Recently a friend dropped off a bag of Dove milk chocolate hearts. To say I was happy would be an understatement. Although I don’t need the chocolate, I thought I would sample some of the chocolate and share the rest. As I looked at the sample of chocolate hearts, I noticed each one had a message. While reviewing the messages, I found that they were focused on trying to make each one of us feel good. The messages of the candy I sampled had the following messages:
• “Go where your heart takes you.”
• “Discover how much your heart can hold.”
• “Celebrate family and friends.”
• “Be your own Valentine.”
In this world, which can be so harsh and cold, these heartfelt messages are intended to brighten our day. Although messages in candy seem trivial, the idea behind the “feel-good” messages is poignant. The children of our community need us to be loving, kind and positive as we interact with them.
At Columbia Schools our teachers and staff members go the extra mile to be positive with our students. Teachers focus on the strengths of our students and work to give them positive feedback. Our goal is to build up our students and give them the educational background to help enable a lifetime of success. Students in Columbia are recognized for positive behavior, academic success, and hard work. Teachers and administrators promote students with the Student of the Month awards, Honor Roll and good behavior recognition.
Students who are struggling are applauded by their teachers as they work to bring up their grades. Mentors in the Buddies Reading Program bring a positive impact and level of encouragement to young students as they work on their reading skills. As a member of our community you may play a positive part in the lives of our students. You may encourage area children by volunteering with the Girl or Boy Scouts, mentoring a child through the Buddies Reading Program, helping with a youth sports team, attending a concert or musical performance to support your neighborhood students or cheering on our Columbia School District athletes.
Join the members of the Columbia School District family and help promote the children of our community with something more substantial and long lasting than the messages in my candy. By building up our students through positive consequential interactions, we can make a difference in their lives. If you are interested in learning more about Columbia School District, call me at 517-592-6641 or email me at pam.campbell@myeagles.org.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Saturday, January 4, 2014
January is School Board Appreciation Month
January is School Board appreciation month. Our dedicated Columbia School District board members share a common goal to provide a positive learning environment for our children. With deep care and compassion our board members put in many hundreds of hours focusing on the well-being of each student. Their time is well spent attending extracurricular activities, attending professional development sessions, and volunteering at school community events. Continually advocating for children, they work diligently alongside parents and community members to set policy and create a vision to help our students experience educational success.
Education is very important in the history of the United States and the volunteer members of local school boards have been essential in the progress towards excellent learning environments for our children. Complex challenges and serious issues, along with financial ambiguities face our board members as they collaborate with community members and parents.
Our citizen school board leaders, President Robert Wahr, Vice-President Garry Applegate, Treasurer Mark Fish, Secretary Jodi Collins, Trustee Dan Fulara, Trustee Dave Slusher and Trustee Doug Schedeler, consistently rise to the occasion in their challenging duties with extraordinary dedication. Their concerted efforts are the key to establish policies that will prepare our children to become future leaders.
I congratulate the Columbia School District board members for their success in providing an excellent educational experience for all of our children. During this month of appreciation, join with me to applaud our school board members who provide enthusiastic support and caring for our students, teachers and administrators.
There are many ways in which you may express your gratitude and support for our school board members: Email them a note of appreciation, send them a letter of support, express your thanks in a phone call, or make a donation to your favorite school program in their name. Your positive feedback to these unselfish leaders will be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in learning more about the Columbia School District, please contact me at pamela.campbell@myeagles.org or call 517-592-6641.
Education is very important in the history of the United States and the volunteer members of local school boards have been essential in the progress towards excellent learning environments for our children. Complex challenges and serious issues, along with financial ambiguities face our board members as they collaborate with community members and parents.
Our citizen school board leaders, President Robert Wahr, Vice-President Garry Applegate, Treasurer Mark Fish, Secretary Jodi Collins, Trustee Dan Fulara, Trustee Dave Slusher and Trustee Doug Schedeler, consistently rise to the occasion in their challenging duties with extraordinary dedication. Their concerted efforts are the key to establish policies that will prepare our children to become future leaders.
I congratulate the Columbia School District board members for their success in providing an excellent educational experience for all of our children. During this month of appreciation, join with me to applaud our school board members who provide enthusiastic support and caring for our students, teachers and administrators.
There are many ways in which you may express your gratitude and support for our school board members: Email them a note of appreciation, send them a letter of support, express your thanks in a phone call, or make a donation to your favorite school program in their name. Your positive feedback to these unselfish leaders will be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in learning more about the Columbia School District, please contact me at pamela.campbell@myeagles.org or call 517-592-6641.
Monday, December 23, 2013
New Year's Resolution!
New Year’s Day spurs many of us to make resolutions promising ourselves that we will make a change in our daily lives and habits. After making the resolution, we must strategize how we will facilitate the change in our habits and how we will develop new patterns of behavior. Samuel Johnson, an 18th century moralist and writer, often commented in his journals about his resolutions and philosophies on education. His personal philosophy indicated that everyone should receive a foundational education (Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson, 1791).
As I thought about the differences in our educational system and the type of education that existed when Samuel Johnson grew up, it became apparent that while we educate everyone, some children come to school without the very foundation they need to be successful. While Samuel Johnson’s mother gave him a book at age three and he began his learning, not all of our students have that educational advantage.
Columbia School District offers learning opportunities for preschoolers beginning at age three. Our preschool and daycare focuses on giving children an educational foundation through active learning using hands-on materials and play. We offer both tuition based preschool and our free Great Start Readiness Program for four-year-olds who qualify. These early opportunities at building a foundation for literacy and independence in an educational setting, give our children an advantage when they attend kindergarten.
As the children of our district move into kindergarten and first grade, some of them struggle learning to read. Columbia Elementary has important programs that focus on early literacy, two of them are: Reading Recovery and Columbia Buddies. Reading Recovery utilizes a certified teacher to work with individual students and groups of students to increase their reading levels. Columbia Buddies develops volunteer community members to mentor individual students in reading techniques under the direction of a program director. Both of the programs show positive gains in students’ reading levels.
As you contemplate and refine your New Year’s resolutions, please consider making a resolution to volunteer in Brooklyn Buddies or one of our other opportunities, such as Grandparents for Greatness. If you are interested in learning more about Columbia Buddies send an email to Lori.Kouba@myeagles.org, if you are interested in participating in Grandparents for Greatness, email Nancy.Backus@myeagles.org.
While our resolutions have the potential to serve as a stimulus for change and personal growth, sometimes we forget all of our positive self-talk and transformational strategies. Make a New Year's resolution that will last through out the year by resolving to volunteer in a capacity that will enhance the lives of our children! Are you interested in hearing more about Columbia Schools? Call me at 592-6641 or email me at Pam.Campbell@myeagles.org.
As I thought about the differences in our educational system and the type of education that existed when Samuel Johnson grew up, it became apparent that while we educate everyone, some children come to school without the very foundation they need to be successful. While Samuel Johnson’s mother gave him a book at age three and he began his learning, not all of our students have that educational advantage.
Columbia School District offers learning opportunities for preschoolers beginning at age three. Our preschool and daycare focuses on giving children an educational foundation through active learning using hands-on materials and play. We offer both tuition based preschool and our free Great Start Readiness Program for four-year-olds who qualify. These early opportunities at building a foundation for literacy and independence in an educational setting, give our children an advantage when they attend kindergarten.
As the children of our district move into kindergarten and first grade, some of them struggle learning to read. Columbia Elementary has important programs that focus on early literacy, two of them are: Reading Recovery and Columbia Buddies. Reading Recovery utilizes a certified teacher to work with individual students and groups of students to increase their reading levels. Columbia Buddies develops volunteer community members to mentor individual students in reading techniques under the direction of a program director. Both of the programs show positive gains in students’ reading levels.
As you contemplate and refine your New Year’s resolutions, please consider making a resolution to volunteer in Brooklyn Buddies or one of our other opportunities, such as Grandparents for Greatness. If you are interested in learning more about Columbia Buddies send an email to Lori.Kouba@myeagles.org, if you are interested in participating in Grandparents for Greatness, email Nancy.Backus@myeagles.org.
While our resolutions have the potential to serve as a stimulus for change and personal growth, sometimes we forget all of our positive self-talk and transformational strategies. Make a New Year's resolution that will last through out the year by resolving to volunteer in a capacity that will enhance the lives of our children! Are you interested in hearing more about Columbia Schools? Call me at 592-6641 or email me at Pam.Campbell@myeagles.org.
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Key to Success!
Keys, keys, keys! I pick up my key ring and wow, what are all the keys for? Some of the keys are shiny, some are old and worn, some are silver, and some are multi-colored, but they all have some significance in my life. Sometimes our children have an assignment or take a class and they are not quite sure how it will benefit them in later life, but it may be the key to a successful career.
Often I have heard people say, “What am I going to use Algebra or Biology for when I am older?” In this day of instant gratification we want everything to have a reason right-now. Our children are growing up in a world that puts a greater emphasis on basic algebra facts in business, industry and the informational technology field. Those hiring people in the health and human services career fields often comment on the need for qualified employees.
Just like each of my keys has significance, each of the courses our child takes has meaning. The State of Michigan now requires students to complete two years of foreign language while in high school. Columbia School District offers Spanish to students in seventh through twelfth grade and French to our Columbia Central High School students. The significance is that in our increasingly globalized economy it may be necessary for our children to know a second language.
In much the same way as I need the silver key to get into my office, the key to a good job may be having taken Algebra, Geometry or Chemistry. At Columbia Schools we have opportunities for our students to succeed through the classroom setting and after school tutoring and assistance programs. If your child is finding a subject difficult, make sure you contact the teacher because the key to your child’s future may be hidden in that subject. If you have questions regarding Columbia School District or are interested in serving on our new Curriculum Committee, please give me a call at 517.592.6641 or email me at Pam.Campbell@myeagles.org.
Often I have heard people say, “What am I going to use Algebra or Biology for when I am older?” In this day of instant gratification we want everything to have a reason right-now. Our children are growing up in a world that puts a greater emphasis on basic algebra facts in business, industry and the informational technology field. Those hiring people in the health and human services career fields often comment on the need for qualified employees.
Just like each of my keys has significance, each of the courses our child takes has meaning. The State of Michigan now requires students to complete two years of foreign language while in high school. Columbia School District offers Spanish to students in seventh through twelfth grade and French to our Columbia Central High School students. The significance is that in our increasingly globalized economy it may be necessary for our children to know a second language.
In much the same way as I need the silver key to get into my office, the key to a good job may be having taken Algebra, Geometry or Chemistry. At Columbia Schools we have opportunities for our students to succeed through the classroom setting and after school tutoring and assistance programs. If your child is finding a subject difficult, make sure you contact the teacher because the key to your child’s future may be hidden in that subject. If you have questions regarding Columbia School District or are interested in serving on our new Curriculum Committee, please give me a call at 517.592.6641 or email me at Pam.Campbell@myeagles.org.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
The Flavor of Columbia Education
Snap, Crackle, Pop! Those familiar words are trademarked by Kellogg’s Cereal to represent their Rice Krispies Cereal. Since the iconic elfin characters were developed 1933 to help publicize the cereal, they have undergone many updates, but have remained the same loveable characters.
The ten or so changes over the past eighty years in the appearance of the small elfin characters, reminded me of the fact that the Columbia School District will be undergoing changes in the appearance of the buildings, while the dependable “flavor” of the Columbia education will remain tried and true, just like the taste of the crispy rice cereal.
The Columbia School Board, administration and steering committee are involved in a conversation designed to initialize the changes to the buildings and grounds based upon the goals that were set early on in the Facility Improvement planning process: To make our buildings warm, dry, safe and smart. To accommodate the expansive nature of the project, it has been split in to two phases.
While the entire time line has not been defined, it appears as though the first phase will include installing new roofs, increasing student and staff safety by designing and constructing the new bus and parent drives and parking areas between the elementary and middle schools, designing and installating of wiring for an increased level of technology at all schools, and using focus groups to initiate the design process for interior building remodeling. The second half of the first phase will include the transformation of the area south of the Media Center at Columbia Central High School to accommodate the seventh and eighth grade students, starting construction on the elementary secure entry vestibule and the junior high locker room addition for CCHS.
The second phase will include replacement of the boilers, remodeling of restrooms, classrooms and office areas, replacement of windows and doors, improvements to the technology, parking lots, tennis courts and CCHS track. We will continue to solidify the timelines as we move through the early weeks of the process. Over the next several months there will be opportunities for parents, community members and staff members to have input as we embark on the improvement process. If you are interested in participating in a focus group, please contact me by email at pam.Campbell@myeagles.org or call me at 5926641.
The ten or so changes over the past eighty years in the appearance of the small elfin characters, reminded me of the fact that the Columbia School District will be undergoing changes in the appearance of the buildings, while the dependable “flavor” of the Columbia education will remain tried and true, just like the taste of the crispy rice cereal.
The Columbia School Board, administration and steering committee are involved in a conversation designed to initialize the changes to the buildings and grounds based upon the goals that were set early on in the Facility Improvement planning process: To make our buildings warm, dry, safe and smart. To accommodate the expansive nature of the project, it has been split in to two phases.
While the entire time line has not been defined, it appears as though the first phase will include installing new roofs, increasing student and staff safety by designing and constructing the new bus and parent drives and parking areas between the elementary and middle schools, designing and installating of wiring for an increased level of technology at all schools, and using focus groups to initiate the design process for interior building remodeling. The second half of the first phase will include the transformation of the area south of the Media Center at Columbia Central High School to accommodate the seventh and eighth grade students, starting construction on the elementary secure entry vestibule and the junior high locker room addition for CCHS.
The second phase will include replacement of the boilers, remodeling of restrooms, classrooms and office areas, replacement of windows and doors, improvements to the technology, parking lots, tennis courts and CCHS track. We will continue to solidify the timelines as we move through the early weeks of the process. Over the next several months there will be opportunities for parents, community members and staff members to have input as we embark on the improvement process. If you are interested in participating in a focus group, please contact me by email at pam.Campbell@myeagles.org or call me at 5926641.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Christmas Sugar Cookies!
The other day I made my second batch of Christmas sugar cookies. For those of you who do not make Christmas cookies from scratch, it is really quite a production. First you have to make sure you purchase everything you need for the cookies. You may need flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and don’t forget to bring home containers or decorative plates for gifting some of the cookies.
When I made the first batch a couple of weeks ago, I studied the recipe and thought I was being so careful as I added each ingredient. At one point the recipe says to add four eggs, then add three cups of butter milk with two teaspoons of baking soda stirred until frothy. I missed the part about adding the baking soda to the butter milk. I thought rather than adding the eggs and butter milk separately, I could stir the eggs and the butter milk together, then add the baking soda last. Obviously, this wasn’t what the recipe called for and I was horrified, but the cookies tasted great!
For the second batch I followed the recipe to the letter and even tried a new icing recipe. When the new recipe turned out too thick, I settled on a second recipe which turned out to be easier to spread. The cookies were good and the icing was excellent.
Thinking about my Christmas cookie baking experiences I thought about how we approach a process with a plan and then work step by step to carry it out to the best of our ability. Following the completion of a process, we reflect on our performance and we work to improve for the next time. Just like the correction in my second batch of cookies, adding the baking soda to the butter milk, our teachers spend a tremendous amount of time focusing on improving our classroom learning environments for our students.
Each of the Columbia District schools have improvement plans. Our teachers work together examining test data and reflecting on educational practices, focusing on best practices. As we continue to join together to improve Columbia Schools, we invite our parents and community members to add their input. Parents may submit their input via our website at www.myeagles.org. The parent survey may be found by clicking on the appropriate school, then clicking on the Parent Survey link located below the school’s picture. Community members may submit input by emailing me at pam.campbell@myeagles.org. If you are interested in learning more about Columbia School District please call me at 517-592-6641 or email me at pam.campbell@myeagles.org.
When I made the first batch a couple of weeks ago, I studied the recipe and thought I was being so careful as I added each ingredient. At one point the recipe says to add four eggs, then add three cups of butter milk with two teaspoons of baking soda stirred until frothy. I missed the part about adding the baking soda to the butter milk. I thought rather than adding the eggs and butter milk separately, I could stir the eggs and the butter milk together, then add the baking soda last. Obviously, this wasn’t what the recipe called for and I was horrified, but the cookies tasted great!
For the second batch I followed the recipe to the letter and even tried a new icing recipe. When the new recipe turned out too thick, I settled on a second recipe which turned out to be easier to spread. The cookies were good and the icing was excellent.
Thinking about my Christmas cookie baking experiences I thought about how we approach a process with a plan and then work step by step to carry it out to the best of our ability. Following the completion of a process, we reflect on our performance and we work to improve for the next time. Just like the correction in my second batch of cookies, adding the baking soda to the butter milk, our teachers spend a tremendous amount of time focusing on improving our classroom learning environments for our students.
Each of the Columbia District schools have improvement plans. Our teachers work together examining test data and reflecting on educational practices, focusing on best practices. As we continue to join together to improve Columbia Schools, we invite our parents and community members to add their input. Parents may submit their input via our website at www.myeagles.org. The parent survey may be found by clicking on the appropriate school, then clicking on the Parent Survey link located below the school’s picture. Community members may submit input by emailing me at pam.campbell@myeagles.org. If you are interested in learning more about Columbia School District please call me at 517-592-6641 or email me at pam.campbell@myeagles.org.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Earning Three Stars!
Recently I saw a young boy playing Angry Birds Star Wars edition on his iPad. Intently focused, he continued until he had three stars. He was not satisfied with earning one or two stars, but wanted to achieve the highest ranking of three stars. This young man seemed concerned about his scoring legacy and wanted to do his best. He said that sometimes it takes more than a day for him to get the top score, but he doggedly continues, taking as much time as necessary to achieve his goal.
Watching him play his game made me think about our desired outcome for updating our buildings. All of us want to do our best: we want three stars! Just like the young boy intently focusing on his game, we will intently focus on the process we will use to gather information. Proper information gathering is essential to having a result which will synthesize all sources and details. We will use a thorough planning process which will include input from community members, parents, school staff and board members.
Just like the game, where birds bump into each other and interact so they may achieve their goal, some of our information gathering will come from intentional targeted interactions with community members. Our Facility Improvement Team will meet to review the results of the facility audit we conducted last spring. Columbia School District staff members will have an opportunity to participate in focus group meetings designed to gather input on details for their buildings.
At our Construction Core Team meeting last week, we looked at a visual representation of a proposed timeline. As we move along the timeline, we will proceed from the information gathering process to the design phase. During the initial design phase our input groups will have an opportunity to react and evaluate possible results. Our desire is to have a positive legacy which will benefit our children. At each juncture, I will communicate our progress to the Columbia School District Community.
The proposed timeline depicts us selling the Bonds in February, gathering input on design details during the winter, evaluating designs during the spring, soliciting bids for the first phase in March for completion in late August, finalizing designs for the second phase in late fall 2014, followed by bidding for completion of the second phase in August of 2015. Throughout this process we will continue to strive for three stars!
Over the past two weeks since we passed the Bond Issue Proposals, I have spoken to many staff and community members. If you have questions or suggestions, please drop me an email at pam.campbell@myeagles.org or a note in the mail to 11775 Hewitt Road, Brooklyn 49230.
Watching him play his game made me think about our desired outcome for updating our buildings. All of us want to do our best: we want three stars! Just like the young boy intently focusing on his game, we will intently focus on the process we will use to gather information. Proper information gathering is essential to having a result which will synthesize all sources and details. We will use a thorough planning process which will include input from community members, parents, school staff and board members.
Just like the game, where birds bump into each other and interact so they may achieve their goal, some of our information gathering will come from intentional targeted interactions with community members. Our Facility Improvement Team will meet to review the results of the facility audit we conducted last spring. Columbia School District staff members will have an opportunity to participate in focus group meetings designed to gather input on details for their buildings.
At our Construction Core Team meeting last week, we looked at a visual representation of a proposed timeline. As we move along the timeline, we will proceed from the information gathering process to the design phase. During the initial design phase our input groups will have an opportunity to react and evaluate possible results. Our desire is to have a positive legacy which will benefit our children. At each juncture, I will communicate our progress to the Columbia School District Community.
The proposed timeline depicts us selling the Bonds in February, gathering input on design details during the winter, evaluating designs during the spring, soliciting bids for the first phase in March for completion in late August, finalizing designs for the second phase in late fall 2014, followed by bidding for completion of the second phase in August of 2015. Throughout this process we will continue to strive for three stars!
Over the past two weeks since we passed the Bond Issue Proposals, I have spoken to many staff and community members. If you have questions or suggestions, please drop me an email at pam.campbell@myeagles.org or a note in the mail to 11775 Hewitt Road, Brooklyn 49230.
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