Columbia Splash
October 2021
Note from the Principal
Hi Columbia Families and Caregivers,
I hope you are well. Here is our monthly SMORE newsletter. You might be wondering how it is different from our weekly messages. Good question. I am trying to sort that out too. 😉 One goal of mine is to have clear and open communication to families and caregivers whether in the SMORE or in my weekly email. Here are some initial thoughts I have about the two modes of communication.
Through weekly messaging, I hope to:
- Celebrate or showcase student learning (a lot of that is seen through our Virtual Assembly videos)
- Remind our community of upcoming dates
- Share (or remind) our community of expectations
- Keep you all in the loop of what we are focusing on as a building (what students are learning and at times, what we are learning as a staff)
Through the monthly SMORE, I hope to:
- Keep families in the loop around district events
- Keep families in the loop around district news and updates
- Give some of our specialists a chance to highlight learning from their work in the building (Ms. Ali, our counselor or Ms. O’Halloran, our IB coordinator or other specialists who have news to share)
And, I am always open to feedback. What can I do differently or what information would be helpful for you and or your family? Feel free to reach out and share your ideas! Minh.Nguyen@bellinghamschools.org
Thanks for connecting. Have a great weekend!
Best,
Minh
IN THIS EPISODE:
2. COVID-19 Testing
3. Emergency Information
4. Promise Kindergarten
5. Columbia Mural
6. Blue Friday
7. Primary Years Program (PYP)
8. A Note From Our School Counselor
9. Volunteer Info
10. School Grounds
11. Keeping Students Information Updated
12. Safe Schools Reporting & Tip Line
13. CPA Board
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
PROMISE KINDERGARTEN
About Promise K
Promise K focuses on building basic academic and social skills to help qualifying students get a jump-start toward success in school. Promise K is located at multiple elementary schools across our school district; sites for 2022 have not yet been finalized.
Program dates and times
Family conferences will be scheduled on Monday, Jan. 3 and Tuesday, Jan. 4, and the first full day of Promise K is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2022. Promise K students attend daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and follow the district calendar; the last day of the school year is currently scheduled for June 17, 2022. The strategic plan for Bellingham Public Schools, The Bellingham Promise<http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/9BfLYnrl1JTQW6DML7ndyA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjSzg2P0Q7aHR0cHM6Ly9iZWxsaW5naGFtc2Nob29scy5vcmcvYWJvdXQvdGhlLWJlbGxpbmdoYW0tcHJvbWlzZS9XB3NjaG9vbG1CCmFotgRqYWe8dmlSOkNvbW11bmljYXRpb25zYW5kQ29tbXVuaXR5UmVsYXRpb25zMkBiZWxsaW5naGFtc2Nob29scy5vcmdYBAAAAAE~>, drives us to do all we can in support of all students at every level of education. One of our key strategies is to enhance and invest in early childhood learning opportunities. We believe offering Promise Kindergarten is a positive and critical step in helping all children transition into our schools and start their journeys of lifelong learning.
Apply here
If your child qualifies and you are interested in enrolling them into our Promise K program, please fill out the online application<http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/XoSrGGWnE4jP6jO5mxJo2g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjSzg2P0Q7aHR0cHM6Ly9iZWxsaW5naGFtc2Nob29scy5vcmcvcHJvZ3JhbS9wcm9taXNlLWtpbmRlcmdhcnRlbi9XB3NjaG9vbG1CCmFotgRqYWe8dmlSOkNvbW11bmljYXRpb25zYW5kQ29tbXVuaXR5UmVsYXRpb25zMkBiZWxsaW5naGFtc2Nob29scy5vcmdYBAAAAAE~>. We invite you to share this information with friends and neighbors who may also have a child within Bellingham Public Schools boundaries who qualifies for Promise K.
If you have any questions, please contact Kris Newberry<mailto:Kristin.Newberry@bellinghamschools.org> in the Department of Teaching and Learning or call 360-676-6488.
Columbia Mural Reflects on Pandemic School Year
Last year, Ms. Ashley Welch led her fourth-grade class through an in-depth inquiry process that, among other things, yielded the artwork featured for the month of September in our current Family Handbook and Calendar. Through Ms. Welch’s reflections, learn how these students turned big questions about learning, growth and the pandemic into collaborative, beautiful art.
School Spirit Fridays are here again! This year every Friday, we will host “Blue Friday!” We want to encourage our staff, students and families to come dressed in their favorite BLUES! That could be Columbia Spirit Wear, blue jeans, Seahawks gear and/or anything else bold and blue (including fuzzy pajamas, if your teacher approves)!
We hope to have a few extra special spirit days sprinkled in throughout the year. Stay tuned for updates! And start thinking about your spirit gear for next week’s “Blue Friday”!
Primary Years Program (PYP) in Action at Columbia
As teachers and students wrap up their first unit of inquiry under the theme Who We Are (An inquiry into the nature of self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social, and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.) they are reflecting and acting on what they have learned.
Reflection in the PYP:
The Primary Years Program is committed to the process of reflection and its important role in both teaching and learning. The process of reflection helps to develop deeper understanding. It encourages discovery and connection-making. It allows students to be able to transfer their learning to other contexts and to use what they have learned when encountering new tasks or problems in the future. Reflection helps us learn how to be better at learning.
Action in the PYP:
The International Baccalaureate Organization states, “In the PYP, it is believed that education must extend beyond the intellectual to include not only socially responsible attitudes but also thoughtful and appropriate action. An explicit expectation of the PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student because of the learning process.”
Action is more than just a service project or raising money for a cause. It can happen at any age and be as simple as remembering to turn off the lights when leaving a room. It really is more a state of mind than a product.
Look at examples of some of the learning that has occurred during students’ first unit of inquiry:
Join our team in Bellingham Public Schools
Parents and guardians! Be a part of The Bellingham Promise in a new way…as a staff member! Bellingham Public Schools is hiring now for regular and substitute positions.
Current vacancies include paraeducators, office staff and bus drivers, as well as coaching and teaching positions. Most positions are on a school year schedule making this a perfect fit for your family.
Learn more about working for us at bellinghamschools.org/jobs.
A Note From Our School Counselor
If your child, or your family, is in need of support or resources this fall, please reach out to the school counselor, Alisson Bonner. She can provide information on community mental health supports, food supports and/or parenting tips and resources. The quickest way to contact the school counselor is via email: Alisson.bonner@bellinghamschools.org.
The Family Resource Center, at the Bellingham School District, is also another great resource for family support, including winter clothing resources, rental assistance information and more. See their website for more information on these programs and a wealth of other information:
https://bellinghamschools.org/about/departments/family-engagement/family-support-services/
VOLUNTEERING
If you are interested in volunteering please complete the online application.
School Grounds...
Students are using the playground and the field. Please help us by following the expectations for dogs on the playground:
- Dogs are not allowed on campus from 7:15-2:00
- Dogs must always be leashed on school grounds
- Please clean up after your dog and dispose of waste in a garbage receptacle
Thank you for being principled neighbors and helping our kids be at school safely.
Keeping Students Information Updated
It is important that you contact our office when there are changes made regarding your students address, health, or contact information. Throughout the year, you will receive emails and phone messages concerning your child(ren), from Columbia and the Bellingham Public Schools. Please take the time to update your preferences at here.
Safe Schools Reporting and Tip Line
COLUMBIA PARENT ASSOCIATION (CPA)
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/
Columbia Elementary School
Email: Michele.Foster@bellinghamschools.org
Website: https://columbia.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 2508 Utter Street, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: 360-676-6413