed to trap students who don’t read the question fully. Also identify the answer first before looking at the answer choices, since some of the choices will be designed to prime you into misinterpreting the question. Don’t jump to conclusions.

8) Take a deep breath: If you become anxious or overwhelmed, take a deep breath, try closing your eyes for a few seconds (but don’t put your head down on the table!). Get back to it! Just do your best.

Mental Health and Social Emotional Tip: Compiled by Natalie Koncz, Ed.S., NCSP and Samanda Davis, LCSW, MSW.

This is it Class of 2025!!! 2 more weeks!! Congratulations to all the students and the people in their lives who love and support them!! We truly appreciate all the families that have volunteered or donated to so many of our events over the last 4 years! We absolutely couldn’t have done this without you! We wish you all the best in the future!

Click here for graduation FAQ’s

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

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

Senior Sleep Out-Sunday, August 17th
Please save the date for Senior Sleep Out on the baseball fields at TJ.  We need your support to make this overnight event a safe and fun experience for our Seniors.

Please see the SignUp Genius for opportunities to help-

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CADA72FA31-56761796-senior#/

Thank you,

Carrie, Sheila and Tracy

Thank you to everyone who donated to the trail mix bar for our amazing teachers and staff!!! We truly appreciate your ongoing support!!

Check out the sign up genius for details and ways you can help with our end of the school year S’mores event!!! We need your support to make this event a success for our students! Everyone in the Class of 2027 is welcome!!! 

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

SAVE THE DATE:
Join us at Chook Chicken for our last restaurant day/night on Tuesday, May 13 at 2 locations- 1300 S. Pearl St. and 4340 E. 8th Ave. Mention TJHS or use the code: SCHOOLS20 online at ChookChicken.com

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 Class of 2028 sandwich fixings for Teacher Appreciation Week class was very well received. A special shoutout to all the parents who provided food and to all the freshmen who helped me carry the food to the office!

It’s time to give $28 to the Class of ‘28

As the school year wraps up, consider giving $28 to the Class of ‘28 to help cultivate community for our students! If each family gives $28, we get close to our fundraising goals. You can give the $28 for the class of 2028 through the PTO’s Online Square Account:

https://tjhsstore.square.site/product/2028-class-donations/151