Family Engagement: Columbia Elementary welcomed families for our first CES Open House on the evening of August 26th. This exciting opportunity to start our year and begin to make relationships was attended by many community members. Families expressed appreciation for the evening schedule and shared how much it meant to have more parents able to attend. We will continue to accommodate this request in the future.
New Hours/Reconfiguration: The reaction of families to our new hours has been widely anticipated. I am excited to share that our afternoon behavior challenges are greatly reduced this year due to young children exhibiting less fatigue and more stamina. I know some parents were concerned about the school hours during reconfiguration discussions but at this point, there has not been a single conversation regarding the change to our schedule. Our remarkable staff and students are adjusting well and even with so many changes, it has been the smoothest school start of my career!
LETRS and Mathematics: Teachers have benefitted significantly from quality training prior to the beginning of school. Instructors and many students report that our new math curriculum is wonderful! It is exciting to witness the engagement of learners and the satisfaction of staff. Similarly, reading instruction has been positively impacted by the well-received LETRS training. Teachers are implementing new strategies and applying deeper knowledge as they work with readers everyday. It is encouraging to watch the direct impact of training on the quality of classroom instruction.
Staffing: Columbia Elementary has welcomed many new classified staff members since school began. Providing for the needs of special education students during this transition has required uncommon flexibility and creativity. Amyra Black, Lorie Vogel, and Patty Morgan are dedicated special education teachers who each performed many extra duties over these weeks and worked diligently to make certain every child was cared for and each program supported. Additionally, North Fork Elementary graciously let us borrow some staff for the first days of school so we could meet our basic staffing needs. It has been inspiring to serve with such a supportive and collaborative community of educators!