Posted November 12, 2024
Happy Monday Columbine Community,
I hope you enjoyed the snowy weekend. You all should have received notifications from DPS regarding our ❄️snow day❄️ on Friday. If you did not receive notification, please reach out to the front office to make sure your contact information is up to date!
Last week was a big week. I want to lift out some school joy and celebration: on Monday we all enjoyed a crew dance session to celebrate and recognize Diwali with the Krishnaswamy family and teachers from a local dance studio. On Monday evening we held our Black Excellence Family Dinner where we engaged in meaningful and critical dialogue around the school and community commitments to supporting Black students and families. On Wednesday, our 5th graders hosted their first Celebration of Learning for the year.
November is Native American Heritage Month. During this month we celebrate and honor the traditions, contributions, and leadership of Native peoples whose voices continue to enrich our lives. At Columbine Elementary, we acknowledge our Indigenous relatives who have cared for this land over countless generations and we will engage in texts and dialogue during crew time to ensure we continue to honor and value Native Americans all year long.
☕Coffee with Corey☕ rescheduled for Thursday November 14th 8:00-9:00
– Q&A on the Recommendations for School Closure and Consolidations –
Since we had a snow day on Friday, I’m rescheduling Coffee with Corey for Thursday, November 14th from 8:00-9:00. I requested district representation to be present at this community engagement so that we had an in-person opportunity to better understand the implications for Columbine in the Denver Schools Thrive Initiative. We will be joined by Joe Amundsen, the Executive Director for School Transformation. He has agreed to join our community to answer questions and collect questions regarding the recent proposal from the superintendent to the DPS Board of Education. We will also be offering a virtual engagement option using this link . We will also be joined by Dori Claunch, my Interim Principal during my leave, and Mariah Bennett, our new Student Support Liaison.
Columbine Multilingual Education Parent Advisory Committee (MLE PAC) *Date Change*
On November 13th from 2:30-3:15 our ELD teacher Sara Hanlon will be hosting a Formal Tea Party with students and families who are in her ELD classes. This meeting will be followed by our MLE PAC meeting from 3:15-4:00. All district run schools have an MLE PAC and these meetings are open to all families of students in an Multilingual Education Program. These meetings provide opportunities to increase communication between school and families. We will be using this time to design the vision for our PAC and discuss the experience of our LatinX students to ensure excellence in all of their school experiences. We hope to gain input, feedback, and reflections from our MLE families to better inform our support of our MLE students and community.
Columbine Community Inclusion and Belonging – Wednesday, November 13th!
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 13th, 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.
☕Our next Coffee with Corey will be Thursday, November 14th, and following that will be Thursday, November 21st. ☕
In Crew,
Corey Jenks
Principal
Columbine Academic Night Information and Family Resources
Thank you to all who attended our Columbine Academic Night last week! We presented sessions on EL, Early Literacy Skills Instruction, IM Math Curriculum, iReady Assessment and Instruction, and Special Education.
Below are the decks and resources that were shared!
iReady Assessment and Instruction
EL, Foundational Literacy Skills, IM Math – Slide Decks
Early Literacy Skills Handout – Family Resources
Foundational Early Literacy Skills Model at Columbine – Family Resources
IM Math Handout – Family Resources
Columbine CSC
In our last Columbine CSC meeting, we discussed a variety of topics, specifically:
-Our Columbine UIP
-Progress monitoring reports and data reporting processes
-Community engagement strategies and commitments
-Interim principal during Corey’s maternity leave
Please see the CSC Minutes Here:
Our next meeting will be on November 20th at 5:00 in the Columbine Library
All information about our Columbine CSC can be found on the CSC page of our Columbine Website!
Denver Schools Thrive Initiative: Proposal for School Closure and Consolidation Update
Last week, on Nov. 7, Superintendent Dr. Marrero presented to the Board of Education a recommendation for school closures and consolidations. On Nov. 21, the Board of Education will vote on the proposal.
Please see this resource to review the full proposal. In summary, one of our neighborhood schools, IAD Harrington has been recommended for closure and in response to this closure, the Superintendent is proposing to expand the current Five Points Enrollment Zone to include: Columbine, Swansea, and Garden Place. Columbine Elementary is currently a boundary school which is different from being in an enrollment zone. I want to make sure all families understand the differences here and implications for current and future families. Please join us at Coffee with Corey on Thursday from 8:00-9:00 if you are able. If you are not able to join, I will send out a more comprehensive report with details about the implications of an enrollment zone on Columbine this week.
Manual Campus Open House – November 19th @ 5:00-6:30
We are so excited to invite community members and families with children of all ages to learn more about the good work happening on the Manual Campus. Regardless of if you have elementary or middle school age children or you are a community member who is interested in learning more about your community middle and high school; these open house nights are for you!
The first open house night is fast approaching and will be held on Tuesday, November 19th from 5:00 – 6:30 in the Manual Cafeteria. See you on November 19th.
Upcoming Events
| November 13th: MLE Tea Party and Parent Advisory Committee Meeting (MLE PAC) 3:15-4:00November 13th: Free Food Wednesday November 13th: IDI – Belonging and Inclusion at Columbine Info Session @ 5:30November 14th: Coffee with Corey @ 8:00-9:00 am in the library OR VirtualNovember 15th: ECE Field Trip to the Children’s Museum November 15th: 2nd Grade Celebration of Learning November 19th: 3rd Grade to Bluff Lake November 20th: Family Turkey Lunch @ Columbine November 20th: Columbine CSC Meeting @ 5:00 pm and PTA Meeting @ 6:30November 21st: ☕ Coffee with Corey ☕@ 8:00am in the library November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break |
| 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 |
Columbine Cougars PTA Update 11/11
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 |