Weekly update for April 25, 2025
Dear CES friends and families,
It has been another great week at Columbia! We had an informative and engaging AAP parent night on Tuesday evening, an exciting hands-on field trip for 2nd graders on Thursday morning to the National Zoo, and our wonderful annual Heritage Night on Thursday evening. Many thanks to all the families and staff members who went above and beyond this week to support this wonderful learning community!
Next week, we will be sending along extra-appreciation to the amazing Columbia Staff. During the annual CES Staff Appreciaiton Week, we pause to recognize and demonstrate our admiration for the outstanding work all adults in this building to provide the very best education for each and every student at Columbia ES. Looking forward to sharing the love next week with CES staff.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Take care,
Mike Astudillo
Proud Principal
Columbia Elementary School
PTA News & Notes
Teacher Appreciation Week - NEXT WEEK!
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Please consider helping us thank the teachers for all they do for our students. You can contribute by providing donations and/or supplies needed for the week. Click on the links to sign-up.
Thank you in advance for helping us give back to our wonderful staff!
Save the Date – Field Day
Please save Friday, June 6th for field day. We need volunteers to make this fun annual event happen for our kids. Please hold the date and additional information will be forthcoming.
Online Spirit wear Store is Live
Students, family and staff can now order spirit wear all year long. You can click HERE to order your gear.
Partnership with Papa Johns
We are excited to announce a new partnership with Papa Johns in Annandale. You can now order pizza ANY THURSDAY from 11AM – 11PM for delivery or carryout (carryout until 10 PM). Families will receive 40 percent off their entire order and 10 percent of their order goes to the PTA. This opportunity will last until the end of the school year. Online code “CES4010” - this code will also be accepted by phone in case of issues with the website.
Upcoming
Teacher Appreciation Week (4/28 - 5/2)
Family Night Out - Chic Fil-a (4/30)
Field day (6/6)
Spring Book Fair Announcement!
Our Spring Book Fair will be open from June 2 to June 6. I hope to see you there!
Volunteer schedules will be open soon, please consider helping support the Book Fair.
Check out our Book Fair Page HERE for all the details:
- Dates
- Special Family Times, including after school hours on Monday and Thursday!
Our Book Fair will be cash free this year. Please use the following links to learn how to set up an eWallet or eGift Card for your child.
- eWallet, a cash-free way for your child to shop at the book fair. Any money you assign to an eWallet remains on your credit/debit card until your child makes a purchase. https://www.bookwormcentral.com/ewallet.php
- eGift Card, the perfect gift for students, teachers or friends, redeemable at the book fair or our online bookstore
https://www.bookwormcentral.com/gift_card/
Thank you for supporting our school and encouraging your child's love of reading!
Happy Reading,
Maura Papas
Specials Spotlight
General Music with Mrs. Eggleton
Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders will create melodies, play instruments, learn new composers, and connect relationships with words and rhythms. Kindergarten and 1st graders will explore the music of “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns and 2nd graders will explore “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev. We are learning the Instrument families and listening to certain instruments in each song. Using scarves to show the tempo of each song is so fun!
3rd, 4th and 5th graders will continue to sing, play recorders and barred instruments. We will connect music and science by using creative ways to see sound vibrate, listening to our compositions as the sound travels and explore how tuning forks stop their vibrations while using water. Our composer will be John Williams. We are looking forward to exploring his works such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Jaws and so much more.
Our 5th grade Cougar choir performed for the school and their parents on April 10, 2025. So proud of our singers that participated.
Our Band and Strings ensembles will have a concert on Monday, June 2nd, 2025.
All grades love our school song and ask to sing “We Are Columbia” every class. Keep a song in your heart!
Social and Emotional Learning Screener: Parent Reports
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of March, providing information on their SEL skills such as achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results are available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the SEL Screener Results Family Guide or reach out to Mrs. Jenna Julian, school counselor ( jljulian@fcps.edu).
✅ Share Feedback With County Health Department on School Health Services
The Fairfax County Health Department and Fairfax County Public Schools School Health Services invite parents/caregivers of FCPS students to participate in a survey on satisfaction with school health room services. The survey takes about five minutes to complete and will be open until Monday, May 5.
School health rooms (clinics) are managed by public health nurses and school health aides. Those staff provide care for students who become sick or injured during the school day, who require medications during the school day, and/or who have a chronic health condition that requires management during the school day.
Additionally, the school health room staff:
- Provide health education, communicable disease prevention, and health screenings.
- Work with schools to help address the root causes of population health disparities so that all students have equitable access to educational and health opportunities.
- Ensure that students have care for minor injuries and illnesses, and chronic health conditions, thus helping to minimize health barriers to learning.
Survey results will provide a basis for quality improvement of school health room services as well as inform future planning for schools.
☀️Discover Exciting Summer Learning Activities and Ideas
Attend the FCPS Summer Extravaganza on Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Woodson High School and get a jump on summer learning and fun! At this free event, participants can engage in educational and enrichment activities designed to inspire curiosity and growth.
An FCPS Student Program Marketplace will feature student-made goods for sale. Proceeds will support the students’ programs.
Learn about summer programs and resources available from community and business partners. Enjoy face painting, touring a fire truck, student performances, and much more! For more information, visit the Summer Extravaganza webpage.
Theatre 4 Kids Partnering with Annandale High School
Theatre 4 Kids Foundation has partnered with Annandale High School to provide an exciting opportunity for elementary students interested in the performing arts! We are offering 20 free tickets to Annandale High School's performance of Little Shop of Horrors on May 3 at 7:00 PM. Additional tickets are also available for purchase on the Annandale Theatre website https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/15475/annandale-high-school-theatre . Not only is this a great way for the students to get more acquainted with their future school, it is also a perfect introduction to the theatre program at Annandale High School inspiring students to take a theatre class or be a part of productions in their future school years.
This offer is sponsored by the non-profit organization, Theatre 4 Kids Foundation, run by FCPS high school students with a mission to inspire the next generation of performers, artists, and technicians by providing unforgettable performing arts experiences for students and their families. More information can be found at our website: theatre4kids.org, or email us at theatre4kidsfoundation@gmail.com!
If you are interested, please click to complete the Google Form https://forms.gle/LtKoDP5JhbMzJy2x7 to apply for tickets! Tickets are limited and run out fast!
Sincerely,
Theatre 4 Kids
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