When you have questions, DCIS at Montbello’s diligent staff and faculty will work hard to get you the answers. Please review this page periodically to ensure you have the most up-to-date information. If you have questions that aren’t addressed, here, please contact Kate Farmer, our director of communications, at [email protected].

Please explain how DCIS at Montbello is structured.

Answer: Denver Center for International Studies at Montbello (DCISM) is a Denver Public School that serves students in grades 6-12 who live in the Montbello and Green Valley Ranch neighborhoods on the city's far northeast side. Once a student has enrolled at DCISM, he or she is automatically re-enrolled through graduation. DCIS at Montbello is modeled after the Denver Center for International Studies' highly successful downtown Denver campus. The DCIS tradition is strong: since 2006, 100 percent of that school's graduates have been accepted to at least two colleges and/or universities. DCISM has the same high expectations for its students will provide personalized support to ensure they are prepared for life after high school.

Please tell me more about our school calendar, the schedule of each school day – and how to find information about upcoming events.

Answer:

The current school year calendar is available here. If you are interested in learning more about upcoming school events, please check our online calendar at http://www.dcismontbello.org/events_calendar. The school will open every weekday at 7 a.m. and end at 3:30pm. Parents and/or guardians who wish to pick up a student before the start of after-school activities must coordinate the student's departure with DCISM's administrative office. 

What do I need to know about dropping off and picking up my student from school?

Answer:

 DCISM students may enter and exit the school ONLY through DCISM's entrance, which is on the west side of the building, just down the hill from the Main Parking Lot (with the marquee). Each morning, our school's security personnel and administrators will greet students at the front door to make sure they are in uniform and ready to learn. Parents and approved guardians may pick up students during school hours ONLY after parents and guardians have checked in at DCISM's administrative office and signed a school-release form. Parents and/or guardians must provide DCISM with the names of people who are approved to pick up their student from school. Parents and/or guardians will be asked to supply those names to the school during student registration before the start of the school year.

Where is the school's administrative office, and what are its hours? What is the nature of the assistance parents and students can expect to find there?

Answer:

The DCISM administrative office is through the double doors on the right, after entering the DCISM entrance - Montbello campus, 5000 Crown Blvd. Office hours are 7 a.m.- 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office is the first stop required of all visitors to the DCISM campus. The office's staff is ready to meet the needs of our students, their parents and community members.

How can parents/guardians reach their child's teacher? How should they reach school administrators and staff?

In the case of emergency, DCIS at Montbello immediately will contact a student's parent and/or guardian. Parents who wish to contact their student's teacher or a school administrator first must contact the DCISM administrative office at 720-423-5900. DCISM teachers and administrators will strive to return messages within 24 hours of receiving them.

Why is it important for parents/guardians to attend parent-teacher meetings? What about school events? What are the school's expectations regarding attendance of these meetings and events?

Answer: DCISM will hold student-led conferences with their teachers and parents twice a year because our school believes that it is critical for students to own their learning and be able to communicate their successes and challenges to the adults in their lives. DCISM asks that parents and guardians make these meetings a priority so that they are informed and directly involved in their student's progress toward high school graduation.

Is travel away from home required of every student?

Answer: Travel is highly encouraged, but it is not required. DCISM administrators and staff are working diligently to raise money and create partnerships that will help ensure that all students have an opportunity to experience a culture different from their own through travel across the United States and around the world. These opportunities to travel are entirely optional, and DCISM understands and respects how important it is for our families to feel comfortable with their student's participation in them.