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/

September 2017

Principal’sMessageWelcome Columbia Community,The 2017-2018 school year continues our work to provide a team structure for your child’s learning. Teaming allows you the parent an op-portunity to access your child’s four core teachers (math, literacy, science and social studies) all together. It also provides these teachers time to plan conferences, make calls or send emails to update families who want a more regular check-in process. If you are interested in more information about your team, their work with students and how to find out about assignments, please reach out to them.

When can I reach out to my child’s team?• Teamdailyplanningtimesforgradelevelteamsare:

o 6th Teams A and B – Periods 5 and 6 (1:45 PM – 3:55 PM)o 7th Team A – Periods 2 and 3 (9:45 AM – 12:30 PM, except lunch 10:45 AM-11:20 AM)o 7th Team B – Periods 3 and 4 (10:45 AM – 1:30 PM, except lunch 10:45 AM-11:20 AM)o 8th Team A – Periods 1 and 2 (8:35 AM – 10:45 AM) o 8th Team B – Periods 1 and 4 (8:35 AM – 9:35 AM; 12:35 PM – 1:30 PM)o Please schedule a phone conference or a face-to-face conference ahead of time for availability.o Teams work on building community together, supporting learning, and developing activities.

• SupportStaff–o Support staff members are also directly connected to your child’s team and include:

- Grade level support staff:• BehaviorCoaches-6th/7thAndraRamsay;7th/8thDelishaBoyd• Counselors–6th/7thVickiWright;7th/8thDawnGanaway• Administrators–6thMoranStone;7thKerstinRowe;8thSteveHamilton

- Additionalresourcestaffforstudentswithspecialneedsand/orstudentslearningEnglish StudentswithspecialneedsinliteracyormathwhohaveanIEP:• RachelThompson,EmilyWagner,AprilLusk• CentersPrograms–MelindaHarshfield,JoannsSprung,TrioLivingston• ESSSupportMembers–DianneBurroughs,KatieLaFave,MaryHarlow

StudentsdevelopingEnglishlanguageusageskills:• AngelChamberlain–ELATeacherLeader,EmilyLavery–ELDTeacher

Please stay connected to your child’s team this year. It is our intent to work closely with you in these new structures to ensure a successful educational experience. Please also call ahead to schedule appointments so that we may be able to give you the time and attention needed. Walk-ins are often asked to wait or schedule something due to the nature of supporting 750 students and their families.

FirstquarterprogressreportswillbesenthomewithyourchildonWednesday,September13thwithparent/teacherconferencenightsscheduledon September 19th and 28th from 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM. We hope to see you at our first round of parent conferences!

Steve Hamilton, Principal

MensajedelDirector Elañoescolar2017-2018continúanuestrolabordepproporcionarunaestructuradeequipoparaelaprendizajedesuhijo.Estetrabajopermitealospadresunaoportunidadparaelaccessoaloscuatromaestrosprincipalesdesuhijo(maestrosdematemáticas,alfabetización,cienciasyestudiossociales).Tambiénproporcionaaestosmaestrostiempoparaplanificarconferencias,hacerllamadasoenviarcorreoselectrónicosparaactualizaralasfamiliasquedeseanunprocesodecomunicacionmásregular.Siustedestáinteresadoenmásinformaciónsobresuequipo,sutrabajoconlosestudiantesycómoaveriguarsobrelastareas,porfavorcomuniqueseconellos.

¿Cuándopuedocomunicarmeconelequipodemihijo?•Loshorariosdeplanificacióndiariaparacasaequipoencadaniveldegradoson:

o EquiposAyBde6togrado-Períodos5y6(1:45PM-3:55PM)o EquipoAde7mogrado-Períodos2y3(9:45AM-12:30PM,exceptoalmuerzo10:45AM-11:20AM)o EquipoBde7mogrado-Períodos3y4(10:45AM-1:30PM,exceptoalmuerzo10:45AM-11:20AM)o EquipoAde8vogrado-Períodos1y2(8:35AM-10:45AM)o EquipoBde8vogrado-Períodos1y4(8:35AM-9:35AM;12:35PM-1:30PM)o Porfavorhagaunacitaconanticipaciónparahablarporteléfonooparaunareuniónenpersona.o Losequipostrabajaránjuntosenformarunacomunidad,apoyarelaprendizaje,ydesarrollaractividades.

•Personaldocentedeapoyo-

oMiembrosdelpersonaldocentequeapoyarándirectamentealequipodesuhijo(a)incluyena:- Personal de apoyo a nivel de grado: • Entrenadoresdecomportamiento–6toy7moAndraRamsay;7mo/8voDelishaBoyd• Consejeros-6to/7moequipoBVickiWright;EquipoA7mo/8voDawnGanaway• Administradores–6toMoranStone;7moKerstinRowe;8voSteveHamilton

- Personalderecursosadicionalparaestudiantesconnecesidadesespecialesy/oestudiantesqueaprendeninglés EstudiantesconnecesidadesespecialesenalfabetizaciónomatemáticasquetienenunIEP:• RachelThompson,EmilyWagner,AprilLusk• Programasindependientes-MelindaHarshfield,JoannsSprung,TrioLivingston• MiembrosdeapoyodeESS-DianneBurroughs,KatieLaFave,MaryHarlow• Estudiantesdesarrollandosushabilidadesdelidiomainglés:AngelChamberlain-LíderdeMaestrosdeELA,EmilyLavery-MaestradeELD

Porfavormanténgaseconectadoconelequipodesuhijoesteaño.Esnuestraintencióntrabajarconustedesenestasnuevasestructurasparaasegurarunaexperienciaeducativaexitosa.Tambiénllameconanticipaciónparaprogramarcitasparaquepodamosdarleeltiempoylaatenciónnecesaria.Amenudosepidequeesperensillegansinanunciarse,debidoalanaturalezadeapoyara750estudiantesysusfamilias. Losreportesdeprogresodelprimertrimestreseránenviadosacasaconsuhijo/aelmiércoles13deseptiembreylasnochesdeconferenciaentrepadres/maestrostomaranlugarlosdías19y28deseptiembrede5:00PMa8:30PM.¡Esperamosverlosennuestraprimerarondadeconferencias para padres!

Steve Hamilton, Director

SI USTED NECESITA INFORMACIÓN SOBRE CUALQUIER ARTÍCULO EN ESTE BOLETÍN, POR FAVOR COMUNÍQUESE CON MIChELLE A DASkEVICh-kENISON AL NÚMERO 303-690-6570

FromtheAPs(Mrs.KerstinRoweandMrs.MoranStone)

Welcome Back Columbia Cougar Families! We are excited to continue updating you on news from the Assistant Principal corner. This year, different administrators are “in charge” of different grade levels - Principal Hamilton’s message talks a bit more about this. While Steve is in charge of 8th, Kerstin Rowe is in charge of 7th grade and Moran Stone is heading up 6th grade. A little bit about us:

Kerstin Rowe: I’m excited to be back at Columbia this year! And it’s great tohaveMoran join our team.AsKenRobinson says,“We should be waking students up to what they have inside of themselves.” I am enthusiastic about our work in helping teachers design rigorous, engaging instruction so our students can learn and achieve beyond their potential. Here’s to a great year!

Moran Stone: I’m starting my 19th year in education. I am thrilled to be a part of the Columbia team this year and look forward to getting to know all of our 6th grade students and families. I be-lieve every child is a leader and I will work to leverage the skills and strengths of our students in order to help them grow socially, emotionallyandacademically.AsRitaPiersononcesaid,“Everychild deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

Don’t forget to follow Columbia on Social Media! We will post information about upcoming events as well as news items. Please visitand“like”ourpage:Facebook.com/ColumbiaMSCougars

If you ever need anything, have a question, or think of an idea, please feel free to reach out to us.

MensajedeAsistentesalDirector¡Bienvenido de regreso!Estamosmuycontentasdecontinuaractualizándonosenlasnoticiasdeasistentealdirector.Esteaño,diferentesadministradoresestán“acargo”delosdiferentesnivelesdegrado-elmensajedeldirectorHamiltonhablaunpocomássobreesto.MientrasqueSteveestáacargodeloctavogrado,KerstinRoweestáacargodel7mogradoyMoranStoneestáacargodel6togrado.Unpocosobrenosotros:KerstinRowe:¡EstoyemocionadadeestardevueltaenColumbiaesteaño!YesgenialqueMoranseunaanuestroequipo.ComoKenRobinson dice, “Debemos despertar lo que los estudiantes tienen dentrodesímismos”.Estoyentusiasmadaconnuestrotrabajoenayudaralosmaestrosadiseñarunainstrucciónrigurosaparaquenuestros estudiantes puedan aprender y alcanzarmás allá de supotencial.¡Esperandotenerungranaño!

MoranStone:Estoycomenzandomidecimonovenoañoenlaedu-cación.EstoyencantadadeformarpartedelequipodeColumbiaesteañoyesperoconoceratodosnuestrosestudiantesde6togradoysusfamilias.Creoquecadaniñoesunlíderyvoyatrabajarparaaprovecharlashabilidadesyfortalezasdenuestrosestudiantesconel fin de ayudarles a crecer social, emocional y académicamente. ComoRitaPiersondijounavez,“Cadaniñomereceuncampeón,unadultoquenuncasedaráporvencido,queentiendeelpoderdelaconexióneinsisteenqueseconviertanenlomejorquepuedenser”.NoseolvidendeseguiraColumbiaenlasredessociales!Vamosapublicarinformaciónsobrelospróximoseventos,asícomonoticias.Visiteyoprima“like/megusta”anuestrapágina:Facebook.com/ColumbiaMSCougarsSi necesita algo, tiene una pregunta o piensa en una idea, no dude en ponerse en contacto con nosotros.

TheMainOfficeStaffAnewPrincipal’sSecretaryHello, my name is Michelle Daskevich-Kenison and I am honored to be the new Principal’s Secretary here at Columbia Middle School.I am a Colorado native but having spent the prior (10) years of my career working for an airline, it has allowed me to travel to many interesting places.Mynon-workinghoursarefilledenjoyingmy6kids,agrandson,4dogs,andyes,weevenhavealizard.

Iamlookingforwardtogettingtoknowourstudentsandstaffinmynewrolesopleasestopbyanytimejusttosayhello.

ReminderwhenwithdrawingstudentsfromColumbiaWhen withdrawing your student from Columbia, please let the Registrar in the Student Support Center know 24 hours in advance of the withdrawal.Theparent/guardianneedstosignawithdrawalform.Thestudentisthenresponsibletotakeawithdrawalpaperaroundtotheirclassrooms,mediacenter,cafeteriaandnurseforsignaturesontheirlastdayofattendance.TheymustalsocleanouttheirhalllockerandPElocker (if applicable) and return all Columbia materials, such as text books, library books etc.

ChangeofAddressAddresschangesforfamiliescanbedoneattheschool,withouttheparenthavingtovisitCentralizedAdmissions.Thisisforactivestudentsattending Aurora Public Schools, who have moved. To change your address with the school, you must provide a photo ID and Proof of Resi-dency.(Callschoolorgotoaurorak12.orgforfurtherinformation.)ParentsMUSTvisitCentralizedAdmissionsforachangeofaddresswhentheaddressisoutofdistrictorthereisachangeincustodyand/orguardianship.

ImportantNumbersAttendanceLine:303-326-1651(24hours) MainOfficePhone:303-690-6570Cafeteria:303-326-1151 MainOfficeFax:303-326-1251CounselingOffice:303-326-1897(DirectLine) CounselingFax:303-326-1898Columbia’s Website: columbia.aurorak12.org

Office hoursMonday through Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Student hours: Monday through Friday 1st Bell – 8:20 AM 2nd Bell – 8:30 AM (Seated in first period classes) LastBell–3:57PM(Studentsdismissedfortheday) Campus Cleared – 4:07 PM

Breakfast is served from 8:00 – 8:15 AMStudents must come in through the cafeteria doors, on the east entrance of the building.

ImportantDatesComingUp…Sep 1st Teacher In-Service Day - No School.Sep4th LaborDay–NoSchoolSep 7th Picture RetakesSep13th PTSOMeeting–6-8:00P.M.inStaffLoungeSep 15th Teacher In-Service DaySep19th Parent/TeacherConferences5-8:30P.M.Sep28th Parent/TeacherConferences5-8:30P.M.

TheNurse’sOfficeI want to take this opportunity to say Hello to all our returning students and parents and introduce myself to all the new Columbia parents and students. My name is Amanda Kennedy and I am the registered nurse at Columbia Middle School. I have been a nurse for over 18 years but I’ve only been the school nurse at Columbia since last November. I’m looking forward to my first full year here!

Please contact me if your student has any health concerns or takes any medication on a daily basis. I have been diligently working through all of the completed student health information cards for the year, however if you did not turn one in for your student please let me know and I can send one home.

At the beginning of school we always see an influx of sore throats and runny noses, mostly viral illness. These symptoms tend to peak the first couple of weeks of school and then again when the weather gets colder and students are inside more. If you are unsure if your child should attend school due to an illness please don’t hesitate to call me in the clinic. We can work together to keep your student in school and learning! It is helpful if you let me know when your child is home with a contagious disease or other significant health problems. I also appreciate being informed of any medical or surgical

procedures or changes in medication. Keeping me updated about your child’s health will help me provide the best care possible while he/sheisatschool.

Ifyourchild’simmunizationrecordisnotup-todateyouwillreceivea phone call or letter in the mail from me in the near future. I am morethanhappytoreviewyourchild’simmunizationrecordwithyouandcreateaplantogethim/herupdated.

Finally, please make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast every morningandhasaplanforlunch.Skippingbreakfastorlunchand/or not staying hydrated is the #1 reason students come to the health officewithsymptomsofdizziness,stomachachesandheadaches.Ourbrains need fuel to function!

Please feel free to stop by the clinic and talk with me or contact me at the phone number or e-mail address listed below if you have any questions/concerns.

Yourchild’shealthisveryimportanttome!

Amanda Kennedy, BSN, RN

ColumbiaLibraryNewsNewBooksThisMonth:CarvetheMarkbyVeronicaRoth King’sCagebyVictoriaAveyardDark prophecy by Rick Riordan Frogkisser by Garth NixGettingOverGarrettDelaneybyAbbyMcDonald YouCan’tHidebyDanPoblockiIFunnySchoolofLaughsbyJamesPatterson TextingtheUnderworldbyEllenBooraemSeventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall Tomb of the Khan by Matthew Kirby

Boxtops4EducationAnystudentturningin50BoxtopstoMrs.DeBlockinthelibraryearnsaprize!Boxtopscanbefoundonmanygroceryitemsincluding:cereal,bakemixes,frozenanddairyfoods,snacks,paperproductsandmore.Eachcoupon is worth $.10 and earnings go towards new books for the library. Start bringing in your Boxtops today!

SuperHeroTriviaContestSept.5-8:Come by the library and test your super hero knowledge. Entrieswiththemostcorrectanswerswillhaveachancetowinasuperhero-themedprize.

Good luck, super friends!

FromtheBehaviorCoaches(FormerlyknownasDeanofStudents)

Dear Parents, We are really looking forward to working with you and your students this year! We want to welcome our new Behavior Coach, Mrs. Andra Ramsay. With 2 Behavior Coaches this year, Mrs. Boyd is supporting the 8th grade team and the 7B grade level team of staff and students. Mrs. Ramsay is supporting the 6th grade team and the 7A grade level team of staff and students. Please feel free to contact either one of the Behavior Coaches if you have any concerns regarding your student that we can assist with.

As our title has changed, our role has changed slightly as well. We will continue to support all staff and students with safety, resolving conflict, attendanceconcerns,andmajorbehaviorevents.Thisyear,ourgoalistosupportstaffandstudentsintheclassroomaswellasoutoftheclassroom. We are building relationships with students while they are learning and when they are at lunch and recess so that we have a better understanding of what type of support they need as learners and as young people. By doing so, we are working with the teachers, parents, and students through a team approach for providing a supportive and safe learning environment for all students.

Attendance and being on time is a primary goal all school year. We ask you to encourage your students to get to class on time, every day, for each period of the day. To support your students and our staff with achieving this goal, we will continue to communicate with students regarding a pattern of unexcused tardies and will set consequences in place including, but not limited to after school detention. For students who have after school detention, a late bus will be provided for students who ride the bus. The late bus will depart Columbia Middle School at approximately 5:00 PM on Monday through Thursday evenings. There is no late bus on Fridays after school, and detention won’t be as-signed for a Friday after school.

We are continuing our work in Restorative Practices as we work on issues that arise with your students, supporting our students with having restorative conversations to work through conflict and to develop themselves as leaders. As we develop our understanding of Restorative Practices, we are also providing Professional development for our staff around strategies that support our students with behavioral expectations inandoutoftheclassroom.Ourcollectivegoalistokeepyourstudentsinclassasmuchaspossible,andtodevelopstrongcommunicationhome to parents. In the case that there are concerns in the classroom, we strongly encourage you to reach out your child’s teacher to share the concerns which will help us to meet our goal of Parent communication.

During this school year, we continue using our In School Solutions (ISS) program for what used to be known as In School Suspension. Students may be assigned to In School Solutions for up to three days and can potentially earn their way out of ISS by completing their work (if assigned more than one day of ISS). Parents will receive at least one day’s notice via an In School Solutions letter sent home with the student.

Onceagain,pleasereachoutifyouneedsupportandwelookforwardtoworkingwithallofourparents,students,andstaff.

Mrs. Boyd and Mrs. Ramsay

What’sHappeningInYourChild’sClassroom?Message from the ELD DepartmentStudentsinCulturallyandLinguisticallyDiverseEducation(ELD)areofftoafantasticstart.Studentsspentthefirsttwoweeks of school year learning the rules and expectations of theELDteachers.Theyarecurrentlyworkingwithphysicalcharacteristics and character traits. The students have been introducedtoClassroom,agooglesitewhereELDteacherspost assignments and links to special math and science web-sites where students can get help understanding concepts in languagesotherthanEnglish.AskyourstudenttoshowyoutheirELDClassroomonline.

We’re excited for the opportunity toworkwith yourELDstudents this year, and welcome your ideas and questions. We look forward to meeting you at conferences.

Mrs.ChamberlainandMissLavery

Mensaje del departamento de ELDLos estudiantes deEducaciónCultural y LingüisticamenteDiversa(ELD)tienenuncomienzofantástico.LosestudiantespasaronlasprimerasdossemanasdelañoescolaraprendiendolasreglasyexpectativasdelosmaestrosdeELD.Actualmenteestántrabajandoconcaracterísticasfísicasyrasgosdecarácter.LosestudianteshansidopresentadosaClassroom,unsitiodeGoogledondelosmaestrosdeELDpublicanasignacionesyenlacesasitiosespecialesdematemáticasycienciasdondelosestudiantes pueden obtener ayuda para entender conceptos en otrosidiomasquenoseanelinglés.PídaleasuestudiantequelemuestresuaulaELDenlínea.

EstamosentusiasmadosporlaoportunidaddetrabajarconsusestudiantesdeELDesteaño,yagradecemossusideasypregun-tas.Esperamoscontarconsupresenciaenlasconferencias.

SeñoraChamberlainySrta.Lavery

6th Grade Social StudiesIn 6th grade Social Studies we are learning about our world. Students have been practicing placing the 7 continents and 5 oceans on a map of the world. We are also learning about how our world is divided into sections by latitude and longitude lines. We have been testing our skills with cardinal and inter-mediate directions on computer games. Soon we will be able to find absolute location on a map and apply the 5 themes of geography to our world. See if your child can show you the continents and oceans and tell you what city, state, country, continent, and planet they live in.

6th Grade Sixth Grade Science Rocks!Sixth graders had a lot of fun designing, building, and testing their boats duringtheBoatChallengeProjectforthemonthofAugust.Ourfocusquestion was, “How do we as scientists, work together to solve problems?” They worked in small groups to collaborate and explore the science and engineering practices that scientists use to be successful. During the month of September, our focus question will be, “How do we, as environmental scientists, improve air quality in the community?” We will concentrate on the following science concepts: matter, atoms, molecules, density, and physical and chemical properties of matter.Mrs. Scales and Mrs. Barnett

7th GradeMath:Welcome everyone to a new and exciting school year. My name is Ms. Freeman and I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. I am a graduate of the Aurora Public schools class of 1995. I graduated from the UniversityofNorthernColoradowithadegreeinBiologicalSciencesandaminor Chemistry. I taught science for the first 12 years of my career. Three year ago I transitioned to the math department here at Columbia Middle Schoolandhaveenjoyedeveryminute.Thisquarterinmathwewillbefocusing on using rational numbers in various mathematical operations, writing equivalent expressions and analyzing populationdata throughstatistical analysis. In advanced math, we will be focused on proportional reasoning, writing equivalent expressions and modeling quantitative rela-tionships through the use of equations and expressions.

Literacy:I’mMs.BabbandthisismyfirstyearatColumbiaMiddleSchool.IjustmovedfromPennsylvaniawhereItaught7thgradeEnglishfortenyears.IwenttocollegeatMillersvilleUniversityandamalsoNationalBoardCerti-fied. I’m excited to teach your students this year. For quarter one, we are focusingonfictiontextsandcharacterdevelopment.Yourstudentchoseanindependentreadingbookandwillworkwithabookclubgrouptoanalyzethe development of the text. For our second unit, we will be working on writing and how authors use rhetoric to persuade their readers.

Science:IamMr.JohnChristen.Thisismyfourthyearteaching7thgradescienceandfirstyearatColumbia.IamagraduateoftheUniversityofColorado- Boulder, and a proud buffalo. Before becoming an educator, I pursued a career in financial services and operated an exterior painting business. Additionally,IwrotefreelancearticlesforColoradoMusicBuzz,aswellas education-portal.com. During quarter one, we will study cells and their microscopic organelles and how cells interact with the environment. I am honored to be part of the community.

SocialStudies:I amAretha Savaloja.This ismy tenth year inAuroraPublic Schoolhowever my first year back in the classroom from a 6 year administrative hiatus. I am originally from Illinois but completed my undergrad at Coe CollegeinCedarRapids,IAandcompletedmyMastersinEducationatUniversityofColoradoinDenver.IamexcitedtobeteachingandhopetointroduceyourstudenttoalltheamazingwondersAncientCivilizationsintheEasternHemisphere.ThisquarterwearefocusingonAncientEgypt.YourstudentswillbeembarkingonprojectbasedlearningactivitythatwillallowthemtodigdeeperintovarioustopicsregardingAncientEgypt’sCivilizationandpresenttheirlearningtoparentsonconferencenight.

What’sHappeningInYourChild’sClassroom?8th Grade As we begin this very important year of schooling, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the expectations for our students as we prepare for the important transition to high school. Sometimes it is helpful to think in terms of football.

8th grade is the preseason to the “regular season” that begins in only one short year.

In addition to mastering content standards, each teacher will be working with our students to ensure that they have the skills necessary to “make it in the big league”. Those skills include the ability to:

• CommunicatePowerfully• ThinkCritically• CollaborateProductively• CreativelyInnovate• CompleteWorkEffectively

In order to be “game ready”, the eighth grade teams are requesting your support with helping our students do the following:

• Showuptoclassontime• Bringlearningmaterialstoclass• Completeassignmentsontime• Studyfortestsandquizzes• Leavedistractions(toys,fidgets,andphones)athomeorinlockers.

Eachclassisalsoworkingoncontentstandards.

Math8We are starting the year with the algebra unit where we are working with expressions and equations.

MathIntegratedIWe dive right into functions and explore their characteristics, equa-tions, tables, and graphs.

ScienceCurrently in science we are beginning our work with Rube Gold-berg.Ourdrivingquestionforthefirstsemesteris;Howdoyoucreate a Rube Goldberg machine to turn off a light. In order to achieve this, students are currently studying energy and energy types. Students are using everyday items to learn about the different types of energy. Whether than energy by kinetic or potential.

SocialStudiesStudentswillbediscoveringthefactorsthatmotivatedEuropeanstoexploreacrosstheAtlanticOcean.Oneofourmajoressentialquestions for this unit is “Why do people move?” Students will also be learning about how the environment impacts how people live,specificallyinthe13originalEnglishcoloniesandtheimpactofcolonizationonNativeAmericans. Wearebuildingourcol-laboration, speaking, and research skills as we move toward our Mock Congressional Hearing at the end of the year. Literacy

Students are reading short stories and examining the different ways that authors describe their characters. Making connections to popu-lar culture and how we determine what people are like in real life has been helping students to dive deeper into this concept.

WashingtonDCTrip!Scan the code for important information and forms for the 8th GradeWashingtonDCtrip.Itmightjustbethebestoneever!

Band/Orchestra NewsThe Music Department has held auditions for this year’s school play, “School House Rock!” Rehearsals are every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4pm-5pm in the Commons. The show will Be November 15th and 16th at 7pm. If your child is in the show they should have brought home a permission form for you to sign. If your child is on the crew there is a separate permission form. The permission forms explain rehearsal and performance dates in detail as there are a few dates that we will not hold rehearsal.

In Ms. Small’s Visual Arts classes, students are off to a hard-working, creative start! Students in periods 1, 2, 3 and 6 started off the year practicing coloring skills, including shading, stippling, hatching, cross hatch-ing and blending colors with color pencil. They have also learned basic principles of showing distance in their drawings. Period 1, 2 and3madeprojectsoftheirchoicethatarebasedonapinchpotform.Oncethoseprojectsarefired,theywillreflectonhowwellthey attached their pieces and, if anything broke, how they can preventthatfromhappeningonfutureprojects.Period6isstartingtheirfirstclayproject.

Work is also starting on panels for the mural for the school musical, School House Rock. When it is finished, the mural will be hung in the cafeteria. It is repainted every year to provide a backdrop for each year’s musical.

Period 4 visual art is made of 7th and 8th grade general education studentsandstudentsfromtheDLCandILCclassrooms.Thisclassis a wonderful opportunity for students of all abilities to interact, communicate and make art with students they may not have the opportunity to interact with in their non-elective classes. This class benefits general education students by helping build leadership skills, communication skills, patience, and empathy.DLC and

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ILCparticipantsbenefitbygettingtointeractwithpeerstheirownageoutsideoftheirusualclassroomenvironment.Thesestudentsalsobuild social skills, learn how to participate in a general ed classroom and get to make art using a variety of media, including drawing, painting, collage and ceramics.

Donations wanted: If you have any of these items around that you would like to donate, Columbia’s art department can put them to use. Donated items can be dropped off at the main office. If you have questions about donating items, please email Ms. Small at amsmall@aps.k12.co.us

• oldchildren’sbuildingsetsorbuildingblocks• latexoracrylicpaintandpaintsamples(wecannotacceptoil-basedpaintsorstains)• scrapsorpiecesofwood2x4’s• scrapsorpiecesofMasonite• oldpictureandposterframeswithorwithoutglass

DidyouknowgeneraladmissiontotheDenverArtMuseumisFREEforallyouth18andunder?Adultsalsogetinwithfreegeneraladmis-sion on the first Saturday of every month. (Please note that general admission does not include ticketed exhibits.) Contact the Denver Art Museum for more information.

What’sHappeningInYourChild’sClassroom?

Spanish 1 with Señora Cervera-Saenz As a new hire to the district and new to the state of Colorado, I am honored to be able to teach my students Spanish and pass on the knowledge I have acquired during my studies and my personal experience.IgraduatedfromSocorroHighSchoolinElPaso,Texasat the top of my class which helped me earn a Presidential Scholar-shiptoattendtheUniversityofTexasatElPaso.After4yearsatUTEPIreceivedaBachelorofArtsinSpanishwithaminorineducation. That summer, I decided to pursue a Masters in Spanish fromUTEP.AsIwastakingclassesformyMaster’sProgram,Iwasworking for a company that inspired me to also pursue a Master’s inBusinessAdministrationfromUniversityofPhoenix.ItaughtSpanishandBusinessatElPasoCommunityCollege.IalsotaughtSpanishclassesatthehighschoollevelinElPasoandSanAntonio,Texas. I am at the end of my doctorate program at Grand Canyon UniversitysoIcanbecomebetterequippedtoteachmystudentsnow and in the future. I encourage you to ask my Spanish students to go into Google Classroom and see what we are doing each day. If you know Spanish, please practice it with my students. We will startaprojectonthedaysoftheweek,months,andseasonsoon.The best ones will be displayed in the hallway for all to admire and try to learn a little bit of the language.

6th-8th Grade Graphic DesignGraphic Design is the art or skill of combining text and pictures in advertisements, posters, menus, brochures, business cards, maga-zines,orbooksetc..GraphicDesignersusethecomputerasatoolto create art. Columbia is unique in the fact that it has a Graphic Design program. Skills students learn in this class will be helpful to them in the future when making a business card, or creating a poster, digital art or yearbook. This year students will also be creat-ing art not only on the computer, but also on paper.

All classes this year began with students learning the expectations, and practicing the classroom routines. Classes have moved on to theirfirstprojects for the year. 7/8thgrade isworking to com-plete cartoon caricatures. 7th grade is finishing up creature shoe advertisements and 6th grade is creating pixel art. All students are familiarizingthemselveswiththecorrectwaytousethecomputer,how to name their files and save them correctly, and how to enter work into Google Classroom. Parents can access student artwork using Google Classroom.

Parents of Graphic Design students can contact me through email or phone with any questions or concerns, or to schedule a visit to see what we are currently doing.

Thank you,Mrs.Martinezlamartinez@aps.k12.co.us

NewsfromtheLunchCrew!

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