Magi Messenger: January 27, 2025

Greetings Families, Staff, and Community Members,

While school closures can be challenging, I hope you enjoyed some extra family time last week. 🏡❄️ Closing our buildings is never an easy decision, but even with a short week, January has been full of learning and growth. We are also thrilled to welcome over 20 new students to our district, many through school of choice! 🎉 Families are choosing to be part of our Magi community, and we couldn’t be more excited! A big thank you to Principal Braman for highlighting some of our newest students recently—I've included a few of their smiling faces here. 😊👋 We are so happy to have them with us! Thank you for your continued support in making our schools a welcoming place for all of us.

Stay warm ☕❄️ and Go Magi! 🎩🔥

❤️ Dr. Rachel Kowalski

Superintendent of Colon Community Schools

We are so proud of our CHS seniors! 60% of our seniors have officially turned in college acceptance letters or confirmation of continued employment! Here are just some of the colleges and universities our seniors have been accepted to—many with multiple offers! 🌟 If you have a senior who has not turned in their acceptance to the military, the workforce, college or other post-secondary plans, please have them email Dr. Kowalski.

💙💛 University of Michigan
💚🤍 Michigan State University
❤️💛 Central Michigan University
💛💚 Eastern Michigan University
💛🤎 Western Michigan University
💙💛 Grand Valley State University
❤️🤍 Kellogg Community College
💙💛 Glen Oaks Community College
💙🤍 Davenport University
❤️🤍 Saginaw Valley State University
🌎 Several out-of-state schools!

🖤❤️ This is a huge accomplishment, and we couldn’t be prouder of the Class of 2025! 🎉🔥

📅 Tuesday, February 18th | 🕠 5:30 PM | 📍 CHS

A group of community members has been working to explore a no-mill bond renewal to build a new, unattached gym facility, update our school buildings, and provide modern technology for students and staff. This meeting is for parents and staff to learn more, share input, and help shape the future of our school community. Your feedback is essential—please consider attending! Let’s work together to invest in our students and schools.

Early Release Reminder: We appreciate the time for our teachers to collaborate, plan intentional learning, and support student interventions. As a reminder, Wednesday, February 5, and Wednesday, February 19, are early release days.

🕒 Early Dismissal Times:

• Leonidas School: 7:05 AM - 12:50 PM
• CHS: 7:50 AM - 1:35 PM
• CES: 8:00 AM - 1:45 PM

Please plan accordingly for student pick-up and after-school arrangements. Thank you for your support in making these valuable planning times possible!

Get ready, Magi! 🏫 It’s time to show off your school spirit with Snowfest Dress-Up Days next week! Plan your outfits, bring the energy, and let’s make this the best Snowfest yet! 💃🕺

📅 Here’s the lineup:

👕 Monday - PJ DAY / DRESS TO UNIMPRESS 😴🛏️
Roll out of bed and into school in your favorite PJs! Keep it comfy and fun!

🎶 Tuesday - MUSIC GENRE DAY 🎸🎤
From country boots to hip-hop swag, dress up as your favorite music genre! 🤘🎵

🟡🟢 Wednesday - CLASS COLOR DAY 🔴🔵
Rep your class pride by wearing at least TWO items of your class color!

🦸‍♂️ Thursday - SUPERHERO DAY 💥🦸‍♀️
Grab your capes and suit up as your favorite superhero! Let’s fill the halls with heroes!

❤️🤍 Friday - EXTREME RED & WHITE 🏀🔥
GO ALL OUT with your Magi pride! Deck yourself out in RED & WHITE!

👑 Snowfest Court will be crowned at halftime of the Boys Varsity game vs. Burr Oak on 1/31! 🏀

🎉 Snowfest Dance – 2/1 from 8-11 PM in the gym (semi-formal) 💃🕺

On Friday, January 24th, Colon DECA represented our district at Western Michigan University with pride at the District Conference—and we are thrilled to announce that 100% of our competitors qualified for the state competition! The District Conference is the first opportunity of the year for students to showcase their marketing and business knowledge in competitive events. Beyond competition, students also had the chance to network with DECA members from neighboring schools and chapters.

A huge congratulations to our outstanding competitors:
🏅 Michael House
🏅 Lillian Mock
🏅 Matthew Monje
🏅 Lily Preston
🏅 Tucker Davis

And a special thank you to Ms. Bowers for her leadership and support! 👏

We are so proud of our students’ hard work and success.

38th Annual St. Joseph County ISD Special Education Parent Advisory Committee 2025 Awards Nomination Form: The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) is accepting nominations to honor individuals who go above and beyond for students with disabilities in St. Joseph County.

Nomination Deadline: February 21, 2025. Submit your nomination using the digital nomination form or print a form to fill out and turn in.

https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdGnFY8orl0Fl.../viewform

Email completed forms to pac-nominations-group@sjcisd.org or fax to 269-467-4309. Questions? Call Sharon Street at 269-467-5400. Let’s celebrate the amazing people in our community!

🔬⚡️ Science is FUN in Ms. Brown’s class! Our young scientists are having a blast experimenting with forces like static electricity! 💡 From hair-raising moments to paper-moving magic, they’re discovering how invisible forces can create some seriously shocking results! ⚙️👩‍🔬👨‍🔬

📱 Are you worried about how technology is impacting your child’s mental health? Do you struggle with setting limits on screen time or wonder why social media seems to consume so much of their attention?

Join us for "Digital Dopamine: The Impact of Technology on Adolescent Mental Health" with Dr. Jim Harris on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from 5:00 - 6:00 PM at St. Joseph County ISD (62445 Shimmel Rd, Centreville, MI).

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• How technology affects your child’s social and emotional development
• The impact of validation craving and constant online comparison
• The hijacking of the dopamine system and why screens are so addictive
• How to help your child establish healthy technology boundaries

Dr. Harris is an expert in adolescent mental health, trauma-informed care, and behavioral intervention. He will provide practical strategies for parents to navigate technology use and support their child’s well-being.

📢 Registration is required! Scan the QR code in the flyer or visit sjcisd.org (under Professional Learning) to sign up.

💡 This session is a must-attend for parents looking for answers and guidance in today’s digital world. Let’s work together to support our kids in developing healthy relationships with technology!

For questions, contact Audra Franz at 269-467-5437 or afranz@sjcisd.org.

Our new website with incredible resources for athletes and families of athletes is: https://colonathletics.com/

Below we have posted the Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball schedules - just a reminder to make sure you are using Eventlink as things do change:

All Events For Colon Community Schools Eventlink Info

NEWLY ADDED: Eventlink Guidance For Parents & Community

Click HERE for Math Resource Access

Visit: https://tinyurl.com/ColonMathMagi

🚌📱 Stay connected with our bus updates! 📱🚌 Stay informed about your child's bus route with timely text alerts for changes or delays. We know unexpected changes can be stressful, so sign up for updates to get notified instantly. Follow the instructions that will be sent home on Monday, or use the provided links. Thank you for trusting us to transport your child!

If you have questions, please contact Heather in Transportation: 269-432-3231 - Press 1 or email hwordelman@colonschools.org More sign-up information is linked here.

https://www.colonschools.org/o/colon/page/parent-resource-center

Click HERE for Parent Resource Document

We are 3 years running... Our No-Cost CARE Program Sign-Up can be found at:

https://tinyurl.com/CES-CARE-24

https://tinyurl.com/magi24-25-calendar

For access to all bell schedules: click on this link.

Click here for main contacts: https://tinyurl.com/ColonContactsMagi & You can also see our website's staff page for additional staff contacts: https://www.colonschools.org/staff

Super Important Eventlink Documents To Help You Add Calendars!

All Events For Colon Community Schools Eventlink Info

NEWLY ADDED: Eventlink Guidance For Parents & Community

Curious why everyone loves attending and working in our schools? 🤔 Dive into our YouTube page to find out! 🎥🌟 Make Colon Community Schools your destination district or join our team! https://www.youtube.com/@ColonCommunitySchools

JUST RELASED: Class of 2025 Graduation Events For Parents & Families

In the coming weeks we will be posting lots of information about senior events, opportunities & more for students & families. Mrs. Spidle & Ms. Kevnick work together to update our scholarship page located on our website, at this link.

The 8th graders are selling t-shirts, crewnecks, and sweatshirts to raise funds for their class activities and projects! If you'd like to place an order, please fill out an order form: Forms will be available at CHS and CES & Mrs. Jordan will also send them home with all 8th graders. Let’s show our support and school spirit! Order your gear today and help make this fundraiser a success! All order forms should be turned in with payment to Mrs. Jordan.