Columbia Elementary School Newsletter
February 2018
Email Address:
Web Site Address: http://www.sd67.bc.ca/columbia
School Phone: 250-770-7676
Administrators’ Message
The months of January and February are often quite times during which we see much growth and maturity amongst our students after returning from winter holidays. Students are also involved in many extracurricular activities at Columbia; from chess, basketball, and intramurals. Our children have many opportunities to learn new skills and work together! On Monday, February12th we hope you will have a chance to celebrate ‘Family Day’ together as schools will be closed for this BC Holiday.
Columbia Basketball Teams
Basketball season is in full swing at Columbia. Coach Ms. Hicks, and supporters Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Krekic are pleased to report that enthusiasm for basketball is very high at our school. The students have shown themselves to be responsible, hard-working and supportive teammates. We are working on developing our skills in hopes of creating a lifelong love of this awesome sport.
Chess Club
Students will be enjoying learning the basics, developing strategy and for some of them increasing their skills. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be invited down to the open area to play in a cooperative setting where everyone can learn the game. If you are a parent with a keen interest in chess, have lunch hour free and are interested in helping us out please contact Mrs. Edwards by email or by calling the school 250-770-7676. Thanks to Taylor Gordon for helping to get this club going. Please listen to the announcements for days the club will be open.
Columbia Parent Advisory Committee
The PAC is your voice as a parent at the school level; working to give every child the best possible school experience. We can only do this together! The events and fundraisers rely on volunteers to be successful and without everyone doing their part the PAC struggles to continue to support activities. Please plan to attend our next PAC meeting on February 19th at 7:15 p.m. in the school library.
5 Cs Assembly
Congratulations to all of our students who were recognized for the great job they did showing Courtesy. At our February assembly we will be focusing on Cooperation. Thank-you for helping make Columbia such a great place to grow and learn!
Ready, Set, Learn
Columbia Elementary School will be hosting a Ready, Set, Learn Session in April, supported by the Ministry of Education. The session is intended for families of 3 or 4 year olds who will be attending Columbia Elementary in the future. Our Ready, Set, Learn session will be held Wednesday, April 11th from 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Parent and their preschoolers are invited to join us for a morning of information and a chance to see what kindergarten life is like. Also, if you are aware of parents with children that will be attending Columbia Kindergarten in the next two years who may not have received this information, please pass this along to them and encourage them to attend. Please register for this program by calling the office at 250-770-7676.
Kindergarten Registration
School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
Kindergarten Registration
Children born in 2013 are eligible to enter kindergarten in September 2018. Parents, who feel their child is not yet ready for kindergarten, may defer enrollment for one year. Please contact Wendy Hyer (770-7700) at the School Board Office for information on this.
Placement in your neighborhood school kindergarten is based on your address and registration date. The earlier you register, the more likely your child will attend a school close to your home.
Register at your neighborhood school during regular school hours. A birth certificate will be required as well as your child’s BC Care Card, parental BC Care Card and proof of address (i.e. driver’s license, utility bill, lease agreement).
Pink Shirt Day
On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 we encourage everyone to wear something pink to show that we are all working together to prevent bullying in our schools, in our communities and online. Pink Shirt Day comes from two Nova Scotia high school students, who decided to take a stand against bullying in their own school.
In today’s digital world, it can be impossible to escape online bullying, whether it takes the shape of harassment, spreading rumours, sharing embarrassing information or threats. This year, Pink Shirt Day is encouraging others to combat cyberbullying by thinking twice before posting something negative, and instead using the internet to spread kindness - because we know that “Nice Needs No Filter”! See parenting presentation below.
Parenting in the Digital World
Parents of School District #67 have an opportunity to gain some valuable information as well as tips and tricks about how to parent in a digital age from Nick Chernoff, a presenter from Safer Schools Together. Safer Schools Together is a provincial network that helps schools manage digital and social media issues.
Nick has a strong background in this area, including having worked with at-risk youth in gangs, has been a member of the Canadian Forces and works closely with various Military Intelligence Units. He currently works with Safer Schools together in addressing worrisome and threat-related online behaviours. He will speak to a wide range of topics, including netiquette, digital media habits and oversharing, distribution of intimate images (sexting) and plagiarism. The presentation is an hour and a half long with a half hour available afterwards for questions.
The Penticton Parent Presentation will happen on Wednesday, Feb 28 from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room at KVR Middle School. This is open to all parents in our district and we strongly encourage our Columbia parents to come out to hear the latest information and ways to help develop a digital parenting strategy.
This presentation is designed for adults, but should parents want to attend and need child care, child-minding will be provided by Leadership 8 students.
If you want to attend, please RSVP to Lois Leonard at to secure your seat.
More information can be found on the school district website at http://www.sd67.bc.ca/Documents/Digital%20Awareness%20Parent%20Night%20-%20Feb%202018.pdf
Student Safety
The street in front of our school is a very busy and congested place before and after school. In the interest of your child’s safety, we are asking ALL parents to:
· Remind their children to use the crosswalk when crossing to the other side of the road (and please model this behavior by using the crosswalk yourself!)
· NOT park in the pull-in area in front of the school - this is for BUSES and handicapped only.
· Use the street side area in front of the adventure playground as a ‘drop-off, pick-up area’, rather than the pull-in area.
Let’s all work together to keep our children safe!
School Transfer Requests
The window for students requesting transfers from their catchment/current school to another school in School District No. 67 for the September 2018 / 2019 school year is 8:00 am, February 1, 2018 to 4:00 pm, April 15, 2018. Transfer requests received prior to February 1 will be date/ time stamped as “February 1, 2018, 8:00 am” and transfer requests received after April 15th may not be considered until September 2018. Decisions will likely not be approved until September 2018 due to the District’s boundaries review and the potential impact of the Supreme Court decision.
Columbia Spirit Wear
Show your School Spirit and wear your Columbia Roadrunners t-shirts and hoodies every Monday! If you would like to purchase a shirt or hoodie please see Mrs. Sismey in the office. We have a variety of sizes available and will order more if we need to!
Calendar at a Glance
French Immersion Deadline / Thursday February 1 at NOONPAC Movie Night / Friday, February 2nd
Cooperation Assembly / Monday, February 5th
Cupcake Sale for SPCA / Thursday, February 8th
Family Day – No School / Monday, February 12th
Professional Development Day- No School / Friday, February 16th
Early Dismissal / Wednesday, February 21st
Pink Shirt Day / Wednesday, February 28th
Safe Arrival
Thank you to the parents who have called to let us know if your child is absent or late. It saves us time and effort making numerous phone calls.
Phone number is (250) 770-7676 ext 6027
COLUMBIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
FEBRUARY 2018
1
February 1
French Immersion Registration Deadline
(at Noon) / 2
Hot Lunch
PAC Movie
Night / 3
4 / 5
Cooperation Awards Assembly 9:15
Columbia Wear Monday / 6 / 7
Basketball vs Naramata
/ 8
Cupcake Sale
SPCA
/ 9
Hot Lunch
Grade 5’s
To Seussical / 10
11 / 12
Family Day
/ 13 / 14
Valentines
Day / 15
Hot Lunch / 16
Professional
Development Day / 17
18 / 19
Columbia Wear Monday
100 days for Primary students / 20 / 21
Early Dismissal @ 1:45pm
/ 22 / 23
Hot Lunch / 24
25 / 26
Columbia Wear Monday
Gr 5 Cross
Country Skiing
/ 27 / 28
Pink Shirt Day