Columbia Splash
June 2022
Good morning, Coho Families and Caregivers!
We made it! The final week of the school year. I have a wave of emotions and thoughts as I reflect on my first year as your school principal. As I get to know students, families and our staff, it is clear that this community wants the best for our children. We have teachers who have worked so hard this year to ride every single Covid adjustment these last two and a half years. Staff worked hard this year to prepare for our IB verification visit and really showcased their growth to implement an inquiry-based approach with the IB units of study. With the disruption(s) of Covid these last two and a half years, our teachers have supported students with a variety of social-emotional needs. And, they have worked to build confidence and academic growth in our learners. I am proud of every staff member at Columbia for all they have given to support and show love to our students.
Our students continue to bring joy to my job and this building. It is hard to capture in words, the feeling of welcoming students back into our building this year. I remember the squinted eyes and the hidden smiles on the first day of school. I remember how amazing it felt to finally see our students more completely when masks became optional. Our kids continue to show resilience. Our kids continue to find joy in learning. Our kids continue to develop caring relationships with their peers. As I reflect on who our kids are, I am inspired to continue working with them next year and find ways for them to have greater agency and leadership in our building and community.
Finally, thank you to you, our families. You are an essential part of our team. I give so much thanks for the warm welcome into this community. I appreciate the families that have engaged in positive and solution-based conversations when addressing any concerns. I have appreciated your patience and support in implementing the ever-changing Covid protocols and keeping our community as safe as possible. I have so much gratitude for Shelby (our CPA president), our CPA members, and volunteers that have helped us kick-start all of our Columbia events for kids. I am excited to keep the momentum going into next year.
Next year, I hope that we will see more families back in our building. I know we will have more opportunities to celebrate the learning of our students and engage everyone in fun community building events. Next year, I hope to bring our adult community together for learning nights with each other. As always, I invite ideas and feedback to bring to our team to keep our learning going.
As we wrap up the year, our team is focused on the celebration of learning. We are also working to solidify our building focus for professional development next year. When we move into the Fall, we will make sure to both communicate our building’s focus, and my hope is to host adult learning nights where we can learn together. I am excited for year two!
Once again, thank you so much for the warm welcome this year. Have a great summer and we will see you in August!
Kind regards,
Minh
Here is this week’s assembly: https://bellingham.wistia.com/medias/aeopt42umc
Intro
Field Day (Balanced)
Fourth Grade News (Communicator/Reflective)
Golden Awards (Principled)
Weekend send off
IN THIS EPISODE:
2. Upcoming Events
3. 2022-2023 Calendar
4. Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
5. Summer Programs
6. Summer Garden
7. Lost & Found
8: Columbia's IB PYP
9. Tips for a Successful Summer Break
10. Free Dinner Program for Children
11. CPA Information
12. Safe Schools Reporting & Tip Line
FIELD DAY: A.M. ONLY, Thursday, June 16 Grades K-2 and June 17 Grades 3-5.
5th GRADE PROMOTION ASSEMBLY: Friday, June 17, 8:15AM
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Friday, June 17. Students will be dismissed at 12:45!
MEDICATIONS MUST BE PICKED UP BY MONDAY, JUNE 20TH
POPSICLE PLAYDATES FOR INCOMING KINDERS: The week before school starts there will be 2 playdates for our new Kindergarteners. Please watch for more info in August.
TENTATIVE 2022-2023 MEET & GREET: Monday, August 29, 2:00-3:00PM
FREE COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for Kids and Adults
Thursday, June 9, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Bellingham Public Library - downtown, lower level near Children’s library 210 Central Avenue.
All are welcome! Sign up for an appointment online, walk-ups will be accepted as well. Vaccines will be free for everyone and health insurance is not required. Please bring documentation of any previous doses (photo of vaccine cards OK). These clinics will have Moderna and Pfizer available including boosters. Parent/guardian consent is required for vaccinations for ages 5-17.
A $25 Fred Meyer gift card will be provided to those who get a first or second dose, courtesy of the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation.
This is our final clinic of the school year and it is open to anyone. Please share with your friends and family!
Questions? Contact Jennifer.gaer@bellinghamschools.org.
We love summer reading!
Last week we had a wonderful visit with Bernice from the Bellingham Public Library. She shared information about the summer reading program and gave us lots of ideas for books to read. We sent a program card home with your child. This could be a fun way for your child to track their summer reading. The idea is they choose a reading goal. They could read a certain number of books, read for a specific amount of time every day, read a variety of books from different genres, read through a whole series... they choose! As they meet their goal steps, they color in or label the stones on their reading path. Return their card to the public library to receive a free book and yard sign!
If you want more information about the public library’s program, check out this webpage https://www.bellinghampubliclibrary.org/summer-reading.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
- City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation offers a wide variety of camps and recreation activities, including sports camps run by Bellingham Public Schools high school coaches. See the summer Playbook for opportunities for kids and families. Scholarships are available.
- The Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County has limited summer camp opportunities for students entering grades 1-6. Please visit the Boys and Girls Club summer camp flyer at whatcomclubs.org for more information or to register.
- Bellingham Girls Basketball Camp is back this summer! Are you going into grades 3 through 6? Do you like basketball? Are you looking for some fun, wanting to learn new skills and interested in meeting some new friends? If yes, register here.
- Squalicum Storm Boys' Basketball Camp for boys entering grades 3-6. This camp is for the young player looking to have fun while learning the fundamentals of the game of basketball. Camp goals include: Improve shooting skills, develop ball handling skills, learn effective passing techniques, develop offensive and defensive skills and rebounding techniques. Registration link is here.
Hello Families and Volunteers!
Our students are enjoying gardening this spring! Now’s the time to look ahead to summer: We are seeking families to help with summer garden care so that students can return to a well-tended, bountiful garden in the fall. Don’t miss this chance to support our students, meet your neighbors, enjoy garden-fresh produce, and spend time outdoors with your family! Please contact me at columbia@commonthreadsfarm.org with “Summer Garden Volunteer” in the subject line if you are interested in helping with summer garden care, and let me know your availability. Or sign up on SignUpGenius at: Volunteer sign up Link
If you’re new to Columbia Garden please attend our volunteer orientation, which will take place on Monday 6/13 from 2:30-3:30. Weekly orientations will be available throughout the summer if you miss the first one, on Wednesdays from 4-5 or by request. Thank you for supporting your school gardens!
Thank you!
Kelsey
Lost and Found Items
Columbia’s IB PYP
Last week Columbia Elementary had its verification visit from IB (International Baccalaureate). The verification visit is a two-day visit with experienced IB educators. Their task is to ensure that the IB's educational standards and practices are in place and that we are ready to be an IB World School.
While we won’t hear back from IB officially for several weeks, we did receive some positive feedback about the visit! The verification team recognized the great impact that our hard work has had on our staff, students, and families:
- They noted how “passionate, balanced, and motivated” our teachers are, and they highlighted our “commitment to collaboration and reflection”, as well as our “respect for one another”.
- They saw and talked to students who are “engaged in learning, articulate, agentic, globally-minded and action-oriented”.
- They heard from “happy, informed’ parents who “appreciate the common language, global perspectives, and inquiry/concept-based learning” that is happening at our school.
Becoming an IB World School is a big accomplishment! There are only 5,400 schools in the world and 5 in Bellingham who are authorized as IB World Schools. We are hoping to join this group of schools who are meeting the IB's educational standards. There will be more information to come as we progress on our journey toward IB authorization!
In the meantime, here is one of the videos shown to the verification team that showcases some of what makes Columbia such a great place to learn:
Tips for A Successful Summer Break
- Keep academics in the mix: Try to encourage reading every day. Great free books can be checked out with a trip to the local library. If you can keep kids playing games that also encourage “math” in a fun way, that’s great, too. Simple things like counting money in board games or keeping score in more traditional card games keep that math brain active. Finally, if you can keep a pencil, pen, paint brush or marker in your child’s hands regularly that can also keep building those fine motor muscles essential for penmanship and writing when they return to school in the fall.
- Maintain a routine: Having a routine lets kids know what to expect each day and reduces their anxiety, which is especially important now that kids are facing a lot of change and uncertainty. Structure and predictability let kids feel safe, stable and in control to some extent. Summer routines can certainly be different from school routines. Depending on the age of your child, it’s often helpful to involve them in the process of setting up a routine and creating a schedule for the day. They’ll be more likely to stick to a schedule that they have helped to create because they have a little more buy-in, and because they’ll tend to choose things they enjoy. Try coming up with a list of fun activities and let them choose which ones they want to do and in what order. It’s also important to keep bedtimes and mealtimes as consistent as possible, so that kids have some clear structure to work with.
- Prioritize time outdoors: It’s really important for both physical and mental health for kids to spend time outdoors. Especially for kids who really need to burn off energy, staying physically active is a key part of being able to focus mentally. What’s more, spending time outside is a great way for kids to learn about the world around them and keep their academic skills sharp in a fun, active way. Need ideas? Scavenger hunts and obstacle courses in the backyard, family walks, hikes, bike rides or scooter rides are some fun ideas. More ideas include gardening and spending time at beaches, lakes or pools. If your child ordinarily plays sports, you can also help them recreate some of that structure at home. For instance, if you have a yard and your child plays soccer, set up a goal, even if it’s just a couple of cones to mark the space. Maybe they can use this time away from competition to learn new skills, practice for a new position, or focus on endurance, strength training or flexibility. Whatever they choose, setting goals and working toward them can help your child to stay engaged and focused while they’re out of school.
- Be smart about screens: Most kids have gotten a lot more screen time than usual during the past few months. And that might still be true this summer, to some extent — especially if you’re working, giving your child screen time may be the only way to get the time you need to get everything done. The trick is getting creative about how you use screen time, and how you find alternatives to it. Depending on what’s doable for your family right now, you might try to work in more non-screen activities as summer gets underway such as art, cooking, gardening, or taking photos. There are also lots of high-quality virtual resources that kids can get into this summer, and many are free or lowcost: such as Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ Mystery Science https://mysteryscience.com/ and other free resources complied by Child Mind.org: Family Resources for Remote Learning - Child Mind Institute
- Stay connected: With so much uncertainty around what’s safe and what’s not right now, it’s understandable that many families feel hesitant about getting out and interacting with others. But no matter what rules your family decides to follow, it’s important that your child maintains connections with friends or family — whether virtually or in person. The idea is to stay safe while also giving your child lots of opportunity to practice social skills and connect with loved ones, so that they can head to school in the fall (whatever that looks like!) feeling confident and supported.
-adapted from Strategies for a Successful Summer Break - Child Mind Institute
Alisson Bonner, M.Ed
School Counselor
Office Hours: 7:30am-3:00pm,
Monday - Friday
Dinner Program
Bellingham Public Schools serves hot dinner at no cost to all children 18 and under. These meals are offered from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday through June 16, 2022. Dinner is served in the Shuksan Middle School cafeteria, located at 2717 Alderwood Avenue (at the corner of Northwest and Alderwood). It does not matter what school you attend in the district.
Accompanying adults are charged $4.75 per meal — please bring cash or check. Please plan to eat onsite in the Shuksan cafeteria.
The daily Monday through Thursday dinner menu is listed on the school menu webpage by day after the lunch listing.
COLUMBIA PARENT ASSOCIATION (CPA)
Our last CPA Meeting of the school year was on Thursday, June 9th. If you are interested in volunteering or being a member of the CPA next school year please remember to complete your volunteer application.
CPA Board for 2021-2022
President - Shelby Giltner * shelby.giltner@gmail.com
Co-Treasurer - Liz Snyder * liz@elizabethasnyder.com
Co-Treasurer - Louise Salem * louise.salem@hotmail.com
Secretary - Regan Levinson * reganlev@gmail.com
Communications - Molly Belvo * molly.ruf@gmail.com
Volunteer Coordinator - Megan Ball * megan.ball@me.com
Honorary Board Member - Zed Blue * zed_blue@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.columbia-cpa.org/
Safe Schools Reporting and Tip Line
Columbia Elementary School
Email: Michele.Foster@bellinghamschools.org
Website: https://columbia.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 2508 Utter Street, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: 360-676-6413