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 kate_farmer@dpsk12.org.

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 reenrolled 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 2011-12 DCISM school year begins Aug. 10, 2011 and ends May 25, 2012. A calendar outlining days the school will be closed for holidays and administrative reasons is available here, and hardcopies are provided in DCISM's main office. The school will open every weekday at 7:30 a.m. Students will be asked to study quietly until their 8 a.m. breakfast and/or check-in with their assigned advisor. At 4 p.m., students will begin their sports or other extended-day learning activities. The day will end at 5:30 p.m. (Please note that Thursday's schedule varies slightly: students will begin their after-school activities at 2:30 p.m., and the school day will end at 4 p.m.) 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 at the northeast corner of the building that faces 51st Street. 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 in the center of the DCISM wing at Montbello High School, 5000 Crown Blvd. Office hours are 7:45 a.m.- 4:15 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 720-775-7900 or info@dcismontbello.org. DCISM teachers and administrators will 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. During the 2011-12 school year, the first conferences will be held October 28 - Nov. 12. Dates for conferences to be held during the second semester are to be determined. 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.