Posted October 21, 2024
Happy Weekend Columbine Community,
What an absolutely incredible 🍂Fall Festival🍂we had on Saturday! Thank you to all who were able to come attend this community event. As many of you saw in their note last week, our PTA Board made the decision to make this a fully free and completely accessible event to all families and all children. This was a commitment to prioritize community, belonging, and inclusion over all else. With an optional only donation strategy, the community doubled the fundraising goal, and then some. I’m so grateful to this PTA Board and to our whole school community for ensuring equity and inclusion is at the heart of our work. Thank you to the planning committee, the teachers, the volunteers, and the community for making this event such a success. It was a beauty!
In October we continue to recognize Disability and Dyslexia Awareness Month. There are more ways to get involved and continue celebrating across DPS! Check out this district-wide resource. A few exciting opportunities:
Halloween 👻
Halloween is just over a week away! Students may wear costumes to school but will keep accessories in backpacks until our Halloween parade. At 1:00, we will start our Halloween parade. Families are invited to line the sidewalks on 28th, Columbine St, and 29th, to see our amazing costumes and kid cuteness. For costumes, we ask for no full masks that cover the student’s face, no blood/guts/gore, and no weapons.
Grounds Updates
During our Fall Festival, you may have noticed the state of our field. We currently have a request in with the district grounds team from our school team and our Operational Service Director to do a full revamp of our field. We need to address our sprinkler system, irrigation, and ongoing maintenance. I’m hoping we will see a dramatic improvement once this is fulfilled. In addition, the PTA is currently working with our PE teacher Tyler Quinn to order all new recess equipment for our kiddos. We are excited to get new basketball nets as well!
Coffee with Corey – October 22nd @ 8:00am
During coffee with Corey on Tuesday, October 22nd, please come hear from Columbine community members who engaged in the Intercultural Development Inventory last year. Please come learn about how you can join this work this year or continue this work we began last year.
Last year, we engaged our community in multiple sessions that centered learning about true inclusion and belonging in a diverse community. Almost 30 of our community members took the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). As a staff and community, it is our personal and professional responsibility to engage in equity work and professional learning to ensure we are providing each of our students the most authentic, meaningful, and impactful educational experiences. One essential component of our professional and personal learning and work has been through our engagement in the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).
In support of collective responsibility and shared accountability, we are excited to invite families to engage in this learning and work along with us. On November 4th, at Columbine from 5:30-7:00 we will be joined by Michael Atkins, Director of the Black Student Success Team, and Dr. Ellen Miller-Brown (professor and partner at University of Denver). This will be an evening for information sharing about an opportunity for community members to engage in the IDI (free of charge) with individual debriefs followed by DEI sessions. Even if you don’t know what this work will look like, regardless of whether you feel ready or hesitant, I hope you will join us for this informational session.
On Wednesday, October 30th from 5:30-7:00 pm we will host a Columbine Academic Night. The design of this night is a multi-session, differentiated option approach so families can select content that is most meaningful for them. We will have sessions focusing on Foundational Early Literacy Skills, EL Literacy, Math, English Language Development, iReady Assessment/Instruction, Gifted and Talented, and Special Education. Our goal is for families to gain a better understanding of the curriculum and instructional approaches we use for learning as well as learn what they can do at home to continue learning and support their children outside of school. We hope you will join us! Childcare and dinner will be provided.
Black Excellence Family Dinner – November 4th 5:30-7:30
Hopefully you saw a flyer in this week’s Thursday Folders for our Black Excellence Family Dinner. This is an event for our Black families, families of our Black students, and anyone who is looking for a space to be in support of and in community with our Black families. We will be catering a dinner from a local Black owned business and eating a family dinner in the cafeteria. We will be discussing our school’s Black Excellence Plan, and engaging in dialogue on how we ensure inclusion, belonging, and academic achievement for our Black students and families to ensure their excellence shines and their brilliance knows no bounds.
Multilingual Learner Family Tea Party
Families, our English Language Development (ELD) teacher Sarah Hanlon is excited to end her first unit of study in EL Achieve, about using formal social registers, with a family and student tea party. Please look for direct communication from her if your child receives ELD services to see the date and time for this family event.
☕Our next Coffee with Corey will be tomorrow, Tuesday, October 22nd. Following that, Friday, November 8th, Thursday, November 21st. ☕
In Crew,
Corey Jenks
Principal
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
As October is National Bullying Prevention Month, I wanted to share some important information and resources regarding bullying awareness and prevention. National Bullying Prevention Month takes place each year in October to bring global awareness to the issue. October 7, 2024, was the 18th annual World Day of Bullying Prevention. Organizations like Stomp Out Bullying sponsor special events on this day to help spread the word. October 16, 2024, is Unity Day, a time to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
Please utilize these resources to increase your awareness, and begin bullying prevention efforts. Thanks to our community resources team for these resources.
Additionally here are DPS resources and information on Bullying prevention from their campaign #Belonging2Blooming
Columbine CSC
Our next meeting will be on October 23rd at 5:00 followed by PTA at 6:30
Upcoming Events
| October 22nd: ☕Coffee with Corey @ 8:00amOctober 23rd: Kindergarten Celebration of Learning 9:00amOctober 23rd: CSC @ 5:00 and PTA @ 6:30 – PTA Dine Out at Chipotle October 25th: Student of the Month Assembly (2nd-5th 8:15-8:45)(ECE-1st 2:45-3:15)October 30th: 1st Grade Celebration of Learning 2:45-3:30 pmOctober 30th: Columbine Academic Night 5:30-7:00 pmOctober 31st: Halloween Parade November 4th: Black Excellence Family Dinner 5:30-7:30November 6th: 5th Grade Celebration of Learning 1:30-2:30November 8th: 4th Grade Celebration of Learning @ Whittier Cafe 9:30 amNovember 13th: IDI – Belonging and Inclusion at Columbine Info Session November 20th: Family Turkey Lunch @ Columbine |
| Community Resource Team If you are looking for resources, book recommendations, and entry points into the essential learning about race, gentrification, cultural competency, and racial history in our country, the CR team has compiled a recommended book list. Book List Here The CR Team will host another Plant Exchange & plant raffle on the 4th of October! More details to come via Bloomz. |
Columbine Cougars PTA Update
Please see the Columbine Cougars PTA Newsletter here!
Looking to stay in touch? Follow some of our Columbine Elementary social media accounts. columbine_cougars dadsofcolumbine columbinecougarspta |