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Columbine Elementary

Columbine Elementary

Columbine Community Newsletter

8.23.26

Dear Columbine Families,

Tomorrow is the day! We are so excited to open our doors and welcome our students back for the first day of a new school year.

Over the past several days, our staff has been hard at work preparing classrooms, learning together, building our own Crew, and getting ready to welcome your children. There is so much excitement in our building right now, and we can't wait to have students here.

The beginning of school brings about so many emotions for children. New teachers, new classmates, new routines, new challenges, and so many opportunities. Whether your family has been part of Columbine for years or tomorrow is your very first day with us, you belong here, and we are so glad you are part of our Crew.

Tomorrow may come with big excitement, some nerves, or a little bit of both! Our team will be ready to greet students, help them find their teachers, and make sure they feel safe and cared for as we begin our year together. 

Here are some tips for talking with your kiddos: 

Before School

Instead of - 'Don't be nervous' Try - 'It makes sense to feel nervous. You can be nervous AND still walk in.' 

Instead of - 'You'll be fine!' Try - 'What's one thing you can do if today feels hard?

After School

Instead of immediately asking 'How was school??" Try - 'I'm so happy to see you.' 

Their little nervous systems will need a chance to settle and transition before they are ready to share. 

Instead of - 'What did you learn today?' Try - 'What was easy today? What was tricky?' 

 

Get some rest, pack those backpacks, and we'll see you in the morning!

 

In Crew,

Corey Jenks
Principal
Columbine Elementary School

QUICK HITS - Read more below

Upcoming Events

New Family Night - August 27th @ 5:00

Back to School Night - Sept 3rd @ 5:00

Labor Day No School - Sept 7th

LEAP Library - help needed!

Collaborative School Committee Elections

NEW - No Personal Device Policy 

Download the DPS App for all Classroom Updates

26-27 Bell Schedule 

A Note from PTA

After School Care Registration

Girls on the Run Registration

Columbine

Upcoming Events 

We are so excited to welcome you all back for the 26-27 school year!

 

8/24 - First Day of School for K-5

Tears and Cheers @ 8:00am

8/25 - ECE Half day orientation

8/26 - First Full Day of School for ECE 

8/26 - New Family Breakfast @ 8:00am

8/27 - New Family Night @ 5:00

9/3 - Back to School Night @ 5:00

9/7 - Labor Day - NO School 

 

Here is the 26-27 District Calendar

Here is the Columbine 26-27 Calendar (still in draft form!)

 

Walk-up Wednesday is held the second Wednesday of each month! The Black Excellence Crew's next WUW is August 12th, and then September 9th. 

Please use this Walk Up Wednesday Volunteer Sign-up link if you would like to volunteer

 

New Family Night - August 27th

A warm welcome to all of our families who are new to Columbine this year! New Family Night is an opportunity to get to know our school, meet other new families, connect with staff, and learn more about what makes our Columbine Crew special. We know that joining a new school community comes with lots to learn, and we want every family to begin the year feeling welcomed, connected, and confident about the year ahead. We can't wait to officially welcome you to the Crew!

Back-to-School Night - September 3rd

This year, one of our biggest priorities for family engagement is making sure families feel informed and empowered as partners in their child's learning. We want you to know what your child is learning, the skills and grade-level standards they are working toward, the curriculum and programs we use to support them, and how you can stay connected to their academic progress throughout the year.

Back to School Night will be our first opportunity to begin building that partnership. You'll spend time in your child's classroom learning about the year ahead, what learning looks like at their grade level, and how we can work together to help every student grow and thrive.

We hope to see you there! 

Because this is an event focused on sharing academic information with families, we ask that children either stay at home or are dropped into our provided childcare in the gym. 

LEAP library!

 

If you would like to purchase a book for our LEAP library, please see this book suggestion list here. If you purchase a book, please check it off the list!

17 books have already been purchased!!

 

26-27 Collaborative School Committee

Are you interested in serving on our Columbine Collaborative School Committee (CSC)? 

What is a Collaborative School Committee?

The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) brings together families, staff and community members to create and implement a plan to promote high achievement within a school. This committee meets on a regular basis throughout the school year and is an opportunity for key stakeholders to have a voice in their school. Colorado law requires all schools to have a CSC to increase the amount of accountability and family involvement in our schools.

What is this group responsible for doing?

This group works with school leaders to provide feedback on important school decisions. These decisions may include ways to improve academic performance, budgets, and the school's program.

We are seeing to fill: 

2 parent positions

1 community representative 

1 school organization representative 

If you are interested, please complete this interest form!

Timeline

Candidate Submission Period: Nominations will open during school registration and continue through the middle of the second week of school - closes midnight Wed Sept 2nd

Election Period: Elections will be open for 10 days  (Friday, Sept 4 - Midnight Sunday Sept 13th)

Results: Election results will be announced by Tuesday Sept 15th

Download the DPS App to stay in communication!

How to Download the DPS App and Sign In to Rooms

Download the Denver Public Schools app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Once installed, open the app, then tap “Rooms,” then “Continue to sign in.”

Type in your guardian email address or phone number.

If you typed in your email address, tap “Log in with code.” If you typed in your phone number, you will automatically receive a code. Type this code in when prompted.

You will be prompted to select your preferred communication language

You will be automatically signed into your students’ Rooms.

Still have questions about Rooms? Visit the Rooms FAQ page.

Bell Schedule for the 26-27 School Year 

Our Bell Schedule this year will be:

8:00-3:00 K-5th 

Doors open at 7:50

8:10-3:00 ECE

Doors open at 8:00

At Columbine, we strive for 100% daily student attendance. To report an absence due to illness or an unavoidable appointment, please choose either of these convenient methods: call our front office at 720-424-8510 or log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and place an Online Absence Request. Both will ensure your student's absence is excused.

A Note from Columbine PTA

A few notes from the PTA:

We're gearing up for an amazing school year and would love for you to join our efforts in making this year at the best one yet!

Our parent/caregiver/community/teacher volunteers are invaluable -- you all make every collaboration, every idea, every effort possible. THANK YOU!

If you're looking for ways to get involved this year, there are plenty.

We're looking for committee members and anyone who wants to step up to the plate and lead in our collaborative efforts that make our school community go-round and thrive. Please click on the links below to learn more about each committee!

Nominating Committee

School Advocacy and CSC

Expeditionary Learning (EL) and Enrichments Committee

Community Relations and Resources

Membership and Engagement

Finance and Fundraising 

Take a look and fill out the survey linked below:

https://forms.gle/mYtBbF7hgQZav3qc7

P.S. Stay tuned for upcoming dates for a new family, ECE and Kinder playdate and and all-hands-on-deck CHALK THE WALK!

Register for After School Care 

At Columbine, we offer after school care through Discovery Link for K-5 and Little Links for ECE. All information can be found on our website. 

We also partner with 10FOUR, an off-site after school care program. 

Please see all info below!

Discovery Link After School Program Daily 3:00-6:00 Kinder-5th

At Extended Learning and Community Schools (ELCS), we oversee Out of School Time (OST) programs and activities for Denver Public Schools. We currently serve 60 schools across the district and are so excited to begin offering our flagship after school program, Discovery Link, at Columbine Elementary for the 2024-2025 school year! Extended Learning and Community Schools

Contact Us: Email Discovery Link | 720-423-1781

The Discovery Link program will be available to K-5th grade students. The after school program will run from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm Mon-Fri.

For ECE, Discovery Link Little Links 3:00-6:00pm

26-27 Little Links Registration

We are excited to announce registration for the 2026–2027 Discovery Link and Little Links programs. Registration will open in phases by region, called Regional Rolling Registrations, and will then open for all sites and regions on May 5, 2026 at 6am. Families may choose to register during their school’s regional window or wait until May 5th when registration opens for all sites. This phased approach allows our team to review registrations and respond to families more efficiently.

Visit our webpage for more information about Discovery Link!

Contact Us: Email Discovery Link | 720-423-1781

Neighborhood Afterschool Programs

10Four – Denver Youth Center

10 Four will offer transportation Monday - Friday. 

Registration

Transportation RSVP

 

Girls on the Run Registration OPEN!

Hello Girls on the Run (GOTR) Parents and Guardians!

Girls on the Run registration is NOW OPEN! 

Every girl deserves the chance to discover how strong, capable, and unstoppable she truly is.

Register Here!

Individual schools’ days and times are listed when you select your school in the registration dropdown. Columbine this year with the change in bell time will be Mondays and Wednesdays 3PM-4:30PM You can also go to our website for a full list of sites, days and times.

We understand many families now have siblings at different schools. Siblings are ALWAYS welcome and they can come late to practice now with Columbine getting out earlier than other schools.   We definitely want to give siblings the chance to have a season/year together! Please reach out with questions/concerns/assistance. 

When girls discover their I Can! Power, they realize they have the confidence and determination to take on challenges, achieve their goals, and move mountains. From the very first practice to crossing the 5K finish line, participants learn that their self-worth matters and that believing in themselves is the foundation for all they do. Throughout the season, girls will build essential life skills through lessons that encourage them to embrace their strengths, practice Stick-With-It Strategies, celebrate the Recipe of Me, and learn to Move With Their Emotions. By developing tools such as positive self-talk, expressing feelings, choosing supportive friendships, and working together with others, they strengthen their confidence both on and off the course. As the season unfolds, girls will discover they are capable of doing hard things, empowering themselves and their communities as they put their I Can! Power into action and move mountains together. 

We're looking forward to a great fall season and hope your child will be able to join us in our transformational program. The season starts the week of September 8 and will run through the week of November 16.

Ready to sign up? Register here!

Looking forward to our Fall Season!

Coaches Amy, Julie, Mandy and Kim!