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Steve Hamilton, Principal Phone: 303-690-6570Kerstin Rowe,
Assistant Principal Attendance: 303-326-1651Moran Stone, Assistant
Principal Fax: 303-326-1251Michelle Daskevich-Kenison, Principal’s
Secretary
Columbia Middle School • 17600 East Columbia Avenue • Aurora,
Colorado 80013
Cougar News
Columbia’s website address: http://columbia.aurorak12.org/
April 2018
Principal’sMessageColumbia Community,We are now in the final two
months of the 2017-2018 school year and have many items coming that
you should be aware of as you plan for the end-of-year. Outlined
below are some of these specific items for your information:
FUNDRAISER! WE NEED YOU! – Every spring, PTSO (our parent team)
coordinates a spring fundraiser designed to support student
activities for the end-of-year activities and to start the
beginning of the next school year. As a community, you’ve asked for
this fundraiser in the spring because of all of the costs
associated with the start of the new year. Please know your PTSO
uses these dollars to coordinate dances, cake walks, carnivals,
field trips, team recognition rewards, Cougar PRIDE rewards,
athletic celebrations, college visits, and so much more. We can’t
do this without you! Please help us with this year’s fundraiser
which will kick-off on April 5th and run for ten days. More
information about this is in this newsletter.
YEARBOOK! GET IT NOW! – Columbia has a beautiful, 48 page, full
color yearbook each year. This year we are almost sold out of
orders but there are a few left. Please don’t forget to get yours
for only $12. Make checks payable to Columbia Middle School or
bring cash. When we are out, we are out! Don’t forget!
END-OF-YEAR activities! – Each year, we plan end-of-year
activities for each grade level. All students must meet basic
academic and behav-ioral eligibility requirements to participate.
Please encourage you child to finish strong and strive for the
prize. We would love to have every single student eligible for
end-of-year activities.
35th Anniversary Celebration!/Incoming 6th Grader Open House –
Columbia turned 35 this year and we are excited to be holding a
35th anniversary open house on April 27th from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. We
will have a slide show capturing pictures across the decades, songs
and news highlights, old yearbook photos and of course alumni from
past years. We will also have fabulous musical performances from
our cur-rent students. Every spring Columbia holds an open house
for incoming 6th grade students and their families. This evening
gives students a preview of our school, a chance to meet some of
the staff and learn about various programs. If you have a new 6th
grader coming next year, we hope to see you on April 27th from 5:30
– 7:30 PM.
SPRING REGISTRATION! – We will be asking current 6th and 7th
grade students to register for their 7th and 8th grade elective
classes in early May. This is an important opportunity for students
to indicate what they want to take for their choice classes next
school year. Typically, student choice includes Band, Orchestra,
Choir and Spanish. Students who do not want these classes are
assigned classes in technology, art, PE and drama. Please make sure
you and your student are clear on their elective interests before
they turn in their registration information.
Steve Hamilton, Principal
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MensajedeldirectorComunidad de Columbia,Ahora estamos en los
últimos dos meses del año escolar 2017-2018 y tenemos muchos
artículos que debe conocer al momento de planificar para el final
del año. A continuación se detallan algunos de estos elementos
específicos para su información:
FUNDRAISER! ¡TE NECESITAMOS! - Cada primavera, PTSO (nuestro
equipo de padres) coordina una recaudación de fondos de primavera
diseñada para apoyar las actividades de los estudiantes para las
actividades de fin de año y para comenzar el comienzo del próximo
año escolar. Como comunidad, solicitó esta recaudación de fondos en
la primavera debido a todos los costos asociados con el comienzo
del nuevo año. Por favor, sepa que su PTSO usa estos dólares para
coordinar bailes, caminatas, carnavales, excursiones, recompensas
de reconocimiento de equipos, recompensas de Cougar PRIDE,
celebraciones atléticas, visitas a universidades y mucho más. ¡No
podemos hacer esto sin usted! Ayúdenos con la recaudación de fondos
de este año, que comenzará el 5 de abril y durará diez días. Más
información sobre esto está en este boletín.
¡ANUARIO! ¡CONSIGUELO AHORA! - Columbia tiene un hermoso anuario
a todo color de 48 páginas cada año. Este año estamos casi
agotados, pero quedan algunos. Por favor, no olvide obtener el suyo
por solo $ 12. Haga los cheques a nombre de Columbia Middle School
o traiga dinero en efectivo.
Celebración del 35º Aniversario!/Open House! - Columbia cumplió
35 años este año y estamos entusiasmados de celebrar el 35 °
aniver-sario de la casa abierta el 27 de abril de 5:30 a 7:30 p. M.
Tendremos una presentación de diapositivas que capturará imágenes a
través de las décadas, canciones y noticias destacadas, viejas
fotos de anuarios y por supuesto ex alumnos de años pasados.
También tendremos actuaciones musicales fabulosas de nuestros
estudiantes actuales. Cada primavera, Columbia tiene una casa
abierta para los estudiantes entrantes de sexto grado y sus
familias. Esta tarde les da a los estudiantes una vista previa de
nuestra escuela, la oportunidad de conocer a algunos miembros del
personal y aprender sobre varios programas. Si tiene un nuevo
alumno de sexto grado el próximo año, esperamos verlo el 27 de
abril de 5:30 a 7:30 PM.
REGISTRO DE PRIMAVERA! - Les pediremos a los estudiantes
actuales de 6 ° y 7 ° grado que se inscriban para sus clases
electivas de 7 ° y 8 ° grado a principios de mayo. Esta es una
oportunidad importante para que los estudiantes indiquen lo que
quieren tomar para sus clases de elección el próximo año escolar.
Por lo general, la elección del estudiante incluye banda, orquesta,
coro y español. A los estudiantes que no quieran estas clases se
les asignan clases de tecnología, arte, educación física y drama.
Asegúrese de que usted y su hijo tengan claro cuáles son sus
intereses electivos antes de entregar su información de
registro.
Steve Hamilton, director
PTSOApril 11th - Monthly PTSO Meeting - 6:00-8:00 p.m. in
Teachers’ LoungeApril 27th - 35th anniversary and talent
showcase—more info to come42 students signed up for the college
tour which is scheduled for May 9 At Metro UniversityPTSO is
involved in the process for selecting a new principal for Columbia
and very sad that Principal Hamilton is retiring.
ColumbiaLibraryNewsWednesday April 25 is Columbia’s Battle of
the Books day!
20 teams will battle against each other answering questions
about the 10 books they have read.
The winning team will earn prizes and all participants will
celebrate with a party after Battle Day.
Students in the Creator Club are earning a digital badge while
working on a project for our local animal shelter. We will be
making toys and bedding for the resident pets from donated
materials. A field trip to the shelter to present what is made is
planned as a reward for their hard work.
Thank you to those who donated and helped us make this project
possible.
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FromtheAssistantPrincipals(Mrs.KerstinRoweandMrs.MoranStone)
Hello Parents/Guardians, A reminder that CMAS tests are quickly
approaching.
You can help! Please support your student in doing their very
best on these assessments! Please make sure your student:•
getstoschoolontime,• hasahealthybreakfast,•
andgetsagoodnight’ssleep.
Please make note of the dates below! There have been some slight
changes in order to shrink the number of days students spend
testing.
Please do your very best to ensure that all appointments are
scheduled for a different day.
Please do not pick students up early on these days.April 3, 4, 6
7th and 8th grades ELAApril 10, 11, 12 7th grade Math and Social
StudiesApril 10, 11, 12 8th grade Math and Science
Please note we DO have school on Monday, April 2!
For more information, please visit this district website:
http://assessment.aurorak12.org/parent-resources/
Please call or email assistant principal Kerstin Rowe if you
have any questions [email protected]
FromtheMainOfficeOpen Enrollment, for the 2018-2019 school year,
has now started. Forms may be obtained at Columbia Middle School’s
Main Office. Open enrollment closes on May 1st at 4:00 p.m.
ImportantNumbersAttendance Line: 303-326-1651 (24 hours)Main
Office Phone: 303-690-6570Cafeteria: 303-326-1151Main Office Fax:
303-326-1251Columbia’s Website: Columbia.aurorak12.org
OfficeHoursMonday through Friday: 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Student Hours: Monday through Friday 1st Bell – 8:20 A.M. 2nd
Bell – 8:30 A.M. (Seated in first period classes) Last Bell – 3:57
P.M. (Students dismissed for the day) Campus Cleared – 4:07
P.M.
Breakfast is served from 8:00 – 8:20 A.M.Students must come in
through the cafeteria doors, on the east side of the
building.Intramurals is from 7:30 – 8:20 A.M.
ImportantDatesComingup…April 27th Columbia’s 35th Anniversary
Open House from 5:30-7:30 p.m.April 27th Spring Open House for
incoming 6th gradersMay 4th No School for Professional Release
day
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Nurse’sNotes
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What’shappeninginyourchild’sclassroom? TeamLynxNewsletter
Team Lynx (formerly known as Team 8B) 8th Grade students have
recently registered for high school, and in just a few short weeks,
they will be moving on from Columbia Middle School. While we have
done everything in our power to help students be prepared for the
change, it can still be a nerve wracking time for both parents and
students. This month’s blog is featuring “5 Tips for Making the
Move: Middle School to High School from Tutor.com.
5 Tips for Making the Move: Middle School to High SchoolGetting
Your School Stuff DoneThat adorable five-year old you snapped
pictures of just yesterday is now heading to high school. And both
of you may once again have butterflies thinking of what’s to come.
New school, new teachers, new schedules—not to mention Algebra and
research papers! It’s no wonder that freshman making the high
school transition often earn their lowest GPA, before they figure
everything out.
Become a Time Management Ninja: High school is all about
man-aging your time. Students need to balance academics,
extracur-riculars and their social life. Help your child by looking
through their schedule and helping them map out the first month or
two of school. You can do this online or put an erasable whiteboard
in your child’s study area – whatever works for your family. Make
sure you add in study/homework time each school night to help your
child see when he/she is truly free. Several months in your child
may be able to take over the calendar with less help.
Big Projects? Start Small: Your child may find they have more
long-term assignments such as a research paper or essay assigned in
October but due in November. It’s easy to procrastinate and then
find your son or daughter in a panic a few days before the due
date. Help them map out a plan where they complete a piece of the
assignment every few weeks such as going to library for research
followed by completing an outline. Having regular due dates will
help keep projects on track and reduce last-minute meltdowns.
It All Counts: If your child is planning on going to college,
their freshman GPA will go on their college transcript. Make sure
your child is taking the right mix of classes and see what support
is available at the school. You can make an appointment with your
child’s guidance counselor to ensure you are on the right track.
Homework Heaven: Experts generally agree that students should get
about 10 minutes of homework per grade level. That’s 90 min-utes of
homework for your 9th grader! Research shows students don’t
concentrate well for long periods. Rather than demanding your child
finish all his/her homework in one sitting, encourage him/her to
take breaks every 20-30 minutes. That’s a great time to check their
phone, get a snack or just get up and stretch. They’ll complain
less and be more productive.
Celebrate: We’re big believers in celebrating your academic
suc-cesses! A great biology grade, finished essay or a week of
completed homework assignments deserves some recognition. Come up
with something that works for your family – maybe it’s dessert at
your favorite ice cream shop or a new app. Your child will
appreciate being celebrated!
Academic News:We begin CMAS testing the week we come back from
Spring Break. Eighth grade students are tested in Reading, Writing,
Math, and Science.
Social Studies--Students are learning about the Industrial
Revolu-tion and moving into the Civil War.will be creating
educational videos/presentations for they classmates about the
cause of the U.S. Civil War. Once their projects are complete, we
will have class pre-sentations. Then, students will answer the
question, “What social, political and economic issues divided the
United States, leading to the Civil War?” Students will then
explore the war itself (strategy, leadership, technology, etc.)
then turn their focus to Reconstruction and how the country
attempted to and is still healing from the Civil War, making
connections between the late 1800s and current issues facing the
United States. This extended Civil War unit will be our last
content unit of 8th grade. We will end the year creating online
portfolios for students to showcase their work and take with them
to high school and beyond.
Science-- Students are working on the best propeller car. 8th
grade Lynx-science is finishing up its work with cars. Students
have been learning about force with inclusion in Newton’s Laws of
Motion. We will start our unit on sexual education after finishing
up CMAS testing. This unit of work lasts 5 days and will be from
April 16th through 20th. Opt out letters were sent home before
spring break. Please sign and return if you do not want your child
to participate in this work. Finally, we will be starting work on
Weather. The unit focuses on general weather patterns and climate
data. This work will continue through May. It is our last unit of
the 8th grade curriculum and this school year. Thank you for your
support. -Justin Witzke
Math--Math will be preparing for CMAS testing, along with
start-ing a Star Project where we explore scientific notation
through cal-culating how many hydrogen atoms fit in the volume of
the star.
Literacy--Our students just wrapped up study of rhetoric, the
art of speaking and writing well. They analyzed a speech of their
choosing and explained the rhetorical devices in the speech to
their class. After returning from break we will start CMAS state
testing.
Physical EducationWe want to welcome back all the students to PE
for 4th quarter: PE students will participate in the following
units this quarter:Fitness testingRec GamesSoccerDouble Dutch
We require each PE student to dress out for class to promote
good hygiene. Uniforms are for sale in the main office for $20.00.
During the winter months, black sweatpants , black leggings/yoga
pants are acceptable to wear in class.
As always, If you have any questions about our class, please
feel free to contact Mr. Fulton or Mr. Marshall.
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s! A
pply
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ine
http
://au
rora
k12.
org
(st
artin
g $1
1.28
/hr)
U
SDA
is a
n eq
ual o
ppor
tuni
ty p
rovi
der
and
empl
oyer
U
SDA
es
un p
rove
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y e
mpl
eado
r de
igua
ldad
de
opor
tuni
dade
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