Columbine Elementary

Columbine Elementary

Columbine Community Newsletter

8.10.26

Dear Columbine Community,

I am thrilled to welcome you to the 2026–2027 school year! We are honored that you have chosen Columbine as your elementary school community, and we are excited for another year of learning, growth, and joy together. Whether you are returning to Columbine or joining us for the first time, we are so grateful you are here.

I am incredibly proud to serve as the principal of our Columbine Crew. One of our greatest strengths is our commitment to creating a safe, inclusive, and joyful school where every child and family feels they belong. Every day, our staff works to know each student by name, by strength, and by story. We believe that strong relationships are the foundation for meaningful learning and that every child deserves to be known, challenged, and celebrated.

Our Columbine staff truly is the best of the best. They are passionate educators who are committed to continuous learning, collaboration, and providing every student with engaging, high-quality instruction every day. Together, we strive to help each child grow academically, develop confidence as a learner, create work they are proud of, and positively contribute to our community.

We also know that educating children is a true partnership. Families are our students' first and most important teachers, and our greatest impact happens when home and school work together. Thank you for the trust you place in us. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the year to support your child's learning, growth, and well-being.

Below, you will find important beginning-of-the-year information to help your family prepare for a successful start. If you have any questions or need support, please don't hesitate to reach out, we are always here to help.

Above all else, we hope every Columbine student knows they belong, believes they can grow, creates work they are proud of, and discovers the joy that comes from positively contributing to our community.

We can't wait to welcome our students back and begin another incredible year together. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

In Crew,

Corey Jenks
Principal
Columbine Elementary School

QUICK HITS - Read below

Upcoming Events

Registration and Beginning of Year To-Dos!

Supply Lists and LEAP Library

Class Assignments

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!

8/19 - Meet the Teacher / Supply Drop Off Ice Cream Social @ 4-5:30

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

Here is the 26-27 District Calendar

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

Registration Information and Beginning of Year To-Dos!

Please click this link to see all of the Beginning of Year Registration information.

For all of our logistic information, school systems, routines, expectations, and procedures, please see our 26-27 Columbine Community Handbook!

26-27 Supply Lists - LEAP library!

School Supplies Linked here!

If you would like to additionally 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.

During supply drop off we will be collecting these books in the library!

Class Teacher Assignments in Parent Portal

At this time, you can log into parent portal to view your child's teacher for the 26-27 school year.

Kindergarten, your child is currently assigned to a teacher, however class rosters will not be finalized until Friday, August 28th. We will spend the week getting to know your kiddos and the crew dynamics and then ensure we have crews that are balanced and in best support of our students.

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

New Personal Device Policy

Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, Denver Public Schools has adopted a policy that limits when students can use their personal communication devices (such as cellphones). This will minimize distractions in the classroom and support focus and learning.

A “personal communication device” (PCD) is, but is not limited to:

Cellphones.

Smart or electronic watches.

Wireless earbuds and earphones.

Personally owned tablets and laptops.

Non-district issued computing devices.

Any other personally owned portable electronic communication devices.

When PCDs are accessible during the school day, it creates distraction that impacts the learning environment for both students and staff. For more information on why this policy is important, visit the Denver Public Schools website.

Cell phones and electronic devices should not be brought to school. If your child carries a phone or watch for family reasons, their teacher will collect it at the beginning of the school day, lock it up for safekeeping to be returned at the end of the day. Cell phones not turned in will be turned into the office and a parent/guardian will need to come and pick up the phone. Exceptions apply on a student basis, especially in recognition of IEP, 504s, and health plans.

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!

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