Save The Date! We want to thank our entire community for the sinking fund you made possible. It has helped us progress with programs and facilities in our district. Join us for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the resurfacing of our track. This was a large project made possible by voters. Thank you!
A quick reminder that we have Colon Elementary's 2nd Annual "Donuts With Grownups" event tomorrow, September 11th in celebration of Grandparents' Day! Join us for donuts and an opportunity for our students to show off their school, classrooms, and progress this year.
We have about 30-35 left from our summer events! Click here for the 2-question Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaM8C0FhH-vjVNG8KcyRUXyb3VMi2O_oG3sYJG7QJhEI83dg/viewform
We wanted to take an opportunity this weekend to remind you about how we manage and communicate school closings, delays, and other changes due to inclement weather, snow, or other emergencies. While these events seem far away, we have seen "fog" delays in September. Winter in Michigan is beautiful, but it can also create some hazardous traveling conditions. These conditions can sometimes impact district operations.
Our Leadership team works collaboratively to make the very best decision for students. We are mindful of a myriad of logistical aspects of busing, walking, and traveling during weather events. But we also know that the best place for students to be on scheduled school days is school, where some students receive critical services and support.
We always inform our staff and teachers before a closure or delay. Immediately after notification of staff, we place a notification on our Facebook page. We always appreciate it when you share that post, to help other families plan accordingly. After that, we send a text message to all families through PowerSchool/Thrillshare. Finally, depending on the timing, we send a phone call for all closures and delays. These calls are set up to leave a voicemail. We feel that these phone calls should not go out too early and disturb families, so the text and phone calls may be scheduled with that in mind.
For most families, that communication works well. However, we also notify a limited number of media outlets and those are the following: Kalamazoo WWMT, Channel 3 Grand Rapids, WOOD-TV8 & GrandRapids Fox 17. Mrs. Kowalski also contacts WBET Sturgis via email. Lastly, we have a limited number of families who can only receive phone calls and receive updates through the radio, and we work independently with these families for their unique needs and preferences.
Our team shares this information in transparency and welcomes your feedback on our processes. The "call" to close, delay, or proceed with school as normal is never an easy one and we thank you ahead of time for your grace, patience, input, and feedback.
Announcing our Attendance Awareness Week Dress Up Days! Let's make this Attendance Awareness Spirit Week memorable and help everyone understand the value of being present and ready for learning. Together, we can achieve great things!
📣 Attention, everyone! 📣 September is Attendance Awareness Month, and we're excited to kick off a special activity to promote the importance of school attendance in our community. Introducing the "Attendance Awareness Dress Up Week" starting on Tuesday, September 19th! 🗓️ So, let's make a statement together and raise awareness about the significance of attendance. Starting on September 19th, join us in dressing up creatively each day of the week to celebrate our commitment to showing up! We will share our dress-up day themes TODAY at noon!
Please be aware that these automated PowerSchool calls will be going out. We did test them today and discovered we needed to make some adjustments. Thank you so much to the parents who provided that feedback! Remember, if your student will not be at school please call the office to excuse them.
Just a reminder we have our Labor Day holiday approaching. There is no school on Friday, September 1st, and Monday, September 4.
We Need You! Colon Community Schools has recently partnered with Michigan State University's College of Engineering, the DDA, Colon Village, and other local municipalities and governmental agencies to embark on a journey to ensure all of our students have Safe Routes To School! E-Mail Rachel Kowalski at rkowalski@colonschools.org if you are a parent or student who wants to take part in this very important project.
The purpose of Safe Routes to School is to:
* enable and encourage children in grades K-12, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school
* make bicycling and walking a more appealing and safe choice of
transportation
* facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of activities that improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and pollution near schools
Just a reminder that a week from today, Wednesday, September 6th, is our first early release day. Students are released exactly an hour before the regular release time. We deleted many 1/2 days from our 23-24 calendar in exchange for this hour of time for our teachers to work on student needs. Please visit the following URL to save your copy of our calendar: https://tinyurl.com/ColonSchoolsCalendar23-24
Just a reminder we have our Labor Day holiday approaching. There is no school on Friday, September 1st, and Monday, September 4. Here is a little bit about the celebration of Labor Day: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/labor-day.html
Check out these awesome basket giveaways that Sonia Kevnick has put together for our upcoming Magi Parent and Family Events! Please save the dates for our Pizza with w/The Principals & Superintendent, as well as our Magi Parent Academy. You can access all upcoming events at https://tinyurl.com/MagiFamily23-24
These gift baskets will be part of our giveaways and door prizes. Save the dates!
Vision and Hearing testing is happening at CES on Monday and Tuesday. Please call the front office if you have questions.
All Back To School forms are DUE to our front offices ASAP, this includes the Educational Benefits form. All Colon Community Schools students receive a free breakfast and lunch. However, we need your help. This information is confidential. It is used to decide important funding for our district. Families should plan to still complete the Educational Benefits Form (sent home with students) OR online. The forms came home on BLUE paper.
The online link to complete is https://colon.familyportal.cloud/ The completion of these forms supports school supplemental programs & services. This includes discounted fees for some cable/internet providers and resources for school supplies and staff. If you need new copies of our Back To School forms, please visit the front office at CHS or CES.
Attendance plays a critical role in a student's academic journey and future success. Consistent attendance is a key factor in ensuring that students have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.
Today our CHS Photography class taught by Mrs. Sailor did a lesson on blind photography! We are excited about all of the interesting electives our students are engaged with this school year.
Magi Reads! If you are interested in signing up for this free program, please scan the QR code, call the Elementary Office at (269) 432-2121, or follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/MagiReads
On Monday our elementary students and students in grades 6-10 will begin their first iReady diagnostic. Much like NWEA from previous years, this diagnostic plays a crucial role in tailoring your child's learning experience and ensuring their academic growth and success. Today teachers are building excitement for this new learning tool. Please reinforce the importance of "giving it their all" on Monday and Tuesday. Students in grades 11 and 12 will not test and classes for these students begin at 9:45 AM on Monday, August 28th, and Tuesday, August 29th.
Need a full week 5-day program option for your preschooler? We've got you covered! Colon School District is now offering a new program option for GSRP. We offer the same schedule as your K-5 children. Visit http://www.helpmegrowstjoe.org/ and then reach out to the Colon Elementary office so we can make sure to assist you with any enrollment needs. Our program also begins soon... Monday, August 28th so reach out and we will get you all setup!
We are looking forward to welcoming all students to school tomorrow for a full day. We know it is hot and thankful for the AC in our classrooms. We will monitor our students and staff to ensure everyone is comfortable hydrated and well. Please send students prepared with ice water if you wish.
If you are concerned about the afternoon bus ride we do welcome parent pick-up and will work throughout the day with special requests if you wish to come pick up your student(s) instead. Our schools provide a cool place to our students, resources like breakfast and lunch and we look forward to having them in our classrooms tomorrow.
