December 1, 2011 by Spamp ·
Dear Parents and Students,
As we near the end of one semester, I wanted to share some of the growth we have been making as a school:
• Attendance has held at 90% overall until last week when it was 88%. Last year at this time attendance was 87.25%
• We have post-secondary readiness groups up and running for 9th and 10th grade students. These groups focus on improving standards-based skills.
• Kapplan data for 11th grade is back and we will be starting ACT prep groups. The overall scores were: English – 19; Math – 17; Reading – 15; Science – 17.
• Out of school suspensions are at 40 compared to 60 last year, at this time.
• Our overall tardy rate for students is 2% compared to 3.1% last year.
We still have much work to do, but progress continues. Thank you for your continued dedication and support of our goals. Together we can make TJ the highest performing school.
October 2011
October 4, 2011 by Spamp ·
Dear TJ Families,
Autumn is in the air, and Homecoming is just around the corner. This is a time when alumni come back to honor traditions and current students show their Spartan Pride. This year we will be having some additional activities to honor our Spartan traditions. The field will be officially named in honor of former TJ Coach and Teacher Herman Motz. This gentleman embodies the characteristics that we all aspire to: integrity, dedication, loyalty, and compassion. We will be inducting alumni into our first hall of fame at this same time. What an amazing way to honor our community members.
I encourage everyone to come out and participate in our Homecoming events. Spending time together as a community is a wonderful way for us to learn more about each other and support our students in out-of-school activities. There is something for everyone; the field naming, the tailgate party, or the game. Everyone is always welcome to stop by the dance, as well.
I want to congratulate and thank our teachers, staff, and community for their continued commitment to our students. Thomas Jefferson HS was rated Green on the DPS School Performance Framework. We still have much to do, but we do need to stop a minute and reflect on all of the positive work that is going on. I look forward to all of the academic work and conversations we have, but let’s not forget to enjoy each other as a community. I hope to see everyone at one or another of the Homecoming events.
Sincerely,
Sandra Just, Principal
Thomas Jefferson High School
September 5, 2011 by Spamp ·
 Upcoming TJ Partners events…February 6, 7:00-8:00 – Partnership for SE Denver Schools & School Board Member Anne RoweJoin Anne Rowe and parents from other Southeast Denver schools to network and foster connections & communications among our Southeast school communities. Room 108 February 9, 5:30-7:00 – Education Panel February 15 – Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon April 13 – Mr. TJ Pageant May 8 – TJ Partners Meeting May 9: Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon May 23: Teacher of the Year Awards Luncheon CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION |
August 2011
August 18, 2011 by Spamp ·
Dear TJ Families and Community,
Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year. The summer has brought many new changes to the school’s structure. The auditorium has a new sound system and electronic stage curtain, we have a new gym floor and bleachers, new heating vents have gone into all classrooms, the parking lot was repaved, and the front steps have been redone. Thanks to all voters who supported the bond allowing for this work to get done. It makes a world of difference.
Our teaching staff has agreed to pilot the new evaluation system. It is called Leading Effective Academic Progress (LEAP). Staff have spent the six days prior to school in professional development learning about the system and discussing best practices for academic achievement of students. This work will continue on throughout the school year. I applaud the staff for their work on this effort.
Our school expectations are that all students will take at least one Advanced Placement or Concurrent Enrollment course prior to graduation. Students will also complete 10 hours of community service per year for a total of forty hours prior to graduating.
May 2011
May 13, 2011 by Spamp ·
Dear TJ Families,
Thank you for a wonderful school year. I hope you all have a restful summer. Classes will resume on August 18th for ninth graders and grades 10-12 will return on August 19th. While students are enjoying their summer, many activities will be going on at TJ:
• A new gym floor and bleacher construction is underway
• There will be new paving placed in the parking lot
• The auditorium will have installation of a new stage curtain and sound system.
• All heating units in classrooms will be replaced.
• Teacher leaders will receive training in LEAP- the new teacher appraisal system
I look forward to seeing everyone in the fall for the 2011-2012 school year.
Have a great and safe summer, Spartans.
-Sandra Just, Principal
April 2011
April 13, 2011 by Spamp ·
Dear Spartan Community,
We are nearing the end of the school year and there is much anticipation as we count down the last days for seniors. The 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students are prepared to move on to the next grade level as we celebrate the accomplishments of the year, but also begin planning for next year.
As we move toward the finish line, it is important that we keep focused on maintaining strong attendance and staying on top of our academic work. We talk with students frequently about being on track to graduate. This means that students are passing the courses that they are in. When a students fail even one course they put graduating in four years at risk. We do have a credit recovery system that has been very helpful in supporting students to recuperate lost credit, but we also want to ensure that students are learning the necessary study skills to be successful in future classes at high school and college.
I encourage you to take some time to really look at your student’s transcript to understand if he/she is staying on track to graduate. If you have questions, please make some time to talk with your child’s counselor. They are always glad to help create a plan to stay on track or to offer alternative options so that a student can find success.
-Sandra Just,
Principal
February 25, 2011 by Spamp ·
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| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |||
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
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| 5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 * 8th grade Articulation Program8th grade Articulation Program 6pm |
10 |
11 * EROS DanceEROS Dance 8 to 11pm |
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| 12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 * Parent/Teacher ConferencesParent/Teacher Conferences 3:30 to 7pm |
17 * End of 4th week grading periodEnd of 4th week grading period |
18 |
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| 19 |
20 * No SchoolNo School President's Day |
21 * No SchoolNo School Teacher planning |
22 * Ash WednesdayAsh Wednesday |
23 * Parent/Teacher ConferencesParent/Teacher Conferences 3:30 to 7pm |
24 |
25 |
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| 26 |
27 |
28 * FAFSA workshopFAFSA workshop 6-8pm * FAFSA workshopFAFSA workshop 6 to 8pm |
29 |
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January 2011
January 17, 2011 by Spamp ·
Dear Community,
Students being in class and on time is a huge factor to their success. Since the start of school students have accumulated 14.847 tardies. While there are valid issues that cause students to be late occasionally, the statistics would indicate there is a larger issue.
A group of teachers and administrators will be looking at the tardy information and tardy policies to decide on revisions that we may need to make, to dramatically decrease the number of tardies schoolwide.
As a community member, we need your assistance on this matter! Please ensure that you are doing all you can to encourage students to be on time to all classes. We all want to see our student succeeed academically and continue their educations at dynamic post secondary venues.
Sandra Just,
TJ Principal
December 2010
December 6, 2010 by Spamp ·
Dear TJ Community:
It is hard to believe that we have almost finished the first semester of the school year. We have much to celebrate.
• Overall student attendance is 89%
• We now offer seven dual enrollment courses
• We continue to see a decline in behavior incidents
• We are offering more club opportunities to engage students in school
• More students are accessing EXCEL time due to the time change
• At present, we have 240 seniors who are on track to graduate in May 2011
• Student enrollment is up from last year
• Staff participates in instructional rounds to discuss best practices
• AP tutorial and practice tests occur on Saturdays
• Increased participation at parent/teacher conferences
• Increased interest from incoming 8th graders
While we have much work still ahead, so we should all take a moment to celebrate our efforts, rejuvenate, and prepare for the semester ahead.
Happy Holidays!
Sandra Just,
TJ Principal
November 2010
November 17, 2010 by Spamp ·
TJ goes green! The district has released the latest school performance frameworks (SPF). Thomas Jefferson High School moved from ‘yellow’ to ‘green’ classification, due to student growth on CSAP. This is exciting news for us to celebrate.
The SPF is a mechanism the district uses to accredit schools, as required by the Colorado Department of Education. It is a comprehensive body of evidence about school performance. Green means that a school is meeting expectations. [Read more about it here!]
We celebrate our work from last year and continue to work at building academic rigor and post secondary readiness.
Thanks to everyone for their efforts last year. We built strong connections and systems to use as our foundation.
Go Spartans!
Sandra Just
Principal
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