Columbia Independent School

Next Time, Vacation In Albania

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:54:18 +0000

Global Issues teacher Jennifer Anderson recently returned from a trip to the Balkan country of Albania with her husband, Jeff. The Andersons were in the Albanian capital, Tirana, for the wedding of friends, and afterwards visited sights in the western region of the country, including the mountain village of Kruja and the seaside resort town Vlore.

Intelligence Quotient?

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:38:24 +0000

Jacob Tarrant was invited to attend the National Student Leadership Conference in Washington DC and chose the Intelligence & National Security Track. He was able to visit the White House, Pentagon and National Security Agency, and met the highest ranking General in the United States. Jacob also earned a truly special military coin which was presented to him by the General (James E. Cartright) for an essay that Jacob wrote on service.

He learned a great deal through the National Security Council simulation where he had the honor of serving as the Director of National Intelligence for his crisis group. He refers to the DNI as “the most important person I’ve never heard of” as this office oversees all 16 national security agencies for the United States and makes critical decisions with the President.

Jacob also attended the Missouri Scholars Academy, which was a wonderful program promoting development of gifted students.

Now, that’s what we really call “intelligence”.

You’ve Got To Show Me

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:33:55 +0000

Tyra Wilson, one of our fleet-of-foot CIS 2nd Graders, won third place in the 200M dash and 400M dash for the 7 & 8 year old age group at this year’s Show-Me State games held in Columbia.

‎6th grader Khristen Bryant placed 2nd on Vault, Beam, Floor, & All-around Show-Me-State-Games level 6 gymnastics.

Congratulations on these outstanding performances.

Special Events for Pre-K and Kindergarten Students

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:08 +0000

Here are two great activities that encourage Pre-K and Kindergarten students to meet new classmates and their families before the first day of school begins.

Lemonade With Lions is designed for the Pre-K crowd and families. It will be held on August 9th, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at Rock Quarry Park in Columbia. Families are invited. This is an informal social event for the kids.

Popsicles In The Park is a similar event, designed with Kindergartners in mind. It will be held on August 11, from 7:00 – 8:00 PM at Bethel Park in Columbia. Families are invited to attend. This is an informal social event for the kids.

Need more information. Just call the school or send an email to Lower School Director Beth Gardner at gardnerb@cislions.org.

Korean Delegation Welcomed At CIS

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:10:34 +0000

Professor Seungkwon You of the University of Missouri’s Asian Affairs Center and Missouri International Training Institute led a delegation of 22 South Korean teachers to CIS on July 16, 2010. The teachers instruct English as a Second Language (ESL) in South Korea and were here in Columbia for a five-week internship at the University of Missouri where they refined curriculum for their instruction. The delegation toured CIS and received a presentation describing our school. The visit to CIS concluded with an excellent lunch provided by Jina Yoo’s Asian Bistro.

Hit The Snooze Button:School Starts Later

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:25:20 +0000

When school starts in August, it will start just a little bit later than usual. For the first time, the regular school day will now begin at 8:30 a.m. at CIS. Read the whole story in the Columbia Daily Tribune by clicking here.

To read another article regarding the scientific basis for this change, simply follow this link.

For an explanation of the new policy read the letter to parents from Head of School Scott Gibson.

New Schedule Posted for 2010-2011 School Year

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:01:22 +0000

Dear MS/US Families,

Recently, Scott Gibson sent an e-mail that outlined the plan to shift our daily schedule to 8:30 – 3:30 beginning in Fall 2010. In order to reduce the school day by fifteen minutes, it was our goal to not affect academic time; therefore, the class periods (except for Pride) are still forty-five minutes long. Another benefit of our new schedule is that there is no longer a need for “late start” days.

The new MS/US daily schedule is:

8:30 – 9:15 – 1st period
9:20 – 10:05 – 2nd period
10:05 – 10:25 – assembly / break
10:25 – 11:10 – 3rd period
11:15 – 12:00 – 4th period
12:00 – 12:30 – lunch
12:30 – 1:00 – 5th period (Pride)
1:05 – 1:50 – 6th period
1:55 – 2:40 – 7th period
2:45 – 3:30 – 8th period

By moving assembly until after second period, and combining it with our student break (twenty minutes total), we hope to maximize our assembly attendance so that students can connect as a full community. Since most assemblies last no more than ten minutes, the students will then have a ten-minute break prior to third period (just like in the past).

Since the shift in assembly time results in first period beginning at 8:30a.m., it will be important that students arrive early enough (perhaps by 8:20) so that they can arrive punctually to class.

We have also eliminated five minutes each from both lunch and Pride; the previous schedule had that extra time built in from when the lunchroom was in Stamper Commons at Stephens College.

On a different note, if your child plans to participate on a CIS athletic team this year, they must submit a completed MSHSAA Physical Form by the first day of practice. A new form must be completed each year; a doctor must complete the medical information, and your family must complete the health insurance information. A copy of the MSHSAA Physical Form for the upcoming year is available on the CIS website (www.cislions.org <http://www.cislions.org/> ) under “Downloads.”

Should you have any questions, please contact me at septd@cislions.org. I wish you a wonderful remainder of the summer.

Doug

CIS Alum Involved In Global Health

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:16:36 +0000

Alumnus Gregory J. Blair, CIS Class of 2005, recently returned from Veracruz, Mexico where he participated in the University of Missouri’s Students Interested in Global Health for Tomorrow (SIGHT) trip. Greg is preparing to enter his second year at the University of Missouri’s School of Medicine. Thus far in 2010, SIGHT has served approximately 1,062 students around the world. Greg is shown here with Dr. Thomas Rodriguez. We are proud of you, Greg!

School Supply Lists Now Available For ALL Grades

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:09:06 +0000

Just in case you are already planning for that return to school, we are releasing School Supply Lists for all grades earlier than ever. Find the appropriate grade for your child in the following list and click the link. Or, go to the Downloads button on our website and you will be able to find your list all year long.

See you soon.

Jr. Kindergarten Supply List (2010-2011) – Download

Kindergarten Supply List (2010-2011) – Download

1st Grade Supply List (2010-2011) – Download

2nd Grade Supply List (2010-2011) – Download

3rd Grade Supply List (2010-2011) – Download

4th Grade Supply List (2010-2011) – Download

5th Grade Supply List (2010-2011) – Download

Upper School/Middle School Supply List (2010 – 2011) – Download

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:56:44 +0000