Work Hard and Be Kind at Columbia School District!

Morrie Boogaart was known as the Hat Man.  For more than 15 years Morrie worked diligently knitting hats for the homeless.  In his former life Morrie was in the Navy during World War II, owned the Bergsma Bakery, and was a custodian at the Third Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. 

When Mr. Boogaart was bedridden with cancer, he couldn’t sit idly by, his servant’s heart made him stay active caring about the needy.  He began knitting hats for the homeless.  Eventually Morrie was transferred to Hospice care.  Over the years, Morrie knitted thousands of hats which made a difference to the homeless people who received his handmade hats.  One observer, Abbey Sladick, was quoted as saying, “Morrie teaches everybody that no matter how old we are, or what medical condition we may have, we can all give back in some way.  We can all learn from Morrie Boogaart.”  Over his fifteen years of knitting Morrie Boogaart knitted more than 8,000 hats.  He became so famous for his hats, individuals around the world sent him yarn to support this great work.

Although he passed away at 92 years old, over two years ago, his servant’s heart and sacrifice is still inspiring people who were touched by his story.  The Columbia School District is filled with people with a servant’s heart, who care about the community and the students.  At Columbia Elementary and Columbia Upper Elementary School the motto is “Work Hard and Be Kind.”  Similar to the amazing kindness exhibited by Morrie, our students are focused on being kind.

At Columbia Elementary School, students show kindness by helping out after an activity or program.  At the end of recess they assist by collecting the equipment and putting it away.  Mrs. Wright, principal at Columbia Elementary School, said that the students are so helpful and assist the custodian by picking up trash in the cafeteria after lunch, support other students when their lockers are stuck, and return lost and found items to the office.  Mrs. Wright continued by saying that “it is super cute to see students help each other get their boots on during the winter.”

Students at Columbia Upper Elementary also focus on showing kindness and working hard.  Mrs.
Schatzel, the school counselor said that, “When they interact with each other or an adult in the building, they say kind words, give words of complements or encouragement to their friends.  They may help a fellow student pick up things they dropped or assist their teacher."  Mrs. Schatzel, went on to comment about how hard the students work on a daily basis and that they focus on following rules and procedures, along with doing what their teachers directed.

Columbia School District teachers, staff, and administrators are proud of our students as they work hard and be kind to one another.  We praise our students for their servant’s heart and their positive demeanor.  Having such wonderful students who have the heart of kindness makes Columbia a great school district!  If you are interested in learning more about Columbia School District, email me at Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org or call 5175926641.

Support Your Child!

 

Are you interested in finding a solution to help support your child successfully completing their homework?  Like a basketball player practicing her shot or a gymnast doing a series of back handsprings, to achieve success, your child will complete homework to practice his or her school work.  If he or she is like most youngsters, homework can be full of challenges, from making a diorama to solving equations in advanced algebra.

You can help your child get started when he or she gets home from school, following a Zoom online meeting with their teacher, or back from a friend’s house.  Children are different with their approach to school work.  Some children may want to relax or play outside, others like to begin with their work immediately.  Try challenging your child to keep track of the two methods for one week to see what is most successful for them.  Your child use a calendar to keep track of their successes.  They may note the avenue they took to complete their school work and if it worked well, or if it was difficult.  At the end of the trial period, have him or her look over the calendar and make a determination of which method was the best.

Your child may need assistance in solving problems.  Strategies are important to use when he or she is stuck during an assignment.  For instance when your child is working on math, he or she may want to use a number line or find a how to section on the internet or in a book.  When your child is reading and gets stumped he or she could look up words over the internet, ask you, or reread the paragraph.

Assist your child by helping him or her stay motivated.  Most children do not enjoy doing homework, so you can help by giving them options for seating areas, and supplying snacks.  You can help by suggesting that he or she change chairs, or plop down in a bean bag chair.  Having a new area to work may promote creativity and increased motivation.  There is no right or wrong sitting position for doing homework, some children. If you have questions regarding Columbia School District, call 5175926641, or email me at Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org .

School is Cool!

 

Many times our children struggle with the discrepancy between being a good student or being viewed by their friends as “cool.”  How can we as parents send our children the message that “school is cool?”  Here are some tips to spark excitement for your child to get engaged in learning.

Make learning personal for your child.  Look for ways to tie school lessons to your youngster’s life.  For example, if he is learning about verbs, ask him to name his favorite actions: eating, skateboarding or playing basketball.  If he is working on division with decimals, look at the price of a case of pop versus on can, or the price or a loaf of bread versus one piece of bread.  Relating subjects to his interests will help to build his enthusiasm.

Reward your child’s effort in completing his or her school work.  When your child works hard on an assignment, let her know you noticed.  For example, “you solved that tough math problem.  Way to go!”  Focusing on progress, not just on grades, encourages hard work and discourages the urge to give up.

Be an educational tour guide.  Invite your child on a fun learning journey.  For example, tackle a craft project together using a how-to-book.  If you want to order a pizza let her help you find information in the phone book or on the internet.  If you are going on a trip, have her help you use an atlas.  Use a trip to a museum, the zoo, or an arboretum to be a spring board for learning about a science fact, animal or an artist.  The desire to learn can be contagious.  Let’s get our children excited to learn! If you want to learn more about Columbia School District, call me at 5175926641 or email Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org .

Climbing to New Heights at Columbia!

 

Imagine you were a world famous mountain climber and you were getting ready to climb Mt. Everest.  What would you take with you?  How would you prepare for this adventure?  How would you feel and what would you say and do when you reached the top?  These questions are an example of writing prompts a child may use for their personal or school journal.

Successfully raising a creative writer may be encouraged at home by using various activities to support your child’s writing.  One way you may support their writing is to make it a family activity, with prizes for the most inventive story about using a specific writing prompt.  Many children enjoy writing in a journal.  Help your child get started by letting them choose an attractive journal or making one out of a notebook and create an artistic cover.  Your support of their writing can be advantageous for your child even if they do not want to become a professional writer.  Many careers require that you know how to write well and effectively to be successful.

At Columbia School District teachers work with students to improve their academic success and ability to write creatively.  One of the ways that teachers facilitate learning is through creative writing.  Creative writing helps challenge the young children to become better problem solvers, and in turn helps to increase self-confidence.  As our teachers use their creative writing prompts to assist their young students increase their cognitive abilities, and improve their abilities in mathematics and science by learning to write descriptively.

For students who are working to improve their expertise in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), they enhance their abilities by using creative writing to support their learning.  No matter what their interest is, it is important for our children to become proficient in learning how to write well and write effectively.  If you are interested in learning more about Columbia School District, email me at pamela.campbell@myeagles.org or call 5175926641.

 

Educating the Whole Student at Columbia!

 

Educating the whole student at Columbia School District is a result of our community working in partnership.  Teaching our students takes more than simply having them memorize facts.  The Columbia School District family believes that real education gives children an opportunity to discover.  They discover their talents, skills and interests.  Our students discover how to learn, so they may become life-long learners!

Our students find that the key to their success comes from the nurturing and caring teachers at Columbia.  Our extensive list of Advanced Placement courses, electives and solid academic classes at the secondary level and enriching academic activities and specials at the elementary level help our students to pursue their interests as they grow and mature in to the next leaders for our community.

At a time when many districts have cut art and music, Columbia offers music and art to all of our students Kindergarten through 12^th grade.  These special enriching activities help develop our students in to successful adults.  In addition, the offering of various levels of physical education at each grade level, along with elementary recess periods, helps to keep our students active and healthy. 

Our students have excellent opportunities to take college classes through the Jackson County Early/Middle College.  By participating in college courses while at Columbia Central High School, our students gain valuable experience and increased levels of confidence.  Many of our students are able to graduate with enough college credits to get them started off as a sophomore or junior at their chosen university. 

This fall, join the Golden Eagle Team and soar above as our students learn today, and become leaders tomorrow!  If you are interested in learning more about Columbia, check out our website at myeagles.org, email me at Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org or call 5175926641.

Connie Douglas Makes A Difference at Columbia Elementary!

Connie Douglas makes a difference in the lives of the students at Columbia Elementary School.  This year she was recognized by the CES staff with the “You Make A Difference Award.”  She is an amazing asset to the students and teachers.  As the librarian, her enthusiasm for reading and getting children excited to read more books is infectious! When asked why she likes to work at Columbia Elementary School, Mrs. Douglas said, “It is the absolute best place to work, the rewards, the staff, everything about it is wonderful!”

When talking about Mrs. Douglas, the Columbia Elementary School principal Mrs. Wright, said “Wow!  She does it all.”  She went on to comment, “Connie greats each student every morning.”  Mrs. Wright talked about Connie’s way of encouraging students to read.  She said, “Connie makes reading fun by dressing up in costumes and decorating the library.  During March is Reading Month she dressed up like a pirate!”  Mrs. Wright went on to say that the theme for the special reading emphasis was “We Arr-gg Readers!”  It was a fun time for the students, because Mrs. Douglas decorated the library with items associated with pirates. 

Mrs. Douglas’ enthusiasm for reading helps to motivate the students.  She mentioned that during the year, she does a “Top Reader of the Month Award for two students and keeps track of the students with the most accelerated reader points on the Star Wall.”  She continued saying that, “The top 10 first graders and the top 10 second graders get their pictures on the Star Wall.”  She explained that, “This wall has students from as long ago as 2002, and our readers are excited to earn enough points to take someone’s place on the wall. This is a real accomplishment.” 

Mrs. Douglas has had various jobs for the Columbia School District, including being a one-on-one aide and assisting students in special education.  As part of her duties, Connie tracks student attendance and fills in for the school secretary during lunch time.  She is very creative and tries to make a difference for the children in Columbia.  In addition, Mrs. Douglas is very active in working with the staff to increase their level of fitness.  She does a special walking club called, “Move Your Butt” on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that involves walking and exercising in the bus loop between the elementary buildings.

Mrs. Douglas gets involved with positivity at Columbia Elementary by encouraging students to work hard and be kind.  She helps award students for their behavior by assisting in the celebration for the Columbia Elementary School Student of the Month Award.  Mrs. Wright mentioned that additionally, Connie “gives out prizes every Friday to students who have been chosen for Mystery Behavior! “  Connie explained that, “This is a focused behavior on positive actions by the students.”  She mentioned that she also does the “Work Hard and Be Kind” student award each morning.  Connie said, “The students love receiving awards for positive behavior!”  Connie is a blessing to the children and staff at CES!  She is very deserving of her award for making a difference!   Learn more about Columbia School District at www.myeagles.org .

Mrs. Burge Makes A Difference at CES!

Barb Burge was honored with the “You Make A Difference” Award this year for her ability to continually give our Columbia Elementary students the attention that makes each moment extra special.  This award is voted on by her fellow staff members.  Barb loves her job as a dedicated teaching assistant for a child.   She said that her degree in therapeutic recreation gives her a special insight to do her job.  She works to be creative and make learning fun for her “Little Eagle” student.

Mrs. Burge said, that she appreciates the team work and camaraderie at Columbia Elementary School.  She commented that the “teachers and staff are always asking others for ideas and everyone is willing to share ideas.” She continued by saying that there is a spirit of encouragement and humility within the staff.

Barb mentioned that she looks “forward to connecting with the kids every day. It's important to me to stop when a child is speaking to me and look them in the eye and really pay attention to them. Everyone wants to be heard and understood and working at CES is the perfect place to show I value the kids.”

Mrs. Burge enjoys working with the children at Columbia Elementary.  Her experience raising her three boys with her husband has given her insight that comes in handy with the “Little Eagles.”  She said that her son Kaden, who was the prince in the CCHS production, ‘The Little Mermaid’ has also played in the band and soccer.   Since many of the students saw the play, she gets to use him as an example of the positive opportunities at Columbia.

Barb also enjoys working with first grade teacher, Mrs. Wisneski to encourage the students to eat healthy.  She mentioned that because they set an example by eating fruit for snack each day many of the students would bring fruit for their daily snack.  The interest in bringing fruit for snack even encouraged the principal, Mrs. Wright, to bring her apple into the classroom and join in the healthy fun! 

Mrs. Burge continued to make a difference in the lives of the children of Columbia Elementary even through the school closure this spring.  She continued to encourage children to keep learning and taking advantage of the time with their family.  Barb missed seeing the children every day, she added that, “kids give the best hugs!”  Thank you Mrs. Burge for your work at Columbia Elementary School!