News 

Welcome New and Returning Families!

Danica Gittleman 41 Views

Welcome to Denman, returning and incoming families!

We are about to begin a school year unlike any other, and understandably, there are still many uncertainties about what lies ahead. Let me assure you that our Denman community consists of dedicated teachers, staff, and administrators who will work together—albeit remotely, at least initially—to help make this year productive and engaging for our students. Denman administrators have been working all summer in preparation for this unprecedented situation.

We intend on building a strong virtual community, and one of the best ways to stay connected and informed is by becoming a PTSA member. Our first PTSA general meeting will be held virtually on September 8th at 5:00 pm. We will send out Zoom registration links closer to that time. Please join us! PTSA board parents will be available to answer any questions you might have as a new family to Denman. 

We are excited to share with you the new PTSA membership system (Totem) that we implemented last year. To join, please use the following link. 

https://jointotem.com/ca/san-francisco/james-denman-ptsa/join

Other ways you can stay connected are by liking our Facebook page and joining our email group by emailing here: DenmanCommunity+subscribe@groups.io 

The Denman PTSA aims to positively impact the lives of all children and families in our community. Our current PTSA was founded in November of 2012 and has continued to grow each year. In the last couple of years, our fundraising goal has been $40,000 a year, which has been used, in part, to support the following:

  • Funding our “Teacher Grants” program
  • Purchasing technology for our students
  • Volunteering at the school and photocopy station 
  • Building classroom libraries in ELA and science
  • Supporting new teachers 
  • Funding professional development for teachers

In addition to our fundraising goals, our emphasis for 2020-21 is to grow our membership, to support the staff and teachers of Denman as they encourage our students to explore STEAM and literacy, and to continue growing this vibrant, diverse community. For more on how the PTSA supports the Denman community, take a look around our website at www.denmanptsa.com. It’s never too early or too late to make a donation, use the donate button to the right on this page to give now. 

We might not know what the future holds, but we want to be ready to support in any way we can. We can make it through this together.

Warmly,

Danica Gittelman & the 2020 Denman PTSA Board

Denman PTSA President

president@denmanptsa.com

annual fund Fundraising 

Denman Pride Fund

admin 419 Views

Dear Denman Families,

The time is NOW! For what you ask? The Denman Pride Fund starts right now! 

It is the PTSA’s goal to build on Denman’s many strengths, supporting the teachers and staff who make our school a shining star among the middle schools in San Francisco. Middle school is just three short years and your donation makes a positive effect right now for your children and the community that surrounds them.

The PTSA’s support touches every aspect of school life with notably strong support in academic programming through our Teacher Grants Fund. STEAM and English Language Arts support remain a  focus for the PTSA. Included is a list of the ways your donations have directly supported our school, and we will continue to highlight the different areas in which your contributions are put to work. 

It is our goal this year is to raise $40,000. This amount is significant, and it’s also achievable.  Together we can do this. 

Consider making a personally meaningful donation to the Denman PTSA so that we can make our teacher’s and school staff’s ideas come to fruition. Unlike elementary school, there will be no auction, fun run, or other subsequent ask. We ask that you give what you can, and give now so that your children and their peers can benefit from your generosity during this 2019-20 school  year, and beyond. 

Donate online by clicking on our PayPal DONATE  link on the right or below , or write a check to Denman PTSA. You can mail your donation to ATN: DenmanPTSA 241 Oneida Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112. Your contribution is 100% tax-deductible and may be matched by your employer. 

Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.Denman Middle School and the PTSA appreciates your support. 

Danica Gittelman     

Denman PTSA President

president@denmanptsa.com

fundraising@denmanptsa.com

YOUR DENMAN PRIDE DONATIONS AT WORK 

With creative ideas and enthusiasm, teachers and staff are supporting our students via numerous Denman PTSA Teacher Grants. Here is a summary of what we funded in the 2018/19 school year. 

  • Literacy/ Classroom Books

Expanding classroom book options so students can pick the right book right where they are. Teachers hand-pick a broad scope of reading materials including themes around social justice, gender spectrum, empathy for differences, multi-cultural and relatable lead characters, and other thought-provoking and appealing reads for all reading levels. Executive function classroom tools and supports. Sensory supplies. 

  • Library

Comic Book Subscriptions to offer a wider variety of enjoyable reading options

  • STEAM

STEAM Night raffle prizes; expansive Science Literacy Libraries in each science classroom; materials for STEAM-based projects including Arduino controllers and Miniature Golf at STEAM Night, Makerbot Extruders, and various supplies. 

  • Clubs

Lunchtime Soccer Club; Black Student Union outing; Fencing equipment

  • Appreciation

Teacher & Staff Breakfast Lunch (this year) and Counselor Appreciation Week Coffee/Bagels

  • Student Events/Activities

Wilderness First Aid Training (two teachers) to support the Outdoor Club and 7th grade camping trip; Athletics Awards Ceremony. Rock blockers for P.E. 

  • Clean-Up Days

Supplies for volunteer corps to enhance the yard and classrooms – fall and spring

  • Teachers and Staff

Professional Development including lunches for monthly meetings/ trainings for new teachers; new teacher welcome $; Reading & Writing Project at Teachers College/Columbia University

  • Supplies

Simple items that support students’ work: Pencils, graph paper, pencil sharpeners, white boards, classroom incentives, art materials, hands-on projects for Special Ed. Executive function support.

  • Community engagement

PTSA/Community connection and communication tools. Translation services.

 
Thanks for attending! 

Tuesday November 12th at 6:30 p.m.!

admin 442 Views
Join us November 12th, for our premier showing of Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience. This must-see movie follows the world famous Screenagers in a continued exploration of social media, screen usage and emotions in the lives of teens. Screenager NEXT CHAPTER takes a deeper look at the stress, anxiety and depression that teenager face in our digital age.
 
November 12th
Denman Auditorium
6:30 p.m.
Movie will be shown with Spanish subtitles
 
Brought to you through a partnership of the Denman PTSA and SFUSD Department of Technology.
 
Please let us know you are coming. 
 
Denman PTSA members, please join us before the screening at 5:40 p.m. for a brief PTSA general meeting. 
 
Please contact president@denmanptsa.com with any questions
general News 

Welcome!

admin 545 Views
Dear Denman families,
 
The 2019-20 school year is here and off to a fantastic start. The PTSA wants to extend to you the warmest welcome to James Denman Middle School. The Denman community is made up of amazing students, wonderful teachers and staff, dedicated administrators and hard working parents. I am excited to meet you as we grow this wonderful community together. Our first general meeting is on September 10th at 6:00 pm in the library. We will start with PTSA business and then break away into two groups: Sixth Grade 101 and the High School enrollment process. We would love to see you there! 
 
We are excited to share with you a new system for signing up for your 2019-20 membership (memberships must be renewed yearly). Please use the following link to sign up for your membership today (you can sign up for everyone in your family, including your student): 
 
 
The James Denman Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (JDMS PTSA) aims to positively impact the lives of all children and families in our community.  Our current PTSA was founded in November of 2012 and has continued to grow each year.  
 
Some of the ways in which the PTSA  supports the Denman community are:
  • funding our “Teacher Funds” program
  • purchasing technology for our students
  • volunteering at the school and photocopy station
  • renovating and maintaining the yard
  • building classroom libraries in ELA and science
  • Supporting new teachers 
By mid October-November we will be rolling out our Denman Pride Fund campaign, please stay tuned on how you can help us continue to be a valuable support and resource to Denman Middle school. Even though the drive has yet to begin you can give at any time. Visit our website and go to the donate page to give.
 
In addition to our fundraising goals, our emphasis for 2019-20 is to grow our membership, to support the staff and teachers of Denman as they encourage our students to explore STEAM and literacy, and continue to grow this vibrant, diverse community. For more on how the PTSA supports the Denman community,  visit our website at www.denmanptsa.com.
 
Sincerely,
 
Danica Gittelman
Denman PTSA President
general 

Join the PTSA today!

admin 536 Views

The Denman PTSA wishes you a warm welcome to Denman! 

Join the PTSA today! 

The Denman PTSA is rolling out a new enrollment process. Please follow the link to enroll! Enrollment is a yearly process, so even if you enrolled last year you will need to do it again. Also feel free to enroll your student.

Please join our community group to stay up to date on all the latest happenings at Denman! 

DenmanCommunity+subscribe@groups.io 

Thanks for attending! 

Welcome Back!

admin 461 Views

The Denman PTSA wishes you a warm welcome to Denman! We will be hosting coffee for new families Monday morning from 8:30-9:30 please come say hello! We are happy to answer any questions. 

Join the PTSA today! 

The Denman PTSA is rolling out a new enrollment process. Please follow the link to enroll! Enrollment is a yearly process, so even if you enrolled last year you will need to do it again. Also feel free to enroll your student.

We look forward to meeting you and working with you to make Denman even more awesome! 

Please join our yahoo group to stay up to date on all the latest happenings at Denman! 

DenmanCommunity+subscribe@groups.io

Fundraising Thanks for the help! 

Give to the Denman Pride Fund!

admin 803 Views

Thank you Denman community! We made our fundraising goals for the year! Please see below how we were able to help our community grow and thrive this year.

YOUR DENMAN PRIDE DONATIONS AT WORK!!  

With creative ideas and enthusiasm, teachers and staff are supporting our students via numerous Denman PTSA Teacher Grants this ’18-’19 school year…take a look at how our students benefit!

Literacy/ Classroom Books

Expanding classroom book options so students can pick a book right where they are. Teachers hand-pick a broad scope of reading materials including themes around social justice, gender spectrum, empathy for differences, multi-cultural and relatable lead characters, and other thought-provoking and appealing reads for all reading levels.

Library

Comic Book Subscriptions to offer a wider variety of enjoyable reading options

STEAM

STEAM Night raffle prizes; expansive Science Literacy Libraries in each science classroom; materials for STEAM-based projects including Arduino controllers and Miniature Golf at STEAM Night, Makerbot Extruders, and various supplies. 

Clubs

Lunchtime Soccer Club; Black Student Union outing

Appreciation

Teacher & Staff Breakfast and Counselor Appreciation Week Coffee/Bagels

Student Events/ Activities

Wilderness First Aid Training (two teachers) to support the Outdoor Club and 7thgrade camping trip; Athletics Awards Ceremony

Denman Clean-Up Days

Supplies for volunteer corps to enhance the yard and classrooms – fall and spring

Teachers and Staff

Professional Development including lunches for monthly meetings/ trainings for new teachers; new teacher welcome $; Readers/Writers Project at Teachers College in Columbia (one teacher) 

Supplies

Simple items that support students’ work: Pencils, graph paper, pencil sharpeners, white boards, classroom incentives, art materials, hands-on projects for Special Ed. 

Thanks for attending! 

Coming UP! General Meeting on May 22 at 9 am

admin 196 Views

Please try to make our fourth and final membership meeting, Friday, May 22nd 9:00am. Details to follow through membership email. We will be having some important discussions and votes. It’s not to late to JOIN!

  1. We will vote on our 2020-21 board slate, as proposed by our nominating committee: 

President: Danica Gittelman (second year)

Principal: Lisa Jovick

Secretary: Kerri Spruston (second year)

Treasurer: Kevin Rogers (new to position)

VP Community: Ryan Silvers (Second year on Board, new to position)

Historian: open

Parliamentarian: open

Fundraising Lead: open

Volunteer Coordinators: Linda Long and Simone Sebalo

Membership: Christie Lee Duffy (second year)

Grants Lead: Subir Hira (second year)

Auditor: Subir Hira (new to position)

Teacher 1: Drake Pillsbury (new to position)

Teacher 2: Lucy Hamilburg (new to position)

Please email the parliamentarian ( or any board members questions you might have or with interest about joining our Board for next year. As you can see, we still have three important positions to fill. 

  1. We will vote to adopt new amendments to the PTSA bylaws. Changes have been email to