Dec 6 No Boys & Girls Club (BGC Inservice Day)

Dec 12 Boys & Girls Club closes 5pm

Dec 16 Columbus PTO Meeting 4-5pm

Dec 20 - Columbus Holiday Sing-a-long 2:30-3:15pm

Dec 20 - Columbus Christmas Shoppe (during school hours)

Dec 23 - Jan 1 No School - Winter Break

Get ready to jingle, sway, and sing because something special is happening at Columbus School! On Friday, December 20th, from 2:30-3:00 PM, we’re having a Festive Sing-Along in the Columbus Gym! This is NOT a formal concert, but a fun and lighthearted gathering.

We’re so excited to share that Ms. Sokel’s and Ms. Mahoney’s classes will be featuring two fun songs during the event. They’ve been working hard, and their energy and enthusiasm are sure to put a smile on everyone’s face!

Families are welcome to join us. Whether you sing along, clap to the beat, or simply enjoy the festive vibes, your presence will make the afternoon even brighter. You bring the cheer and we’ll provide the tunes! We can’t wait to enjoy this musical celebration!

Musically yours,

Mrs. Pitts

General Music Teacher, Columbus School

Hello Families-

Season’s Greetings and wishing you and all our families a wonderful holiday season 😊! We hope you received an important message from AASD this past Friday and the letter has been reshared in this newsletter. The potential repurposing of Columbus will bring a wide range of emotions and questions. Please know your voice is valued and we appreciate your attendance, if possible, at the input meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30 in our gym.

For December, we have a three-week window until winter break with much to accomplish. Some of our students will begin initial rounds of mid-year assessments; we are widening the window of these assessments to better balance the time between testing and instruction during the month of January. On a house keeping note, our last day with students before winter break is Friday, December 20th, and our first day with students back from winter break is Thursday, January 2nd, 2025.

As always, daily attendance is critical to student success so thank you for the support and please scroll down in the newsletter to find out information on criteria for students staying home if they are feeling ill. Please be sure your contact information is updated in parent portal/Infinite Campus in case we need to reach out during the instructional day, and to receive any messages from the school district regarding changes to the school day when inclement weather is upon us.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Joel

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

FREE DENTAL CARE AVAILABLE:

Please complete the online registration on the Tri-County Dental Website:

https://bit.ly/RGFOC2024 or scan the QR code above.

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.

Join us Dec 16 at 4pm for the Columbus PTO Meeting in room 408. We would love to have more people 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.

Parents/guardians do not need to have concerns to schedule a screening.

The Developmental Screening is designed to:

• Educate families about typical child development and growth
• Develop/Expand awareness of available community resources
• Identify young children in need of further assessment

The Screening looks at all areas of child development including:

• How your child talks
• How your child listens
• How your child thinks
• How your child moves
• How your child uses their hands

The district offers many programs and services for children who may need support before kindergarten to achieve school success.

Screenings are held at the Community Early Learning Center, 313 S. State St., Appleton, WI 54911. Screening appointments are held during the school year from September through March.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact:
Tanya Armstrong
3-5 Developmental Screening Coordinator
(920) 832-6209 ext. 2914

https://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/programs-services/young-child/3-5-year-old-developmental-screenings

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.