By Greg Kottcamp, Assistant Principal When many of us were growing-up conferences were called Parent-Teacher Conferences. We would be waiting at home, hoping the news from our teachers was mostly good. Our parents would come home and either tell us the good news or tell us what we needed to do to improve. Sometimes we would understand the teacher feedback, and sometimes we would make an excuse to explain away the bad news. We now call it Parent-Teacher-Student conferences because we want to encourage the idea of conferences being a partnership between all three groups. It is easier to diagnose a problem and develop workable solutions if everyone has a voice in the process. Conferences are an important opportunity for students and their families to connect individually with teachers. We do encourage students to attend conferences to engage in conversations with teachers. D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences will be held in the gym on Thursday, February 20 from 3:00 – 6:00 pm. The D’Evelyn Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences are held in an arena format. This means that there are no appointments or set schedules for meetings; rather, parents and students will have an opportunity to meet with teachers on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the evening. Please bring your student’s schedule to conferences, as we will not be providing/printing schedules. You can access your child's schedule on Infinite Campus by selecting your student and then selecting "schedule". Additionally, your student’s progress report for the first six weeks of the semester will be available in Infinite Campus by Wednesday, February 19th. The purpose of the Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences is to allow parents and students the opportunity to connect individually with their teachers. There are a variety of opportunities for conversation points presented by the conferences, including but not limited to:
We hope that you and your student(s) will capitalize on this valuable opportunity to meet with teachers. In order to allow all families an opportunity to meet with teachers, we ask that conferences are kept to a maximum of five minutes per teacher. In the event that you need more than five minutes of meeting time with the teacher, please set up an appointment for a future date and time. During conferences, counselors and administrators will also be available to meet with parents and students. Parents and families play a vital role in the success of D’Evelyn students. We appreciate and rely upon your support in order to maintain high academic and behavioral expectations for our students. Thank you for your continued support of your child(ren) in their educational experience at D’Evelyn. We did it Jags!! Not only did we meet our $12,000 goal to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation during our Wish Week, we surpassed it raising $15,750! Wish Week was topped off by a special appearance of our Wish Kid, Jalen, at our pep rally. Jalen’s wish is to become an astronaut. Thanks to the D’Evelyn Student Council and entire student body, Jalen had a wonderful experience being the highlight of the event and receiving a special shout out from D’Evelyn graduate and NASA Astronaut, Matthew Dominick. Unfortunately, Astronaut Dominick was not able to attend in person but he still wanted to be sure to have a chance to speak to the D’Evelyn community, so he sent us a video address: click HERE to view. Additionally, Jeffco Public Schools did a special feature on Jalen’s visit to D’Evelyn which you can view HERE. This is all thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the D’Evelyn and Dennison communities, and the devotion of both schools’ Student Councils to make Wish Week a tremendous success. Whether it was by online donations, attending one of our restaurant nights, giving during one of our Miracle Minutes at various sporting events, buying Wish Week tee shirts, giving sponsorships, or adding landmark incentives like our staff who dyed and cut their hair when certain amounts of money were raised, we are so grateful for the participation demonstrated by our community members. We are proud to support organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and it is wonderful to see our students rally in a united front for a great cause. We owe a special thanks to the following individuals/groups/organizations who helped us with this incredible achievement: D’Evelyn Student Council, Dennison Student Council, Collete Luce, Astronaut Matthew Dominick & NASA, the Kumar family, the Carder family, Todd and Laura McCollough, the Vanek family, Chik-Fil-A, Boba Zone, Chipotle, Tuk Tuk Thai, Noodles & Company, Trader Joe’s, Denver Eye Surgeons, Best Western, Otterbox, Home Depot, Whole Foods, Oracle, Sports Clips, Firehouse Subs, Supertees, Bank of Denver, Wands and Wishes, Make-A-Wish Colorado, and all the D’Evelyn staff who generously altered their hair. Thank you again to all our community members for such a great Wish Week and GO JAGS! By Valerie Battaglia, Physical Education, Volleyball, Student Council Adviser Over the years there have been many studies performed and a countless number of articles written describing the importance of a having an active lifestyle and physical education being an essential part of healthy living for people of all age groups, especially school age children. This is because school and life are full of stress and anxiety at every stage. Behavior and education states that researchers have proved time and again the importance of physical activities for students. That is why D’Evelyn’s Founding Document requires students to take part in physical education. Scientifically these activities have been proven to be as important as doing schoolwork. Physical education teaches students to improve the quality of their life both physically and mentally. Focusing only on schoolwork can make their life boring and stagnant, which in turn can cause depression and failure. Physical activities and exercises boost stamina, which can make students strive for intelligence and knowledge in many, if not all subject areas. Physical Education enhances an individual’s ability to concentrate and maintain focus throughout the day. Several studies show that performing physical activities help in enlarging the basal ganglia of the brain. The Basal Ganglia is a part of the brain which is responsible to maintain an individual’s capability to focus. In this current era students have several diversions in the form of technologies (Television, tablets, PCs, Mobile phones), therefore, it is difficult for them to maintain focus. By participating in physical education, we can help them improve their concentration. Physical Education is also important for healthy growth and development. In today’s world, many school children eat unhealthy foods. These may include the fries, soft drinks, pizzas and burgers. Consuming these on a regular basis can lead to childhood obesity. Physical education at school helps in preventing obesity and high blood pressure. Physical exercise and activities will help them burn off their extra calories. If these calories are not burned off, they will be stored as fat. By doing physical exercises individuals use their extra calories to gain energy. The physical activities that are a part of the D’Evelyn P.E. curriculum play an important role in the healthy growth and development of bones and cartilages. Bone strengthening exercises such as jumping rope are particularly important for school children as such activities that produce a force onto the bone that helps enhance its strength and growth. While muscle strengthening exercises make muscles larger and stronger, they also help children carry more weight and aid in protecting joints against injuries. Being physically active makes the students energetic and strong which studies have shown, motivates them to take interest in classroom activities. A physically active student will also have a healthy heart. Any exercise which provides oxygen to the muscles is called an aerobic exercise. These exercises are essential for a healthy heart. Research shows that kids who perform aerobic exercises, two to three times a week for at least twenty minutes, have a healthier heart as compared to those who don’t take part in physical education. D’Evelyn Physical Education incorporates aerobic activities daily into every class. Physical Education Classes help prevent sleep deprivation. A complete night’s sleep is an essential component of a happy and healthy life. That is very hard to come by for not only D’Evelyn students, but for many people across America. Those students who take part in physical activities and exercise regularly have a tired and exhausted body which craves a good night’s sleep. D’Evelyn P.E. curriculum has our students active for at least 40 minutes each school day. Stress and anxiety are a part of many Jr. and Sr. high students. School life is hectic for every individual, especially students engaged in a rigorous curriculum. Taking part in physical education allows students to relieve their academic stress and anxiety. Stress might be due to a fight with a friend or a low-grade despite of hard work. Stressed students are not able to concentrate and focus on their academic performance if they are not allowed time to de-stress. Physical activities give D’Evelyn students an environment to breathe out their stress. By exercising and breathing deeply, we provide extra air to our lungs which in turn provides more oxygen to the brain, this makes the brain feel relaxed and stress free. A physically active individual is more likely to be happy and healthy, which makes them a better student in the classroom. Scientific research reveals the fact that physical education in school helps in improving the connections between neurons of the brain. Healthy and well-connected neurons help improve the over-all thinking ability of students. Thus, making them better students in classroom. D’Evelyn has made physical education an essential component of school curriculum and students are promoted to maintain a healthy balance between their education and exercise. This is due to the fact that those students who take part in physical activities have proved to be happier and healthier than those students who spend all their time doing schoolwork. Such activities help develop the blood circulation in an individual’s body. This helps in providing more oxygen to the heart and brain and allows the body to maintain a balance between physical and mental health. Look at the brain functioning after just 20 minutes of walking (above). Getting kids to move helps strengthen and stimulate their brains. This is why so many recent research studies are showing increased fitness = improved academics. Note: The blue color represents inactivity in the brain (Source: University of Urbana) The chart below shows how active kids are better students. John Ratey, an Associate Professor Psychiatry at Harvard University has stated, "Exercise is like Miracle-Gro for the brain." So, when anyone says we can't afford to have PE in our schools because it takes up too much time, please let them know of all the research which conclusively shows how exercise builds brain cells and improves academics. And, just by elevating your heart rate you can lift your mood, beat stress, sharpen your intellect, and function better.
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