Hello Columbine families,

February is Black History Month, and this year we are honoring the theme “A Century of Black History.” This theme marks 100 years since Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, an effort rooted in ensuring Black history was recognized, taught, and valued. What began as a single week has grown into a century-long commitment to honoring the contributions, culture, and impact of Black Americans.

One hundred years later, we continue to celebrate that legacy and carry it forward. At Columbine, we believe our work plays a role in cultivating the next generation of leaders and change-makers. Our students are learning about Black history across decades by exploring stories of resilience, creativity, innovation, and courage while building connections between the past, present, and future.

That legacy lives right here in our own community. Columbine holds a special place in this history as the school where Jessie Whatley Maxwell became Colorado’s first Black principal. Her leadership and courage helped pave the way for generations of educators and students, and her story reminds us that Black history is not separate from our shared story, it is woven throughout it.

At Columbine, we do not reserve recognition, belonging, or affirmation for a single month. Instead, we are committed to creating learning environments where Black brilliance is honored and all students feel seen, valued, and supported every day of the year.

Thank you for partnering with us as we honor the past, affirm the present, and continue building a future grounded in dignity, opportunity, and belonging for every child.

Please see resources from the Community Resource Team: 

2026 Community Resources booklist - Adult

Children's/Youth book list 2026

In Crew,

Corey 

QUICK HITS

Upcoming Events

Clyde's Frosty Fiesta 

March 5th Spring Conferences

Columbine Directory!

26-27 Bell Schedule 

CSC

Old News

Photo right: FEB 28 1966; Mrs. Christine Johnson Directs 5th and 6th Grade Choir From Columbine Elementary School; Choir provided music Sunday for a program documenting history and heritage (Photo By Duane Howell/The Denver Post)

2/9 - BHM SPIRIT WEEK!

2/10- ECE Field Trip to Aquarium

2/11- Walk Up Wednesday

2/11- IDI Family Convo 7:50am-8:30am

2/12- Black Excellence Meeting (Virtual) @ 6:00pm-7:30pm

2/13- Black History Month Breakfast Kickoff @ 7:45am-8:45am

Monday’s & Tuesday’s- Enrichment 

3:45-4:45 Wednesday’s- Shakespeare 3:30-4:30

Thursday’s- Choir 1:35-2:35

Chess 1:45-2:45

2/13- ECE Celebrates 100th Day

2/13- 4th Grade Celebration Of Learning 

@ 2:30pm

2/14- Valentine’s Day

2/16- President’s Day (No School)

2/18- Donuts @ Drop Off

2/18- PAC Meeting @ 8:00am

2/18- CSC 5:00pm-6:15pm

PTA 6:30pm-7:30pm

2/19- Coffee with Corey @ 8:00am

2/19- Clyde’s Frosty Fiesta @ Carla Madison Rec

2/20- Student Of The Month

8:15am-8:45am- K, 1st, 4th, 5th

2:45pm-3:15pm- ECE, 2nd, 3rd

2/24- Black Excellence Meeting @ 6:00pm-7:30pm

2/25- 3rd & 4th Black History Concert @ 8:30am

2/26- Popcorn Friday

2/27- Professional Development Day (No School)

Join us for the annual Clyde’s Frosty Fiesta Thursday, Februrary 19th from 6-8p on the rooftop at Carla Madison Rec.

It’s a Potluck Party, so bring your best dish!

(And don’t forget to sign up for the potluck here.)

This year’s theme: Winter Olympics! Dress the part, if you’re feeling festive.

Complimentary childcare with a movie and activities will be offered on-site.

There will be some fundraising opportunities for the school hosted on-site, including a Wall o’ Wine, a Silent Auction and Buy a Flag for a Drink.

All proceeds from the fundraisers will go towards our lofty goal to supplement the deep cuts to our school’s budget.

We are SO excited about our Spring Conferences on March 5th. This is a non-student contact day and our teachers will be holding family-educator conferences all day. Please look for sign-ups from your classroom teacher on Rooms. These conferences are an important opportunity to meet with your child's classroom teacher to discuss their mid-year data, celebrate their strengths and genius, and focus on their growth opportunities. 

Please use this link to access our Columbine Directory. This was a voluntary participation directory so please note that this directory does not have all of our families. If you notice your family is not included in the directory and you would like to be added, please use this link to submit your info!

NEW Bell Schedule for the 26-27 School Year 

We want to share an important update about our school day schedule for next year. Beginning in the 2026–27 school year, Columbine will move to a consistent bell schedule of 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., five days a week.

Currently, we operate with an early-release schedule on Thursdays. After gathering extensive input from staff and members of our school community, we have made the decision to discontinue the early-release day and transition to a five-day-a-week, 8–3 schedule. This change will allow for greater consistency for students and families across the week and better alignment with our instructional priorities.

Transportation note: Bus schedules will be adjusted to align with the new start and end times. More details will be shared as we get closer to the start of the school year.

Thank you for your feedback, partnership, and flexibility as we continue to make decisions in service of our students and families.

CSC will be on February 18th 5:00-6:15 - virtual link. 

Below are the CSC meeting minutes

Meeting Minutes

CSC info page

CSC Agenda (English and Spanish)

You can view the 2025–2026 DPS District Calendar [linked here]. 🗓️

In addition to district-wide non-student contact days, Columbine students will also not attend school on:

• March 5th – Columbine-specific family conference day

Discovery Link will provide full-day care options for ECE–5th grade on both days.

ECE-only additional closure dates:

• April 24th

Discovery Link will provide full-day care for ECE students on these days if there are enough students signed up!