Posted November 18, 2024
Hello Columbine Community,
I hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful weekend and a HUGE Broncos Win 😄
Last week on Wednesday, our phenomenal ELD (English Language Development) teacher, Sara Hanlon, hosted all of our Multilingual families for a student-family tea party. Students practiced using their ‘formal register’ to engage with others and ask questions. Families enjoyed tea, cocoa, treats, and company with their children. Following this tea party, Ms. Hanlon hosted an MLE PAC meeting to help inform families about our ELD programming at Columbine and opportunities for continued engagement. Thank you to all who attended!
Additionally from last week, our ECE crews all went on a field trip to the Children’s Museum! Our 2nd graders hosted a celebration of learning from their study of habitats. Finally, as November is Native American Heritage Month, our crews continue to engage in texts and stories that celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of Native peoples. Alongside our discussions of Ambition, our crews are working on a collaborative project to showcase Native American stories through pictures and drawings.
Recommendations for School Closure and Consolidations –
At Coffee with Corey this week, we discussed the Denver Schools Thrive Initiative. We were joined by Joe Amundsen, the Executive Director for School Transformation. He answered questions and collected questions regarding the recent proposal from the superintendent to the DPS Board of Education. We were joined by Dori Claunch, my Interim Principal during my leave, and Mariah Bennett, our new Student Support Liaison. The Board will vote on this proposal on Thursday, November 21st.
Columbine Community Inclusion and Belonging – Sign up for the IDI!
On Monday, we had a community night that focused on our commitment and journey to achieving a true community of inclusion and belonging. We were facilitated by Dr. Ellen Miller-Brown from the University of Denver. We discussed the essential self-work of internal reflection and awareness that then leads us to better knowing and interacting with people who are different from us. Last year, almost 30 of our community members took the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is a 50 question inventory that, when submitted, will produce an ‘orientation’ on the intercultural competence continuum. The results of the IDI come with a facilitated debrief session (by Dr. Miller-Brown) to discuss your results and, most importantly, what work you can do moving forward to better interact with people who are different from you. This opportunity is typically at a cost but we are going to provide it completely free.
To sign up for the IDI, simply send me an email – corey_jenks@dpsk12.net and I will get you signed up!
Beginning in January, we will have several community DEI sessions that will focus on the work highlighted in the IDI. Please sign-up and invite a friend!
☕Our next Coffee with Corey will be Thursday, November 21st. This will be the last Coffee with Corey before I go on maternity leave. ☕
While I am on maternity leave, Columbine will be supported by a fantastic and well experienced interim principal, Dori Claunch. Dori will be at Columbine 5 days a week and has already spent time at the school meeting community members, staff members, and getting the lay of the land. Here is a short bio about Dori. I have no doubt that your children, our staff, and our community will be in good hands while I am away. Bio: Dori Claunch spent her entire career in public education before retiring from Denver Public Schools in June, 2021. While in DPS, Dori served as a Principal, Instructional Superintendent, and Operational Superintendent. Since retiring, Dori has served as an interim principal in several schools, including most recently at Teller Elementary School. She is honored and excited to serve the Columbine Community for this time ahead.
In Crew,
Corey Jenks
Principal
Columbine Student Portfolios – Coming home Monday!
We are SO excited for our first round of whole-school student portfolios to come home. Sharing our student’s work, learning journey, and progress is a whole-school commitment. We hope these portfolios offer another window into your child’s progress and learning so far this year. PLEASE return these portfolios to school no later than Thursday, November 21st. These portfolios will continue to be used, shared, and built upon all year.
🦃Columbine Turkey Lunch🦃 – November 20th 11:00-1:00
We hope you will come join us on Wednesday, November 20th for our annual Turkey lunch! This is a time for families to come in and eat with their children and each other. Ms. Diane and crew put together a beautiful and delicious spread of food for children and families. All Columbine students eat for free, families can purchase tickets for the Turkey Lunch in the office any day next week or when they arrive for lunch that day. The tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for children who are not currently Columbine students.
| Turkey Lunch Schedule | |||||||
| Grade | ECE | Kinder | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| Lunch | 11:00 | 12:05 | 11:30 | 12:40 | 12:25 | 11:55 | 11:45 |
| Location | Cafe | Cafe | Cafe | Cafe | Gym | Gym | Gym |
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!
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 18th: Student Portfolios sent home!November 18th: 4th Grade COL Poetry Slam at Whittier Cafe November 19th: 3rd Grade to Bluff Lake November 20th: Family Turkey Lunch @ Columbine 11:00-1:00November 20th: Columbine CSC Meeting @ 5:00 pm and PTA Meeting @ 6:30November 21st: ☕ Coffee with Corey ☕@ 8:00am in the library November 22nd: Student of the Month Assemblies 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 Here is a resource for Holiday Resources this season! |
Columbine Cougars PTA Update 11/17
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 |
