Aug 28 Open House/Meet & Greet 4:30-5:30pm

Sept 3 First Day of School (8:22am-3:20pm)

Sept 6 No Boys & Girls Club (BG Club In-Service)

Sept 6 Back to School Event 3:30-4:30pm

Sept 13, 20, 27 Fruit with Families 7:45-8:20am

Sept 16 PTO Meeting 4:00-5:00pm Room 408

Sept 30 No School - Professional Development Day

Oct 8 Picture Day

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! We hope you and your family had a wonderful summer break filled with wonderful memories and adventures 😊. Many staff are already back in the buildings preparing for the school year; we are excited to get started! Please plan on attending our Open House/Meet & Greet on Wednesday, August 28th between 4:30 and 5:30. You’ll have an opportunity to meet your child’s classroom teacher as well as meet with other staff and support groups .

Many thanks to our Columbus PTO working in partnership with the ABS PTO to Shred the Supply List so that everyone can have the resources they need for learning this year already taken care of. Special thanks to Oliver & Rebecca Zornow, Brianne Connolly, Holly Hardin-Nurmi, Sara Nonzee, Elizabeth Stevens, Martha Arlart, Dawn Price, Lori Kluball, Marni Mahoney for all the fantastic work securing donations and making this a reality for our families; it is such a blessing to have these people serving on our PTA/PTO. Please reach out if you are interested in being a part of the PTO as it’s a vital part of our school community; we would love to have your support 😊.

Another huge thank you to Oliver and Rebecca Zornow, Brianne Connolly, our PTO, AASD Facilities & Operations Staff, the City of Appleton, and Neighborhood Partners for securing an $80,000 grant to make renovations to our playground – we have green grass and swings 😊! The construction phases of the project should be completed by the first day of school. For most of the first year the sod will be fenced off so that it can develop deep roots ensuring long-term future use. The asphalt and expanded woodchip play areas will be available beginning the first day of school.

Finally, on Friday, September 6th, we’ll be hosting an orientation where we can introduce staff, share with you our school goals, focus areas, and school routines as well as get input from you on our operations and answer questions you may have. The event is scheduled from 3:30 to 4:30. We hope to see you at our Fruit with Families events in September as well.

Best,

Joel

Columbus PTO is once again shredding the school supply list! Families will NOT need to directly purchase classroom supplies.

• Bulk purchasing is more efficient
• Eliminates guessing in the store aisle
• A pay-what-you-can model ensures every student is equipped for success
• Teachers can adapt throughout the academic year based on the needs of their classrooms

This year Columbus is partnering with Appleton Bilingual School to shred both schools' supply lists. Please consider contributing what you can to equip our classrooms next year using the QR code.

We hope you'll join us for the Columbus Back to School Family Event on September 6 from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. It's an orientation to introduce staff, share our school goals, focus areas, and school routines as well as get input from you on our operations and answer questions you may have.

Columbus PTO is hosting Fruit with Families September 13, 20, 27 and October 4 from 7:45 to 8:20am. Please join us in the gym. We look forward to meeting you!

Please fill out the below application for free and reduced price school meals and school fees. You only need to submit one application per household, even if your children attend more than one school in the Appleton Area School District.

You can apply for free and reduced meals/fees through the Infinite Campus portal or with a paper application that can be turned in to your school or the Food Service Office.

There are two forms that must be completed if you wish to have your $30 school fee waived:

• Application for Free or Reduced School Meals and Fees
• Sharing Information with Other Programs
  

Please ensure that you are also completing the additional form for sharing information with other programs. This form allows the District Food Service program to share your status with your school office, which may lead to a waiver of fees in the following areas: Elective Course Material Fees, Co-Curricular / Participation Fees, and Instrumental Rental Fees.

Columbus PTO will have its first meeting September 16 at 4pm. A PTO representative will also host the Fruit with Families from 7:45-8:20am on September 13, 20, 27 and October 4. We would love to have more PTO members join us!

Please do not bring in snacks/treats for birthdays or other celebrations. The AASD Board Policy (458) regarding Student Wellness was updated in 2018 in order to align our school wellness procedures with best practices. This change is to focus on honoring students through more inclusive practices that are not only more aligned to the updated policy, but are practices identified as being best for overall student health and wellness. Policy 458 reads:

D. Recognition for Special Occasion Without Treats

Recognitions for special occasions (birthdays, holidays, etc.) during the school day (starting at midnight the day before through a half hour after students are dismissed for the day) will NOT include students bringing in snacks/treats from outside of the District for other students and will instead take place through non-food practices.

Click on link above for the September Nurse Newsletter sharing information about September Family Meals Month.

St Joe’s Food Pantry provides food bags for each Thursday to Columbus and ABS

families in need. If your family would benefit from this service, please contact our

school social worker by emailing gitterannestas@aasd.k12.wi.us

Click on link above to find local, community opportunities for students of all ages. These community opportunities for students include upcoming events and activities such as art and music camps, youth athletics, cultural events, enriching programs, and more. We encourage our families to review these opportunities for students of all ages.