September 11, 2026

Dear Lower School Families,



Thank you so much for joining us for Back to School Night and our Get-to-Know-You Conferences last week! We truly appreciated the opportunity to connect with you, share what lies ahead for your child this year and learn more about your child through your thoughtful insights.

Student Lunch

We initiated a new Lower School schedule this year. We have transitioned from two to three lunch periods (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5). This change brings wonderful benefits: students enjoy a quieter, more peaceful dining environment with fewer children in the room at once, and wait times for our most popular meals are significantly reduced. That means more time for your child to relax and enjoy their lunch. Be sure to ask your child how they are enjoying their Dining Hall experience this year.

Early Childhood Playground Update

Exciting updates are in progress on the Early Childhood playground. This project began early in the summer and is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. We are excited to introduce new climbing structures and play spaces, intentionally selected for our youngest Vikings. 

Student Supervision on Campus

Sporting events and other after-school gatherings 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.

Dress Code Reminders

A few general reminders as we settle into the school year about our dress code:

• Solid-color, polo-style shirts with a collar and free of any non-CA lettering or logos. Approved colors are: white, light blue, navy blue, light pink, maroon, or gray.
• Shoes: athletic shoes or dress shoes. No slippers, Crocs, or Ugg-style shoes. All styles of boots are for outdoor use only—no light-up shoes.
• Socks must be worn with all shoes. Solid-color white, navy blue, light pink, maroon, gray, or khaki ankle, crew or knee socks only, and they must be free of lettering and logos.
• Sweatshirts: crew-neck and v-neck CA sweatshirts are permitted. Must be free of hoods.
• Hair: students are not permitted to have extreme or unnatural hair color/style. This includes haircuts with cut-out designs and tinsel/colored hair extensions.
• No smartwatches—this includes any watch that can send and receive messages or photos.

Message from Our Lower School Counselor

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! My name is Danielle Gibbs and I am the lower school counselor at Columbus Academy. I am excited to partner with you, the teachers, administrators and other specialists in our building in support of student wellness.

This year we are excited to kick off our third year of the Let Grow Experience in Lower School. This is an evidence-based, project-based learning program that helps build confidence, agency and independence in students (click here for introduction). Each month there will be a theme that we share with students along with ideas to get the conversation started.

We would love it if you could snap photos of your children showing off their independence, challenges and/or successes so we can encourage and celebrate with them and recognize them at an assembly. At any point throughout the year, please email your photos to gibbsd@columbusacademy.org with a brief description of the project if your children would like to be recognized. The theme for September is Independence: Getting out of your comfort zone! Get comfortable with trying out things that stretch you and allow you to be more independent than before. Stepping outside of your comfort zone is where growth happens. Click here for information to get you started with some age-appropriate ideas. Happy planning!

Parenting Article

This week’s article is from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. It is entitled “How to Raise Kids Who Feel Capable in the World.”

Snacks

One snack is provided to students daily. If additional snacks are needed, students may bring fresh, pre-cut fruit or vegetables to school to supplement their snacks. Please note: these are the only acceptable snacks that can be brought from home.

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