E-mail Address: Columbia@sum me r.com Web Site…Address: htt p: //sd67.bc. ca/s cho ols/Columbia Phone: 250-770-7676

Cal e ndar A t A G la n c e

Administrators’ Message:A very happy new year to the Columbia School Community! We hope everyone had a happy holiday filled with many memory-making family moments. We would like to thank all the parents who were able to make time in their busy schedules to attend the concert, help make gingerbread houses, flip pancakes, and assist with craft sessions. Your participation and commitment to your child’s education adds so much to his or her school experience. Thank you and we

look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming winter events!

Mrs. Lisa Edwards, PrincipalMrs. Carla Krekic, Vice-Principal

S C H OOL S P I RIT D AY S … Wear your Columbia Roadrunner shirts on Mondays School Spirit Days are every Monday at Columbia. The new shirts have arrived and will be distributed this week. We hope to see many shirts next Monday!

SAFE ARRIVALPlease contact our office at 250-770-7676 to advise us if your child is going to be away or late for school for any reason. Please feel free to leave a message on our answering machine before or after school hours.

STUDENT SAFETYThe 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:

COLUMBIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMONTHLY NEWSLETTER

January 2019

January 7 Schools re-openJanuary 16 PAC Meeting 6:30pm LibraryJanuary 25 Family Literacy Day - 8:45 – 9:15 am

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 BUSSES and handicapped only.

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE VEHICLES IDLING WHILE YOU WAIT

Let’s all work together to keep our children safe!

PAC Pancake BreakfastOnce again, we would like to extend our thanks to the Columbia PAC for spoiling us all with the annual Pancake Breakfast. As always, the breakfast was a delicious treat for students and staff alike!

We also want to thank those who came early to prepare the pancakes, and the many volunteers who served them. The PAC pancake breakfast is a tradition that has been going on for many years and one that is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Winter ConcertWhat a wonderful concert! Every child up on the stage, singing - wow! The gym was well-attended for both shows and judging from the smiles on the audience’s faces, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. And a big thank you to our PAC, for a very successful bake sale. We also thank all families who returned their unneeded tickets so that other families could have extra seats. Everyone who requested extra tickets was able to come

Winter Weather WarningWe can’t stress enough the importance of children coming to school dressed appropriately. Students are expected to remain outside until the morning bell. In addition, recess and lunch outdoor breaks, with exercise and fresh air, are extremely important. We expect all students to take advantage of this break, dressed for the weather. When we have snow, students must have snow pants, hats, mitts, jackets and boots in order to slide on the hill. If you have not already done so, please ensure your child has proper indoor footwear at school. It never hurts to have an extra set of pants at school this time of year in case someone slips.

Family Literacy

Family literacy programs focus on parents as the means to improve the reading and writing skills of all family members. By reading to children and engaging in fun literacy activities, parents are actively keeping their own skills sharp while at the same time strengthening the relationship between the family which, in turn, encourages lifelong learning.

At Columbia, we invite family members to join us on Friday, January 25 from 8:45-9:15 to read with their kids. Various areas of the school will be open so that together we can all “Stop, Drop and Read”. We hope you can join us!

DOG POOPIf you are bringing dogs onto the school grounds at any time PLEASE pick up after them. Several times we have had to clean dog poop off student’s clothing and shoes. Please be responsible and help us out if you see members of the community using the grounds and leaving a mess behind. It is horrible for our kids.

EXTRAVAGANZAThank you to everyone who donated items for our Christmas Extravaganza. It was another successful event – thanks to the volunteers who were able to come and help sort and sell items. We hope you enjoyed the gifts your children bought you – they are always very proud of the choices they make Profits from the sale went towards making Christmas a little bit brighter for a few families and will also support those who need a little extra financial help with school activities.

HEALTHY STUDENTSIs your child too sick to go to school?Keep your children at home if they have…

A fever of 38C (100F) or more – and then keep them home for 24 hours after the fever is gone.

Vomiting or diarrhea-and then keep them home for at least 24 hours after the last episode.

A severe sore throat-particularly if you can see white or red spots on the back of the throat or if your child also has a fever.

A deep, hacking cough – along with a runny nose and headache.

Untreated infections of the eye, ear or skin – watch for symptoms such as redness, swelling or discharge.

Different behavior from normal (acting unwell)Talk with your family doctor or public health nurse if you have concern.

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 2019 / 2020 school year is 8:00 am, February 1, 2019 to 4:00 pm, April 15, 2019. Transfer requests received prior to February 1 will be date/time stamped as “February 1, 2019, 8:00 am” and transfer requests received after April 15 th may not be considered until September 2019.

The next Columbia PAC meeting is scheduled for January 16th at 6:30pm in the Library.

Division 4 would like to thank everyone who donated toiletries for us to deliver to

SOWINS before the holiday.

COLUMBIA ELEMENTARY

January 2019

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday7

School Reopens

8Staff Meeting

3:00 pm Library

9EA Mtg. 8:15 – 8:45am

10 11HOT LUNCH

Dominos

12

13 14 15 16PAC Meeting 6:30 pm

Library

17 18HOT LUNCH

Pasta Factory

Div. 1&2 Cross

Country Skiing

19

20 21 22 23EA Mtg. 8:15 – 8:45am

24French

Immersion Meeting 7:00pm

KVR

25HOT LUNCH

Hot Dog Day

Family Literacy Day 8:45 –

9:15am read with your child

26

27 28 29 30 31 February 1French

ImmersionDeadline at

noon

2

SAFE ARRIVAL 250-770-7676 Students arriving after 8:50 am must check in at the office! Thank you.