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School Photo Retakes
Yes, even Nelson takes a new school photo each year! If your children were not here for school pictures or you would like a retake of their photos, please plan for them to have their pictures taken on Monday, October 12. A photographer from Pictures with Class by Barksdale will be available in the photo studio room off the Morris Hall art gallery from 7:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. that day for any and all walk-ins. Parents of lower-schoolers who need retakes can either bring their children to the Morris Hall art gallery between 7:30-8:00 a.m. (if you wish to accompany them for the photo) or let their children’s teachers know in order for arrangements to be made to have those students escorted to the location at some point during the school day before the 2:00 p.m. cutoff.
If your children had their school pictures taken on August 31 or September 1 and you have not received a preview of their photo to order, please search your email’s junk/spam folder for a message titled “An important message regarding your student's school picture, Proof images for (Name) are here!” from Do_Not_Reply@barksdalephoto.com. If you still cannot find them or you have questions about ordering school pictures, email customersupport@pictureswithclass.com.
October Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences will occur on Thursday and Friday, October 22-23, in the Lower School. The conference scheduler will open on Monday, October 5, at 7:00 p.m. and close at noon on Friday, October 16. All lower school conferences will be in-person and on these two days only. If you are unable to attend, the next parent-teacher conferences will be on January 15. Please note: all lower school students will be dismissed at noon on Thursday, October 22. CASE will not be available on October 22 and 23. Additionally, not all buses will be coming to campus to take students home after the noon dismissal on October 22. Please make arrangements accordingly. An email will be sent in early October about busing options for that day.
Fall Celebration and Halloween
Last week, you received this letter with the details for our Fall Celebration scheduled for Friday, October 30. Teachers will share specific grade-level details when they are finalized. The information provided in the letter will help you select an appropriate costume and plan your day accordingly.
Parent Coffees in 2026-27
We are excited to announce our Lower School Parent Coffee schedule for the 2026-27 school year. All parents are invited and encouraged to join us. They begin at 8:15 a.m. in the dining hall (fireside), and some will move to different locations from there. Here is the list:
- October 7: Outdoor Walk Experience
- November 19: Developmental Benchmarks for Early Childhood Children
- January 20: Our New MakerSpace and Shipyard
- February 17: When Anxiety Takes Over: A Parent’s Playbook for Breaking the Cycle
- April 14: Understanding Your Child’s ERB Results (Grades 3-4-5 only)
- May 19: Tips for Summer Success
Student Supervision on Campus
Sporting events and other after-school gatherings (like tonight’s Charlie David Dinner) are times at Columbus Academy to celebrate and provide fellowship with our greater community. It is a privilege to have the campus and facilities available to us during those events, with the freedom to stand, sit and play comfortably in many different areas. Our school takes great pride in this. With the freedom to gather comes an expectation that our collective concern for each other’s safety is paramount and no different than the expectations we have for students, faculty, staff and parents during the school day. Although these events take place after school hours, the same standards of conduct apply anytime you are on campus. Attendance at these events is voluntary, and unless otherwise noted, parents and/or guardians are responsible for directly supervising their children. Please remember that each lower school student must be accompanied by an adult who remains on campus and knows where the child is. Please do not leave your children at a game or event and come back afterward to pick them up. Faculty and staff present at these community events are not there to supervise your children. As always, we want to ensure a safe environment at these events, which necessitates you taking full responsibility for your children on campus for events after school hours. Thank you for your support.
Parenting Article
This week’s article from CNN features a video interview with Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation. It is entitled “Don’t Give Children Under Age 13 Smartphones, New Research Says.” It can be found following this link.
Lower School Calendar
Please refer to this calendar for specific lower school events.
Enjoy your weekend!
Mark L. Hansen
Head of Lower School
Brelle Farrenkopf
Associate Head of Lower School, Director of Early Childhood
Vanessa Taglia
Lower School Director of Academic Programs
Keith Scowden
Lower School Dean of Student Life
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