Happenings on the Hill
August 2023
Dear Hill Campus Community,
Back-to-school preparations are in full swing! We are excited to welcome your child back to an invitational and innovative learning environment committed to growing and nurturing every student, every day.
This edition of Happenings on the HIll is packed with important back-to-school information.
Please read throughly and discuss the contents with your student.
In partnership with our families, we are nurturing responsible caring citizens, promoting high achievement, and building a school community that provides a positive, safe, and supportive environment for every student, every day.
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer! We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday, August 22.
Thanky you for your ongoing support!
Ms. Landis
2023-24 Back-to-School Information
First Day of School: August 22, 2023
School hours for 2023-24
8:00 a.m.- 3:05 p.m.
Doors Open: 7:55 a.m. *Students arriving after 8:00 a.m. will be marked tardy*
Office hours
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Back-to-School Night
September 7: The Hill Campus invites all families to a drop-in Back-to-School Night from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
*Stay tuned for more details.
Breakfast
CMS Students: All middle school students will enter through the main lobby at 7:55 a.m. and may get breakfast from the kiosk prior to entering their classrooms. Students will eat breakfast in their homeroom.
CHS Students: All high school students eating breakfast will enter through the cafeteria doors starting at 7:45 a.m. All students must exit the cafeteria at 7:55 a.m. to report to their 1st period class.
23-24 School Year Student Calendar
Arrival & Dismissal Information
Arrival
- Cars will arrive via the front hill and separate into two lanes.
- Drop-off and thru lanes will be divided by a painted line.
- Interior Lane: Drop-off; Exterior Lane: Thru traffic
- No long-term parking/idling along the red curb areas or front hill.
Dismissal
- No students will be dismissed via front doors to alleviate traffic congestion and increase student safety.
- Barriers will be in place the first few weeks of school to support the new traffic pattern.
- Middle school students will exit through middle school doors at the rear of the building.
- High school students may exit through all available exit doors.
- Hill Campus Staff will be stationed at available doors to support student safety.
- Car riders will meet their rides in the gym or cafeteria parking lots.
- If your child is a car rider, please make a pick-up plan prior to the first day of school.
- No parking along the front of the building or on hill will be permitted.
Student Schedules
Student Services will be hosting a Schedule Change Drop-In on Monday, August 14 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Stop in at the Hill Campus during that time if you wish to make changes to a student schedule.
- Students should review their schedules prior to the start of school and contact Ms. (Reuter) Butler at kreuter@columbiabsd.org or Ms. Jesberger at jjesberger@columbiabsd.org with questions.
- High school students will also have the opportunity to adjust their schedules during the first five (5) days of school.
- Schedules can be revised by making an appointment with a school counselor through Counselor's Corner.
School Counselors:
Kristina (Reuter) Butler: Students with last names A-L
Jennifer Jesberger: Students with last names M-Z
2023-24 Student Handbook Snapshot
Cell Phone Policies
High School
- Cell phones may not be used during class time.
- Cell phones must be silenced and left in backpacks or turned in to the classroom teacher for the duration of the class period.
- Cell phones may be used in the hallway during transitions and in the cafeteria during lunch.
Middle School
- Cell phones may not be used during the school day.
- Cell phones must remain in lockers or be turned in to a student’s homeroom/first period teacher upon arrival.
Lockers
CHS students can complete a locker request form to receive access to a locker. Locker request forms will be distributed on the first day of school.
CMS Students will receive an assigned locker in the middle school area. Middle school students are permitted to visit their locker before the start of the school day, before lunch, and at the end of the school day.
Student Dress
Please review the updated Hill Campus student dress code below:
Guidelines
- The Columbia Borough School District expects that student attire will be clean, neat, and worn in its intended manner.
- All clothing must be free from drawings or lettering depicting drugs/alcohol (including tobacco products), violence and weaponry, profanity, and/or sex.
- Shirts/t-shirts must cover the majority of the stomach/midriff area. “Majority” means that if your hand is held parallel to your waist, your shirt must fall within three closed fingers of your waistband.
- Shirts must have straps or sleeves (unless covered by an article of clothing that has sleeves).
- Shorts and skirts must be at fingertip length.
- Clothing with holes may not have holes (without fabric underneath) above fingertip length or exposing traditionally covered areas.
- Undergarments must be covered.
- Sunglasses may not be worn indoors unless a medical note is on file with the nurse.
- Hoods/hats/head coverings, unless for religious or medical purposes, may not be worn (middle school only).
- Blankets may not be worn.
- Clothing that may cause harm to others or school property (items with spikes, etc.) may not be worn.
- Shoes/sneakers must be free of wheels.
- Clothing and/or accessories that cause unnecessary distraction may not be worn. Examples: Long chains that hang from body, costume clothing, decorative headwear.
Enforcement
- If clothing or accessories do not meet these guidelines, students will be required to change/make a correction to meet the guideline.
- If the student does not have an appropriate alternative to wear, their parent/caregiver will be contacted and asked to bring a change of clothes to school.
- Every effort will be made to maintain the dignity and privacy of the student and minimize the loss of instructional time.
- Administrative discretion may be used in matters of dress and grooming.
Athletics & Extracurricular Activities
2023-24 Fall Extracurricular Information
Attention students and stakeholders - All fall season extracurricular information is now posted on our CBSD athletics webpage (https://www.columbiabsd.org/o/high-school/page/athletics). For any 7th-12th grade student interested in learning about our extracurricular programs for the fall season, please review the "CBSD Fall Sports Update" document for important information to prepare you for the upcoming season.
HomeTown Ticketing
As we prepare for the 2023-24 extracurricular year, we want to ensure you have the resources necessary for a holistic experience. Please take a look at the attachment for pertinent information about our extracurricular tickets. Spectators can now purchase tickets online or with cash at our ticket booths. We will not sell tickets past our spectator capacity limit in our athletic facilities. If we meet our spectator capacity limit, we will stop selling tickets. Ticket costs are $5 for Adults and $3 for Students/Senior Citizens.
Moving forward, we are offering digital All-Sports Season Passes via HomeTown Ticketing for adults and students for the 2023-2024 school year. The All-Sports Season Pass can be used for admittance into any home extracurricular event for the year. All-Sports Season Passes are valid for all fall, winter, and spring home extracurricular events. For more information about our tickets, please review the attachment below or view our website (https://www.columbiabsd.org/o/high-school/page/athletic-event-tickets)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Athletics and Activities Department by calling (717) 684-7500 ext. 3403
Go Tide!
Student Services
Counselor's Corner
Work Permits
Dual Enrollment
CBSD is committed to allowing qualified high school students the opportunity to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. By participating in Dual Enrollment, students are exposed to college classes, coursework, and expectations while still in high school, at what is typically a reduced tuition rate.
Successful students may be able to transfer those credits earned through dual enrollment to another college and/or toward their college degree. Transfer credits are dependent on the discretion of the destination college.
Health Room
2022-23 Health and Dental Requirements
* 7th Grade Students: The state of Pennsylvania requires all 7th grade students to have a Tdap booster vaccine and MCV (meningitis) vaccine or documentation of exemption by August 28, 2023. Students will be excluded from school beginning August 29, if documention of the vaccine or exemption are not provided to the school nurse. Send an updated copy of your student's immunizations to the school nurse as soon as possible.
The state of Pennsylvania also requires all 7th grade students to have a completed dental exam. Dental exams completed within 4 months of the upcoming school year are acceptable. A copy of the dental exam must be sent to the school nurse. CBSD partners with Family First Health Dental in Columbia for treatment throughout the school year. Information for this program will be provided to students at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.
*11th Grade Students: The state of Pennsylvania requires all 11th grade students to have a physical exam (medical) completed by their primary care or school physician. This physical may be completed any time over the summer or throughout the school year, and a copy of the physical exam must be sent to the school nurse. CBSD will offer 11th grade students a free school physical in the Spring of 2024.
* 12th Grade Students: The state of Pennsylvania requires all 12th grade students to have a second MCV (meningitis) vaccine or documentation of exemption by August 28, 2023. Students will be excluded from school beginning August 29, if documention of the vaccine or exemption are not provided to the school nurse. Send an updated copy of your student's immunizations to the school nurse as soon as possible.
Student-related health information can be emailed to the school nurse, Laura Pavelko, at lpavelko@columbiabsd.org or can be handed in at the office or faxed to (717) 681-2219.
You are the Reason We are Here!
CBSD CREDO
We pledge to provide an innovative place of learning where individuals will always enjoy a positive, supportive, and safe environment.
The CBSD experience honors everyone's personal story, nurtures well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed needs of our community.
CBSD Hill Campus
Columbia, PA 17512
717.684.7500