The St. Columba Shepherd - 5/7/24

ST. COLUMBA SHEPHERD

GUIDANCE FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

EACH WEEK THE ST. COLUMBA SHEPHERD

provides all the information you need to know and links to things that you might need to cross off your list. Stay organized by reading it every week and making sure that you add events and deadlines to your calendar!

LET'S DO IT!

DATES TO REMEMBER

5/6-5/10 - Teacher Appreciation Week

5/8 - School Mass - 5th Grade Leading Liturgy - 8:15

5/10-5/18 - Spring Online Auction

5/10 - Middle School Theater Presents “Around the World in 80 Days” - 7:00

5/11 - Middle School Theater Presents “Around the World in 80 Days” -1:00 & 7:00

5/14 - Date Change - 5th Grade Retreat at Folsom Park

5/14 - 4th Grade Families to MS Mayhem - More Details TBA

5/15 - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Animas Museum

5/16 - Candle Service @ School Mass - 7th & 8th Grade Leading Liturgy - 8:15 (Mass on Thursday this week)

5/16 & 5/17 - 8th Grade Retreat

5/17 - 4th Grade Fishing Field Trip

5/17 - Middle School Dance - 6:30

5/21 - End of Year Assembly - 8:15

5/21 - Graduation Mass - 5:00 (Followed by Dinner & Slideshow for 8th Graders & Families)

5/22 - School Mass - 3rd Grade Leading Liturgy - 8:15

5/23 - Kinder & 1st Grade Field Trip to Train Museum

5/23 - Last Day of Preschool Program

5/23 - Preschool Graduation - 6:00

5/24 - Last Day of School K-7

5/28 & 5/29 - Teacher Workdays/ Professional Development

6/3 - First Day of Preschool Summer Program

May Crowning

St. Columba Spring Auction

As you know our in-person event has pivoted to an online auction. This is exciting because it opens the auction to everyone - even those who had schedule conflicts with the in-person event. Classroom art projects, themed baskets, and experiences will be available at the online auction. Many parents generously gave their time to work with our students to create one of a kind pieces. In addition to the art, there will be unique experience packages like Principal For the Day and a hosted Dinner with the Firefighters at the Fire Station (The firefighters will pick you and your family up at your home in the fire truck and take you to the fire station!). Please watch for an email announcing the auction. Bidding will be open for at least a week and conclude before school is dismissed for the year. This is a critical fundraiser to wrap the year. So bid high and bid often!

Auction Experiences: The Auction Committee is also seeking auction experiences. Some examples of auction items for donation include Sports Tickets, Arts and Entertainment Tickets, Destination and Travel Opportunities, Unique Experiences: (Principal for a Day, Lunch with Your Teacher, Dad's Poker/Casino Night or Whiskey Tasting, Mom’s & Mimosa Day Hike, Family Fourteen-er Experience, Dad's Fly Fishing Experience, host a round of golf for four, wine tasting, etc. We encourage you to team up with another school family to host or provide one of these experiences to make this even more FUN. Please contact parentsassociation@stcolumbaschoolurango.org if you have a unique item or experience to donate. The deadline to contribute an experience and provide a description is Thursday, May 9th.

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6th

10th!

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. It is where we express our gratitude and admiration for our wonderfully dedicated teachers and staff.

Sign-up below to bring in a special treat for our teachers!

Teacher Giving Tree (May 2nd-7th): Come by the front entry and pickup a gift card tag for the staff's favorite places. Giving Tree (see photo above) will be set up this Thursday, May 1st - Monday, May 6th. Take a tag and fulfill the request. Return the tag & gift card to the office by Wednesday, May 8th. Gift cards will be distributed to the staff on Friday, May 10th!

Wednesday 5/8: Charcuterie, Wine, & Sparkling NonAlcoholic Beverages and everything you need for an after-hours Happy Hour (3rd, 4th & 7th grades) Sign-up here

Thursday 5/9: Mini Wellness Massages & Fruit Infused Spa Water

(*the generosity of our community on the Day of Giving unlocked mini wellness massages for our teachers and staff! Thank you, St. Columba Families & Friends!!)

Friday 5/10: Giving Tree Gift Cards & Handmade cards and love from the students.

*Note that on Friday we encourage the students to bring in individual handmade cards and small, sweet gestures such as flowers. As always this is completely optional.

Thank you for helping make our school a great place for our children to learn & grow!

The St. Columba Parents Association

Register Now for Preschool - 8th Grade!

K-8 Registration open now!

To re-enroll your student for the 24-25 school year, you will simply need to complete the registration form HERE. As soon as this form is complete, your spot is secure. It's that easy!

We ask you to complete this registration and tuition contract ASAP. Your registration helps us with our budgeting, planning, resource allocation, and staffing for next year. We also have families on our waitlist that are needing to hear if there is availability in the grade they are hoping for.

Please see the registration email from the office for more details about your 24-25 tuition and registration fees.

If you do not plan on your student returning to St. Columba for the 24-25 school year, please let us know ASAP by emailing Heidi

Preschool registration is also still open!

If you have a child who is at least 2 1/2 and potty trained, there are still a few preschool spots available for the Summer 2024 and School Year 24/25 Sessions. Please complete the form HERE to register them today. Spaces will not last!

Summer option for current Kindergarteners, and 1st graders!

While St. Columba School won’t be hosting a summer camp this year, Ms Sherry, our amazing preschool director, would like to welcome any of our current Kindergarteners and 1st graders to join in for some summer fun. This program will take place at the preschool, but Sherry and her staff plan to take these older kids and keep them engaged with awesome age appropriate activities for them as well as take them on walking field trips to the river, parks, library events, etc

Please sign up HERE for this summer opportunity.

FROM THE DESK OF MR. CHICK

Dear St. Columba Families and Friends,

We are very grateful to share with you the exciting news that the results of the Campus Feasibility Study conducted in February and March showed fantastic support for making improvements to our church and school buildings.

Below you will find a campus planning update and results of the feasibility study conducted by Church Development.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each member of our community for your continued support as we plan for our exciting future and embark on this journey toward enhancing our school and church campus and enriching the experiences of our students and community members.

With deep appreciation, Kevin

Campus Planning Update

The results of our St. Columba Parish Campus Planning Feasibility Study conducted in February and March showed fantastic support for making improvements to our church and school buildings. Thank you to all of those who participated in our town hall meetings and in our surveys and interviews.

Since that time, the parish received proposals from 14 firms to complete a campus-wide Master Plan. After a thorough selection process, we are contracting with Integration Design Group, located in Denver, to walk with us over the next six to eight months to help us further explore our facility needs and options and envision with us what our future campus will look like.

Since 2006 Integration Design Group (IDG) has partnered with more than fifty Catholic parishes and schools throughout Colorado –providing facilities analysis, master planning, architectural design, and interior design services to support the sacramental and communal life of the Church. IDG is founded with this specific mission, and they are thrilled to be selected as a planning and design partner for the school and parish community at St. Columba. IDG is partnering with Zehren Associates, located in Avon, CO, for planning and landscape design services.

A message from Adam Hermanson (IDG) and Pedro Zehren (Zehren Associates):

“In our work throughout the Mountain West, we believe in the body of Christ and the diversity of its members. It takes the expertise of many minds and the skills of many hands to bring together a compelling plan, to communicate and share that vision, and to carry it forward to completion. We’re excited to bring together a team that will accomplish these tasks alongside your church and school leadership.”

St. Columba is currently establishing a Campus Planning Committee, which we will introduce over the coming weeks, as well as multiple focus groups and capital campaign volunteer teams. We welcome and encourage the participation of all members of our church and school communities throughout this process. Together, we will discern and bring to life God’s plan for the campus of St. Columba Parish, serving God’s people for decades to come.

Adam and Pedro plan to visit our campus in mid-May to witness first hand the vibrant activities of our school and church and to launch our master planning process.

Stay tuned for ways in which you can be involved!

On the following pages, you will find details from the Feasibility Study conducted by Church Development. As the Master Plan is developed, St. Columba is engaging once again with Denis Greene and Darryl Prater of Church Development to lead an upcoming capital campaign for the yet-to-be-determined Phase One of our Master Plan.

24-25 SCHOOL CALENDAR

Our 24-25 School Year Calendar is now available!

Please click HERE to view the whole year.

The first day of school for Preschool - 5th Grade will be August 21 and the first day for 6th-8th Grade will be August 22.

This will be added to the website a

Prepackaged School Supplies for 24-25

Avoid the hassle of rounding up everything on the list in August by purchasing your kit now. The package will contain everything on the list and will be waiting in the classroom for your student(s) at the beginning of the year. Supply lists will also be available on our website and will be emailed out over the summer if you choose to shop on your own. You can easily place your order HERE or return the order form that will be in this week’s Tuesday folder.

CHROMEBOOK SALE

St. Columba will be getting new Chromebooks for 4th - 8th grade next school year. We will be selling our old Chromebooks for $20 each. These Chromebooks (Samsung 500c) will be sold as is; please note that these are out of date and can no longer be updated. That being said, they are still in working order and will work for most of your student's academic needs at home.

You may reserve a Chromebook by submitting a $20 check (made out to St. Columba School) or cash to the office or Mrs. Bowman. We have a limited number of Chromebooks, so sales are first come first serve. We will send them home with students on the last day of school.

Help your student relive the memories of this fun school year by ordering your yearbook HERE today! Yearbooks are $15 each and will be available until our limited supply runs out. *The company we use has let us know that the yearbooks may possibly not be here before the end of the school year. We will let you know or distribute them as soon as they arrive

THE PRESCHOOL CORNER